After buying our very first caravan today, we were wondering about the caravan club and camping and caravanning club memberships. Are they worth the cost? Which club is the better one? Or does one have more sites than the other?
Hi, I am new to caravanning and had the same questions, however I have since joined the Caravan club as a friend recommended it based on their experience. The site reviews and discounts are well worth I also ended up getting my caravan insurance through the club and got a good deal.
We originally joined the caravan club as there was a discount on the sure weer wanted to go to if we joined so it made sense. Then the same thing happened with a ccc site so we joined camping and caravan club too.
------------- Amanda
May - Scarborough
July - Mablethorpe
August - Godrevy, Cornwall
We are members of both clubs at the moment and think the membership fees (around £40 per year each) are worth it for the access they give to the small, usually cheaper 5 van sites (known as CLs or CSs - certificated locations or sites) and the network of club sites of reliable quality, competitive caravan insurance, specialist European breakdown and recovery insurance, usually cheaper ferry crossings - and I like to read the monthly magazines. We also used to book our French summer holiday through them, until we became brave and experienced enough to go it alone! Others, however, will disagree!
Quote: Originally posted by owens3116 on 04/5/2014
Hello all
After buying our very first caravan today, we were wondering about the caravan club and camping and caravanning club memberships. Are they worth the cost? Which club is the better one? Or does one have more sites than the other?
Thanks x
Both clubs have there good points and yearly membership is roughly about the same .
Caravan Club has twice as many site's as the C&CC and on the whole tend to have more modern better quality toilets and showers .
The Hard standing pitches with the Caravan Club are usually larger and more level than the C&CC equivalents .
We are in the caravan club Which we use for mayday the breakdown service and we like the pub type CL'S however We find the club sites while good are too expensive
Its £44 a year now but you get a nice magazine and site book
We've been canvas's and now caravaners and have to say the caravan club appears to be the better of the 2, their website is so much easier to navigate and use and the bonus for us is that we could use Sandringham site during the winter months. Have heard some rumours that the wardens at the C&CC are bit more officious, but that is word of mouth only as we haven't had any first hand experience.
Caravan Club (CC) has about 220 of it's own sites with about half open to members only and over 2500Cl's ( small 5 five van independant sites of variable standard licensed by the club for members only ) , the standard of it's sites is consistently high over the whole network, it provides every service that a caravanner could need and all the services are comparable with the best of service that you can find anywhere. When you arrive at a club site you book in and pay your fees, no deposits are taken so the whole fee is paid at this time, you are then given information about the site and are told to go go and have a look at the pitches available ( all empty pitches are available ) choose one, set up and then let the wardens know where you have gone. Should you decide for whtever reason that you need to leave before the date that you have paid till, you can inform the wardens that you are leaving and if you do this with 72 hours notice you will receive a refund of all fees for the days that you have paid for but will not be staying for. if you do not give notice you will be charged one nights fees unless you are moving on to another club site when the charge will be waived.
Camping and Caravanning Club (CCC) has about 110 sites of it's own a handful (6 at the last count ) of which are members only and a network of about 1500 CS's ( like CL's ), the standard of the sites over the whole network is of a more variable standard with the best sites comparing favourably with the CC sites. It also provides a full range of high quality services for the caravanner that are just as good as those provided by the CC. When you arrive at a club site you book in and pay the remainder of your fees ( a deposit will be taken when you book which if you cancel more than 7 days in advance you get back, within 7 days you lose ), the warden will decide where you are to pitch and will escort you to it and ensure that you have pitched precisely as he requires. Should you need to leave for any reason the fees that you have paid will be forfeit ( though in some circumstances by special request to head office giving circumstances and doctors notes be placed on account for you to use in the rest of the year )
I have been a member of the CC for 22 years and have never regretted it, I have been a member of the CCC on two occasion in the last four years and have on both occasions resigned it just did not suit me. I know of a lot of people who like and use the CCC so I would suggest that it is worthwhile joining both clubs and seeing which one suits your purpose best
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
I am in both clubs .
I joined the c&cc because we had a tent to begin . I also like some if their sites and use their carefree travel to go abroad . We also go on a rally in the Netherlands. Don't forget the site of the c&cc need to accommodate tents as well as caravans.
I like the cc sites as and use these I have been to only 3 cl,s . We don't like sites without toilets etc.
It is worth joining both sites then deciding which you prefere.
My both sons have tents so we need to be in both for now.
We are in both Clubs although we mainly use Caravan Club sites. Both offer similar services. In many ways whether either are worthwhile to you will very much depend on whether you use their campsites or services.
I would say have a look at the sites from both clubs you prefer then go for that one. Personally I think the cc has more small CL sites in better locations and we prefer these 5 van sites that rely more on common sense rather than rules! Also I hate regimented rows of vans!
Without doubt, the caravan Club.
Why don't you try both of them before Joining.
Its not a question of who has the most sites, its the High standards that count.
Quote: Originally posted by janus on 04/5/2014
...a deposit will be taken when you book which if you cancel more than 7 days in advance you get back, within 7 days you lose.....
Not any longer. C&CC changed the cancellation period to 30 days(!) when they changed all their pricing structure. I can see the reason why they did it (people were booking multiple sites until they had made their mind up, then cancelling them all, bar one, just a week before so some sites left with empty pitches due to having already turned people away. Why they couldn't make it 14 days I don't know, 30 days cancellation notice is ridiculous.
We have never bothered with either.
If you are going to use the small CL / CS type sites then it's worth joining, otherwise I can't see much advantage.
There are plenty of excellent private sites that work out cheaper than the club sites.
I would save your money and try some private sites before joining either.
We have been with the Camping & Caravanning Club for the past 9 years but never been a member of the Caravan Club so cannot comment on the latter but we may change this year and give it a try and see for ourselves. To join both clubs would be around £85 so it has to be one or the other for us as there would be no benefit of joining both. Previous posts have covered just about everything except what hasn't been mentioned is that the Camping & Caravanning Club have stewards to run temporary holiday sites (THS) all over the UK, some for up to three weeks at a time whereas the Caravan Club doesn't. Basically it's a holiday rally but a lot of people use them for cheap holidays at an average cost of around £8.00 per unit per night which is ideal for those who can't afford to stay at the club sites. If like us you have all onboard facilities then you don't need to use their toilet and shower blocks so a big saving can be made which means having to spend less on site fees thus spending more days away on holiday.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Caravan clubs membership?
