Caravan and camping club

[shaun5]

Decided to join the caravan club as we were due to stay in Battle where we have previously stayed in a caravan.
Joined over the phone so I could double check that they would allow my Beach on site. "Oh yes, no problem" said the young man. ...
2 days later on site, "Oh no you can't. You haven't got permanent cooking facilities".
Duly cancelled membership and went to Brakes Coppice Park where we were warmly welcomed.

 

[GrannyJen]

Unbelievable.

They seem to be up in the air regarding what a Beach is, even more up in the air regarding what their policy is and even ever more so not with the heads up in the air but up somewhere else.

 

[larrylamb]

That's disgraceful. Thought this had been sorted out by now.

 

[Georgiegirl]

There's definately a thread on here somewhere where a beach owner specifically asked about membership and was told all was ok.
I've joined the camping and caravan club - def no problems there (don't even ask what you will take on site!). Guess that's why they're called The Friendly Club!

 

[jeff]

They have never liked campers. Tried to stay with a trailer tent once got told no way never been to one since . Try the camping and caravan club very friendly bunch.

 

[motacyclist]

I always thought the CC was a bit stuffy.

"Have you booked?" (looking down their noses at you ...)

"Well no actually, I didn't know I was going to be here until today"

"I'm sorry sir, I'm afraid we are full. There is a commercial site (for riff raff) about 2 miles away".

 

[WelshGas]

When I stayed at the Baltic Wharf site in Bristol, it was full - of Motorhomes. We were the smallest outfit there!
Times are a changing especially with younger Caravan owners having to take an extra test to tow the larger caravans because of the combined weight restriction.

 

[Maud]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, Shaun. That's dreadful customer service, to be told you could go and then turned away on arrival!

I am a member of the CC and have stayed on their sites (in caravans) for many years. I had a really positive first experience of being away in Ariadne at the Sandringham CC site, where the wardens were very welcoming and had only good things to say about her; they didn't ask about the onboard equipment when I arrived (she is an SE but they weren't to know that). There were other T4/T5 based campers on site along with many motorhomes; I would estimate the split of motorhomes(or campers) and caravans to be about 40/60 and, as WelshGas said, this seems to be becoming the case more and more each year.

It does seem absurd that they won't allow a Beach to stay on their sites; surely if you just booked it in as a California, they wouldn't even know that it didn't have fixed cooking facilities onboard! I cannot see why it should make any difference in the first place though.

Maud

 

[WelshGas]

Sometimes I think Head Office say one thing and the Wardens another. Often the Wardens can be very stuck up as they have " their " caravan on site. Haven't seen any wardens with a Motorhome yet.

 

[jts46]

Happened to me in 2000 at sandrigham, had a diy camper, BUT had the name of my business on the sides and was told to leave. They don't allow advertising, so we went up the road to the CCC site and no problem. Bunch of snobs.

John

 

[Freeley]

We've stayed on various cc sites over the last 6 years and have never been asked about on board cooking facilities or anything else for that matter.
I'm aware that some site wardens CAN be jobsworths but luckily have not really come across it on our travels.
The thing I always like about their sites is you know the toilet/shower facilities will be decent which can be a bit of an unknown quantity on non cc sites

 

[andyinluton]

Having been a motorhome owner until November last year, I have to say that of the sites we have stayed on in the last couple of years there has been probably a 50/50 split on wardens in caravans compared to motorhomes.
On the whole caravan club sites are generally a safe bet if you want to stay with reasonably behaved people with relatively clean facilities.
We were always a problem camper for them - large motor home with the door on the wrong side which spoilt the neat rows of white boxes.
I think I've only fallen out properly with one warden & that was because I wasn't allowed to use 2 man pop up tent to keep our bikes & bbq in along side our motorhome, whilst the pitch opposite had a twin axle caravan, a full awning, 2 extensions to the awning and 2 range rovers. I refused to take down the tent as it was raining at the time.

 

[CALROE1]

Stayed at 2 caravan club sites last year not the most welcoming sites we have been on c&cc club all the way as said before the friendly club.

 

[Meoncoast]

I believe that the issue is with the individual warden's 99.9% Possitive helpful warden's at both C&CC and Caravan sites. The Camping club site North of Glasgow being the exception.

Pre booked arrived, crossed a few feet the stalag open gate before stopping to check in and after driving from Southampton took a few minutes to locate a membership card with waden shaking his head.Then reprimanded for not having signed the membership card. Then frogmarched to our pitch.
Great Location let down by warden.

Made a formal complate by email on our return home. Club contacted me by phone took details apologised and said attitude not acceptable and would address issues with person concerned.

Later on our tour stayed on Camping club site on Skye. Again pre booked. Decided we wanted a second night but told they are full due to a large German rally. But said if we did not mind parking on the outside area of the site they could run power for us from one of the sheds. When we returned warden came out to met us remember by name said they had a gap on the site between 2 monster german motot homes which acted as 1st class wind breaks during a very stormy night.

Some times we want a fully equipped site other times just somewhere to park up.

 

[rich-s]

When I stayed at the Baltic Wharf site in Bristol, it was full - of Motorhomes. We were the smallest outfit there!
Times are a changing especially with younger Caravan owners having to take an extra test to tow the larger caravans because of the combined weight restriction.

How did you get in there? Always seems booked up months in advance. Even on weekdays.

Happened to me in 2000 at sandrigham, had a diy camper, BUT had the name of my business on the sides and was told to leave. They don't allow advertising, so we went up the road to the CCC site and no problem. Bunch of snobs.

John

Wonder how they cope with rented motorhomes then? They often have the company name on them, sometimes in quite large format too.

 

[WelshGas]

Rich-s, it was mid week. Just lucky I think. Have to hurry as the Council have sold the land for development.

 

[muttley]

That is utterly ridiculous, and to not let you stay the night really compounds the idiocy.

I like to use their CL (minimal facility) sites, as we generally prefer a quiet field to a busy site with full facilities. Nobody has ever asked if my van is an SE or Beach, so you must have been very unlucky.

 

[WelshGas]

I think the CL owners use a large amount of common sense!

 

[Dan the Van]

We are staying at the Start Bay CC site today and there is more moterhomes here than there are caravans.
Guess what?
The warden is an owner of a 14 plate Cali.

 

[calikev]

Is he a member of the club?

 

[andywa119]

We are members of the CC. The wardens and rules can be an ar*e. The wardens can and are often lovely. I joined the CC for their city sites. Just at Abbey Wood in London. Lovely site and amazing location. Outside their premier city sites rarely use them. The discount on M6 toll is nearly worth the membership fee.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Paul Haynes]

Ccc over cc for me
I stayed at Killin cc site last week - I paid £27 inc £10 for being a non member - with ccc most sites have a fixed price and offer a big discounts for members and yes all the ccc sites are super friendly and it seems cc do look down on you a tad

 

[sue.h]

We have stayed on cc sites with our cali and always been made welcom. No questions about cooking facilities. Sad that not everyone get the same treatment.

 

[Zebedee]

Have just returned from a night away at a CC site. The lady warden remembered us and offered us a deserted part of the site near the adventure playground....our own private campsite practically. Is it because we are a Cali, is it because of our small dog who barked at their tractor last year and was seen zorbing down the hill in his soft dog basket? Or perhaps the 13 yr old girls inside the van.? The girls were outside dawn till bedtime and, apart from taking pictures of the Cali and the dog in the bluebells were not on any electronic devices for the whole time! Result. I didn't mind not being near the caravans but if they had said I couldn't go on would have got someone on the phone from head office if they had already taken my membership!

 

[Kirk]

I can see their point in a way, over Easter we had a wonderful pitch and then a old Y reg transit van turned up and pitched next to us, the wife managed to sneak a look in the back of the van and it was just a mattress on the floor, nothing else! To our horror they then had some friends join them on the second night in a tent and kept us awake until 3am playing adult games. Thankfully we were leaving the next day but it ruined our break.

This was not a CC site.