CLs - The jewel in the CC's crown

We are at a CL at the mo , we have only used club sites twice in 15 years , I have stayed on dairy farms , hill farms wiv lambs everywhere , we love the peace and quiet as this weekend we are the only ones here , we are happy without electric hook up sad to see so many closing , so come on campers keep support ing them .

I don't see it as an 'either/or'. Sometimes my very definition of happiness is 'sitting in a field', but sometimes I want full facilities. This summer we will be on a club site for a few days, followed by a festival for four nights, followed by various CLs, a commercial and another club site. I love the choice, diversity and freedom of caravanning. We have stayed on some great CLs and some great Club Sites.

I suspect CLs are mainly jewels in the crown for the tugger with a 4x4! For a motorhome owner there are many things to be wary of, not least the prospects of getting stuck in a muddy field. Then there are the questions of access and isolation. Many times I look at an OS map and decided that CL is not for me. I sometimes wonder who decides that a CL is suitable for motorhome owners or not?

peedee

Peedee - having pulled our friends (in a motorhome) off muddy or even just wet fields twice in the last few months, I have to agree.  They have now moved back to tugging - not because of that though - they just wanted more space.

Yes Cls are great and we use them in preference. Just a word of warning to CL wners-you are in many cases pricing yourselves out. No need for all singing all dancing. Also make sure your prices are up to date. No excuse for websites to be out of date. Nothing will deter revisits than to find the prices exceed those quoted

We tend to use the main sites, but if we were to use a CL it would be the all singing variety and I am sure we are not alone. If it has similar facilities to a CC site, I am not sure why one should expect it to be a great deal cheaper. You are after all paying for location and exclusivity.

the problem, Steve, is economics....

with only five vans in a site, its hard for a CL owner to make a return on any investment in showers and toilets without ramping up prices....

for those that wish to 'glamp' with shower blocks, toilets ehu, etc (what next, a shop, playground.....) there are many club sites that offer these at the appropriate price levels....

a countryside cl offering 'location' as its no1 asset need not tart it up into something its not....a full fat campsite....hence the exemption from planning..any more and you have to scratch 'location' from that asset list as the site would not be able to exist.

..five vans, nice location, owner costs at a minimum, CL visitors enjoyment at a maximum.....

simple, cheap, good value.

...not just small 'club' sites.....please not.

Yes Cls are great and we use them in preference. Just a word of warning to CL wners-you are in many cases pricing yourselves out. No need for all singing all dancing. Also make sure your prices are up to date. No excuse for websites to be out of date. Nothing will deter revisits than to find the prices exceed those quoted

We tend to use the main sites, but if we were to use a CL it would be the all singing variety and I am sure we are not alone. If it has similar facilities to a CC site, I am not sure why one should expect it to be a great deal cheaper. You are after all paying for location and exclusivity.

the problem, Steve, is economics....

with only five vans in a site, its hard for a CL owner to make a return on any investment in showers and toilets without ramping up prices....

for those that wish to 'glamp' with shower blocks, toilets ehu, etc (what next, a shop, playground.....) there are many club sites that offer these at the appropriate price levels....

a countryside cl offering 'location' as its no1 asset need not tart it up into something its not....a full fat campsite....hence the exemption from planning..any more and you have to scratch 'location' from that asset list as the site would not be able to exist.

..five vans, nice location, owner costs at a minimum, CL visitors enjoyment at a maximum.....

simple, cheap, good value.

...not just small 'club' sites.....please not.

We go to Cirencester Park quite a lot. I just did a search on the new app and there are 6 CL's with hardstanding, EHU and shower / toilet within 25 miles and 11 within 30 miles. This works out at just under 10% of available CL's with these facilities. We would certainly give consideration to staying on one of these, and would not mind paying as much as we do at Cirencester Park. As you say it is economics, it all depends how many feel as we do. Clearly if there are enough, more CL's are likely to go this route.

Peedee,  I know what you mean, and despite what you say its not just Motorhomes that suffer. I once booked into a CL not far from Salcombe in Devon. On arrival I found the entrance very difficult with a long van, but once in I quickly realised that due to the narrowness of the access lane there was little chance of me getting out again without damage! Sadly  I was proved right!  The site  was in a lovely area, but was really only suitable for small MH's and short two berth caravans. It should have made that clear!

That episode taught me to always check the proposed site out on Google Earth. It has saved me making a similar mistake on a couple of occasions since!

TF

As someone who mainly uses CLs and CSs they are the “jewel in the crown” for me.

I also choose CL sites that have a shower and toilet and am prepared to pay a little extra for the privilege. We all have differing needs and tastes and it is not helpful for other members to look down on or mock other members for wanting some facilities on a CL site. After all some of us have small basic units while others have large units with all mod con’s.

By reading the revues first and using Google maps I have been very happy with the sites chosen so far.    

As someone who mainly uses CLs and CSs they are the “jewel in the crown” for me.

I also choose CL sites that have a shower and toilet and am prepared to pay a little extra for the privilege. We all have differing needs and tastes and it is not helpful for other members to look down on or mock other members for wanting some facilities on a CL site. After all some of us have small basic units while others have large units with all mod con’s.

By reading the revues first and using Google maps I have been very happy with the sites chosen so far.    

...perfectly valid point, but i dont think anyone was mocking anything, merely pointing out the any site (cl or otherwise) that incpvests in ifrasteucture will want to redeem that outlay, and with only five vans to charge for per night, thats goint to take an awfully long time without significantly hiking prices.

as well as cls offering a far more diverse set of locations than club sites, they also offer those who find club site prices a little 'hot', the chance to continue touring at a manageable price.

ive got no problem with cls having a shower block, however i wouldnt want this to become the norm as would the price to support the investment.

As someone who mainly uses CLs and CSs they are the “jewel in the crown” for me.

I also choose CL sites that have a shower and toilet and am prepared to pay a little extra for the privilege. We all have differing needs and tastes and it is not helpful for other members to look down on or mock other members for wanting some facilities on a CL site. After all some of us have small basic units while others have large units with all mod con’s.

By reading the revues first and using Google maps I have been very happy with the sites chosen so far.    

Here here!! Not every one has full facilities built into their caravan!!