Worried for the club (price rises}

I stayed last year for a couple of nights at NYM on 16th and 17th July during the hot weather. It was around three quarters full and I overheard the warden say that during the school holdays (which were not yet in full swing),  it was quieter on the NYM site as families with children tended to go elsewhere. 

My view is that this year, sites are not as well occupied due to an amalgamation of a number of factors, the increase in prices on sites, interest rate rises and inflation generally, the very changeable weather, the new booking condtions and perhaps many people are now going back to oveseas holidays, a lot of them I suspect who have children, to all in type holidays.

I do agree that prices on CMHC sites have gone up a lot in comparison to price rises on other caravan sites, even allowing for the fact that electricity prices have risen. 

What puzzles me is that surely those cheaper alternatives have always been available and yet people are only now seeking them out?

I think the real killer here is the squeeze on disposable income and the price increases of sites. In the case of the Club, it appears to be a bigger increase than other sites. This has almost certainly forced members, who would not otherwise bother, to look at the alternatives available and the value for money, especially if they now feel disgruntled at the new booking terms. The latter will probably blow over when finacially things get better after all the terms are still better than other sites offer.

peedee

Anecdotally many sites including CLs are less full than usual. At a recent CL the owner was saying fewer visitors and more last minute booking. Of course there are those sites which are full - maybe because of location, may be those not now going to Club sites are preferring CLs with lots of facilities.

With the Club I would be interested to know how pitch fees are arrived at. Do the pitch fees at a particular site have to pay for the running of the site? Is there any “smoothing” across sites? What proportion of any surplus generated by the Club is used to offset fees, what proportion is used for development, whether IT (!!!!) or site refurbishment? Did the Club anticipate lower occupancy this year? This could affect sites going forward. Lower occupancy, lower income, less surplus. Do you close sites? Do you raise fees? But without answers to some of these questions we are all whistling in the wind, IMO.

With the Club I would be interested to know how pitch fees are arrived at.

Unfortunately I doubt we ever will. I also find some of the pricing rather bizarre.

For instance Cirencester versus Moreton in Marsh. M in M is £8.50 a night more expensive for two during August. Neither are showing as particularly full. If you want a grass pitch Cirencester is much superior in my opinion, standard HS pitches not so much but serviced no different. So why the £8.50 disparity?

I think value for money is the main issue here.

I stayed at Berwick Seaview at Easter and it was half full maybe when it is usually full. I stayed at four club sites in Scotland and three of them were much quieter than usual.

I actually like the deposit idea because I could often not get a booking only to find out that the site is available near the time. BUT the value proposition is not there anymore. The prices are high. The wardens are cut back to the bone and under stress and not doing what members of old would expect, especially towards the end of a three week stint I suspect. The constant changing of promotions etc. mean there is no consistency to book knowing that you are getting the best value.

I am fortunate that i have had a good promotion and I am better off financially than in recent years but I will not book another club site or CL because the value has gone. I normally have a late August break and a week in October with the club but these will not happen and I will let my membership lapse next year

It may be we are seeing the beginning of the end for UK touring caravanning. There are vacancies at almost every sort of site - CL and independent as well as Club. It’s a dwindling hobby. Slowly dying I think.  I used to know seven friends and neighbours who had caravans but now I know none.  And I know just one who has a DIY van conversion.

Financially speaking I am afraid there are Haves and Have Nots these days. The second group can’t afford caravanning in any shape or form. The first group is spending their money very freely, but in other ways  -  second homes, rented cottages, cruises, city breaks, flights and foreign travel. 

Will there be many hauling caravans around in ten years time? Very few I think. Reducing the price of a pitch won’t bring them back.

We are just back from a nice site just outside Aberdeen, the van was on site for 9 nights, we had the first and last nights and our daughter and family the other 7.  

For 2 adults, a 5 year old and a 2 year old they paid £38.50 per night for a serviced pitch.  The facilities were excellent and looked very new, there was a great play area for the children, and a small pond with ducks and ducklings, good Wifi included, and no  charge for awnings or pets. Bus stop nearby, shops about a mile away.

The site was pretty  much full at the weekends, and the majority of pitches occupied during the week.  More  caravans than MHs, and several foreign tourists.

Nearest Club sites are Stonehaven, where a serviced pitch would have been just over £50 per night, and Banchory, which has no serviced pitches, no play area, and tired facilities, where a pitch would have been just over £40.

Club prices are certainly at the higher end in the area!

We have used both Stonehaven and Banchory in the past, and enjoyed them, but would not do so again as we do not feel they offer us VFM any more.   No Club sites used in the last 2 years, we use CLs and a few CCC sites and commercials.

I don't think low occupation is confined to club sites and I suspect eurortraveller has it spot on. We were down at our static van in Cornwall last week. Walking Ralph across Penhale Dunes I could see huge vacant areas over at Haven's Perran Sands site where they're normally packed in like sardines at this time of year. Just up the road the popular Perran Springs site had barely a dozen pitches taken. And a couple of weeks ago, admittedly before the schools had broken up, over at Holywell Bay, there were loads of empty pitches both at the Parkdean site and at Trevornick, again normally packed at this time of year. Site costs have certainly risen but I suspect it's just as much to do with general cost of living problems and although fuel costs have come down a lot in the last month or so, they were still astronomically high when families would normally have been looking to book.

Your right and I am. Does not stop me caring though.

Perhaps one factor could be the staycation boom has fizzled out.  We have been away for 12 days and we haven’t had a day without rain and frankly it’s started to feel like a chore.  Never mind only another 14 days to endure