So - this July I have a 2 day job down near Hull so decided to take the tent and make a 4-5 day stay.
Looking at campsites, the closest one to my work site looks nice but I noticed that although they charge £21 for a caravan they charge £24 for a tent! I was a little surprised to see that so phoned and asked why. The lady who answered didnt know and said she'd check and call back.
Almost 2 weeks later and no phone call so I called again today and spoke to someone different.
She gave me a range of excuses (whoops I mean reasons) which went as follows:
1 - A tent is bigger than a caravan. I asked what the cost would be for a 6 birth twin axle with slide out sleep compartments, double awning etc - £21. And a 4 man weekender tent? £24!
2 - Next excuse was that tent guests use their facilities more. This I just laughed at - most caravanners will use the site toilets except in emergencies.
3 - Tent guests use their washing up facilities more. True, though £3 a night to wash up seems excessive. I asked where the caravan users got their water from to wash up, and where the electricity came from to heat that water - obviously the site! Then I mentioned that by that same token caravan users create more waste - assuming their assumptions were correct! Caravan users also use chemical waste.
4 - Tent users are more likely to leave electrical items plugged in. What utter rubbish! Of course most tent users dont have TV, Satellite etc and arent charging their leisure batteries from the site either.
I was actually left gobsmacked by the cheek of this site insisting that tents (any tent) costs them more than caravans (any caravan) and charging a 15% premium for tents.
Added to that, she was uninterested in offering any reduction for a 4 or 5 night booking.
I guess I will be looking elsewhere!
------------- A slightly younger Victor Meldrew
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Sounds like the site want to restrict tent camping. Some campers may be happy to pay more to be on a site with fewer tents.
We have done similar on one of our favourite sites which has a tent field, but we paid extra to be in the caravan area with a tent, despite not using EHU, or TV system as we preferred the caravan area.
Sound a bit of a wihinger get a caravavan, don't moan about those that do have one, we don't moan that it costs us more to get to the site than campers. Maybe they don't like campers so put a price to put them off.
Quote: Originally posted by pjproby123 on 13/3/2017
Sound a bit of a wihinger get a caravavan, don't moan about those that do have one, we don't moan that it costs us more to get to the site than campers. Maybe they don't like campers so put a price to put them off.
I think you miss the point completely.
I wasnt whining about caravans at all and in fact borrow a friend's from time to time.
My complaint was that the site charges more for tents and then tries to justify it with completely made up excuses!
------------- A slightly younger Victor Meldrew
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
Hi,
I agree with daveyip, that sounds like they are just trying to discourage tents by pricing you out.
I am afraid their excuses don't hold water.
Unfortunately they make the rules.
Better off giving them a miss.
Regards,
Greg
Yes I think you could be right, I just dont understand why.
If they dont want tents on site, dont let tents on site. As you say, it is their site.
But to behave in this way I feel is unfair and dishonest. Even as a caravanner I would avoid such a site. It seems obvious they dont want people using their facilities, which is just the strangest thing
Shame though, it really is ideally situated for me.
------------- A slightly younger Victor Meldrew
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
Hi,
Out of interest, are there statics on the site?.
That seems to be the way it goes when they are working towards all statics.
First the tents go then the caravans and motorhomes.
Hope you can find a reasonable alternative.
Regards,
Greg
I don't know mucker. I've seen that sort of mess left after a caravan awning has been on the grass next to hard standing. Not to mention the ruts left by motorhomes that have needed pulled out by tractor.
Quote: Originally posted by HighSlayer on 14/3/2017
But to behave in this way I feel is unfair and dishonest. Even as a caravanner I would avoid such a site. It seems obvious they dont want people using their facilities, which is just the strangest thing
Shame though, it really is ideally situated for me.
How can it be "dishonest"? They haven't hidden anything or done anything illegal!
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
I have to agree with Ewen here, I have seen motorhomes decimate a plot and then they have had to close the pitch down.
If they get stuck and try to get out without assistance they can do considerable damage.
To me it does seem unfair to charge tenters more.
The damage you illustrate Mucker is an expected amount of disruption in those conditions.
A motorhome could leave that with two huge furrows that can close the pitch for that season.
Regards Greg
A couple of years back, when friends were visiting a new area, the tenters amongst us found tents being charged more than caravans and motor homes. Now I can understand the issues of grass damage if one's staying a fair while but we were only staying two nights at a non-busy weekend and were all singletons in 2 berth tents. The motor homer and two caravanners in the group still used the toilets and showers and the wash-up facilities like we tenters, so it seemed hard to justify that we'd use the facilities more and cause so much damage over the two night stay.
If sites don't want tents, it's their site and they can say so; frankly I wish they would as it would save a lot of searching.
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