# Off for the weekend?



## Smokeyjoe (Nov 30, 2009)

Is it because we are newbies that this could be unrealistic, or does the 'community' just put up with it? I do think there is scope for camp sites to be more customer focussed and less like 'Colditz-on-Sea'. Firstly, why can't sites offer a 'weekend' rate, that allows you to arrive at the usual time, but leave at 6pm on a Sunday for the run home. It's awful being pushed off by 12.00 midday when few overnighters are expected to arrive on a Sunday; you have to find somewhere to park up for the rest of the day. I'd happily pay 50% of the overnight charge for this, but not a full day's rate just to have the van on site from midday to 6!
And maybe there's a culture difference too. We're used to being treated as gentlemen (and ladies) as we were previously sailors. Are motorhomers generally less honest that they need to be locked in at night? Oh for the warm jolly welcome of even a south coast harbourmaster!


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## riverboat2001 (Apr 2, 2009)

I must admit, as a shift worker, i too like to get that extra time on site.

When i set of home for my night shift, i don't start work until 10pm, and hate having to pack up so early...

Also, i wish more places had late night arrival areas.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Most campsites we've been on will let you stay on on Sunday if they are not fully booked. 

I've always been under the impression that the gates are locked at night to keep potential thieves out not MHers in ! We used to stay on sites close to an elderly,ill mother and always we were offered a key or a way of getting out at night if we needed to. Sometimes this involved waking the warden and this was not seen as a problem or imposition.

G

Edit: We've just been to Crystal Palace CC site , one of their busiest, and even there people were leaving late so they could travel in the cool of the evening. Just ask, that's all.


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## smithies (Jul 1, 2007)

Smokeyjoe,

Just ask !!! You might be surprised !! 

Seriously.....we work on a campsite that actually encourages people to stay on later than the normal leaving time , if we are not expecting other campers on your pitch. If someone is expected ....and if we cant relocate them.....we have an area for you to park up so that you can enjoy the area all day before travelling home.

We don't charge for this either....but....we do ask for a donation to the Hemsby Lifeboat Fund ....last year we raised over £400 for this very worthy cause.

BTW...we get a lot of people visiting us from the london area.....see you soon ???

Jenny


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## Smokeyjoe (Nov 30, 2009)

*Just ask!*

Naturally, we have asked, and with the charm that 60 years of developing people skills has given. We've always offered to pay extra too, but to no avail.
But stop. This is not about being nice, nor making donations. It's about having a choice, a right to book for a weekend, and for site operators to recognise what the market wants. And as another respondent said, somewhere to park when you arrive on a Friday night. That's the product so why aren't operators offering it? My guess is because that's the way it's always been done!


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## Jodi1 (Mar 25, 2010)

We've just come back from a long weekend at the CC Centenary site at Bransgore in the New Forest. We arrived Friday afternoon at about 2.30 and were hard pushed to find a pitch. Saturday night it was full. Sunday morning a lot of people left, but Sunday night it was full again. It's a popular site and the weathers nice so very busy. The point I'm making is that some sites are popular and you have to leave at midday so that the incoming campers can find room. What if nobody left until 7pm? There would be a queue of holiday makers waiting for pitches. There has to be a handover at sometime so why not midday? We are off every other weekend at the moment as OH works a 4 day week and is able to shift his days off so that we can have a long weekend. Yes it would be nice to arrive early and leave late and get the most of our break. One of the big thing about having a M/H is that you are able to stop somewhere and go for walk/sit on a beach/look round a town etc. You don't have to be on a site. When we have a longer holiday, we quite often start on a Sunday as there is usually a bigger choice of pitches as all the weekenders have gone home. Swings and roundabouts comes to mind.


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## wp1234 (Sep 29, 2009)

Smokeyjoe said:


> 'Colditz-on-Sea'!


Sums the UK campsite situation up very nicely.
Just back from France - motorhoming as it should be .


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## Jented (Jan 12, 2010)

Hi.
First,you are not in France,where things are a lot easier,and secondly you are not swinging on a hook in some delightfull southern harbour. The pitches are usually run,arrive after midday,and on the day of leaving,vacate your pitch by noon.When you arrive at a site perhaps after a long drive and with a caravan at midday,i would imagine you try to find the best pitch available,you set up awning/water etc,about 1hr.sit down get tea ready,about 5.30people start to leave,better pitches become available,to move pitch will take say 2 hrs,so you have lost half a day.
Having lived in Hampshire,all is not a bed of roses,thefts of tenders,radar,assorted boat gear are in most nights papers,so much for Colditz on Sea. With the insurance restrictions on what they will cover,any big site would be silly not to have gated access or height barriers installed.
Around nearly all of the Caravan sites are huge swathes of country side where you are able to park and enjoy beautifull scenary,they just need finding. Failing that,pay for the sunday night,and leave anytime you like before monday lunch.
We have done a stint as assistant wardens,when we thought of retiring early,if anyone wanted to stay,we would move them to a "Rested" area so the full facilities of the site were there for the incoming visitors,and if they wanted to leave early (Before 08.00 hrs) I would have the barrier manned at any hr.on the proviso that they had half an hr lea way (Leaving at 02.00 hrs).at 02.30 the barrier would be down and i would be back in bed. I am not a rules person,but these times have proven to be fairest to ALL! members.
Happy m/homeing,some people have gone back to c/vanning,i have not heard yet of anyone going back to sea. Guess i soon will though,lol.
Ted.
PS. Why we moved away from the New Forest?. Four break ins,police said,"Its because you are never in"!,i work away,and the wife .......walked the dog now and again,...you could not make it up.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Sites*

We once arrived at Lickpenny Lane site in Derbyshire at 9pm on Friday (We could have arrived and gone onto a pitch anytime from 12 midday.

We stayed two nights, Friday and Saturday. It was winter.

On Sunday Mrs. TM fancied a walk out so went to reception and asked if we could leave the van there until later in the afternoon.

Yes we could but they wanted us to pay an extra £3!

The site was empty, no wonder.

We moved the van off site and never been back since.


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## Smokeyjoe (Nov 30, 2009)

*Objections to Change or Customer Focus*

Yes, of course the first thing you think of when making such a proposal is the Sunday arrivals. But operators know what bookings they have, and can tell non-booked arrivals to park in a holding area until 5 or 6pm - after all, they are unexpected. There will always be resistance to change, particularly if it means more work. I'm sure many operators have a more lenient approach, but what's wrong with even putting a sign up in the Reception 'Afternoon stays available, subject to availability'. Then we all know where we stand.
And as I said, we are newish to this, and have never yet been allowed to pay for a Sunday afternoon. I'm just calling for a slightly more flexible approach and a recognition of possibly most customers' wants. Finally, of course, many vans are just too big to trawl round looking for parking places halfway through a Sunday in a popular area! I want to enjoy my new passtime, but I'm wondering.


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## Jented (Jan 12, 2010)

Hi.
Everybody wants to enjoy their leisure vehicles and time away,some people are "touring" and cannot know in advance where they will be for that day.Picture the scene,m/h..c/vanners, couped up in vehicles waiting for people to vacate a pitch,till 17.00/18.00,and still be charged from noon? Please tell me this is a wind up?. Just imagine the New Forest,or Yorkshire dales,queues of vehicles waiting until lets say "Local" people with 1 to 2hrs drive decide to leave for home.
As you say,you previously boated,surely you had to check tides,check harbours would accept you after certain hours,well the same happens on sites,you know the rules,so plan around them.There are big ships and little ships,big m/homes and little m/homes,but in the great scheme of things they all fit somewhere,planning would seem to be the key.
Ted.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Cant you perhaps research some more informal sites? I too hate regimented campsites and tend to stay or CL's, CS's or wild camp. I also stay on the odd farm or countryside site where there are basic facilities and no formal pitches. Just park where you like. These tend to be more flexible and you pay for a night and leave when you like or you ask and they usually say no problem. These places always tend to be cheaper as well. 

Im a tight Yorkshire man and refuse to pay lots for a site as I only really need a bit of water and somewhere to empty the loo.

As for boating being less security conscious, I used to be a boaty and certainly in the lakes it wasnt the case. My mooring at Windermere had gated security for each jetty, 24 hour security guards and CCTV. Mind you some of the boats were worth a tad bit more than most motorhomes (not mine I might add)


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## wp1234 (Sep 29, 2009)

Jented said:


> Hi.
> The pitches are usually run,arrive after midday,and on the day of leaving,vacate your pitch by noon.When you arrive at a site perhaps after a long drive and with a caravan at midday,i would imagine you try to find the best pitch available,you set up awning/water etc,about 1hr.sit down get tea ready,about 5.30people start to leave,better pitches become available,to move pitch will take say 2 hrs,so you have lost half a day.
> ,we would move them to a "Rested" area so the full facilities of the site were there for the incoming visitors,and if they wanted to leave early (Before 08.00 hrs) I would have the barrier manned at any hr.on the proviso that they had half an hr lea way (Leaving at 02.00 hrs).at 02.30 the barrier would be down and i would be back in bed. I am not a rules person,but these times have proven to be fairest to ALL! members.
> .


Phewww my braih hurts - I will stick to wildcamping or motorhome stoppover sites I think much easier IMHO .


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## Jented (Jan 12, 2010)

Hi wp1234.
I prefer wild camping and small farm sites,however,SITES, this is often the time taken from arrival on a site, to feet up,many couples,working as a team can have van sited,awning up,windbreak and a cup of tea ready in 20 mins. Even as an assistant warden i could not believe the state people left some of the pitches,an hour was not long enough to make them ready again,also when a unit has been on a pitch for a fortnight,the grass may need cutting.You have probably caravanned,so what do most people do when leaving, wash,have breakfast and wash up,drain the water out..........The mystery of the wilting grass,HOT water boiler emptied onto the pitch ,sometimes a waste roller has overflowed,this has to be cleaned up,at the prices charged now,i suggest we make the most of our free camping and farm sites,because word is spreading.
As regards the original post,it HAS! to be a wind up,..."People who turn up unexpectedly",can wait in an area,until 17.00-18.00hrs until we leave? That is some advert for "People skills".
Ted.


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## Smokeyjoe (Nov 30, 2009)

Jented said:


> Hi wp1234.
> I prefer wild camping and small farm sites,however,SITES, this is often the time taken from arrival on a site, to feet up,many couples,working as a team can have van sited,awning up,windbreak and a cup of tea ready in 20 mins. Even as an assistant warden i could not believe the state people left some of the pitches,an hour was not long enough to make them ready again,also when a unit has been on a pitch for a fortnight,the grass may need cutting.You have probably caravanned,so what do most people do when leaving, wash,have breakfast and wash up,drain the water out..........The mystery of the wilting grass,HOT water boiler emptied onto the pitch ,sometimes a waste roller has overflowed,this has to be cleaned up,at the prices charged now,i suggest we make the most of our free camping and farm sites,because word is spreading.
> As regards the original post,it HAS! to be a wind up,..."People who turn up unexpectedly",can wait in an area,until 17.00-18.00hrs until we leave? That is some advert for "People skills".
> Ted.


Hi, well, no actually it's not a wind up, but clearly people who've been used to doing things one way for years resent - almost to the point of acrimony - any suggestions. I wouldn't mind arriving at a site that I wasn't booked onto, to be told 'sorry, we weren't expecting you, so we've rented this space to someone until 6pm. However, if you'd like to temporarily stop over here, you'd be most welcome'. My suggestion was made on the basis of observation, and what I would consider reasonable if I put myself in the other person's shoes. As for the state people leave pitches in, I can only say such behaviour is not typical I hope.


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## Delores (Feb 21, 2010)

Another recommendation for CLs/ CSs here. We were at a fantastic site in Cambridgeshire at the weekend and when we paid we asked what time we needed to leave only to be told we could go whenever we fancied. Same happened just out Salisbury a few weeks back.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Smokeyjoe said:


> Hi, well, no actually it's not a wind up, but clearly people who've been used to doing things one way for years resent - almost to the point of acrimony - any suggestions..


No, but having been "doing things _several ways _for years" most of the respondents do have a little more experience than you.

How many campsites have you used ? A variety of CS/CL/ commercial/Club/wild camps/ pubs etc ? Most of us have tried them all. Until you have done likewise it is impertinent to make sweeping judgements as you are doing.

If a site is not expecting to be full or has not allocated specific pitches for particular people ( including yours) then it is usual, at all types of site, to let you stay on until later in the day, beyond the 12 noon deadline. Club sites put up a notcie- usually apologetic- if they can't allow you to stay longer but, if there is no notice, the assumption is " "just ask".

We usually go earlier and, as most MH users, stop en route and visit various sights or attractions. One of the drawbacks of a MH is that you don't have quite the same freedom to get up and go to visit nearby attractions as you would have with a car ( and caravan) This is why sensible use of a MH is more like that of a boat. You do your sightseeing etc en route and then park up for a night.

It would be intersting to know how many sites you base your snapshot on !

G


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

We always ask what time do we have to get off and abide by the time they say.
If it is early then we find somewhere to park up or go to something interesting to do on the way home.
The Sites have a business to run.
We rally so there is no problems like you suggest. Its usually last one out shuts the gate.


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

I do think the OP has a valid point, to be honest.

Why is the arrival/departure time set at mid-day? Do the majority of motorhomers and caravanners actually set out at the crack of dawn to arrive at their destination by lunchtime, or is the profile more that you arrive mid-afternoon or (if one of the working masses) actually early evening? 

More to the point, given a choice would most arrivals actually be at lunchtime, or do they feel compelled to "get there early" to bag the best pitches? It really gets my goat when I see a queue of newcomers...usually I have to say tuggers of a certain age...outside the gate at 1130 - feels like they're breathing down your neck to get you to leave. Even more so when site manager relents and you get some berk pitching next to you and assembling an awning at 9 in the morning.

Setting that breakpoint at mid-day has all sorts of knock-on implications. For example because of limited staffing, this means they need to be available for new arrivals from lunchtime, meaning things like toilet block cleaning is mid-morning, so if you dare to have a bit of a lie in they close the bl00dy things just when you want/need them.

"Things have always worked this way" is no reason to continue that way. Seems to me it would make far more sense to have a mid-afternoon check-in/out time.

Personally, when it's a CL we tend to have a word and see if we can leave late...on bigger sites we tend to book the Sunday night to give ourselves the flexibility to leave either after tea on Sunday night, or crack of dawn Monday to get back to work. But this then highlights the issue of barriers with key cards that have a deposit on them - which isn't particularly helpful when the site office doesn't open until 9am!

Paul


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

we tend to book the Sunday night to give ourselves the flexibility to leave either after tea on Sunday night or Monday.

That is the solution to the problem and then everyone is happy. :wink: 
Would you stay on your pitch and then have to move when someone comes in later and wants to stay for the next few days?
there has to be a cut off time and 12 is a good time to keep the business rolling along. :wink: 
I like arriving at 12 midday to get all settled in.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Rosbotham said:


> Why is the arrival/departure time set at mid-day? Do the majority of motorhomers and caravanners actually set out at the crack of dawn to arrive at their destination by lunchtime,


We must be one of the "berks" you mention Paul; though not as early as 9am !

Often we don't go very far- say 100 miles- and usually to visit a specific place. We tend not to even try booking at weekends but often honey pot (club) sites have space for a last minute booking during the week. Hence we leave -say- 9.30 am- and arrive around noon. We have lunch, leave the van set up and cycle, walk or go by bus to the place we've come to see. Yes, we could park in the overnight area and move out at 6pm into the site proper or we could arrive later ( and miss half a day). Neither terribly serious agreed.

I suspect a survey would show that the great majority want to be on the road soon after 12 or earlier as they want to get home, put their van away and get ready for work/school next day.
It would be interesting to do such a survey. Perhaps a project for next time anyone is on a site- ??

We tend not to be regular users of CL/CS as they tend to be some distance from things we want to visit and usually in the middle of no-where. Great for relaxing and walking etc but we can do plenty of that at home without the van ! They do have a more relaxed view of late leavers however as they usually have the pitching space.

G


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

Rosbotham said:


> Why is the arrival/departure time set at mid-day? Do the majority of motorhomers and caravanners actually set out at the crack of dawn to arrive at their destination by lunchtime, or is the profile more that you arrive mid-afternoon or (if one of the working masses) actually early evening?
> 
> Paul


Surely the usual arrival time will vary widely, depending on where you are going, how far it is, how long you want to stay and what you want to do when you get there.

Sometimes we like to avoid having to organise cat feeders by just going away for one night. When we do this we choose somewhere within an hour or twos drive. When we went to RHS Harlow Carr we drove straight there as we knew the parking would be OK, then after spending several hours, having lunch and buying plants we went on to stay at Boroughbridge C &CC by late afternoon.

On our overnight visit to Chatsworth though we wanted to get on the site as early as possible. We were then able to settle the van on pitch and walk on to spend as much of the afternoon as possible looking around the the gardens at Chatsworth then taking a leisurely walk back.

As has been pointed out there are sometimes options for staying later, but if the earliest arrival time was set at later in the afternoon it would seriously restrict options especially for short trips.

Chris


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## Noel (May 1, 2005)

Rosbotham said:


> ..........or crack of dawn Monday to get back to work.
> 
> Paul


So, its ok to disturb your neighbour having a "lie in" by leaving early (bringing down the awning etc) but not by being a "berk" and putting one up before 9 am :roll: :?:

Noel.


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

Noel said:


> So, its ok to disturb your neighbour having a "lie in" by leaving early (bringing down the awning etc) but not by being a "berk" and putting one up before 9 am :roll: :?:
> Noel.


Not at all. Which is why we're all packed up before we go to bed on the Sunday, so only noise is as we drive out, with engine as close to idling as possible.



Grizzly said:


> I suspect a survey would show that the great majority want to be on the road soon after 12 or earlier as they want to get home, put their van away and get ready for work/school next day.


It would be interesting. I suspect you may be wrong, particularly for those of us who go away for the weekend. The weekend is that...not getting home at 2pm on Sunday afternoon.

We never go anywhere more than 90 minutes away from home for weekends, mainly because I've got to work so can only leave after that on a Friday. I'm lucky to be a homeworker so can make a quick getaway. I hear what people are saying about liking to get there early and having a full day, but that option isn't there for those of us who only grab weekends away, unless we take a day's annual leave on the Friday. So we get to a site at 6pm on Friday at the earliest, leave at 11:30 on the Sunday, paying for 2 days but only getting a day and a half. Or alternatively take my approach of arriving at 6pm on Friday, leaving at 6pm on Sunday, and paying 3 nights for 2 days usage. When I look at the pricing of a site, I generally add 50% to allow for paying for 3 nights even though we usually only use 2. It is true to say that you can sometimes get a late checkout if they're not busy - but you don't know that until you get there, which is not exactly convenient.

On the times I have taken half a day, I've pitched up on sites as the only person there at 2pm on a Friday, and watched as a queue forms at 7pm when the rest of the unfortunate working classes finishes work.

Paul


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## Hobbyfan (Jul 3, 2010)

The other side to this argument is that I would be very frustrated if I arrived at a site and the warden asked me to choose my own pitch, as they often do, and I drive around and end up with a pitch that's not ideal. Then an hour or so later a load of people leave having stayed until mid-afternoon.

By then of course the sun-shade is out and we're settled so it's a pain to move.

However, on the odd occasion when the site hasn't been busy a nice polite word with the warden will often let me stay an extra hour or two.

There's no easy answer I'm afraid!


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

Hobbyfan said:


> The other side to this argument is that I would be very frustrated if I arrived at a site and the warden asked me to choose my own pitch, as they often do, and I drive around and end up with a pitch that's not ideal. Then an hour or so later a load of people leave having stayed until mid-afternoon.


Then again, for our pattern at weekend it's frustrating for us that any nice (*) pitches have been taken by those who have the luxury of not having to work Friday, and then if we're staying late on Sunday they sit empty for most of the day after people have cleared off at 10am.

(*) Or more particularly on CC sites, hardstanding taken by small caravans. For this reason there's a lot of CC sites I simply won't stay on during Spring / Autumn. It's fine in summer because it's dry, fine in winter because you know they only allow sufficient people on to fill the hardstandings....it's the "shoulder" seasons where you're not sure when they say they've got availability they mean based on using grass or not which are the issue.

Agree it's difficult. However on CC sites, part of the booking process is to ask what time you intend to arrive / leave. I suspect for pitch allocation purposes, they discard those pieces of information, whereas if they took account of it, they could both get higher utilisation & open up a new revenue streams by offering weekend pitches at 2xnights+abit pricing.

Paul


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## Smokeyjoe (Nov 30, 2009)

*Touched a Nerve?*

Well there do seem to be mixed opinions on this. As the 'OP', the words I used were 'there seems to be scope' for some creative thinking on what is a complex issue. Secondly, as I indicated, I'm a newbie - no preconceptions or old habits - just about every weekend since March so far either wild camping, on CC, C&CC, or CS sites, and while this is not much experience, a) an outsider's view can often be of great value, and b) first impressions count for newcomers to any group. Lesson seems to be where there are many ready to jump down your throat, don't open your mouth.
And what's wrong with arriving anywhere unexpectedly and being asked to wait? Might not suit some but you couldn't complain it's unfair.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

Do you not think that Booking into Sites is not for you Paul and you would be better off looking in the Out and About of Camping and Caravanning as they are great for arrival times and leaving when you wish.
Their holiday rallies are also very good value for weekends as well.
I think you would also enjoy the freedom of the MHF Rallies. :wink: 
Just a thought :wink: 
In winter they are on Hardstand in Schools and Rugby Clubs etc etc.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

*Re: Touched a Nerve?*



Smokeyjoe said:


> Well there do seem to be mixed opinions on this.


Naturally. As you've seen if you've been lurking for some time, we are an opinionated bunch and all types and manner of folks are represented here.



Smokeyjoe said:


> As the 'OP', the words I used were 'there seems to be scope' for some creative thinking on what is a complex issue.


Indeed there is and you've stirred up a useful discussion in which opinion seems to be evenly divided.



Smokeyjoe said:


> Lesson seems to be where there are many ready to jump down your throat, don't open your mouth.


Hardly fair. Discussion is usually fairly robust as you might expect if people have strong opinions. I hope that you will not keep your mouth shut and will continue to throw thoughts into the mix. I think also, if you look at your original post- you might have been perceived to be a _little_more provocative than you perhaps intended.

Anyway...welcome to MHF and long may you continue here !

G


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

Well said G this was opened as a discussion and we have tossed it about this is why it is a great forum we all have our own opinions so lets share them and we can learn so much.
Smokeyjoe I hope you get a lot out of the forum and out of the life you have chosen of camping and meeting people who love a good discussion. :wink:

The only way we can bring about change is go to the Clubs AGM's and throw our ideas in.
We cant change the rules here-- only discuss it.


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## Jented (Jan 12, 2010)

Hi smokeyjoe.
As said above,i took exception to "Culture diff." and "Treated like Ladies and Gentlemen",then the post in red ink and larger letters,i was taught that this was less than polite. Not all sites,but a lot are"Touring Caravan Parks",so you should be able to pull in anywhere in theory and if there is space,book on. Most of the popular sites are booked solid from just after Christmas,CC.,,CCC, and a lot of private sites,as regards pulling onto a site and being told to wait in a corner,the site owner may have your half night payment,but the person who is asked to park in the corner,may just be wanting a pitch for a fortnight,and if it happened to be me,i would pull off. 
We hope you enjoy your m/home to its fullest extent and the pluses that can be gained from the pool of wisdom in these forums,now you know where i was coming from,stay well,stay lucky.
Jented

PS. Sorry,forgot to say this,some sites will be struck off of certain clubs sites if there are more units than the licence states,and in Snowdonia,the park dept.goes around in a helicopter during the summer months to ensure the local licenced farmers only have i think its 5 vans on site,so it is not that they are being awkward by not letting you stay,but could lose their site licence


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## Smokeyjoe (Nov 30, 2009)

*Early Reflections...*

Perhaps we've been unlucky in the first of what we hope will be a lifetime of seasons with our van. Without the provision of explanation on sites, the reaction of the operators, and security, has seemed off-putting. I don't like continuing comparing with our experience of 25 years crime-free afloat. We'll get used to it, but I can only say it's what we've genuinely felt. Perhaps the answer for later departures is a chargeable parking area, freeing up proper pitches. I appreciate it can't be universal, but it might be considered. And sorry Ted for the red; I chose it for emphasis and visibility! We're back at one of our 'not possible without paying for a full further night' sites soon, so I'll pursue the idea further!


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

By and large campsites are crime-free. You can expect to leave your chairs and table, levelling blocks, buckets and so on and they are there when you get back. I'm sure that is not down to security barriers on site but to the innate trustworthiness of campers. Many sites are in cities or on the outskirts of towns and barriers do provide an illusion of security at night anyway.

That said, the only UK site that we know suffers from organised crime is the Clumber Park CC/C&CC site (can't remember which club) This site, in the middle of woodland and some way from anywhere, is targetted by bike thieves and, when we went there a couple of years ago, we were advised to lock our bikes in the wardens compound overnight. We met someone at Crystal Palace CC site last week who had had their bikes stolen from Clumber this year.

Most club sites have a late arrivals area, often with EHUs and I'm sure they'd let you stay there until later in the day if you had to move off your own pitch because the next occupant arrived at lunchtime. It's unreasonable to expect them to wait on the LAA as they have paid for the site from noon.

G


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## Smokeyjoe (Nov 30, 2009)

Grizzly said:


> By and large campsites are crime-free. You can expect to leave your chairs and table, levelling blocks, buckets and so on and they are there when you get back. I'm sure that is not down to security barriers on site but to the innate trustworthiness of campers. Many sites are in cities or on the outskirts of towns and barriers do provide an illusion of security at night anyway.
> 
> That said, the only UK site that we know suffers from organised crime is the Clumber Park CC/C&CC site (can't remember which club) This site, in the middle of woodland and some way from anywhere, is targetted by bike thieves and, when we went there a couple of years ago, we were advised to lock our bikes in the wardens compound overnight. We met someone at Crystal Palace CC site last week who had had their bikes stolen from Clumber this year.
> 
> ...


I'm really sorry but I feel my point is not being understood. If it's OK to pay for a further night, knowing you are going to leave at 6pm the afternoon before, surely it's better for the site to have this formalised and fix a late pm departure time, charging accordingly, and then asking (and I'd like to underline this for emphasis because it's important to my point) unbooked arrivals to wait. And policy re using the late arrivals space could be regularised, so we know what to expect.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Smokeyjoe said:


> ....and then asking (and I'd like to underline this for emphasis because it's important to my point) unbooked arrivals to wait.


If the arrivals _are_unbooked then that is fine; they should not be upset by being asked to wait. It is the _pre-booked_ arrivals who ought to be able to expect to get straight on to their booked pitch and not have to wait until it is cleared by a late leaver.



Smokeyjoe said:


> And policy re using the late arrivals space could be regularised, so we know what to expect.


There is an expectation that the late arrivals area is just that. It is a space outside the barriers where people who arrive after the site office is closed can hook up and park in relative safety until the site opens next day and they can be pitched inside the site.

A campsite has to have rules but not one of the club sites we have met has rules that are so inflexible that they are set in stone. All club sites are run by -for want of a better word- amateurs, and so their good will is important.

It is possible on some sites to ring and advise that you will be very late and have one of the site staff open for you. Usually you will be told your pitch number and to come back and do the paperwork in the morning rather than the office being opened especially. Many sites stay open late on Friday in recognition of the fact that people tend to arrive later after work.

Sometimes, if the LAA is big enough, it is possible to leave your van there and go off and have another day in town or whatever and return in time to drive home.

Hence it is not always possible to regularise the use of a particular facility; it depends on the goodwill and lack of "jobsworth" attitude of the staff. For us this saves the club sites from being like commercial sites where every possible eventuality is catered for and the resident staff have no say in matters.

Just ask ! We've never met an unhelpful club warden.

G


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## Smokeyjoe (Nov 30, 2009)

Great, sounds like there may be scope for some movement. Be interesting to see what others think. Have always taken the point about just asking but at least it's good to raise consciousness of the issue. Last weekend we counted 4 vans we'd seen on site folornly trying different cul de sacs around the town we were in looking for places to park up. The field was emptyish as we drove home, but it was a private site. Glad I didn't pay £20 for 5 hours; if they'd been accommodating, they'd have made a willing tenner out of me.


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