Cost of sites has gone mad

So there’s your answer, Des. Vote with your wheels. Simple.

However, I note that the offer doesn’t apply to school or bank hols when their prices will effectively increase just like the rest of the leisure industry, including CAMC.

Indeed. But you might need a certain level of fitness and mobility to walk from the Site to the Cavendish Pavilion and Abbey. There is however a decent woodland walk purpose designed for those with less mobility and who might need to use a scooter, around 100 metres from Site entrance opposite Cafe and Gift Shop. Early morning, it a great little track to spot unusual birds and deer. 

So five-year site fee increases for this club in the range 26.5% to 69%, trending somewhere around 45-50%.  Over that same period, CPI inflation has risen 22%.  So they're running at twice the level of inflation.

Thank you for amplifying my point so well.

And I believe you don't need to step back as far as five years either.  Most of the increase has been in the past year or two.

It would be interesting to repeat this exercise for the other club, where I'd bet my pension the increase in pitch fees has remained far more modest. 

“Thank you for amplifying my point so well.”

And mine in that comparing prices at two totally different sites is meaningless and it’s the overall picture that counts.

Even so, does it matter as we either use CAMC sites or we don’t? We either pay the membership fee or walk.

All these calculations about increases over time are just meaningless, the simple choice is does one to pay the club prices set now, yes or no. With anything I'm buying the questions are do I want it and is it good value for money and/or will I enjoy using it, I can't be bothered looking at what the increases were over a few years.

The ones comparing increases with inflation even more so. We're not talking about some basic need here, like food or energy costs, that are above the inflation rate, we're talking about a holiday. So what has the inflation got to do wit it? There are plenty of cheaper sites out there (we are told - and far more expensive ones too) so just choose the one you want for the the price you want.

But really if you freely choose a club site then don't complain about the price? I will never understand that at all.

Yes of course one either books the site or not, depending on whether you want/can afford he price. BUT I do think inflation is relevant. The thrust of this thread is the rise in prices. We all know costs have risen over time and therefore expect site fees to increase. What the issue here is that those increases are far higher than inflation over the period of time. There may or may not be perfectly good reasons for that. We know that inflation for some things can be higher than the average inflation, currently that applies to food. Without having a breakdown of site costs and relevant inflation rates for those various aspects I cannot tell whether the site price rises are justified or not.

As Club members we are entitled to question what appear to be above inflation price rises. No doubt the next AGM will refer to the relevant prices pressures!

 I like Bolton Abbey but it could do with a few more trees ..... 🙄

Maybe you enjoy all the indepth calculations, and getting previous year's spreadsheets out, but these posts seem to suck all the joy out of planning what should be a relaxing/energising  time away from day to day worries. 

One day we'll realise there's a few quiet days ahead and just click on our favourite site and go. No thinking of what it cost last year, or the year before - just enjoying the time away from the daily grind.

There are many solutions to this issue of site fees increasing above inflation: 

Vote with your wallet and caravan and go elsewhere - probably the most effective solution. No amount of whining on here will make a half penny of difference. 

Open up your own caravan site - given many of the commenters seem to believe its an easy money spinner.

Suck it up and stop moaning - you are long time dead and you can’t take it with you. 

Look at price rises of other holiday offerings and see how much half decent holiday accommodation now costs. 

I don't have any figures for the other club so can't do that. However, it would be meaningless they are separate organisations and set their own prices, you either pay them or you don't. Wether clubs or others have got there current pricing right will only be seen when annual accounts are available.

The trend of 45 / 50% from so small a sample is quite a leap as well, when the CAMC has so many sites, a bit  creative I feel. Given the recent inflationary pressures, particularly in gas and electricity, I also don't find it particularly surprising that most of the increase will be in the last year or two.

I shop in both Waitrose and Aldi, they have totally different methodologies in both stocking, staffing  and pricing. I don't expect them to be the same, why should I expect it of the CAMC and CCC.