I have eventually got around to booking some CC sites. Only booked 5. That will have to do for now as because of prices the rest of my bookings will have to be CL's. Certainly during the school holidays. The prices are sky high.
------------- "I'm a fool for my dogs"
Adopt a rescue, rescue dogs make great pets, don't support puppy farms.
The road can be tough and rough,but what you put in you get back 10 x more.
I'm one of the worst for complaining about site prices, but I never seem to end up getting ripped off.
I always manage to find a little hidden gem somewhere.
Coming from a tenting background, my aim is for a tenner or under for me, alone, per night (with or without EHU, I rarely use it anyway).
Yes, a lot of sites are OTT with pricing, but the public get what they ask for.
I personally couldn't think of anything worse than a massive site full of tarmacked avenues with an overpriced mini supermarket, overpriced clubhouse with overpriced bar, swimming pool & massive, noisy kiddies play area. All I require is a field, a loo & a tap. If I'm there a while then a shower is also handy, but now I'm caravanning I'm happy to use the 'van's shower & loo, in fact I prefer it. A site, for me, is a base to start exploring the local area, not somewhere I wish to spend my entire holiday, & I never stay on one site for longer than a few days, to me that's the whole idea of "touring". Others will want something completely different, & that's what they are paying for. Neither way is right or wrong, just personal preference.
As long as there remains a good balance of the all singing all dancing sites, the farmer's field sites & everything in-between then that's fine by me.
It's only when you get a farmer's field site who thinks it's OK to charge all singing, all dancing fees that my back gets up.
I steer clear of the caravan club, I don't like the "Booking Day" debacle, that's definitely not my style, I have no idea where I will be spending my holiday until I'm almost ready to step out of the door.
I don't like the whole "British" thing about booking anyway, I much preferred France, they laugh at our obsessin with booking on their municipal sites, & on most of their smaller sites. But then, they do have plenty of sites to go around.
I may well join the Camping & Caravanning Club this year, as I prefer the way they do things. It's just personal preference really, & there's a few of their sites I like very much.
Sky high to me is around the £30 per night mark for 2 adults. Not that I'd want to spend a weekend in a Premier Inn Hotel but we only spent £29 in a Premier Inn in Manchester before our flight. Surely the whole point of caravaning is (or at least it was) a cheap way of getting away.
It has been a few years now since caravanning was a "cheap" way of getting away. It's a lifestyle choice. There are still many good sites out there that don't charge the earth. Also if you book off peak with the CC, meaning a weekend not in the 6 week summer holiday period it is still reasonable. Most of our 2 nights away during the year happen outside that time and cost less than £40, even on the CC dearest sites. You pay a premium with all sites for Easter and the bank holidays but at least with the CC you don't have a minimum night booking. If you can only go away for 2 you pay for 2.
Yes SW307...you add up the cost of the van and the tug plus the gear and the deisel etc etc and its not that cheap. It's a lifestyle as you say.
We found that some sit fees have gone up about 3% (so below inflation) and other snext to nothing. Seems to be a case of shop around for those sites that may not be as popular and off you go.....
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
£37.40 for 2 people for 2 nights at a 5 star CC site in May. I think that's pretty good value. (I'm ignoring the huge amount of money our "lifestyle choice" costs us otherwise we'd never do it and we love it!)
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: Sites booked
