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Sorry think I didn't post that right the first attempt!

I am hugely disappointed with the extension.  The old tent strip has been dug up and 6 new caravan pitches have been installed, including the removal of a nice old tree.  The tents are now right up at the very back of the new extension on a peice of cleared land.  Trees have been trimmed, but no provision for parking cars, as tarmac road ends and kerbed at the van sites.  So far away for tenters to travel to amenity block. 

They will need to erect a decent fence around the pitches as the public path is along side it and dangerous for kids with the river behind.  Not a great outlook round at the new pitches but I am sure it will all mature better than it looks now.

Main disappointment for our friends with young children is the removal of the little hill at top end of main site, little kids rode bikes up and down it, rolled down it and had fun on it.  They have removed it and built a road!  Being a really family friendly site this was a great area for the kids, and natural feature.

I have attached a few photos

The new road..

New first pitch beside toilet block where tents used to be..

The new pitches around the back of the site.

They were laying tarmc on Saturday and the pipes were dug and being led for electricity, not sure if water will be added.  There is one stand pipe added and no additional lighting that we could see.

I just doubt caravanners or campers were consulted when the plans were drawn.

I am sure it will remain a popular site, well run and with lovely staff but I just think the extension could have been planned much better.

We aren't there until June, and with their online booking have been assured it is not possible now to book pitches as all done by computer so it will definately be pot luck where you end up! 

Wendy

Wendy

I think the bit about the booking being being done by computer so you can't book sites is a bit of a cop out. Last year the computer booking system was the same as Drumaheglis, which i think you have used in the past, (i think Carnfunnock and juniper hill are moving to this system) did allow you to book specific sites. The current system is the new "improved" version which didn't even work the first few days it went live.

Fortracfan, they have changed the system, last year they tried the same one as Drumaheglis, which to be fair wasn't too bad.  The new system doesn't allow for pitch booking and they told me the computer would allocate pitches as and when free.  Now the staff there have always been very accommodating and I am sure if they can help with friends who wish to book together they will.

I suppose we will just have to wait and see!

Have you any trips planned yet this year?  Have spent over £200 on booking for this year so far, and friends have spend double that.  It's the first year we have had to spend so much on deposits!

Wendy

Wendy, am replying on OH's sign in.

We have found it very hard to get sites booked this year for the weekends we wanted. We are booked for Antrim May weekend and it was a nightmare booking as new system was not working then found out that they are not booking actual sites, first come first served basis.  I don't call that an improvement to their new booking system.

We are booked for Rushin House for Easter and Deighans for the 12th. We have decided to do a lot of CCC rally's this year.  We have booked to go to the North West with them and will go to a few others as the season goes on.  By this time of year we normally have most of our weekends booked but this year this has not happened.  We will fit in Castlewellan, Gosford and Ballyronan somewhere.  We have a few friends that caravan so we will have to decide where we are going and get it booked before we don't have a choice.

Deposits I don't mind it is when you have to pay in full on booking that I hate but I can understand why they do it as so many people don't have the manners to ring to say they want to cancel.

What are your plans?

Fortracfan, we too are booked for Rushin House for Easter, 2 weeks in August and a couple of other weekends.  Have Drumaheglis booked for Halloween and another long weekend, and Antrim for weekend in June and August bank holiday.  July week we are booked for Benone Tourist Complex on the non-hook up which is much quieter and have their own cleaner showers.  Kids just like that site and with our 17yr old daughter surfing the clock round it is handy for beach.

Yes we too have paid full booking, a very new concept for us.  Like yourselves we don't mind deposits, or paying a month in advance but paying all the sites in January was a bit of a blow.  We have never in our years of caravanning just not turned up, and if we had to cancel we do as early as possible but there does seem to be so many who don't bother.

We're booked for Tollymore for 18th Feb for 3 nights, then won't be away until Easter, then season really rolls for us!  Could bump into you along the way.  You'll know us at Rushin House, 2 orange kayaks on the roof of the car, hardly miss us lol..

Wendy

Seems my OH is having a bit of an identity crisis - she though she was me but she wasn't. Have a wee job to do in Antrim on thurs so going to take another peek at the works.

We have a friend booking the tourist complex for the 2 summer months so dread to think what she has had to pay. Also when we went for a stroll round the other week the tourist complex have been refitting the electric supplies and they now have electric meters on all the posts so you have to  buy electric cards before you get electric. We have also booked Castlewellan today for second week in March with the CCC - at least its that wee bit cheaper. We still have a lot to decide for the rest of the summer but at least some division of the CCC will be out every weekend so we might manage somewhere a littlle different. We didn't manage to get Gosford booked for the fair weekend this year for the first time in 5 years. Its getting harder and harder to get what you want when you want it. Hopefully Antrims extra capacity will help but the flys still spoil it for the summer but we will likely go back sometime after August.

Hopefully get to meet you at Easter when the kayak's aren't in the water.

Sharon, sorry no experience at all with the folding kayaks, ours are sit on tops and bought mainly for the kids, very stable and even I can have a go on them and feel safe.  As SOT's they are big, heavy and take a lot of huffing and puffing to get them on the roof rack.  I suppose they all have their good and bad points.  Are you thinking of buying one?

fortracfan, seems everywhere was busier last year and likely to be just as bad this year.  I doubt if the electric cards will be popular in Benone, but people must be bleeding them dry with the amount of appliances they are running.  We love this week of non hook up, listen to the radio, some music, Sunday Times, all in peace and quiet!!  Can't wait..

Wendy

Hi Wendy and Sharon

I was not having an identity crisis he told me to reply to you when I was signed in.

We will meet then in Rushin House and Sharon knows I will make myself known to you.  Before that we are for Castlewellan 12 March with Sharon and Jeff to see how they get on in their new van, but I can't see the 4 of us in kayaks folding or not,kids maybe but not us.  But saying that Jeff might give it a try while the 3 of us watch (laugh).

Can't wait to get out in van again weekends are so boring now, except for the ones you get to visit friends in their houses instead of caravan.

Carol

Sharon, I thought like you that two kayaks would fit in the van (going in through front window) but I was completely wrong, absolutely NO way would these two fit in the van.  Also they tend to be a bit wet and muddy and so heavy you wouldn't want them inside the van.  Now there are definately lighter, smaller and easier kayaks, we wanted these for stability.  The roof bars had to have a special canoe rack (another £75) fitted, and these two are on the maximum weight recommended carried on the car.  I really didn't realise how big they are out of the water.  Surf board and body boards by comparision travel very easily inside the van (you really should see us unload, van is like a tardis).

Yes we have been to Corralea a few times and very good, owners are lovely.  Our kids tried kayaking there a couple of years ago before we bought them, but they have sailed a lot so were water confident, I am definately not which is why I like the stablility of the ones we went for.  We found it virtually impossible to buy these kayaks 2nd hand here in NI, mostly the shorter white water ones which extreme kayakers use (extreme we are NOT) and as they hold their price very well didn't seem a huge amount cheaper, but as we needed two we had to buy new.

We bought ours from Jenny at www.familyadventurestore.co.uk they were cheaper than buying in NI as kayaks sold here already had shipping on top of RRP, we trawled the internet and definately this was the best price including shipping to NI, some quoted £100 per kayak!!!!!.  We got them both for £675 including paddles, seats and leashes, oh and delivery. Closest we could find in NI were Jackson Sports in Belfast who had similar types but we wanted ocean kayak frenzys.  Also had to buy new bouyancy aids as their sailing ones weren't cut away enough under the arms for paddling, throw line, knife and fun toys for games in the water lol, wetsuits, boots etc they had.  Looking back that year was quite an exensive one for us lol. 

You are more than welcome to try ours out at Rushin house, kids are out in them every day, and if very calm so am I (only if you don't laugh). 

The kids on their kayaks! 

Wendy

You know that kayaking looks like loads of fun. Maybe I could be persuaded to give it a go - that will give Carol something to laugh at.

Maybe somewhere where the water is warm and not to choppy -  What about Larne leisure centre??? They do scuba lessons there as well - maybe i could do the 2 at once ?? fall out of the kayak in the scuba gear. At least then i would have an excuse to be at the bottom.

Hi everyone, you all seem to be very organised and have your year ahead planned out. I've just booked Ballyness for 1st week in August and thats it so far. Not doing bank holidays so no rush to book those but usually have a few w/ends booked by now. I will have to get sorted and start booking or face not getting where I want.

Paul

We always book way in advance but we found it very hard this year to get booked for the weekends we want and this year didn't get Gosford for the one we always go to.  Sharon we will just have to look at what CCC are doing that weekend and go there instead. lol  What about France Jeff?

OH has noticed that the CC are going to Six Mile Water at beginning of March and as he is obsessed with the new sites is trying to convince me to go to have a proper look.  Not yet convinced as we are going to Castlewellan with CCC with "certain folk" the following week and need to stay at home sometime as once we start going away HE will have us away every weekend so house just goes to the dogs.

I'm just sorry the airshow is cancelled as was so looking forward to it as is good when weather is good.  Think we will go anyway.

Carol