CL opening date!

There's definitely Chinese whispers going about! 

No CL owner that I know, and I'm in touch with lots, has had any guidance from CAMC (they keep promising some though ) about re-opening our sites other than it is hopefully happening on 4th July subject to Government go ahead.

We have not been told to leave pitches vacant for 24 hours, we have not been told to close toilets/shower (that is up to individual owners) nor are the club's requirements too onerous as they haven't actually given us any.

Hope that answers a few questions. 

We are hoping for some guidance before 4th July!

Nicola
www.skybarnfarm.co.uk
Telephone: 01522 681218
Email: enquiries@skybarnfarm.co.uk
Site 920, page 392 of the 2019/2020 Sites Directory
Read our many wonderful reviews!

Thanks Nicola, hope everything goes well. 

Just to clarify, here is an email sent by the Club to a CL owner (and friend of ours), yesterday:

From: CL Response <CLResponse@camc.com>

Date: 19 June 2020 at 16:48:32 BST
Subject: Caravan and Motorhome Club Communication to CL Owners in England  - 19th June 2020

Dear CL Owner

Further to our recent email regarding the expected re-opening of the tourist industry in England on 4th July we are still awaiting confirmation of this date from the Government. 

Thank you for your continued patience.  We were hoping to be able to share with you our guidance documents today, but unfortunately we have not as yet received the guidelines from the Government to help all tourist business, including CLs, prepare for reopening on this date.  We will of course forward this to you as soon as it is received.  

Any bookings you take from 4th July should be on the basis that members are informed that bookings may have to be cancelled or postponed should the Government change the date from which sites can be opened.  To clarify - the first provisional booking should be overnight on 4th/5th July.

Any provisional booking you may have taken for arrival between 1st and 3rd July must be cancelled and rebooked for a later date.

We will be in touch as soon as we have further information for you.  

Kind regards

Jane Springham

Certificated Locations Manager

Caravan and Motorhome Club

Thank you Nicola, hope you have a good season.

Nicola

It appears you are making comment on my post on the 18th.

My first sentence was taken from the clubs website. What I then reported was what I was told. Neither of these cl owners said they had been advised by the club so presumably the decisions on what I commented were there's.

If you read my post again I did say, "I didn’t ask questions but where is this advise coming from, not from the club "

So it's not so much a question of Chinese whispers but a question of mis-understanding what I posted

Just today I have made another booking and again was told toilets would not open.

Quote from booking confirmation email, "
Thank you for your booking, dates as below. Our info sheet is attached, please note our requirement to use green bio toilet fluid only at our site. Please also note our onsite toilet will not be available due to Covid 19." 

I spoke to a CL owner yesterday about our booking. She was tearing her hair out about the lack of guidance from the government. She is ready to open and has provide gloves, hand gel, cleaning sprays and even envelopes in which to put payments but doesn’t know if this will be enough. She doesn’t know what else she could do but at this moment in time doesn’t think she will be opening again on 4th July.

On a slightly different but related subject, I’ve just managed to book a CL for late July. The CL has an online automated booking system which I was asked to use. It worked quite well apart from a couple of little issues which aren’t really of any major concern. However, I was surprised that although it is a CL and my access to their website and booking system was via the club’s website, there was no mention of it being a site restricted to CaMC members, even in their terms and conditions of booking. It appears that I or any non-member could just enter their website directly from a browser. I’m not going to identify the CL until at least after I have been and established the facts more positively but it does seem a bit strange.

I suppose we will have to wait and see what's eventually announced by the govt, but I'm getting more and more confused by the day - so I have every sympathy for CL owners.  The Mail on Sunday has published an article in which they say that whilst B&Bs, hotels etc will be able to open on 4th July - those with 'shared facilities' such as campsites will have to wait until later. This is supposedly on the advice of a 'senior government official'

Common sense suggests, therefore, that the answer is simply to close the toilet facilities on sites that have them - but if the govt in their infinite wisdom decree that no caravan sites will be allowed to open until later (because some civil servant/advisor doesn't understand or hasn't bothered to find out how these places operate), it looks as if the 4th July start date for CLs might not happen.

Government, common sense? Come on now.

A lot of CLs with their own websites and booking systems operate a small private site alongside the 5 van CL. They will have got planning permission, all above board. It’s one of the reasons we have let our Club membership lapse. We know we can still use some of these “CLs” but using a private area pitch. Down the years we have noted such provision, and are perfectly happy using such Sites. Some of our favourites are now ex CLs, don’t come up now via Club’s website, so lots of members won’t know they are there. 

I thinks it’s very sad that people are taking the government “Guidlines” as law. They are just that a guide. They will be the first to point that out if you try to sue them for something.

Common sense, something lacking with the men in suits, needs to prevail, and people allowed to take personal responsibility for themselves.  We do in flu season, so do we need to be led by the hand?