New CL: fantasy price

I like the idea.

 I could buy land, set up a website, widen the gate and put in water supply and drainage, buy a big mower and cut the grass regularly, repair the ground after awnings , answer the phone and e mails and take bookings, keep financial records, stay at home all summer, dispose of the garbage, and let people visit me for £10 a night. 

I just don't like the idea very much.

Not all that has to be done by any means if you have the right land and even bookings if required can be automated. 

I know plenty of hobby CL owners that are happy doing it the easy way. 

Usually they are the ones charging under a tenner and have been for some time 

 No way would I spend a lot of money on a site that can only take 5vans unless I eventually wanted to go commercial.

But I might open a CL if I had a field, a tap and a drain already in place. I would charge a fiver and enjoy the occasional company 

I think it's great CL's are available at £16 plus but concerned the average price is creeping up. 

Great alternatives are available for under a tenner these days and not all require the use of your own facilities. 

Not used a CL since April because of these alternatives. That is a change to our normal habits. 

Read a report that the disposable income many of us enjoy today is not going to be repeated with the next generation. 

CL's will need to do some thinking regarding the prices they are asking if they wish to continue. I suspect many that have invested too much in facilities will have to go commercial in order to survive. 

 A basic low cost CL that the owner has minimal investment in may well be the ones that are able to continue if disposable incomes do fall 

A valid post. It gives food for thought.

Given the fall in the number of cl's over  the last 20 years I wonder how many will be left by the time the next generations comes along.

Just an alternative thought to the economic realities of a five van site. 

If someone can get fifteen pounds plus then good luck to them. But economic times may well be different in a few years. Some might argue its already different.

I have never heard CL prices being openly discussed on campsites before but I have this year. 

Fysherman said "But I might open a CL if I had a field, a tap and a drain already in place. I would charge a fiver and enjoy the occasional company "

That made me smile as an ex CL owner. If only it was so easy and so inexpensive to run a CL with the occasional visitor.

Well 75% of my business is repeat business then my pricing can't be far wrong, and I will not be putting meters in to be pestered 24 hours a day to produce change or a top up card for the meter, or have the hassle of getting meters checked on an annual basis. This is a part time hobby and I want to enjoy it as much as you do visiting me.

David   www.perthshirecl.co.uk

eurotraveller isn't that far off the mark. Its a lot of hassle for £7.50 per night but we enjoy it even though there is no money to be made by most of us unless your in a tourist honey pot. We were quoted 14k just to get electric into the field. We opted to stay none elec basic Cs for obvious reasons.

Fysherman said "But I might open a CL if I had a field, a tap and a drain already in place. I would charge a fiver and enjoy the occasional company "

That made me smile as an ex CL owner. If only it was so easy and so inexpensive to run a CL with the occasional visitor.

  I have stayed on several CL's that are in the back garden of a house. The house has an outside tap and a drain cover that needed lifting. The mower was a goat on a leash and bookings were not made . If there were five on site (unlikely) then you went somewhere else. More often than not you had to put the money through the letter box. 

These sites still exist if you can find them. If you cannot I doubt the owners will be too concerned. 

Ok this is an extreme example but so is £20 per night. 

Sorry I really must use a laptop the formatting has gone wrong again 

I like the idea.

 I could buy land, set up a website, widen the gate and put in water supply and drainage, buy a big mower and cut the grass regularly, repair the ground after awnings , answer the phone and e mails and take bookings, keep financial records, stay at home all summer, dispose of the garbage, and let people visit me for £10 a night. 

I just don't like the idea very much.

At that price you will probably have full occupancy all year round as opposed to only 50% of the time therefore your profit margin will probably be greater.

I like the idea.

 I could buy land, set up a website, widen the gate and put in water supply and drainage, buy a big mower and cut the grass regularly, repair the ground after awnings , answer the phone and e mails and take bookings, keep financial records, stay at home all summer, dispose of the garbage, and let people visit me for £10 a night. 

I just don't like the idea very much.

At that price you will probably have full occupancy all year round as opposed to only 50% of the time therefore your profit margin will probably be greater.

Or the loss less more likely, if the true costs are really taken into account. Even 50% is but an idle dream 365 days a year and could be quite nice if it was even 52 week ends a year. If you are VAT rated you only start with £8.