Posted on 29/11/2017 18:57
Reading the latest magazine I was annoyed to read an AGM comment that motorhomes are causing problems because they stay on a site for a few nights and spoil the opportunity for a week's booking.
Personally all the people dashing to book in December for next year spoil my opportunity for going away on a whim and touring, stopping off for a few nights then moving on to pastures new.
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Posted on 03/12/2017 14:16 by lornalou1well, this thread has got me somewhat worried about my future holidays. I bought a van because this is all I can do now that my wife has a brain injury so joined both clubs to get good sites to stay at, but I cannot book in advance as soon as they open the books as don.t know how she will be at that particular time and I think I will struggle to get a site because of the selfish diehards that have their finger ready on the button, so will have to hope private sites can accommodate us or just sell up and live a life of misery sat at home.
Posted on 03/12/2017 18:03
No need to worry about future holidays, LL. Unless you're wanting to visit one or two specific sites at specific times you're pretty much certain to find a CAMC site with availability most of the time. But if not, as you're in both clubs, like us, there are literally hundreds of alternatives, such as C&CC sites and CLs /CSs, many with facilities every bit as good as club sites. Add on to that non club sites and you've as wide as choice as you could possibly wish for. And if you want suggestions for specific sites in specific areas, there's plenty of experience on here to give suggestions.
So don't give up - carry on enjoying your times in the van. 
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Posted on 03/12/2017 17:51 byAs you have also joined the "other club" then I suggest that you won't have any difficulty in getting a pitch at short notice on one of their sites. As it is the "Camping and Caravanning Club", many members are tent campers, and tent campers tend not to book so far ahead as perhaps do caravanners and motorhomers. I know that we did not when we used tents.
Even nowadays, having more-or-less given up on tents, and using either our motorhome or caravan, we can book a pitch more easily at short notice on a C&CC site than on a CC site. And we often do, when unable to travel elsewhere.
Do not despair!
Posted on 03/12/2017 17:36 by JVB66Seems a very popular area
Posted on 03/12/2017 18:39
Well, the photo was taken in the French Alps about 40 miles from Annecy, which would have been absolutely rammed at that time in August.
But then where I live in Cornwall is 40 miles from Newquay - and the contrast is just the same. Sites with space in August here, outside the Club/Commercial/Coastal networks, versus sites which are rammed.
One does have to engage brain, and be selective if you want to tour without booking ahead - whether it's Cornwall or France.
Aren't mobile phones useful for that previous evening call.
Posted on 03/12/2017 18:55
This might be a good opportunity to ask for some help on this. Could one or two of those who say "no need to book" explain how to make it work?
One arrives unbooked at the chosen site shortly after 6pm to find that there are no vacant pitches. Whether the last availalable one is now occupied by someone who turned up half-an-hour earlier, or booked the previous December is immaterial - there is no space.
Should I have made a prior list of alternative sites and Certificated Locations/Sites in the area and researched their user reports, Trip Advisor staus, etc to confirm that the ladies' lavatories are up to or exceed the Caravan Club standards, and then try to drive to a few of them before they close to new arrivals at around 8pm? Is there some (secret to me) way of knowing which site to head for first? One cannot telephone the sites, as that would be "making a booking".
To me it seems so much simpler to spend three minutes on the computer making a booking - and that includes 30 seconds for my ancient printer to produce a paper copy of the details. I would usually do this as soon as I knew the "where" and the "when" of the trip.
It is worth mentioing that not all of the UK is the same as Devon and Cornwall where there can be but less than a mile between sites. Where I tour it could be sixty miles to the next site - and that is without filtering to select those with acceptable sanitary provision.
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Posted on 03/12/2017 18:39 by eurortravellerWell, the photo was taken in the French Alps about 40 miles from Annecy, which would have been absolutely rammed at that time in August.
But then where I live in Cornwall is 40 miles from Newquay - and the contrast is just the same. Sites with space in August here, outside the Club/Commercial/Coastal networks, versus sites which are rammed.
One does have to engage brain, and be selective if you want to tour without booking ahead - whether it's Cornwall or France.
Aren't mobile phones useful for that previous evening call.
Posted on 03/12/2017 18:55 by NavigateurThis might be a good opportunity to ask for some help on this. Could one or two of those who say "no need to book" explain how to make it work?
One arrives unbooked at the chosen site shortly after 6pm to find that there are no vacant pitches. Whether the last availalable one is now occupied by someone who turned up half-an-hour earlier, or booked the previous December is immaterial - there is no space.
Should I have made a prior list of alternative sites and Certificated Locations/Sites in the area and researched their user reports, Trip Advisor staus, etc to confirm that the ladies' lavatories are up to or exceed the Caravan Club standards, and then try to drive to a few of them before they close to new arrivals at around 8pm? Is there some (secret to me) way of knowing which site to head for first? One cannot telephone the sites, as that would be "making a booking".
To me it seems so much simpler to spend three minutes on the computer making a booking - and that includes 30 seconds for my ancient printer to produce a paper copy of the details. I would usually do this as soon as I knew the "where" and the "when" of the trip.
It is worth mentioing that not all of the UK is the same as Devon and Cornwall where there can be but less than a mile between sites. Where I tour it could be sixty miles to the next site - and that is without filtering to select those with acceptable sanitary provision.
Posted on 03/12/2017 19:46
Needing a toilet block will limit you Nav. Best book.
We tend to take note of CLs and other sites when we are out and about visiting different areas, sometimes even stopping and having a look what might be there. This information is filed away for future reference. We do browsing searches when not away, read reviews, take a look on a Google Earth etc, use OS maps to see what is around in terms of walks, POI. It all helps when out and about.
Posted on 03/12/2017 18:55 by NavigateurThis might be a good opportunity to ask for some help on this. Could one or two of those who say "no need to book" explain how to make it work?
One arrives unbooked at the chosen site shortly after 6pm to find that there are no vacant pitches. Whether the last availalable one is now occupied by someone who turned up half-an-hour earlier, or booked the previous December is immaterial - there is no space.
Should I have made a prior list of alternative sites and Certificated Locations/Sites in the area and researched their user reports, Trip Advisor staus, etc to confirm that the ladies' lavatories are up to or exceed the Caravan Club standards, and then try to drive to a few of them before they close to new arrivals at around 8pm? Is there some (secret to me) way of knowing which site to head for first? One cannot telephone the sites, as that would be "making a booking".
To me it seems so much simpler to spend three minutes on the computer making a booking - and that includes 30 seconds for my ancient printer to produce a paper copy of the details. I would usually do this as soon as I knew the "where" and the "when" of the trip.
It is worth mentioing that not all of the UK is the same as Devon and Cornwall where there can be but less than a mile between sites. Where I tour it could be sixty miles to the next site - and that is without filtering to select those with acceptable sanitary provision.
Posted on 03/12/2017 18:57 byI would suggest that "no need to book" means just book the day or two before.
Posted on 03/12/2017 20:26
That's it but no need to book months in advance on the majority of sites, and when on tour a quick look at the cc late availabilty site will show if there are pitches at w/ends, if the w/end has pitches then it's 99% certain that other days will be ok, if the site is full on a Suday night the its probably very busy at other times ,has not let us down since the online booking system was introduced
Katrina Hope Valley
Motorhomer