# Certificated Locations?



## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

We finally bought a MH at the back end of last year, we'd hired them for the last three years, and always gone to France in them for two or three weeks at a time.

We will be going to France for a long holiday later in the year but we've decided to go away in this country at least one weekend a month and I'd been looking for places to stay.

I had a look at sites, in the Campsite Review section, to stay around Woodhall Spa and there were plenty of sites but with many of them saying 'Certificated location'.

Does that mean I have to be a member of either the Caravan Club or the Camping and Caravanning Club to stay on these sites?


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## Kathy6323 (Oct 21, 2012)

I just checked as we recently joined Camping and Caravanning and it says that you cannot stay there if you are not a member.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Yes Keith, you do need to be a member - in theory at any rate! :roll:

The CC has Certificated Locations, and the C&CC has Certificated Sites. (_I think that's what "CS" means_)

Doesn't matter anyway. They are both informal sites, often on a farm, which are restricted to a maximum of 5 vans at a time. Facilities vary from "not much" to almost as good as a club site - and prices are also variable, though usually much lower than a club site.

Others will be along with more detail I expect, but that's it in a nutshell.

Dave


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## Kathy6323 (Oct 21, 2012)

As I said we have only just joined so my response was just what I found on the club web site in FAQs


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Quite right too Kathy. :wink: 

What I meant by "in theory" is that I don't ever recall being asked to show our membership card, or quote the number when making a booking, and I know that others who are not members have stayed on CLs with no problem.

I think it's daft of the CL owners to be so lax, because if they happen to be inspected and caught out the CC is likely to revoke their licence.

Many of our members on here rarely stay on any other form of site, and I must say the quiet little spots do have their appeal.

Dave


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## Nethernut (Jun 4, 2008)

Kathryn is correct - the cobs have exemption certificates from local panning laws which allows them to licence 5 van sites throughout the country. They all have at east a drinking water tap, a point to empty waste water and somewhere to empty the chemical toilet, sometimes toilets and occasionally showers. Probably about half have electric hookup points. 

We tend to se CLs (licences by the Caravan Club) most of the time in Uk ad have found some lovely sites in the most unexpected places.


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## Kathy6323 (Oct 21, 2012)

Nethernut said:


> Kathryn is correct - the cobs have exemption certificates from local panning laws which allows them to licence 5 van sites throughout the country. They all have at east a drinking water tap, a point to empty waste water and somewhere to empty the chemical toilet, sometimes toilets and occasionally showers. Probably about half have electric hookup points.
> 
> We tend to se CLs (licences by the Caravan Club) most of the time in Uk ad have found some lovely sites in the most unexpected places.


Hey! how did you know my full name is Kathryn!!! most people spell it wrong LOL


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

I suppose the next question is - which one?

Or both?


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

we are with the CC

I suppose for full all round choice both is good but I think only once have we found ourselves on a C& CC, in the New Forest and had to pay non members fee

I expect it depends how extensively you travel in the Uk to make the cost of both memberships viable 

Aldra


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## rogerblack (May 1, 2005)

KeithChesterfield said:


> Thanks for all the helpful replies.
> 
> I suppose the next question is - which one?
> 
> Or both?


This question comes up frequently, some favour one over the other for different reasons. There are some differences on the main sites but the CLs/CSs are pretty much the same for both clubs.

My suggestion would be to join both to start with and see if you have a preference, then after a year or two decide whether to renew one or the other or both.

We did that twenty-odd years ago and have remained members of both!

One thing to note is that if you're over 55, then the C&CC offer up to 30% discount in low and mid season on full facility club sites so you can use those for not much more than the cost of some CSs.

The Caravan Club offer a discount for motorhomes using the M6 toll - e.g. £5.50 rather than £11 each way on weekdays. CC Members also get 20% discount off food and drinks at RoadChef motorway services, including Costa Coffee etc.

There are also discounts on motorhome insurance from Safeguard and probably others, so the cost of annual membership can often be recovered quite quickly.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi Keith

What Sandra said, but I suggest you do a bit of browsing on here. Loads of opinions have been aired, and there are some quite significant differences between the two which might influence your choice.

To mention only a couple.

The CC is always fully booked at weekends on many sites, often by selfish sods who block book every weekend then cancel (within the rules) at the last minute when it's too late for anyone else to make a booking! :evil: The C&CC have largely overcome this by demanding a £25 non-returnable (but re-allocatable) booking fee.

The CC almost always lets you pitch where you like. The C&CC tell you where you have to go, and if it's under a tree so the satellite dish won't work - it's up to the warden whether you can move or not.

We may have been unlucky but we have only once encountered a stroppy CC warden, and I found out later there was a very good reason why she was stressed. We have used the C&CC only three times, and on each occasion we were treated brusquely at best - and on one occasion when the warden demanded to see my wife's membership card as well as mine before he would let her in, it nearly came to blows. He admitted that her details were on the computer screen in front of him, but was a total jobsworth and still demanded sight of her card.

The CC facilities are generally of a higher standard than the C&CC, but the latter are perfectly adequate - if sometimes a little tired, and possibly more likely to be suffering from the ravages of uncontrolled kids.

Just one opinion - there are lots of others if you browse.

Dave


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

One other point is that the CC have more sites than the C&CC.

cabby


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

If your just going to use the five van sites then the cc might be better as they have more cl sites that the c&cc have cs sites.

That's all we use. I absolutely love them. We stayed on one for a couple of weeks at flamborough near Bridlington at Christmas. Walking distance to the village and coast. Only us on it apart from the odd one nighter. The cc club site which is officially called Bridlington but in the middle of nowhere was packed and probably twice the price as our cl. Doesn't make any sense to me but that's what appeals about cl sites to me. Often you get them to yourself or at most five vans and there is usually loads of space.

We also spent five days on a nearby cs site for a fiver a night but we aren't members of that one so Don't make a habit of doing this but never get asked for membership no.


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## cypsygal (Dec 19, 2009)

We are CC members, but have only ever stayed at cl's belonging to C & CC, ironically. What we have found is that we have been given the app forms for C&CC by the owner when we confessed to not being members. Never have joined tho.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

cypsygal said:


> We are CC members, but have only ever stayed at cl's belonging to C & CC, ironically. What we have found is that we have been given the app forms for C&CC by the owner when we confessed to not being members. Never have joined tho.


It's a tricky one really as so many of these places are advertised in so many places now. Anyone can find them. Just look on here http://www.5van.co.uk/ loads of CL and CS sites. Doesnt say you have to be a member. All of them on UKcampsites and all of them in the database right here on MHF!

You could be forgiven for booking one of these places without knowing you had to be a member.

I have had the odd CC owner check my card and membership number but most of them dont even ask if your a member. C&CC less so. I assume the owners have to pay to be in the CC or C&CC do they? Not quite sure what the deal is.


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Keith,

Two that I can recommend to you close to Woodhall Spa, one a CS, one a CL..

>Little Eden CS<

>Newholme CL<

The Little Eden one is owned by C&CC site inspectors so will def ask for your membership card. Its a little gem though. 

Pete


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## SaddleTramp (Feb 15, 2007)

If you are intent on going to Woodhall Spa area I can highly recommend this Site and they accept non members.
Woodhall Spa Camping and Caravanning Club Site
Wellsyke Lane
Kirkby-on-Bain
Woodhall Spa
Lincolnshire
LN10 6YU

Tel: 01526 352911

A good website for sites is http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

SaddleTramp said:


> If you are intent on going to Woodhall Spa area I can highly recommend this Site and they accept non members.
> Woodhall Spa Camping and Caravanning Club Site
> Wellsyke Lane
> Kirkby-on-Bain
> ...


... and there's an award-winning chippie at nearby Coningsby. Stop off and see the Battle of Britain flight/museum. Lovely display plus Lancaster and Spitfire. Agree this campsite is very pleasant..

Viv


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## rowley (May 14, 2005)

I belong to both and mostly use the CLs and CSs. I have never attended CC rallies but have used the CCC temporary holiday meets many times.
If the power that be checks on the CLs or CSs and finds non members, then the site owner stands to lose their licence. I do find that most site owners do check for membership.


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## rogerblack (May 1, 2005)

rowley said:


> . . . If the power that be checks on the CLs or CSs and finds non members, then the site owner stands to lose their licence. I do find that most site owners do check for membership.


Exactly and since it's only around £40 p.a. membership why risk it? Note that the difference for 7 nights at Woodhall Spa for members and non-members is just over £50 so that saving would more than pay for the whole year's subs . . .


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## bigfrank3 (Mar 26, 2007)

The other point about being a member of the CC or the C&CC is the rallies they run most weekends in season. Some people really enjoy them others really dislike them. 

I'm a member of the South Yorkshire section of the CC. Rallying starts in March and finishes about the bonfire rally in November.

Frank


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## Red---One (Feb 16, 2013)

We used to caravan many years ago and stayed on many a CL and were never asked to confirm our membership, we were CC members too.


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