So what did the Club ever do for Motorcaravanners?

StuartO replied on 02/03/2019 12:44

Posted on 02/03/2019 12:44

It’s a while now since the Club was renamed, to reflect that there are lots of motorhomers among Members - but apart from the name change, what has and does the Club plan to do to cater effectively for motorhomers?

Well there has been a programme of improving motorhome servicepoints, to provide drive-over grey water drains, but at the club Site I most recently stayed at there was no lighting at this service point (unlike the others) so using it after dark (and it was dark at 4.30pm that day) was a matter of struggling with a torch.  But I haven’t noticed anything else specifically for motorhomers and in response a suggestion that the Club should develop overnight parking stops for motorhome like the Aires on the continent, I read somewhere that the Club’s only response was to wonder whether a discussion about whether this was a more appropriate thing for the Government rather than the Clubs to be considering.

CAMC is of course a commercial operator of full scale caravan sites and jolly good they are too but these cater primarily for people who want to stay for quite a number of days, like caravanners do, while lots of motorhomers (certainly on the Continent) make lots of use of more basic overnight parking, to stay for one or two nights only and then move on.  Some motorhomers do use their vehicles like caravans and stay on a Site for a while but lots more enjoys their holidays by keeping moving along.

For holidaying in this mode motorhomers don’t need a toilet block, resident staff and manicured grass around them every night; on most nights they don’t need much more than parking, a supply of drinking water, a drain for grey water and somewhere to empty the chemical toilet.  CAMC should be just as capable of building good Night Halt locations as it is at building full scale caravan sites - and operating them profitably.  There are lots of Aires on the continent which charge good money (and use barrier entry operated with credit cards etc) as well as the free ones provided (as a tourist facility and an attraction) by many local authorities.

There may be an argument for local authorities to build Aires as tourist attractions etc but there is also, quite separately, an argument for CAMC showing initiative in building a network of Aires in UK as a service to it’s Motorhome Members.  I think a network of CAMC Motorhome Nightstops would compliment the network of Club Sites and serve to promote them too - for example each Night Halt could easily display advertising material about nearby Club Sites.  And motorhomers who use Aires also tend to use full scale caravan sites periodically as well, for example to have a ‘laundry day”.

Isn’t someone on the Club’s staff or committees already thinking about this avenue of development - and if so can we hear something about their ideas?

 

Cornersteady replied on 09/03/2019 17:17

Posted on 09/03/2019 16:43 by

Did you not use any campsites?

I dont use these "Aires" things because I am a caravanner but having spent around a month a year in Spain every year for 17 years I have  no complaints about the vast majority of their sites and I have no hesitation in saying they have been nothing like club sites

Posted on 09/03/2019 17:17

as that photo of yours proved beyond doubt

huskydog replied on 09/03/2019 17:21

Posted on 09/03/2019 17:21

I haven't got a clue what this thread is about surprised ,but it's better than what's on the telly wink

moulesy replied on 09/03/2019 17:24

Posted on 09/03/2019 16:43 by

Did you not use any campsites?

I dont use these "Aires" things because I am a caravanner but having spent around a month a year in Spain every year for 17 years I have  no complaints about the vast majority of their sites and I have no hesitation in saying they have been nothing like club sites

Posted on 09/03/2019 17:24

And your experience of club sites over the past 17 years is.....? undecided

Cornersteady replied on 09/03/2019 17:32

Posted on 09/03/2019 17:06 by young thomas

ah, brilliant corners, let's have a dozen CC sites testing out this new idea.....if it takes off, roll it out network wide...

need to explain it properly though, we don't want confused customers cocking the whole thing up...

Posted on 09/03/2019 17:32

no need BB, they have such sites already, they are the ones with no EHU and/or minimal facilities. And I believe they are called 'economy' pitches but I'm not sure

I'm trying to think but I've never heard of anyone complaining they couldn't get an econom  pitch or book at these 'no frills' sites.

Also as the shoe fits (see what I did there?) for CLs, people wanting such cheap stop overs could use those? Again many CLs have plenty of pitches. 

If there was so much demend as you say, why aren't economy pitches and CLs full of MHs? Are they all in the wrong place?

Btw, what is so special about club sites I wonder that you want the car park/playing field/play area torn up to make way for these cheaper pitches?

peedee replied on 09/03/2019 17:34

Posted on 09/03/2019 17:34

Well, the most unbelievable post on this thread to date. I have just spent 74 days in Spain and I can honestly tell you not 1 aire has been anything like a club site in terms of standard, space and facilities.

While Spain is not the best place to judge the quality of Aires there are one or two that I would rate better than a Club site. A couple of pitures for comparison. Spot the Spanish one, there might even be 6m between vans!

peedee

moulesy replied on 09/03/2019 17:38

Posted on 09/03/2019 17:38

And I thought straight lines of vans/MHs all pointing the same way was a bad thing about club sites? undecided

DSB replied on 09/03/2019 17:39

Posted on 09/03/2019 17:39

I'm afraid I haven't trawled through all the posts in this thread, so I apologise for any repetition.

I think there are a number of issues here.  One important issue is that the Club find it difficult to find land that is available for sites as it is - I think land for aires may be more difficult still.  So much land that becomes available at present seems to be immediately seized upon for housing development.

Also, we do not have a tradition of 'aires' in the UK, and this might well contribute towards any decision to allow aires to be developed by the Club.  The Club has to seek planning if it needs to change any of pitches e.g. if it wants to put in hardstandings - it is subject to local authority approval.  There are also sites on the network which have tent pitches because of local authority requirements.  Any development of 'aires' or similar, similarly would require local authority approval.  Without this tradition, local authorities may look upon aires as more of an inconvenience, especially with a large turnover of vehicles on a daily basis.  It is difficult enough to get approval and land for 'traditional sites'.

The Club is unlikely to develop a site in order to make a financial loss.  Any site requires development and therefore would entail a charge to use and maintain.  It would require staff to run it etc.  I can't honestly see the Club developing a system which would essentially help to separate off caravanners and motorhomers.  Even if a site could be found, it would be very much an 'experiment' and the Club would need to ensure that they could turn such an area in to a conventional site for caravanners and motorhomers, should it fail.  

I would certainly not be a 'free' facility, as it sometimes is in France.  Not only would it cost the Club money (in whatever form it took), but essentially it would need maintenance and site staff.

Personally, I can't see what real benefit could be achieved taking all these things into consideration.  The Club might well be best to continue to develop sites that can be used by caravanners, motorhomers and trailer tenters.

Just my view 

David

moulesy replied on 09/03/2019 17:42

Posted on 09/03/2019 17:42

Hard, maybe impossible, to argue with any of that, David. smile

JayOutdoors replied on 09/03/2019 18:24

Posted on 09/03/2019 18:24

DSB – Fully agree. Would also add permission from the landowner on leased club sites may be an issue (also not read all posts as too many (just a quick catch up)

Personally I appreciate the clean well-maintained club facility blocks.  Unfortunately, no one posts that there are poorly maintained/badly used ‘grotty’ Aire type facilities (bollards etc) to be found over there.  Aire users washing out cassette loos using the drinking water tap facility - not good IMHO.  Use Antibac wipes whenever we feel the need even occasionally on some c’sites.  As we rarely visit the same place twice I tend not retain irrelevant info so can’t say where we saw this. Back to Rugby.

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