I used to work an early shift before setting off to the camp site, to arrive at about 18:00h.
It gave me a 4-hour window to get most of the noisy setting up out of the way by 21:00hish.
Setting up inside the tent would continue until about 23:00h, by then I would be too knackered to do anything else, so I would go to bed.
This way, I would save a day's annual leave travelling to the camp site to spend most of the day setting up, and then waste the rest of the evening due to tiredness.
Makes sense to me, however, it does not suit everyone.
Don't have that luxury to bunk off early nowadays. Besides, it is too stressful to try and get everything loaded and ready early in the morning to arrive ready for work at 07:00h.
Perhaps I shall do that again when I have the Karsten tent as setting up should take less time and effort.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
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Quote: Originally posted by 100_mph_pennine on 29/7/2014
You're always going to get whingers - and camping's seemingly a hobby that is full of them.
So, they arrived late because of no fault of their own. And you was you tempted to turn them away? Really? Maybe I need to start looking at staying in hotels as I would certainly be upset if you'd turned me away for no fault of my own at 10pm - I could do without that risk of having nowhere to stay at the end of a long drive, especially with kids in tow.
So, you would give preference to them possibly if it had been a tourer or motorhome (which could, if desperate, find somewhere to lay up for the night). What is it with giving preference to these units over tent campers? Is it because they have the largest sense of entitlement? Make the largest demands? Shout the loudest? Is it because they've spent 20K on a shiny plywood box on wheels? I really don't understand this. Do they not pay the same for the pitch? (That's begging for the other question as to why they often also get the better placed pitches at many sites).
I may have read this wrong...and if I have then I apologise profusely but when did Ang say that she was tempted to turn them away? Or that she'd have given preference if they were a tourer?
It was implied from what Ang said - I hope it doesn't come across as mean - it's just a view ;-)
"The problem is - if we had turned them away we would of been the 'Bad Guys' for 3 families - and what would the last family have done? Slept in a layby in the car?"
"If it had been a Tourer, campervan or motorhome - they may or may not of made so much noise but there's no guarantee of that even!"
The other question is: Am I wrong in my view that tin tenter gets preferential treatment at a lot of sites?
We ask our customers there ETA if it is going to be after 9pm then we are aware and tend to let neighbouring pitches know that the neighbours are not going to be here till 'later on' we've never had a problem with this and nor have our customers...
Motorhomes/Caravans tend to be able to set up quicker, thus less 'noise' whereas tents take mostly a little longer - that's just the way it is...
We had some customers have a catalogue of disasters one year, road closures, car broke down and phone to say it was going to be 1am before they arrived, on top of that they were arriving on the back of a recovery wagon ( big and noisey ) and had to have the car off loaded prior to being able to set up their tent...
We let other campers around them know, we stayed up late ( altho in the height of the season we tend to not be settling till about that time) and wow what am amazing community spirit there was amoungst our customers... we had cars/carheadlight strategically positioned to light the way for there set up, one customers provided tea and coffee, another provided toast, another took their children to the play room to watch the tv, we along with more customers helped them put up the tent and unload the car... all in all brilliant, no one moaned, everyone helped, including us as site owners, the recovery driver was sent on his way after a cuppa and some toast, we had them set up by about 2am. We've commented since that it's ashame that all too many don't show the 'community spirit' to others when they arrive at normal times... a memorable night and potential disaster for the customers and us all avoided :)
Post last edited on 30/07/2014 09:46:36
------------- If you can't beat em, join em, so we did! And then we sold it for a holiday let & Glamping pod instead 😁
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I am confident that the community spirit is alive and well.
However, not all site owners as helpful and considerate as yourselves, and there are some selfish campers about who do not care much about the noise they make late at night.
If I were informed in advance about late arrivals, I too would help with setting up. Otherwise, I would be as grumpy as everyone else for my peace to be disturbed late at night, and I do not normally go to bed much before 01:00h!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
It would be great if everyone mucked in to help me get set up but then I would have to go round and check every peg and guy line to make sure they had done it properly
The only time I had a campsite owner hang up the phone on me was when I was phoning (enroute) to explain that we were held up driving around Birmingham and wouldn't arrive till hopefully before 9.30pm. Only to be told that this was NOT acceptable, we wouldn't be accepted after 8.30pm and shouldn't arrive!!!!! What? So we were to turn round and drive the 2 hours back home instead? Even when I explained that we were seasoned campers and could put the tent up in about 20 minutes and that friends were already on site to help. The woman was not for any compromise.
Needless to say I was so cross...... the woman was completely rude, especially as I was only giving them a possible worst case time. Luckily the traffic cleared up and we arrived around 8.30. However, there were tents arriving well after us. The drive was SO stressful because I decided to phone ahead and let them know our situation. This experience has certainly left me wondering if I would phone ahead again and let a campsite know we were delayed. So would you phone or not?
Ribble
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
I agree with dk168, in my view there is a huge difference between someone unavoidably delayed, arriving late and getting set up as quietly and quickly as possible, and someone who simply doesn't care about their camping neighbours, thinks they can do as they please, and makes no attempt to arrive at a sensible time or to keep the volume down.
I too would be more than willing to help in a scenario such as the one Jakers has described if I was told what had happened and that there would be a late arrival.
We always stay up fairly late but I have to say that if someone arrived very late and was being really noisy setting up ( and I mean no lowering of voices and not bothering to minimise car doors shutting etc, not the normal sounds of banging a few pegs in or blowing up an airbed or two) with no apparent effort to consider others I would not be happy at all, and would say something.
Jane.
------------- Enjoying life beyond kids, new love, living on a boat and a new lease of life in my mid 50s! Never too old to reinvent yourself.....
Mum to five - 4 girls, 31,28,25 and 22 and one boy, 20
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I take it back. I'm one of the most lenient guys around, but some geniuses have just pulled up at just after 3:00 and spent the last hour setting up. Well, sort of, they had a loud conversation first about the one guys land rover and how it had been on the journey, then dissappeared for 15-20 minutes leaving a crying dog to keep us both awake. Then they came back to open and shut as many doors as possible in an attempt at a car door symphony whilst still chatting away merrily.
I went out to the toilet and passed one the guys whilst muttering pr! Ck not too quietly. And I could hear other tents awake here on my way back from the toilet.
Luckily the rain is now muffling there voice, but I can still hear that they are talking and setting up.
And there are signs here to say no one without a ticket should go past the gates, I.e. first paid when the office is open. There's even a great big car park or a lay by they could've laid down in for a few hours. No kids that I saw by the way, just dogs.
And still slamming doors - definitely completely inconsiderate. I suppose this comes back round to the original question. How do you quantify the damage to the business in the event of someone leaving a bad review. I'll certainly be having several words with the owner in morning.
And in fairness, apart from this and one other incident the site we've been on have been great.
So, setting up loudly with no consideration for others at 3:00 am is certainly too late. I wouldn't even have minded to much if they were at least a bit more considerate.
Quote: Originally posted by Mucker1884 on 10/8/2014That's Nantcol Waterfalls off my list then, if they allow that sort of 5*it!!
If I were woken up at 03:00h by inconsiderate campers, I would have said something there and then.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Owner said he'd 'have a word' when I confronted him this morning. I think it's one site where they've become a victim of their own success. Although it's not their fault that thsee people have been inconsiderate it certainly put a dampener on the end of my jollies.
Apparently he drove round the site first as he also woke up a friend who was staying in the other field at the other end of the site. This friend said "oh the guy in the transit with the caravan", so definitely the same one.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: How Late is Too Late
