Standard or serviced pitch?

I haven't ever done a serviced pitch on a CC site no need for the extra expense while I am still able to aquaroll.  I have met one or two in Ireland and Scotland but didn't have the pipe work necessary.  When my children were young water carrying was one of their jobs And I don't think they suffered!  Have a wonderful time and keep asking questions.  Jill said it is personal choice about a separate container for drinking water - I look on it as a safety thing avoiding possible tummy upsets as  it is not always possible to get the pipes clean.  Some people seem less susceptible than others so are happy to use the built in system.  With the very young in your family I know what my choice would be.  Have a great time.

I never went for a service pitch until I booked a site that only had a service pitch free - unusual to say the least but I only booked it a few days before we went I suspect it was a cancellation.  If possible I now only book a service pitch. Yes they spoil you in never having to fetch water or empty the waste and some evn have their own chemical disposal point too.  You will find that it's these pitches that always sell first.

There is also a large list of CL's with service pitches, have a look on the CL section and Alan Franklin has a list on there, you can download, our CL is one  we charge £10 per night .

Mildenhall Suffolk. Wildemee Farm.

Like you EasyT we have found the service pitches are often not where we want to be located.  Twice we have had to have one because that was all that was available on booking and once - The Firs - we chose one because we thought it would be a bigger pitch.  Actually on arrival there were much nicer 'normal' pitches so we wont do that again.

We dont drink the caravan water we always use bottled anyway.

Like you EasyT we have found the service pitches are often not where we want to be located.  Twice we have had to have one because that was all that was available on booking and once - The Firs - we chose one because we thought it would be a bigger pitch.  Actually on arrival there were much nicer 'normal' pitches so we wont do that again.

We dont drink the caravan water we always use bottled anyway.

We have been to The Firs Twice. Once about 9 years ago. We were meeting friend. One had a motorhome and she brought one of our friends who used a one man tent on her pitch. We had 4 friends staying in a nearby hotel. We noted that there were a lot of grass pitches and as we prefer hard standing we booked a serviced pitch next time. As we approached the site we congratulated ourselves on our forsight as there had been several days of heavy rain before our arrival. When we got there we realised that a lot of the serviced pitches were on grass!! As it happened all the unserviced hardstandings were taken, Abd the remaining hard standing was a serviced pitch backing onto the toilet block which was fine by me. Out of bed 6.30am, walk to back of van and swing a leg over the key Klamp tubular galvanised steel fence and straight into shower block,

I think there is a huge gulf between the "serviced pitchers" and the" non-serviced pitchers", it is just opinion as in so many other decisions.

We tend to use our own facilities a lot (shower etc) as we have a very spacious shower, so for us a serviced pitch is nice, but not essential.  We tend to decide on cost as they are £3.50 to £4.50 extra per night.

In winter we are more ikely to book a serviced pitch.  That way we do not have to go out in the rain to fill/empty.

To use a serviced pitch, you will need the Aquaroll fitting that makes it into a cistern, enough hose to reach the tap,  and about 6metres of extra waste pipe.  Hardly a huge cost or a lot of extra weight to carry.

 When we got there we realised that a lot of the serviced pitches were on grass!! 

Slighly off topic, but just to say they are mostly all hard standings now at The Firs

We've only used 2 serviced pitches on a CC site and neither was by choice, just what was available on booking. As we are still fit and healthy and tend to use the facilities we prefer to save the money and have extra days 

DWG Hope your husband passed his towing test.

some CLs could be described as Serviced Pitches, as you can usually run the waste water directly into an adjacent hedge with a short hose....no wastemasters required.

similarly, should the tap be within a reasonavle distance a long hose (or two joined) would bring it within reach of the van, making it ....virtually serviced.

for those with onboard water tanks, imguess it would be 'serviced' as you could could fill without using any other container.

those with MHs whose tanks last longer than their stay (say 4/5 days) also enjoy the advantages of a serviced pitch without being on one....

thanks to you both for the replies. we have a 2016 sprite major 6 so a new caravan. Can you advise what extra equipment we would need? also, if you are sharing electric hook up, will we need a  y piece ?

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Take a tool kit, screwdrivers, pliers, wire, tape, some small screws. In time it'll grow to include fuses an electrical tester, cable ties, spare washers and seals, double sided tape etc. But start somewhere. With three children to wash, yes I know they just want to play, you may find a second 40litre aqua roll is useful. Also, you'll need to top up your toilet flush tank. We have a 4 litre plastic bottle for that. Although the CC sites all have electric hookups, many CLs don't. in the long term you may find back to nature sites with few facilities suit your family as an alternative to fully serviced pitches. We're happy with either, depending on the time of year and location.