Motorhome facilities and rules

Posted on 16/09/2021 13:38 by jb99

Thanks for the helpful and informative response (or micro rant).

I was simply pointing out, with evidence, that the Club needs to move with the times.

Posted on 16/09/2021 16:03 by jb99

That's the big difference between Motorhomes and towed vans.  The former are generally more self contained and can park in many more places, especially in mainland Europe where they are welcomed, quite often with free facilities because we use their restaurants and shops (because we can, because they are nearby, not miles away down a lane).  We have a very adequate hot water system and our own toilet, so don't really need camp site facilities.  The only reason we go to sites is because often that is all there is in the UK.  I should have noted that the cheaper private site charged for showers; seems like a good solution for those that like a spacious ablution.

I noticed that peedee has the CAMpRA logo, that is the way things are going.

PS: I missed out Iceland.  Not cheap to hire, but a tremendous experience.

Posted on 16/09/2021 17:46 by kenexton

Now on our third MH and hardly ever use the MH SP.To keep the FW tank full I carry a 10l water container which has a spout on it and with it I top up the tank at 75%.Grey water,I drain down into a neoprene,folding bucket at 50% and tip it at the nearest  SP.Toilet emptied at CT point as required.Never yet queued at MHSP,cannot see the point really.

We have had four caravans in our time and I would never go back to towing and all of the paraphernalia and hassle involved with caravans -leaky things in general anyway.

As for CMC pegs and positioning-rules are rules and if you do not like them then go elsewhere.It does seem a bit daft at times when our PVC is in the middle of a CMC pitch with well  over 6m firebreaks either side but "rules is rules".....

Too old to get "wound up" about such minor matters any more,rather get on with enjoying my time.

Posted on 16/09/2021 17:36 by DavidKlyne

It sounds to me that the wardens dealt with you quite sensitively in taking the trouble to explain how things work on a CMC site and perhaps making much more allowance for your inexperience than is often expressed on this forum!!! I have yet to arrive at a Club site where the process of where you pitch has not been explained to me in minute detail almost to the point of boredom!!! The point about not using service points other than the dedicated one for motorhomes, is that it can be an inconvenience to others. Your tank may only take 100 litres but there are some beasts out there that take 2/300 litres, often slow filling. I don't think it reasonable to expect a caravanner to walk to the next service point because a motorhome is hogging the waterpoint. I often go to a service point to fill a kettle and would be a bit miffed if I had to wait whilst a motorhome filled their tank. I appreciate the Club way of doing things can seem a bit odd but they have generally stood the test of time. 

David 

Posted on 16/09/2021 17:36 by DavidKlyne

It sounds to me that the wardens dealt with you quite sensitively in taking the trouble to explain how things work on a CMC site and perhaps making much more allowance for your inexperience than is often expressed on this forum!!! I have yet to arrive at a Club site where the process of where you pitch has not been explained to me in minute detail almost to the point of boredom!!! The point about not using service points other than the dedicated one for motorhomes, is that it can be an inconvenience to others. Your tank may only take 100 litres but there are some beasts out there that take 2/300 litres, often slow filling. I don't think it reasonable to expect a caravanner to walk to the next service point because a motorhome is hogging the waterpoint. I often go to a service point to fill a kettle and would be a bit miffed if I had to wait whilst a motorhome filled their tank. I appreciate the Club way of doing things can seem a bit odd but they have generally stood the test of time. 

David 

Posted on 16/09/2021 12:05 by jb99

We've just returned from a tour of mid and south Wales in our motorhome.  We stayed at a number different locations: pubs, public car parks, private camp sites and one night at the C&MC site in St Davids.  We have paid our membership fees for many years, but in practice we haven't stayed on a Club site very often, and not since the name change and rebranding.  So we expected great improvements for motorhomes. 

We arrived rather early, but were warmly welcomed by the lady on reception who unexpectedly checked us in before the official time. 

I was rather confused by the parking rules, but looked at the way adjacent vehicles were arranged and tried to imitate them.  Since our motorhome is less than 2.5m wide, versus a car/caravan/awning measuring maybe 7m, it was easy to maintain the 6m separation from our neighbours.  However, apparently I had picked the wrong corner to go next to the white post.  This was explained to me that evening, but since we were leaving the next morning the very friendly warden said not to bother moving.  Fine, I'll be more careful if we visit again.

The next morning, there was a queue of motorhomes at the only grey waste point, so we decided that, as we only had a small amount of waste we would empty the toilet cassette at the service point then just fill up with fresh water and leave.  So, I pulled up next to the adjacent service point and attached my hose connector to the threaded tap.  Shortly after, a  different warden who was maintaining the grass, came along and said that motorhomes weren't allowed to use the service points and indeed there was a notice that said this that I hadn't seen.  He said that this was because filling a motorhome takes a lot of time so other people would have to wait.  I asked why I had to wait rather than other members and although a 100 litre motorhome tank will obviously take longer than a 50 litre rolling caravan tank, there were three other service points on the site.  No! Jobsworth was adamant and claimed that it was a health and safety risk (which is hard to understand). 

According to various comments on Facebook, these is just a couple of many petty rule enforcement incidents that are alienating motorhome owners.  I really think that if the Club wants to encourage this massively increasing sector of the market, they need to learn the differences between motorhomes and towed caravans.

So, the rebranding was clearly just a marketing exercise and we will have to seriously consider whether to renew our membership next year.