Network Shrinkage

I have only used a CL for one night in the last dozen years.

How many regularly are full? I know that the one I used was 4 years ago. However very well drained ground, 3 hardstands, excellent track metaled and then stoned by the pitches, EHU, a toilet, pleasant owner, well kept site grass, pitches well separated for £9 four years ago, just a few miles from Wellingborough and in August I am not surprised.

Doesn’t that highlight the problem, even if the pitch price is put up to £12 per night, that’s a maximum of £60 income per day, and out of that you are offered all you listed.  I can’t see how the CL owner can make any sort of reasonable money out of the CL.   It’s the demand for more and more facilities that is killing CL’s imo

Doesn’t that highlight the problem,

No idea Boff. To me the price was needlessly low. No idea how other similar CLs price

We use CL's almost exclusively, throughout the year, and find that whereas some are full others do have free pitches, We tend to avoid the most popular holiday areas during peak period, when we would anticipate sites being full. We have as yet not had to pay more than £14 pn, and usually a few pound less, for sites with EHU, H/S, toilets/showers, and occasionally free WiFi. 

ET, would you care to name that CL you used, as we are always on the lookout for new ones to visit?

boff, a site may be charging £12pn and if full certainly takes in £60 pn which equates to £420 per week, or £8000+ over a 20 wk period. I don't think that most CL owners are out to make a huge income from their site, but an addition to their everyday income.

boff, a site may be charging £12pn and if full certainly takes in £60 pn which equates to £420 per week, or £8000+ over a 20 wk period. I don't think that most CL owners are out to make a huge income from their site, but an addition to their everyday income.

Your analysis doesn’t take into account the costs of installing ehu or toilets and showers.  Neither does it take into account the costs of maintaining the ehu or cleaning the facilities.  Add in rates.   I am sure that a lot of CL owners run them as a hobby but in my opinion they are effectively subsidising you because it isn’t a serious business proposition and that a lot of actual cl’s don’t actually cover costs. 

I might think a toilet nice for £12 but I certainly would not expect showers or particularly multiple showers or toilets 

ET, would you care to name that CL you used, as we are always on the lookout for new ones to visit?

Sandy Hill Farm
69 Park View, Moulton, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN3 7UZ

All but one reviews were good - especially mine 'As I have to be at the Alde service centre nearby before 9am and with the trip being 160 miles from home I booked in there for one night. What a lovely site. Well maintained and well spaced. I was sorry not yo have been there with my other half in which case we would definitely have stopped longer. It rained heavily overnight but the grass pitches are on a very sandy soil and water just disappeared, Everything about the site gave the impression of somebody who cares.'

The bad review stated that the £10 a night only included 10kw/h of electricity and 15p per unit afterwards. I can't comment on that as no meter reading when I was there. But at the prices I would not grumble. Pitches well laid out. Even if not using one of the three hardstands the name of the site gives a good clue to ground conditions. When I was there they were building some of the houses spoken of in the last review. To see them though you had to walk well away from the pitching area. There was one spotless WC and hand basin in a brick building. 

Me neither ET. We would be happy to pay £12 for a site with EHU, and possibly H/S, but nothing else for that.

Thanks for the info on Sandy Hill Farm, I'll certainly add it to our list of ones to consider should we head that way. Definitely one for the summer months, at £10pn.

On the other hand with the "proliferation?" of motor caravans at prices from over thirty thousand pounds to the sky seems to be the limit, what is expensive?for a site, in the whole scheme of things

Instead of having motorhomes along the sea front on Queens Drive, six weeks ago Exmouth council approved the settng up of 70 Motorhome pitches for up to three nights in car parks in the town.

So how many CLs  in the area will thrive? And as the number of motorhomes increase and other councils follow the lead of Exmouth the shrinkage of CLs in other places will inevitably continue.