Is camping dead in the UK?

[Cali Phillip]

Maybe you need to think more flexibly. For example, why not have dinner at home and leave home at 10:30pm on Friday and park up somewhere discrete on the roadside around midnight. You'll have missed all the Friday evening madness. Get up early before anyone has noticed you. Check into campsite for Saturday and Sunday night. Head for home at 05:00 on Monday and grab a quick shower before work. Personally, I don’t do queues and I don't do traffic.

Aye we prefer traveling after tea time 1700, most folk have stopped for the day, tourists and the big white boxes so easy driving

 

[sidepod]

Maybe you need to think more flexibly. For example, why not have dinner at home and leave home at 10:30pm on Friday and park up somewhere discrete on the roadside around midnight. You'll have missed all the Friday evening madness. Get up early before anyone has noticed you. Check into campsite for Saturday and Sunday night. Head for home at 05:00 on Monday and grab a quick shower before work. Personally, I don’t do queues and I don't do traffic.

I think we have differing ideas about a “camping weekend “.

 

[Van Diesel VW]

What about the Isle of Man?

Have you seen the ferry prices to the Isle of Man, I was quiet shocked when I recently looked them up.

 

[Chris Greaves]

Last week we found a spot on a campsite in Norfolk that we have been trying to stay on for a few years but have never been able to book at short notice before, at £46 per night! £30 per night seems to be the new norm for a basic site. I think prices will start to regulate demand especially when airports get back to normal. Fingers crossed!

 

[Calimili]

Last week we found a spot on a campsite in Norfolk that we have been trying to stay on for a few years but have never been able to book at short notice before, at £46 per night! £30 per night seems to be the new norm for a basic site. I think prices will start to regulate demand especially when airports get back to normal. Fingers crossed!

except airports and airlines will take a long while to retrain new staff to replace the old staff that they laid off during covid and now have found other careers elsewhere and don't want back in the industry..... that why heathrow is limiting passengers numbers..

 

[GrannyJen]

Last week we found a spot on a campsite in Norfolk that we have been trying to stay on for a few years but have never been able to book at short notice before, at £46 per night! £30 per night seems to be the new norm for a basic site. I think prices will start to regulate demand especially when airports get back to normal. Fingers crossed!

Presumably that price is for now, peak of peak times?

I ask as I am at the Norfolk Broads club site 2nd week of September at less than half that amount and including a weekend so it seems to be extortionate.

I have also booked a spot near Salisbury for the week after next, full facilities in an AONB for £18 per night, but weekday, no weekends so it seems as though it's not so much abnormal but normal circumstances of a combination of peak season and weekends.

 

[Chris Greaves]

Presumably that price is for now, peak of peak times?

I ask as I am at the Norfolk Broads club site 2nd week of September at less than half that amount and including a weekend so it seems to be extortionate.

I have also booked a spot near Salisbury for the week after next, full facilities in an AONB for £18 per night, but weekday, no weekends so it seems as though it's not so much abnormal but normal circumstances of a combination of peak season and weekends.

It’s a really nice site in Wells-Next-The-Sea, walking distance to the beach and town, best facilities I’ve experienced and they only have fully serviced pitches, which we don’t really need. I don’t mind paying more for a premium site at peak times for a last minute booking but in general, in my experience, many sites have increased prices significantly since lockdown, more than the 9% inflation would dictate. I feel it’s being driven primarily by increased demand. It seems to be mainly independent sites, the club site prices don’t seem too bad. Pre-lockdown £35 for a premium site was the most I had paid. If we were better a planing ahead I’m sure we could find better deals, but for me that’s the point of having a California.

 

[GrannyJen]

It’s a really nice site in Wells-Next-The-Sea, walking distance to the beach and town, best facilities I’ve experienced and they only have fully serviced pitches, which we don’t really need. I don’t mind paying more for a premium site at peak times for a last minute booking but in general, in my experience, many sites have increased prices significantly since lockdown, more than the 9% inflation would dictate. I feel it’s being driven primarily by increased demand. It seems to be mainly independent sites, the club site prices don’t seem too bad. Pre-lockdown £35 for a premium site was the most I had paid. If we were better a planing ahead I’m sure we could find better deals, but for me that’s the point of having a California.

Well, yes, a lovely site, and the chippy in Wells is brilliant ...

I agree with prices, I think though it's also recouping losses made during the restrictions, yet I only paid £20 pn for a beautiful independent site in Kirkby Stephen the other week. The one thing I've noticed is there are huge fluctuations from site to site. I contacted a site in a "nothing to write home about" location in Kent who wanted to charge me £38 for an average pitch in February!! Fortunately the pub half a mile away let me use his car park for nowt but my custom. It's not hard to think a lot of places are milking the demand.

 

[Agniet]

Perhaps a bit of a rant but it's based on personal experience.

Pre COVID we would average 15-20 trips/year. So far, in 22, we've been once.
It seems to me that it's almost impossible now to be spontaneous. Whenever I try to book a slot at short notice there is no room at the inn, anywhere.
Booking weeks in advance just doesn't excite me and it's pretty much the kiss of death with regards to the weather.

Emailing sites/leaving messages is pointless. I gave up on that ages ago.

On top of this and given we still work, traveling anywhere on a Friday/Sunday evening is pointless. We're in North Oxon so the M6 is out, the M25 is deffo out as is the M5. We've pretty much done all of our local stuff to death. If it's a C and CC site, arriving anytime after 12-00pm on Friday and you'll get the riot act read aloud.

Abroad is a completely different story, a complete joy. We've been twice this year and heading of again as soon as the schools return.

(Obvs this is the internet so there will be ten people claiming they can book anywhere at the drop of a hat with a free van wash thrown in. Long may it continue.)

Has the moment gone? Where is my MoJo? Do I just park it and await retirement so I can do the mid-week thing?

At this moment we’ve just spent 2 weeks camping in our VW in the UK. The only thing we pre-booked is the ferry. Although we also came across quite a few campings with a no as an answer, we always managed to find a spot. Yes, it has been a beautiful and expensive holiday in the UK, but like the overall conclusion is: it’s the same all over the EU. At the moment we’rein Feance. Cheaper but more “no, we’re full’ and less possibilities. That doesn’t stop us from camping. Goodluck for everyone!

 

[bob_summers]

Camping seems to have changed in the UK since I last lived there 15 years ago. have only really camped behind pubs since then.

So, beginning of August if I roll up to a N Wales site on - say - a Monday... is it likely to be a no?
Really don't wanna book anything - it's a 2000km drive from here and as the only driver I prefer to just spend an extra day here and there on the way up, rather that press on for hours and hours.

 

[Amarillo]

I’ve just been looking at the campsite at the foot of Tryfan.

£9 per night plus £5 per child.

https://www.tryfanwales.co.uk/

 

[Billylou]

Currently on day 24 of a trip to Norfolk, Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Booking sites a day or two in advance which hasn’t been problematic. Average cost of a pitch is just under £25 with the most expensive being £42 and the cheapest being £12 per night.

 

[Anthony1]

Perhaps a bit of a rant but it's based on personal experience.

Pre COVID we would average 15-20 trips/year. So far, in 22, we've been once.
It seems to me that it's almost impossible now to be spontaneous. Whenever I try to book a slot at short notice there is no room at the inn, anywhere.
Booking weeks in advance just doesn't excite me and it's pretty much the kiss of death with regards to the weather.

Emailing sites/leaving messages is pointless. I gave up on that ages ago.

On top of this and given we still work, traveling anywhere on a Friday/Sunday evening is pointless. We're in North Oxon so the M6 is out, the M25 is deffo out as is the M5. We've pretty much done all of our local stuff to death. If it's a C and CC site, arriving anytime after 12-00pm on Friday and you'll get the riot act read aloud.

Abroad is a completely different story, a complete joy. We've been twice this year and heading of again as soon as the schools return.

(Obvs this is the internet so there will be ten people claiming they can book anywhere at the drop of a hat with a free van wash thrown in. Long may it continue.)

Has the moment gone? Where is my MoJo? Do I just park it and await retirement so I can do the mid-week thing?

I think one problem with the CMC is that you don't have to pay until you arrive so people book up whole swathes of pitches, just in case they fancy going out, then cancel a couple of days beforehand. The CCC however, request a 50% up front payment. That is why I avoid the CCC, although we are members.

 

[vananarama]

Perhaps a bit of a rant but it's based on personal experience.

Pre COVID we would average 15-20 trips/year. So far, in 22, we've been once.
It seems to me that it's almost impossible now to be spontaneous. Whenever I try to book a slot at short notice there is no room at the inn, anywhere.
Booking weeks in advance just doesn't excite me and it's pretty much the kiss of death with regards to the weather.

Emailing sites/leaving messages is pointless. I gave up on that ages ago.

On top of this and given we still work, traveling anywhere on a Friday/Sunday evening is pointless. We're in North Oxon so the M6 is out, the M25 is deffo out as is the M5. We've pretty much done all of our local stuff to death. If it's a C and CC site, arriving anytime after 12-00pm on Friday and you'll get the riot act read aloud.

Abroad is a completely different story, a complete joy. We've been twice this year and heading of again as soon as the schools return.

(Obvs this is the internet so there will be ten people claiming they can book anywhere at the drop of a hat with a free van wash thrown in. Long may it continue.)

Has the moment gone? Where is my MoJo? Do I just park it and await retirement so I can do the mid-week thing?

To answer your question briefly, no. Of course not. But it's a good title! You raise many good points – booking way in advance seems to be across hospitality in general at the moment and I'm assuming/hoping pre-pandemic normality will eventually return. The only thing I'd say about camping in France is that your rose tinted spectacles of easy-going, no-rules, California hippy-style flexibility is not at all the norm – the French especially love their rules and seem more inflexible on late check-ins etc. Anyway, here's to you re-finding your love of camping! Might be on the hard shoulder after Junction 3 of the M6.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

The only thing I'd say about camping in France is that your rose tinted spectacles of easy-going, no-rules, California hippy-style flexibility is not at all the norm – the French especially love their rules and seem more inflexible on late check-ins etc. Anyway, here's to you re-finding your love of camping! Might be on the hard shoulder after Junction 3 of the M6.

The sites we have stayed at in France have always had spaces outside the barriers for late arrivals, but just need to tell them in advance and they will reserve a space. They just don't want other campers being disturbed in the middle of the night by a tired families van antics so the rules are there for a reason. The good thing is that they wont get fussy about which way your van / tent faces. Only rule that are very hot on is no charcoal BBQ (SW France ) but this will help prevent a forest fire so is fair enough.

 

[BeeBee]

Just hoping when normality returns to airports and flights take off, that once again Turkey gets all of those ‘covid campers’ , currently in rented vans and pop up tents and they leave their sh..t somewhere else.

 

[Calimili]

Just hoping when normality returns to airports and flights take off, that once again Turkey gets all of those ‘covid campers’ , currently in rented vans and pop up tents and they leave their sh..t somewhere else.

ideally we need cheap flights too, to get cheap fuel may take longer that hiring and training airport staff...

 

[Elly Swanson]

I found this spot on egg friday all through til egg Monday at seahouses. It depends where you go and what facilities you have to have. Stay away from hook ups and shower blocks and the white whales are nowhere to be seen

View attachment 96202

Was it something you said, FB?

 

[flying banana]

Was it something you said, FB?

usually