Posted on 14/09/2022 09:31
Good morning. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience being caused with the implementation of our new booking system. Members and guests are able to make bookings through the new system however this is not the complete experience we have designed.
Please be assured our IT and Technical Teams are working extremely hard to resolve all of the issues as soon as possible.
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Posted on 05/01/2023 09:53 by moulesyIt's interesting to read the different approaches folk take to touring. We are pretty much the opposite to you, Mikey, in that, when we were touring in the van, and now, when we book cottages or hotels, we know exactly what we want to do in the area and will time our stay accordingly. If we are staying for a week we will have plans for 7 days of walks or visits, may just have to juggle them around depending on the weather. Probably goes back to the days when we were both constricted to school holiday dates and had to make the most of what was available. Even when we go abroad now, it won't be for a simple "package" break, we will have researched and know where we want to go. We recently booked a week in Madeira at the end of February - will hire a car for 3 or 4 days and then use public transport to get around the island. For us, that planning is part of the enjoyment of the holiday.
The only times we don't any longer do that is for our frequent trips to Cornwall which, as the saying goes, is just "living in another place".
Posted on 05/01/2023 10:35
Pretty much the way we tour and holiday in the UK, and like you when we're in Lakes we leave things till nearer the time and plan low or high level depending on the weather, actually most times it's the night before after looking at the Lakes weather-line.
For abroad it's a mixture of some just-do-nothing holidays (apart from visiting the pool side bar) and visiting an area or city with an idea of what we want to see and do.
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Posted on 05/01/2023 09:32 by young thomasThanks, I am familiar with Britstops and was researching one only last week..
If touring, we would probably want more than one night (depending on area) but as a resource for joining the dots it might be useful.
need to be a member though?...
Posted on 05/01/2023 11:40
Sort of…….š¤ Yes there’s a fee for the book and App, but let’s just say that after that, no one checks you in. We paid for our book last year, and don’t forget you often park up for nothing (which includes some services if the stop has them) you simply reciprocate by purchasing something from wherever you stay. Our last night stop was lovely, a cycling shop and cafe. Nothing to stay, we got rid of a bit a dry rubbish, had a nice walk with the pooch, slept safely and soundly, then had a good look around the cycle shop, bought a few things we needed and had a delicious breakfast in the cafe. The book is a lot less than one night on a Club Site, so it’s well worth it. We voted it our best overnight stop for years, will certainly use again when in Suffolk. We used some in Scotland as well. Sure anyone used to overseas Aires would love to be honest. We used a £25 a night CL one 10 day tour, but using Britstops as well, our average was around £12.50 for the whole tour. We found a truly gorgeous stop one night, but really high tides were expected, so we didn’t want to risk it. Ended up next to a Swimming Pool on the edge of Kircudbright, all services, five minute stroll into town, £10 per night including hook upš¤©
Posted on 05/01/2023 09:53 by moulesyIt's interesting to read the different approaches folk take to touring. We are pretty much the opposite to you, Mikey, in that, when we were touring in the van, and now, when we book cottages or hotels, we know exactly what we want to do in the area and will time our stay accordingly. If we are staying for a week we will have plans for 7 days of walks or visits, may just have to juggle them around depending on the weather. Probably goes back to the days when we were both constricted to school holiday dates and had to make the most of what was available. Even when we go abroad now, it won't be for a simple "package" break, we will have researched and know where we want to go. We recently booked a week in Madeira at the end of February - will hire a car for 3 or 4 days and then use public transport to get around the island. For us, that planning is part of the enjoyment of the holiday.
The only times we don't any longer do that is for our frequent trips to Cornwall which, as the saying goes, is just "living in another place".
Posted on 05/01/2023 12:35
I agree that if your time away is determined by holiday entitlement or flight schedules, then detailed planning will be required. Our recent holiday in Australia required us to plan car hire/accommodation for the two short breaks away from our main base. Day to day planning from our main base wasn't critical as we were there for so long.
However, on our caravan travels in France and Spain, there is no need to plan in detail as sites are very quiet. Deadlines and bookings create stress and we stay as long as we want in an area before moving on. Even the return ferry can be amended.
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Posted on 05/01/2023 12:35 by MikeyAI agree that if your time away is determined by holiday entitlement or flight schedules, then detailed planning will be required. Our recent holiday in Australia required us to plan car hire/accommodation for the two short breaks away from our main base. Day to day planning from our main base wasn't critical as we were there for so long.
However, on our caravan travels in France and Spain, there is no need to plan in detail as sites are very quiet. Deadlines and bookings create stress and we stay as long as we want in an area before moving on. Even the return ferry can be amended.
Posted on 05/01/2023 13:09
When we were caravanning abroad we usually had three weeks away in school holidays. We only ever booked the crossings. We knew where we were heading e.g. vender, Jura etc. sometimes the destination would determine which crossing, but living in Gtr Manchester at the time we tended to use one of the Hull crossings. We would have some idea of route and what we wanted to see, but that was it. We toured in France, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg in that way. Never knew how long we wanted to stay anywhere. I well remember one French municipal site, one of the ones where someone would come each evening for the money. Initially we said two or three nights, but eventually stayed about a week. I think we were the only Brit on the site. The monsieur had no English, and us very little French, but he found it very amusing that we stayed so long.
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Posted on 04/01/2023 18:24 by young thomas...but I suspect you knew where you wanted to go and when...probably linking up a tour perhaps?
I think that this (these) type of bookings are certainly doable, it's the searches where folk want the system to suggest possible sites in an area or at a specific period where the hitches begin...
Posted on 05/01/2023 11:40 by TakethedogalongSort ofā¦ā¦.š¤ Yes thereās a fee for the book and App, but letās just say that after that, no one checks you in. We paid for our book last year, and donāt forget you often park up for nothing (which includes some services if the stop has them) you simply reciprocate by purchasing something from wherever you stay. Our last night stop was lovely, a cycling shop and cafe. Nothing to stay, we got rid of a bit a dry rubbish, had a nice walk with the pooch, slept safely and soundly, then had a good look around the cycle shop, bought a few things we needed and had a delicious breakfast in the cafe. The book is a lot less than one night on a Club Site, so itās well worth it. We voted it our best overnight stop for years, will certainly use again when in Suffolk. We used some in Scotland as well. Sure anyone used to overseas Aires would love to be honest. We used a Ā£25 a night CL one 10 day tour, but using Britstops as well, our average was around Ā£12.50 for the whole tour. We found a truly gorgeous stop one night, but really high tides were expected, so we didnāt want to risk it. Ended up next to a Swimming Pool on the edge of Kircudbright, all services, five minute stroll into town, Ā£10 per night including hook upš¤©
Posted on 05/01/2023 13:42
Pretty much like the Aires network in Europe...or France Passion etc...some of our best nights have been when we've pulled into a small town or village without any preconceptions and discovered what it has to offer without any 'forward planning'.
Obviously different to others but we don't spend our lives poring over various pieces of documentation, rather we use our noses and uncover the undiscovered.
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Posted on 05/01/2023 13:42 by young thomasPretty much like the Aires network in Europe...or France Passion etc...some of our best nights have been when we've pulled into a small town or village without any preconceptions and discovered what it has to offer without any 'forward planning'.
Obviously different to others but we don't spend our lives poring over various pieces of documentation, rather we use our noses and uncover the undiscovered.
Posted on 05/01/2023 13:57
We started touring in a roaming, mooching manner in our tiny campervan as youngsters. Then once we had the van, and juggled work commitments, we tended to spend our main long holiday at the most on a couple of sites. Back to MH, and we are more prone to roam an area nowadays. Our problem is we can’t pass a brown road sign, and as we like to do A and B roads, we do roam all overš
Our choice, but I cannot imagine spending more than a week now on any Club Site. Exeter Racecourse might be the only exception, easy access to all sorts of wonderful places, N,S,E or West. It’s possibly one of the few we could afford for a week as wellš¤£
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Posted on 05/01/2023 13:40 by TimboCNope. Did what I've always done..
Browsed, compared, chose, booked.
This years touring...sorted āļø
Posted on 05/01/2023 14:02
We had friends like that. After retiring, they still did as they had always done, July, August, Bank Holidays. Sat to Sat. Booked months in advance. They would come back and tell us how busy places, Sites were, how noisy, etc… so we gently suggested they could go anytime they wanted, any day they chose. They don’t book ahead now……š But it’s what suits the individual.
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