Three nights minimum at Bank Holidays

[snowy55]

A lot of camp sites have a minimum charge of 3 nights at Bank Holiday weekends.
If you want to stop over en route to somewhere its real pain.
I know they have to make a living but it really cheeses me of.
Anyone else feel this way?

 

[jts46]

That is why we camp midweek.

John

 

[marshian70]

A lot of camp sites have a minimum charge of 3 nights at Bank Holiday weekends.
If you want to stop over en route to somewhere its real pain.
I know they have to make a living but it really cheeses me of.
Anyone else feel this way?

Worse than that, Keswick CCC site is a min of 5 nights at end May ! Annoying

 

[motacyclist]

Worse than that, Keswick CCC site is a min of 5 nights at end May ! Annoying

Yeah, and you probably have to book 12 months in advance. The joy has gone out of the two CC clubs and the more commercial sites.

 

[Jennydddd]

This really annoys us too. That and The number of sites that close over the winter has really limited our options.

Keswick is one of our favourite sites and when we got our Cali we were hoping to pop over their a lot. But we never want to stay the minimum number of nights and they are always fully booked. It's ridiculous. This Easter we have had real difficulties finding a site in the Lakes that will allow us to stay Thursdsy to Sunday.

 

[Hotel California]

....thats why they call it "bank" holliday is guess

 

[Jennydddd]

Before children we would never have considered going away at peak Holiday time. Unfortunately now we have to!

 

[yanathem]

Keswick is one of our favourite sites and when we got our Cali we were hoping to pop over their a lot. But we never want to stay the minimum number of nights and they are always fully booked. It's ridiculous. This Easter we have had real difficulties finding a site in the Lakes that will allow us to stay Thursdsy to Sunday.[/QUOTE

There is always the camp site at braithwaite, just a short walk into Keswick no minimum night restrictions that I'm aware off, with better facility's, shower block is one of the best in the country and nowhere as regimented as keswick c&c club site.

 

[sidepod]

As with all similar things, if people voted with their collective feet then the situation would change. Sadly it never will.

 

[GrannyJen]

A lot of camp sites have a minimum charge of 3 nights at Bank Holiday weekends.
If you want to stop over en route to somewhere its real pain.
I know they have to make a living but it really cheeses me of.
Anyone else feel this way?

It's why God invented Britstops

 

[rich-s]

The problem is that we (Putting my head above the parapet here, I am a park owner) have a very short busy period in a year in which to make enough income for the whole year. For ourselves it really boils down to Whitsun and the now 5 weeks summer holidays. The rest of the time we are just ticking over. If we fill up with one night bookings for Whitsun, we risk turning away many others who would at least stay 3 nights, or hopefully all week. It always surprises me how the whole country goes mad for bank holidays, when if you took one day off work on another weekend, you could pretty much have the place to yourself at a cheaper price. Obviously for those with school age children this is not an option.

 

[mucksmuff]

The problem is that we (Putting my head above the parapet here, I am a park owner) have a very short busy period in a year in which to make enough income for the whole year. For ourselves it really boils down to Whitsun and the now 5 weeks summer holidays. The rest of the time we are just ticking over. If we fill up with one night bookings for Whitsun, we risk turning away many others who would at least stay 3 nights, or hopefully all week. It always surprises me how the whole country goes mad for bank holidays, when if you took one day off work on another weekend, you could pretty much have the place to yourself at a cheaper price. Obviously for those with school age children this is not an option.

I agree with you rich-s we have the same policy as you, we have a Guesthouse.

 

[GrannyJen]

Both the last two have no option. They are in business to earn a living for themselves and their family.

It used to drive me nuts when my children were small, no choice when we can go away and little choice as to how much we paid or where we went, just had to take what was available, but then it's about twelve years out of a lifetime and in that time there are plenty of other compensations ...

Such as moving on to when one's grandchildren wreck the house instead ... as one is doing whilst I type

"Finley darling .... Max does not want strawberry jam poured all over him ... he's a doggy darling" ......

 

[snowy55]

I agree with you rich-s we have the same policy as you, we have a Guesthouse.

I know why you do this and if I was in your shoes I would do the same, still annoys me and just wondered if it annoyed others
Annoyed probably isn't the right word but you know what I mean.

 

[Rob H]

These sites are businesses, not run for a hobby, it's getting rare for service to come before profit, remember days of old, 'pitch were you like and pay me in the morning', ... so take a business like approach when choosing them, not as if they have to change the sheets, if too restrictive and of the 'cram punters in' variety, go somewhere else.

Rob H.

 

[mikeringrose]

Hi,

I am also miffed about the three nights minimum booking at Easter. If the weather is mixed then many sites will not be full so its worth ringing on late in the day to see if they have a space for one night, Many do. My fallback is Britstops (which are great fun anyway) and if that fails then is Tesco's car park or even stealth camping in a town, In fact stealth camping is great fun but you must keep you pants on at night just in case you need to move on quickly.

 

[motacyclist]

These sites are businesses, not run for a hobby, it's getting rare for service to come before profit, remember days of old, 'pitch were you like and pay me in the morning', ... so take a business like approach when choosing them, not as if they have to change the sheets, if too restrictive and of the 'cram punters in' variety, go somewhere else.

Rob H.

I guess in the old days many camp sites were just a sideline where the takings were pin money for the farmer's wife. Everything was casual and there would not be any set time when the site had to be vacated.

Whereas now, as you say, people have chosen to make the main income out of it and obviously have to run it as a proper business where the main objective is to maximise profits and the site has to be vacated by 11am to make way for the next customer. There is nothing wrong with that, I am in business and that is certainly my objective.

The type of "camper" has also changed and we now have typically a large frame tent similar to a bungalow needing a large pitch and full facilities, or a caravan with awning on one side and 4x4 parked on the other. Neither of these types of camper is likely to turn up for just one night and it will suit them, in fact they need to, to book in advance and will stay for multiple nights. The sites have evolved to cater for these people.

In my case, and probably many others with motorhomes, while some may stay in one place for an extended period for main holidays we will use them at any opportunity for weekends and odd days off where caravans and large tenters will leave their gear in storage and stay at home. So over the course of a season or year, we may stay at the same place we like a number of times but never for more than one or two nights. Fortunately there are still plenty of places but these are rarely CC or C&CC or large commercial sites.

Incidentally, the fees asked at some of sites are now approaching what we can get a Travelodge room (or similar) for and we have stopped at these on occasion if they suit; it get a bit stressful at times finding somewhere to stop so a search on booking.com can sometimes be a solution. Bed, shower & loo inside with the Cali parked outside providing cooking facilities and drinks from the fridge (if these are not available in the hotel). And if the weather is bad it's better than staying in a muddy field!

 

[Meoncoast]

Hi,

I am also miffed about the three nights minimum booking at Easter. If the weather is mixed then many sites will not be full so its worth ringing on late in the day to see if they have a space for one night, Many do. My fallback is Britstops (which are great fun anyway) and if that fails then is Tesco's car park or even stealth camping in a town, In fact stealth camping is great fun but you must keep you pants on at night just in case you need to mov
e on quickly.

warning many tesco stores use number plate recording to enforce their time limits

 

[motacyclist]

warning many tesco stores use number plate recording to enforce their time limits

I thought Tesco allowed motorhomes to stay over? Or was that Asda?

 

[jts46]

I called at our local Tesco and they did not know anything about camping overnight.

John

 

[motacyclist]

I called at our local Tesco and they did not know anything about camping overnight.

John

I should imagine it would be two nights for the price of one with Tesco anyway

 

[Meoncoast]

our local tesco (large store) put cameras in last year and enforce a time limit run by an outside provider so out side the control of store staff

 

[larrylamb]

Always motorhomes overnighting on the large Blackpool Tesco car park.

 

[motacyclist]

Always motorhomes overnighting on the large Blackpool Tesco car park.

They are prisoners

 

[GrannyJen]

Always motorhomes overnighting on the large Blackpool Tesco car park.

Those are horse boxes delivering burgers