Sites without a toilet block

Agreed, Steve...for us who can spread cost over a year and choose out of peak times and only travel as a couple and.....etc...

...however, what it might do is to pose the question as to whether a family campsite holiday (2 adults and 2 children) at uncomfortably close to £1000 for a fortnight at plum CAMC site in the school hols is not only worth that on its own, but is it actually worth having a van (and associated costs) if it's going to cost you that much every time you take it out🤷🏻‍♂️

we are lucky enough to be able to take holidays other than vanning ones but we seek good value on on those trips...whether a cruise, a package holiday or the sites we choose to use for vanning.

based on our judgement (sorry, just 14 yrs or so) on the many, many sites we use all over Europe, I'd say our decision not to use CAMC club sites in lieu of others is most certainly based on value...im afraid they just don't offer enough for the silly prices.

we've used commercials, small private sites, loads of CL/CS and even bare bones THS sites where each has (in our opinion) offered more for our hard earned than Club sites.

so, despite spending larger sums on other forms of holiday, I can still say, for us, CAMC sites are expensive for what they deliver.

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Especially if that expensive holiday in the UK turns out to be a washout.

It took us many years of miserable caravan holidays, before we realised it was possible to holiday abroad, where 2 weeks of sun could be almost guaranteed.

...and the weather changed inside the 21 days cancel period....👎💷💷💷

it may be that folk, along with all the other mitigation mentioned upthread, move to leaving their bookings a bit later to remove the risk of what you describe.

weather is getting more unpredictable everywhere so it is perhaps wise to leave things a bit later, especially in areas where weather is renowned for change.

other than our new year break, our 6-10 weeks UK summer touring is rarely booked far in advance...just too risky.

I think you're a little bit out of touch BB with family holiday costs?

Just done quick search (we had the TUI booking open) and a family holiday in Spain in August is going to cost that family of yours a minimum of £2000 for room only and only hand luggage, so add quite a bit on for food and luggage, to around £15000 for the top priced holiday. Now I'll agree the top price is out of probably most average families budget but the going rate for a family holiday abroad is around £4000 talking to people who have been booking them last term and it's actually cheaper going abroad btw.

So uncomfortably close (for who btw) to £1000? No it's quite a good price for family holiday. Exactly what we saw at Seacroft a few years ago, full of happy young families. And of course you've chose a plum site, as you will know Concierge Camping will be at around £2500 for that same period. But there are cheaper sites and non club sites out there of course.

if it's going to cost you that much every time you take it out 

Err no, you quoted a peak time so it won't cost them that much every time. It doesn't have to be a plum site in August, could be a CL even?

But that is exactly why we went into caravan holidays. 

That family could either have one of those two week holiday a year or get a loan to for the same amount over five/seven years buy a caravan to suit your current car (and really if a family can afford a £4000 holiday they'll have a decent size car I would think?) and use it all year round at much cheaper sites. That's what we did and actually and our financial planning came true. And we've never looked back.

 

Silly prices? again that's just your view of course.

 

 

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Children grow so quickly that you need to make lasting memories. If you ask our late 30s "children" which holidays they remember the most - they won't say the ones on Club sites but they will mention the ones at Disney World, Florida and the ones on French campsites.

If you can afford it, there are many better holidays to be had than staying on CAMC sites.

We have caravanned now for almost 14 yrs after moving from camping and holidays abroad.

We have enjoyed every minute of it from our first outing in the Corona 475 to our latest Swift, I feel that we are well in credit as we no longer go abroad as we have so much of the British Isles still to see.

Yes the weather is not always brilliant but that's what makes British holidays, we are now fortunate enough to be semi retired with a grown up daughter and financially stable.

We normally tour for about 50 days per year and usually a week away in a country lodge, it is not about cost or money or where you go but who you're with and what memories you make that families remember. 

PS I like the supermarket analogy from CS . 

Different families, different reactions Burt. For ours they talk about families and friends not location at all.

 

We have recently returned from 11 weeks holiday in France, Spain and Portugal. 

Its not usual for me to record the costs but out of interest this time I did. It was quite surprising. 

We travelled using the euro tunnel, part of which was paid for using Tesco vouchers. We camped mostly on sites although we did us some Aires. We did not wild camp. 

We covered 4500 miles in 80 days, our average daily cost was £28 that was worked out taking site fees, fuel and the tunnel into account. 

The dearest site night was Warwick racecourse at the end of Nov £24.40. The dearest Spanish site was €25(not Acsi) the cheapest campsite was €14 in Portugal. Cheapest aire was €10 and dearest €18.

The sites abroad mostly had pools and restaurants on them. Immaculate facilities and generous pitches.

No its not a knock UK sites post, we do holiday here as well.

The comparison though is on each and everyone of these sites I used abroad I could have gone for the cheaper option of no ehu, which could have reduced the price anything from 3 to 6 euros a day. 

I will agree that camping holidays in general are much more cost effective than fly to holidays, or even holidays within the UK like cottages etc.

My friend has just paid £1400 for 6 nights in a lovely air B&B in Northumberland over christmas. That's a bit more than what we paid for site fees for 80 nights.

We still enjoy fly to holidays, next one in 8 weeks time. Cruises will be on the cards again once I am satisfied they are OK.

What a lot of folk don't take into consideration when comparing holiday costs is that on a cruise, I didn't have to buy the ship first, or a fly to hotel holiday, I didn't buy the hotel.

With a caravan or MH you have already paid out a significant amount of money before you go anywhere. Cheap it never will be but it does not need to be so expensive either.