CAMC Route Planner - errors with Directions to CLs

Love the disclaimer added on:

Disclaimer – Routes provided may include roads unsuitable for vehicles towing trailers or caravans. There may also be specific weight, width or height restrictions. For caravan-friendly local directions, please use the directions on the relevant Club Site or CL Site details page or your Sites Directory and Handbook for the final approach.

How many folks you had turn up a day late Ian, after following the clubs directions?

Just tried the route planner to yours from home. It takes me to your site but coming in from Penley instead of Ellesmere. I know from when we stayed last year this route is a no no, thus the disclaimer.

Hi Dave and Vicki,
I'm surprised that it brings you to Birch Hill CL at all - I've just tried it again and it still takes us 177 miles away.

Did you try typing 'Birch Hill' into the CAMC Route Planner, or did you type-in our Post Code?  The mis-routing occurs when the name of the CL is auto-completed by the CAMC website.

As regards 'unsuitable for towing' routes - that is another matter - I did a test of the system for the notorious A170 'Sutton Bank' in Yorkshire and it beggars belief that the CAMC should offer a caravan route planning service that suggests such a dangerous and unsuitable route.

Ian

Hi Ian

I typed in Birch Hill Farm CL.

Auto complete explains a lot.

If I use Vicki's details on here, auto complete adds a dot to her email address, so we never get a reply.

The only directions supplied by the club that I trust are those published in the site directory, and only then after checking them against a map. You only need to see the distance given between certain sites as they use line of sight distance and not that by road!! eg the nearest sight to Tredegar House is given as Hurn Lane at 19.68 mls while by road it's actually 54 mls!!

Surely a route planner is just that a device to plan a route from A to B so that you get a general idea of suggested roads and mileage. I would have thought that if you were heading for a CL that is hidden in the middle of the countryside that you would automatically use other means to highlight the exact final position and not rely totally in a route planner? I still use MSAutoroute for general planning of trips but wouldn't rely on it to get me to the door. 

David 

I find that if I substitute the CL site in the route planner destination with the CL's postcode, this seems to give me a more accurate route.

David,
this is not just 'any' route planner - this is the route planner on the website of the UK's premier caravanning organisation: a member-led Club with a multi-million pound turnover. 
I was shocked when I discovered that it recommended the Sutton Bank route to members.  Surely we could invest in access to a route planner that is useful to members.

Ian

I’m afraid that is the problem, Ian. It is just ‘any’ route planner obtained off the shelf rather than being specifically designed for caravan, or club, use. The route planner does not follow the specific directions to reach either CLs or club sites. 

I feel the problem is compounded by site directions being less than obvious on the web pages. We are invited to ‘view on a map’ and then find the directions tucked away. How much better would it be to have a button labelled ‘Site directions’? Many is the time I’ve read reviews where members have got lost by blindly following sat navs and often those people didn’t even realise site directions existed. I know the directions are in the handbook as well but I doubt many people travel with the book to hand these days. 

I completely agree with Birchillfarm. It would be very useful to have an accurate route planner to sites included as part of our club membership. I would be extremely happy for a portion of my membership fees to be invested in this, as I always get the blame when we take a wrong turning or end up on a scary road!!!

Always have the book to hand in the car specifically for final approach.