# Spring is sprung, but the sites are still shut



## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

I have a moan about this most years, but why don't campsites open for "the season" until 26th or 27th March, or even 2nd April? 

The weather is warming up, loads of motorhomers have been going out in their 'vans all winter, mostly to sites that are full (or at least show up as full when you check with them :roll: ). I've tried without luck to get on a number of CC & CCC sites for this weekend but most places are full. Why can't more sites open earlier, or even all year? It can't be lack of demand, because the sites that are open are choc a bloc; I know that some have lease or planning conditions that preclude it, and obviously some are on low lying areas which just couldn't cope. 
We were at Moreton C&CC site last autumn, and there was a petition being organised by the managers asking the club to open it all year - the majority of the pitches there are on grass, but it's so firm that only the heaviest motrorhomes would have any problem. It doesn't open until April this year :roll: 
Do the clubs / site owners not assess potential demand out there, or are they just stuck in the "tugging" mindset of the Camping season being from Easter to the end of September, and nothing is going to change?


----------



## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Regretfully you have said the answer, stuck in a "tuggers world".Maybe in about ten years time when more of the members own Motorhomes and the"MANAGEMENT" have lost all those in that mind set.
But you have to remember that the club is not run for profit, but for the members.   

cabby


----------



## Wizzo (Dec 3, 2007)

I agree Mike, it's about time the industry woke up to the fact that there are more and more people who go out through the winter. The vans are getting better all the time but the campsite owners don't seem to have cottoned on yet. Anybody would think they don't need your money!

JohnW


----------



## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

Well, the CC booking system is useful for some things - I tried to get on to Abbey Wood yesterday, but full up. I called the site & they called me back about an hour ago, pitch available for the weekend, so off we go  :roll: .

I still want more sites open earlier though!!


----------



## Briarose (Oct 9, 2007)

I agree with you and can't understand why a lot do wait so long to open, here in our Resort this weekend it was really busy you could have thought it was a weekend in June rather than March. I noticed one of the most popular touring sites was still closed and all pitches empty, and yet not far away another one that was open was brimming with activity.

I have said it before and I know I keep saying it.........but I think the putting forward of the clocks also affects things, if they were put forward now we would be enjoying light evenings now, and yet we still have to wait until the end of March, I can't understand it as it is now lovely and light very early in the morning, surely so many would benefit from lighter evenings now and we would also be saving electricity.

Pity the PM isn't a motorhomer :wink:


----------



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Sites*

Mike et al

I do not know the official answer, but fear it may be quite complicated. Without naming any site or operator in particular, I believe that opening times are controlled by, in some case, local authoriies and this is restricted to opening the week before Easter. Last year, Easter was early in March.

The sites that are open are busy. I am fully booked again this weekend, but where possible will not turn anyone away. This site uses hard stands for the winter period, but we have been using the grass at weekends for the last five weeks to avoid turning anyone away. The risk is that the heavens open and humpteen units get stuck on grass and amage the ground with spinning wheels etc. If the present weather holds and the forecast stays decent for the weekend, the same will happen. I have even offered the car park in the past for a late night arrival. Ok, not the best pitch in the world, but the camper does get the use of showers and other on site facilities etc. The problem with grass at this time of year is the fact it may be dry on the surface, but still soggy underneath. One vehicle did a bit of damage two weekends back and it take a while to repair etc. I know the British summers can be just as wet and terrible though.

I often chuckle when a (and I am not being disrespectful or snobbish in any way here) small motorhome pulls up and the owner says , "I know you are full, but this is only a little one, can you squeaze me in, any old corner will do" - and on my part, how can I refuse? I know one day the day will come when there is simply no room at the inn. A lot of "fitting people in" though depends on the flexibility of the motorhomer/caravanner, such as the one mentioned, he is happy to "go in a corner", but some expect the best pitch and have not booked.

I also think, on a personal level, that this year will be extremely busy on sites. I have seen so many first timers over the last few weekends, often with low cost caravans bought on Ebay, as their first try at camping.

Happy camping.

Russell


----------



## 101776 (Nov 13, 2006)

Having spent a night at Searles Hunstanton on Saturday, I can confirm there

must have been 20-30 m'homes on there, only a few tuggers....however, they were all allocated hard standing...and I think thats why some of the sites don't open until end of month...

Too boggy, too soft, causes too much damage to their precious grass.....

Having said that, the pitches at Searles did not look that great to me, and I could not see any evidence of them having being 're seeded' on the bare patches either...


----------



## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Local council regulations have a lot to do with campsite opening periods here on the holiday coast of South Gwynedd.

During the winter we have only one refuse lorry and crew.
When the campsites are open (week before Easter to Autumn half term) plus all the guest houses and hotels the council has to double up and add an extra cart and crew.
It causes no end of problems for the hotel where I work - which is full virtually all year round. In summer there are two rubbish collections per week but in winter only one which is insufficient. 

I assume the council rates for the campsites reflect that sort of cost by requiring them to close in the winter.

It really does seem crazy because with the good weather the area is crowded with visitors - even the public loos haven't reopened yet!

I think the authorities need to wake up to the fact that tourism can be a year-round earner - if the facilities and attractions are available.


----------



## dbh1961 (Apr 13, 2007)

In my experience, as a 52 week a year user, an ex tugger, and a member of many clubs, I would offer the following observations:

On the hard standing + mains hook-up sites, MHs outnumber tuggers.

On minimal facility sites, tuggers outnumber MHs.

There are exceptions, but I'd suggest 2 major factors involved:

1) Many tuggers have 4x4s, so not worried about geting stuck. Whereas we MHs get stuck all too easily.
2) Most (not all) MHs rely on blown air for heating, which hammers batteries (most caravans have blown air, but also have a room heater (a "fire")

The old style thinking means that many 5van sites open all year, but many big ones don't.

I also concur with the earlier post that local authority licensing rules may be a factor with the bigger sites

It all depends what you want - we're geared up for minimal facilty sites, and we have no problem finding venues open.


----------



## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

*Open Sites*

There are sites open if you persevere just not all of the most popular ones.
We have just returned from our annual stockpile mission to buy enough paperbacks to covr our annual trip.
Lovely little site in Hay on Wye even met a fellow MHF couple think theywere Happycamper or similar. Just 5 units on site. 
C&CC listed @£6 ea.


----------



## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

Yes, a number of points here . I think the planning situation is a contributory factor, but surely the site has to pay for waste disposal (not included in business rates like it is in council tax)? 

I agree about hardstandings, obviously we (motorhomers) are sensitive about getting caught on soft ground. We were at CC's Cherry Hinton for the past couple of days, and when we arrived, were surprised to find that a number of pitches were closed off because of wet ground. The stupid thing is, the majority were hardstandings, but you had to go across grass to get to them :roll: . What sort of thinking is that by the designers? Apparently the Club are shutting the site down in the Autumn, and re-doing the hardstandings, as well as extending the toilets.


----------



## homenaway (Jul 27, 2005)

It's a problem finding hard standing pitches in the winter and we have also found sites advertising hardstandings only to find that you have to drive across the grass to reach them.  

Last weekend we had to phone around several CL's and CS's in the Peak District before we found a hardstanding pitch. A couple of owners said that they were a lot busier at this time (at weekends at least) than in previous years.

We also found plenty of paperbacks for our holiday stock in the Buxton charity shops  

Steve


----------



## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

At the moment I am sitting typing this at Greenhill Farm campsite at Landford near the New Forest. Lots here as we are on an Auto-Trail rally and the weather is glorious.

Seems to be lots of motorhomes out and about.


----------



## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

And what happens when the club sites open (some today, more tomorrow)? Cold, windy & loads of showers. We've had wonderful weather for 2 weeks, with not much open........
A bit like when the cricket season starts & we get snow!


----------



## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

I spent last weekend at an adults only site in the Yeovil area. It is well laid out with good hard standing and EHU and decent facilities. The village has a good pub and a regular bus service into Yeovil stops outside the site.
We were the only unit there although there were forty odd hard standings. I suspect that the nightly fee of £18 had something to do with the low occupancy and even though we were the only unit we would have been charged an extra £5 to stay on beyond 11am on the Sunday.


----------

