Off on a rally this weekend.

Back home safe, a great if somewhat muddy time had by all.

Did you get to keep lots of free mud samples to bring home with you?

Went to look at the field for a rally we are running in two weeks time yesterday. Good news - local pub has a great selection of real ales and makes real pies (ones with pastry on top and bottom), bad news - field can't be used because the owner has had to install drainage pipes (insisted on by local council) and it's to soft to drive on. Luckily he has another field with ehu we can use. Bonus!

Dave

Must admit car was covered in mud from getting on, on Friday.  Previous experience tell me it unloads mud all over the van.   So I took the car out first thing a found so standing water on the road, I didn't have to look that hard or far, and washed most of the mud off. Van remained relatively clean on the journey home. 

Hope you had a good time Boff.  I stick to hardstandings and serviced pitches where possible, rather than to mud!   Sounds like great 'fun' though!

David

Hardstanding and service pitches?  Not exactly on message with the new ethos. 

Where is your adventurous, pioneering spirit David? 🤣😇

I agree that's not in the Ethos of the "new company"

I somehow can't see the Club digging up all the hardstandings and unplugging all the electric anytime soon... 

I think the word inclusive was somewhere in that ethos   The Club should have something for everyone, but I always come and read the rally section to see how things are going.  I remember with fondness my tenting days on fairly basic sites but these days I'm content to read about other people's adventures on rallies. 

David 

I am sure that you are correct. But the marketing spin is all adventure, Photogenic nuclear families surveying the horizon from tthe peak of a hill. Yet demand seems to be for comfort and facilities.

We have been with rallyers this w/end,and speaking to several of them, apart from their amazement of why there was a need to to change the the club "ethos" because dispite all the marketing speak ,that is what going to happen (their words) and what was quite obviose is that they are having problems attracting younger families, because of the cost of of getting started,and as previosly said,  they have nowhere to keep a LV at a modern family home,  two of them said that both their children and one also grandchildren ,have all got large tents because they are easy to store have more room, and have enough of the  modern needs for the times they go away, 

there was one  "positive" is that centres will not have to change all their banners/flags etc 

Actually, the rally I have referred to here was full of Children from a couple of months old to young adults.  Not always like that but most ralliers in our centre at least are pleased to see them.  The barriers to entry to have any sort of LV have gone up without a doubt and 3.5t limit which effectively applies to anyone under 40 is going to drive a huge shift towards motorhomes away from caravans.  The problem is you can buy a starter caravan from a few hundred pounds upwards and it has nothing like the expense  to buy or the running costs to keep it on the road.  

Rallying can be a cost effective way into caravanning (as can CLs). Also we have had an awful lot of help and good advice from ralliers over the years.  Just don't ask me after 14 years I still know nothing