# Camping and Caravanning Club



## phil4francoise (Jun 21, 2008)

Does any one else think that the caravan and camping club are getting to expensive .I just looked at booking 2 nights away at the chertsey or Folkstone sight and the cost is £42.00 .The same 2 nights at a Park Holidays resorts in Kent which has swimming pool, bars and food halls etc is £28.00.You have a choice of paying for hook up and you dont have to pay £34.00 a year subscription and you get free Wi-Fi .Your thoughts please


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## Fairportgoer (Jun 24, 2008)

Good evening,

My thoughts are........if you are looking to save money then go for the cheaper option :wink: 

Regards

Dean


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## phil4francoise (Jun 21, 2008)

Fairportgoer said:


> Good evening,
> 
> My thoughts are........if you are looking to save money then go for the cheaper option :wink:
> 
> ...


Not a case of looking at the cheaper option but what you get for your money :lol:


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

A lot of camp sites are over £20.00-£25.00 per night now and this is the medium Season the High Season is July and August, you really do have to search for cheaper ones.
Some call a Gravel parking spot and a tap a Super Pitch :roll:


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## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

Yes they are expensive, but in their defence regarding Chertsey, it is a very heavily subscribed site and one of the few within easy travelling distance of London.
They could probably double their rates at this site and it would still be full.
Gerry


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## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

Have you been on one of the other sites ? full of kids, chavs and dogs!

You ought to go to France in peak time we have paid up to €48 for one night nearly fell out of me bra!

Greenie :lol:


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## waggy3 (Jun 24, 2008)

there are still a lot of us on basic pension and not been lucky enough to have works pensions and not had the money to buy additional ones,.
with only one wage comeing in this was impossible.
i also find club sites out of my reach and cl,s andcs,s are also getting more expensive.
i am also looking for cheaper options.
roy


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

phil4francoise said:


> Fairportgoer said:
> 
> 
> > Good evening,
> ...


I have been in the C&CC since the mid 80's. The club sites have always been the expensive option, especially out of low season, and if you have children. That is why the local groups prosper by providing cheap weekend camping and Temporary Holiday Sites. 
My thoughts are avoid them of money is a priority because an all in pitch fee at a commercial site is the cheaper option for a family whilst a THS will be tremendous value.


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## spartacus (Jul 10, 2008)

Massively expensive, I don't understand why anyone with a motorhome would pay those prices. All you need is water, toilet waste disposal, and maybe EHU.

I stayed on a CL last year with sea views, lovely little field with only a couple of vans, £9 per night including EHU. A mile down the road was a club site charging £23, no sea view, right next to the road and therefore noisy. Yet it was full :? 

All they were getting for the extra money was a shower block and a team of wardens. Who needs either


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## dinger (Jul 30, 2007)

*ccc // cc club*

We are a member of both the CC and CCC as there are hundreds of smaller sites that offer fantastic value with the network of cl,s and cs,s.

However their main sites are getting expensive and their are a lot of independent ones that offer far greater value and facilities


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## b16duv (Feb 14, 2006)

greenasthegrass said:


> we have paid up to €48 for one night nearly fell out of me bra!
> 
> Greenie :lol:


Avatar?

David :twisted:


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## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

and?


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*fees*

A C&CC Site I booked last year for out of season has gone up, not by much. It is now £10.10p a night. Probably one of the cheapest with 16A EHU too.

But having said that. We went to Delamere forest last December and it worked out very expensive for 6 adults and 1 infant. This year 3 nights would cost £145.50
It would cost £55.50 for two of us. Do not understand how they can justify the £90 for the extra adults and Infant.

™


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## DustyR (Jan 26, 2009)

C&CC have realy gone downhill in my opinion, tried to book a couple of nights at their Weston-s-Mare site today, no one answering the phone just a message asking leave name tel no. will call back.

No call back after several more phone calls. Eventualy called head office to make booking but was told had to phone site. 

As of now still no call back, is that good for cutomer relations or business ? .


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## claypigeon (May 9, 2005)

when did you pose for the avatar Greenie?

Dave


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## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

I do have a confession it was a few years ago but the bits are all still there albeit in a different place  

Greenie :wink:


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## cleo (Nov 17, 2007)

greenasthegrass said:


> I do have a confession it was a few years ago but the bits are all still there albeit in a different place
> 
> Greenie :wink:


Lol :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

We stayed at Chertsey before Easter and it cost us under £70 for 3 of us for 3 nights. We were up to watch my eldest play in the Rosslyn Park 7's tournament and caught the train in for both days (£25 return for the 3 of us each day).

Compared to 4 years ago when we stayed in a hotel in central London (for the Marathon) for £140 per night for a family room with food on top I don't think it's too badly priced.

2 years ago we took the MH to Abbey Wood CC. £52 for 2 of us for 3 nights. Bargain.


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## weldted (May 1, 2005)

*club sites getting expensive*

Whilst I accept that by using a club site you know what you are getting in the most, helpful staff good facilities etc, but to me they are getting to expensive, This is a Club run by members for members, some of which pretty soon will not be able to afford membership or the camping fees. what annoys me is David Bellamy wants us to go green, so I have spend out on high efficiency solar panels deep cycle batteries to be self sufficient, but find more sites are going service pitches or electric hooks up only, just Rang Chertsey for tomorrow night told all pitches with electric so extra cost. Driving from Plymouth only staying one night why do I need power. Or you go to a site with a 7.5 mtr van and get asked why do you only want a standard pitch.
I am quite happy to use a service pitch when the ground is soft I don't want to get stuck and also muck up the grass for everybody else
but why can't the clubs have a two tier system for those who do not want power but need a hard standing. we camp out of the main season quite a lot and often see several service pitches empty but have to pay for power and are now beginning to find more commercial sites that are open all year and are flexible. This country is supposed to be in the grip of the worst recession yet the clubs are begging to price themselves out of the market.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

weldted said:


> This is a Club run by members for members


Is it really now? :? I have a very strong suspicion that the CC and the C&CC are being run as normal businesses with the added input that they each have thousands of people paying an annual fee simply for the privilege of not being able to get on the sites. :evil: That must certainly help the bank balance since the costs of administration are not as high as the costs of membership I am sure.... :roll:

There are numerous threads on here bemoaning exactly the same points, roughly one per week, but the two organisations seem determined to ignore any such comments. 8O

When I contacted the CC recently to advise them of the (very) adverse press they were receiving the executive responsible rang me back one week later simply to tell me that *"they don't have the time to monitor all of the different forums that are available*". :roll:

When I pointed out that it was their members complaining (including me) I was told "*well we never see the complaints*". :roll:

I had a very strong mental image of an ostrich with it's head stuck in the sand while it's rear is attacked by a marauding big cat! (And before anyone tells me that ostriches don't really bury their heads in the sand - I know that! But the mental image is appropriate in this case). :lol:

Perhaps Dodo's did the same thing? I wonder what happened to them........... :?

(Apologies for the biology teacher's useless facts coming out). 

Dave


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Re: club sites getting expensive*



weldted said:


> Whilst I accept that by using a club site you know what you are getting in the most, helpful staff good facilities etc, but to me they are getting to expensive, This is a Club run by members for members, some of which pretty soon will not be able to afford membership or the camping fees. what annoys me is David Bellamy wants us to go green, so I have spend out on high efficiency solar panels deep cycle batteries to be self sufficient, but find more sites are going service pitches or electric hooks up only, just Rang Chertsey for tomorrow night told all pitches with electric so extra cost. Driving from Plymouth only staying one night why do I need power. Or you go to a site with a 7.5 mtr van and get asked why do you only want a standard pitch.
> I am quite happy to use a service pitch when the ground is soft I don't want to get stuck and also muck up the grass for everybody else
> but why can't the clubs have a two tier system for those who do not want power but need a hard standing. we camp out of the main season quite a lot and often see several service pitches empty but have to pay for power and are now beginning to find more commercial sites that are open all year and are flexible. This country is supposed to be in the grip of the worst recession yet the clubs are begging to price themselves out of the market.


How very true!

I hate paying for Electric esp if using gas to heat and we have solar and batteries.

One night, just tried to book one night on C&CC website it says I have to book min 2 nights!

™


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*C&CC*



Penquin said:


> weldted said:
> 
> 
> > This is a Club run by members for members
> ...


Like banging your head against a brick wall.

Well thanks for complaining or bringing complaints to their attention on our bahalf.

™


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## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

We are not member of the C&CC at the moment but are thinking of joining. But I have been checking the prices for Club sites and they are more expensive an average to the CC club sites we use.

I find the best bargain with the CC Clubs sites are the ones without toilets or showers.

I agree I would rather have the option of EHU as for 3 nights or less we dont need it. It seems daft that you have to have EHU if you want a hardstanding with the C&CC but with the CC you have to have EHU there is no other option except very few sites do offer some economy 
pitchs.


Like a lot we now use CL,s and holiday sites ad go to rallys when we are away.

But I guess that the club sites will still have enough trade without us as many tuggers seem not to mind.


Richard...


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## tude (Feb 9, 2008)

*green sites*

hi there

well i agree with a lot of things said on here thats why we rarely use cc sites or ccc sites they are to expensive. why dont they do green sites now we dont need hook up for 1 or 2 nights surely. when i go on holiday at the weekend i like to have a drink and a laugh well im sick of getting complaints which realy mean stop enjoying yourself which is the reason i go to weekend rallies or cl.s .along with £4 to 6 per night super and very rare does anybody moan about someone playin a guitar or laughing out loud.if you want silence at 10 pm dont go to where the public go its not fair. tude


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

We are in the process of downsizing from a 28' RV, and one of the many reasons for this is to be able to use non EHU/Hardstanding pitches, e.g. Cls.

There was a post on here a week or so ago about I think the major clubs attitude to aires/nighttime stopovers, and somebody suggested that if the forum membership joined the Motor Caravan Club en masse so to speak they might have the influence and resources to expand and delveop aires/stopovers/sites more suited to touring motorhomes.

I've been a member of the CC for over 25 years, and I'm convinced that they and the C&CC are run primarily as a buisness, and then on the basis of the greatest good for the greatest number. 

Malcolm


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## Solwaybuggier (Mar 4, 2008)

emjaiuk said:


> I've been a member of the CC for over 25 years, and I'm convinced that they and the C&CC are run primarily as a buisness, and then on the basis of the greatest good for the greatest number.
> 
> Malcolm


I completely agree - those of you who are CC members might want to consider doing the current membership survey in the My Club section of their website (at http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/my-club/club-matters/membership-survey .)

There's plenty of questions to give them feedback on - I don't imagine for a moment they'll take any notice, but it would give the lie to the garbage about "we never get complaints" that Penguin was told!

On the OP's point, the strange thing is that at low season it can be little or no dearer on some club sites than on CL/CSs, because the latter tend not to have seasonal charges. Last February my wife was away and I had a week in Northumberland - on my own I found CC sites were cheaper than CLs with hookup.


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## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

hi

We are members of both clubs. We only joined them to give us access to the the certified sites and have no intentions of ever using the club sites. They are not our scene and way to expensive. We don't need them, we have everything on board our motor home for lengthy stays anywhere.

Steve


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

I also belong to both clubs and as I go along with most comments on here I notice that no one has said what I consider the obvious.  
If you are not happy your choices are, leave or better still write and complain, the more of you that do the latter maybe will get things changed. :roll: well one can hope.

cabby


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Solwaybuggier said:


> There's plenty of questions to give them feedback on - I don't imagine for a moment they'll take any notice, but it would give the lie to the garbage about "we never get complaints" that Penguin was told!


only if they see, it, recognise it for what it is *and* read it.

I wonder whether the people at the top ever get to see the comments or complaints or whether they get "filtered out" at a more junior level ?

We have completed the questionnaire but do not hold out much hope that things will change since there appears to be no full disclosure of how many replies were recieved and what they said - and of course as all of it is operated by the organisation itself it cannot be thought of as being "independently scrutinised". 8O

There has been considerable discussion about the benefit of charging booking fees but the CC response is that there was no support for such things and there was not a problem with bookings / cancellations / no shows etc. - which is rather belied by the numerous comments on threads here.

I wonder what BA would say if the Union ballot for strike action was entirely run by the Union itself who only announce a result but do not allow scrutiny............


I strongy suspect they would hightail it to the nearest court for an injunction! :lol:

Dave


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

I am a member of the C&CC club but have never been asked for my membership number when booking a CS (whereas on CC CLs I was always asked). Not only that but 'members only' and only '5 pitches'? Don't make me laugh I have never been turned away, I'm thinking of binning the club but continuing to use the CS network until the book looks tatty then rejoining. Its about the only weapon we have against the business.

Just remembered I have had to produce the card for holiday sites. Damn another good plan gone bust


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## Telbell (May 1, 2005)

Surely there is a choice of EHU or not with the C&CC? Shown as GW or GWE (or sommat like that) when you book on line.

Another cheaper option of course is to sell your Motorhome and put the money into touring B&B by car.

Friends of ours did that and soon realised it wasn't so cheap after all-they're now saving up for another Motorhome :roll:


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

Telbell said:


> Surely there is a choice of EHU or not with the C&CC? Shown as GW or GWE (or sommat like that) when you book on line.....clipped


Out of season the choice is often not there they only use the super pitches just fence off the grass too many juddering Fiats perhaps.


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

waggy3 said:


> there are still a lot of us on basic pension and not been lucky enough to have works pensions and not had the money to buy additional ones,.
> with only one wage comeing in this was impossible.
> i also find club sites out of my reach and cl,s andcs,s are also getting more expensive.
> i am also looking for cheaper options.
> roy


You have a choice !

The C&CC, and CC, and all independents, price their sites at a price that allows them to maintain the business at a level that they need / want

Your choice is do you want to use them, or you could sell your motor home and try holidaying in hotels / B&B's.

See which one is more to your pocket


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## olley (May 1, 2005)

Booked on a CCC holiday site £15.00 per night, showers, entertainment, swiming pool etc. excellent value IMO.

Olley


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## twoofakind (Jun 24, 2009)

Park Holidays site at Swalecliffe Kent is a good alternative. Swimming pool is under construction in the Park Homes area which is separate from the camping area. It's just a short walk through the site to the sea.
As season goes on it does get busier and louder, but no louder than a site abroad in high season.

We belong to both major clubs and use C&CC Canterbury as one of our bases when back in Kent. We have noticed over the last few years prices rising and standards falling, not in the day to day upkeep but the fabric of the facilities. Passable, but certainly not worth the fees charged now.

Both clubs CL's CS'S are a fantastic alternative,and you can check them out on the clubs' web sites.

Try looking on www.ukcampsites.co.uk there are other sites in the area.


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## Solwaybuggier (Mar 4, 2008)

sallytrafic said:


> I am a member of the C&CC club but have never been asked for my membership number when booking a CS (whereas on CC CLs I was always asked).


We've only ever been asked once on a CC CL - although I seem to think in theory they get inspections which include logs of visitors' membership nos.


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Having recently left for a bit of a trip I realised we'd not yet received the renewed CC membership card. Knowing the address where we were initially staying, I rang the CC to ask if they could post new cards there, but were told it would be impossible for them to post it to anywhere other than my home address?! Not done by them aparently?!?
So apart from not receiving the cards in the first place, and the ignorance of not being able to post them elsewhere, how does that encourage me to stay on any CC site while touring? Its probably against the rules to not produce an up to date membership?

I did however get thanked for complaining, just not in a way that made me feel like they really gave a stuff though!


What would it take to copy the French system here? As long as you're parked and not "camping" so left in peace for a night or two? As people have said, we don't need anything except a parking space. A drive-over poodump would be very handy though! Or is that too rude?


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## Delores (Feb 21, 2010)

Have to say I agree with the original poster. I've been trying to book 3 nights in Lincolnshire. CCC site worked out at £61.50 and CC site £47.50. I was shocked as one of the reasons we joined CCC was we thought they were cheaper.

In the end gave up on both and booked a CS for £7 a night.  

I'm not complaining, just surprised.


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## Annsman (Nov 8, 2007)

What does annoy me about both clubs is this "Minumum 2 nights" rule. We're in the Lake District at the moment and can't being able to book on a site of either club because we don't want to book for 2 nights when we might want to move on. They usually have this rule at week-ends on some sites but it now seems to be the norm for weekdays too.

The freedom of a motorhome is the ability to just pull in and move on again the next day seems to be something outside the thought process of either club.

But to get back on topic the prices charged for a night here are a disgrace and will no doubt get more expensive as more people join, instead of cheaper as you would think.


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## adonisito (Nov 6, 2009)

*new forest*

Just had 2 very pleasant nights on a ccc forestry site. No facilities. Just water and chemi disposal. Lovely surroundings etc, but levelling was a real pain and it cost us 38 quid. I have to say I though that was a bit steep. Ironically it seems you have to pay more for the simple sites and the peace. But still....


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## quiraing (Feb 12, 2007)

This year the CCC have been very sneaky. They have extended the weeks of mid season prices into what was traditionally low season.


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## Caggsie (Aug 19, 2008)

We went onto a CC site 2 weeks ago, that was to the standard of all their others, pitches same size etc EHU too. £10.10 a night, classed as low season. Now that is what I call a bargain. The only thing that was different was no toilet block.

Also I have never had a problem with the CC booking for one night. I am a member of both clubs. mainly use CC though. But will certainly go to the sites without loo block in future.

regards

Karen


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## gnscloz (Oct 4, 2008)

*Re: new forest*



adonisito said:


> Just had 2 very pleasant nights on a ccc forestry site. No facilities. Just water and chemi disposal. Lovely surroundings etc, but levelling was a real pain and it cost us 38 quid. I have to say I though that was a bit steep. Ironically it seems you have to pay more for the simple sites and the peace. But still....


we,re off to ebury hills c&cc this weekend no toilets, just water and chemical disposal with hook up £22 2 adults and 2 dogs a absolutely beautiful site, so cant complain


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## trevd01 (Oct 26, 2007)

As a c&cc member I'm glad I can afford to pay the extra to stay on a site without a bar, 'restaurant' and swimming pool... 

We rarely stay on commercial sites in the UK, using clubs sites and cs. In France we use munis as far as possible.

A couple of exceptions are the Brotherswater Inn campsite in Patterdale and Gibraltar Farm Silverdale.

But then with interests of hill walking and bird-watching, its just location, location, location at the end of the day.


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

One option with most of the CCC sites is to book a standard pitch - grass with no hook-up - let's fac it most of us Mhers can cope without electric for a couple of days! Much cheaper than "service" pitches.


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## coppo (May 27, 2009)

We love the small cheap cl's but find some of them are getting much more expensive and this trend will increase further with the surge in camping/caravanning.

Like others have said, if you dont need EHU you'll still find some bargains.

Paul.


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