Deep dive: What Club Sites Really Cost!!! 

Another honest vlog without any drama or clickbait, thanks guys for keeping it simple and full of facts.

I was just sick of the rise in fees over the past five-six years. They've tripled or even quadrupled it in some cases. I'm a single woman with no kids, no pets and only one campervan (converted van - Renault Master). Most of the time, all I need is a parking space, no hook-up and only want a peaceful secure night where I can get a shower. But that proves way too expensive for me. I may as well park up in a public car park with public loos... that's only £2 a night - sometimes even free. So, how do they get away with these charges?

Hi guys, great video Newquay looks lovely and so did those fish and chips! We would’ve shared too, very generous portion! Loved the price comparisons, really informative and actually when you look at the prices of budget hotels and Air-b-n-b Motorhoming is still way cheaper and you have your home comforts round you, so a win win! Can’t wait for your next instalment 🥰 Debs and Mark xxx 😘

Interesting good points made looking forward to your onward journey

I particularly love your Deep Dives at the end, Corinne, both on this vlog and the next one - real eye openers for us. Many thanks, Laraine (now at Campsite Moongarden on Slovak/Hungarian border!)

I did like and sub because it was very informative so thanx.and good luck

I’m working in Bristol at the moment. All i can say is the club sites I’ve visited so far are not great. Either very noisy with plains or random people just wandering around the sites. Price wise, the last site was advertised at £18 a night. On arrival I asked to pay, then on two other occasions. Then eventually on my last day I managed to pay. The fee had jumped to £23 a night. If I’d known I’d have left earlier. I know £5 is not a lot, but its the principal. So be warned.

We have only stayed on one Caravan and Motor home site at Clumber Park which was very nice, we went early on in the season and it was still fairly pricey and whenever we have tried other popular sites in our area they always get booked up quickly at weekends. I priced Chatsworth up for August and it was a stupid amount for just the weekend so we always opt for either CL's or privately owned sites as its usually much cheaper. We have some cracking CL's that only cost £20 - £22.50 a night with hotel standard shower/toilets that we prefer to use as we much prefer small sites to the larger ones.

Hi corrin and Paul 👋 just us 2saying hi 👋 thanks for sharing this video update...👍den and sue 👍👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🚌🚌🚌

We stayed there a few months back and also had free parking at Newquay as the machines were down and also fish and chips from same location - but not shared! ps the"Gelato" ice cream in Newquay one of the best anywhere! I find the club sites to be good value as they do offer a very good consistent quality, you know what you are getting and prices do include 2 people and a dog. Oh, one thing in Newquay did our heads in, being constantly asked if we wanted to go on a boat trip!!

Think it’s so expensive now in this country however it’s swings and roundabouts isn’t it we toured France in our caravan for 3 weeks and never paid more than 17 euros per night but, it cost us nearly £1000 to take the van there and back

Thanks for an interesting vlog. Of course you are only saying what we all know,that is the clubs prices are ridiculously steep now.We still pay our membership fees to CCC but only to take advantage of the District Associations rates for weekends and temporary holiday sites typically 10 quids a night.We are not dependant on hook up having gone the solar power route which suits us fine.This leaves us with at least 20 quids per night to spend on fish and chips each if we so desire but we find that sharing one portion is more than enough for us. I do hope that the big clubs read the comments on here and maybe take note ? Thanks for your good work.

Newquay town is an absolute dive, I used to go there most years with my mum and dad and sister over 50years ago for our holidays when it was a NICE town. I’ve only ever used a camping club once in the last 4 years of being in it, but I have just got a £3 discount on 4 tickets for the caravan show in October that’s £12

We often stay on the CL network, 2,000 to choose. Much prefer to get the awning and the seats out, not stop in a noisy car park. Tried it twice, emptying their glass at midnight and a noisy main road.

We were with the caravan and motor home and the caravan club and camping club cancelled the motor home club 5 years ago I found it very expensive and I have to say very snobbish as well am still with the caravan and camping club it’s been 25 years now and very pleased with what we get from the caravan and camping club especially the DA camping sites we have a twin axle 8 feet wide buccaneer caravan so do not need first class showers and toilets as we prefer to use our own good luck Kev

I was quoted £54.00 hard standing for 1night on a club site way over the top for a 2 berth van in my opinion .

Used to spend £3k pa on club sites, no longer as prices have gone up silly, this year we have only had two nights at Tewkesbury! I have bought an Aferiy with the money saved so can go on Rallys which don’t include electricity! We only use the CAMC for Rallys now!

I watched a programme recently on Channel 5 about a couple that hired an £85k motorhome for £1400 for a week and said that they couldn’t wait to go ‘wild camping’ !! I was a member of C&MC for 30 years and saw prices rise with inflation, I only left because I stopped touring. The club is what it is, almost always guaranteed clean and functional, with very friendly staff.

Dylan Thomas under milk wood was based on Laugharne not New Quay, the film was made in Lower Fishguard. Dylan was Born in Swansea but moved to Laugharne later.

In my opinion mo point having a motorhome if you are not wild camping. Just look at the costs involved with buying your van,keeping it on the road,paying for sites. May aswell use hotels or bnb etc. Just sit down and add up the costs involved for the length of time you use your van!

We mostly stay on CLs. Everything you need for around £15 👍

As much as I love the UK (where I was born), I'm happy to stay in France (and the rest of mainland Europe) with my camping car. But maybe that's a good thing as I hear there are more camping cars in the UK and due to the fact of the 90 day limit in Europe for Brits it rather busy. Can I ask you guys if it was not for the 90 day limit would you be back to mainland Europe by now? If so, have you thought about getting a long stay visa?

Got back last week from a 90 day tour of France stopped 2 nights on our way down it cost £94. Our stops for 90 days in France came to £160 yes the rest was free which includes empty waste / toilet and in some cases free electric We go twice a year and know the French are more into motorhomes than Briton but the local economy gain’s massively. Yes rip off British camping is solely money orientated. My daughter has booked a site for us out Morecambe way for a family meet it has cost her £15 for 3 nights for our dog !!!!! Something I never ever do Thanks for the video

Interesting... we much prefer CSes, (or CLs) less facilities, cheap as chips and usually lovely views. For Tewkesbury, we stay at Mill Avon, just opposite and down a bit from your site but it was £35pn Inc water & EHU on your pitch. Lovely views, too, but rubbish facilities and doesn't get flooded.

THE Willows is 7 miles from Tewkesbury . by the river seven . 40 minuets walk along the river bank. or wiled camp down the end of Lower Lode lane .

I would not pay to stop at a club site i find them very expensive personally, but everyone is different and its their choice, we only use independent sites and mostly CL sites as we prefer quieter sites and our average nightly cost over the year is £20 a great example is Barleywood CL in Norfolk 5 star facilities hook up, water and drainage on each pitch, toilets and showers, Laundry etc etc interesting vlog though

Great video, thanks guys. You are just like me and my husband. We went out and shared a chilli burritos and fries because they are too big for one... We live in Yorkshire near Huddersfield and a few pubs take in motorhomes if your ever that way. They have great views too... xx

Great vlog! Thanks. Was the £32 for a CMC member or non member please?

Very true about the CAMC prices, Quality is not in dought, however, there are a lot of alternatives, CAMC have CL's, private 5 pitch sites, some are very basic, Elsan point and water tap, others have more with electric hook up, price is by individual site, £15 per night is a good average with hook up, how ever it is becoming more common to have metered electric, pay as you use, still worth teh membership fees, but CAMC definatly pricing themselves out of the market

Another good video and Newquay looks great so we will definitely be booking a break at that site👍 I understand why you are encouraging pub landlords to start stop overs but sadly they need to be aware of the law because most pub stop overs are illegal unless they have gone down the route of becoming a proper CL or CS. It is my understanding that to be within the law the pub can only accommodate motorhomes etc on the following basis: a) the stay is for no more than two nights 
b) no more than one motorhome being used for human habitation is on the land at the time 
c) the land is not used for human habitation in caravans for more than 28 days in any 12 month period. 
So, as far as I understand, a pub landlord can perfectly legally allow people in motorhomes to stay overnight occasionally but breaks the law if there is more than one motorhome in use at any one time and/or a stay exceeds 2 nights and/or such use is allowed for more than 28 days in any 12 month period. We are already seeing legal action against pubs by some local authorities. I think if I’d have spent a boot load of money setting up a CL I would be pretty miffed if the local Pub was pinching my business by offering free pitches !! Campsite prices are currently too high for many and this is now showing by reduced bookings with both main club’s offering special discounts to get people in. We stopped at New England Bay recently where they had closed almost 50% of their pitches and a toilet block as bookings were way down and yet the ‘wild’ camping area nearby was rammed. Some areas of the country are being overwhelmed by people turning up without any plans where they intend to stay (Anglesey, Snowdonia). I haven’t got a clue what the answer is !

I like to be away in my van for most of the summer, £224 a week, nearly £900 a month is quite frankly ridiculous. I pay between 12 and 20 a night and that adds up.

Just stopped at a CAMC site in Scotland. Nice place, clean with great facilities. £ 40.00 for one night was a bit steep though.

You’ll obviously get a better idea when you’ve been to a few more sites, prices have risen ridiculously over the last 2 years. Also depends on wardens a great deal re even being told reverse on to pitch only, some are jobsworths. My Motorhome was end lounge and on some sites spent the week looking at a hedge! Excuse was your hab door opens on same side has neighbours if you drive in forward which is nonsense, what happens if you have a foreign van? I’m seriously thinking of leaving CMC after quite a few years.

Although we are members of the CAMC we never use the club sites. Far too expensive and too regimented. We always use CAMC Certificated Locations (CLs) and never pay more than £20 per night on principle.For that we get drinking water tap on each pitch which we connect directly to the aquaroll, grey water drain on each pitch which we also connect directly to the caravan and 16A power supply. More laid back than the club sites. And usually quieter with better views. Sometimes there are showers and toilets on CLs but we don't need them because we are self-contained anyway. Not all CLs have these facilities but we don't use those sites. We did use a club site once but someone complained that the caravan was facing in the wrong direction. Or maybe it was because our caravan was very old, as was the car. Sorry to have lowered the tone of the neighbourhood (not). I bought my first caravan in 1967 and I'm still touring (with many different caravans!) at 82. Don't stop me now. I'm having a good time.

We have seen a huge increase in site fees.. As we have been away for 6 years in a touring caravan. We have paid upto £64 per night. Full service with 3 dogs. So 9 nights is costly. We try to go to a maximum of £45. We’re as 6 years ago it was £15-£28 max

We stayed in Moreton the Marsh for three weeks , on the last week we had to cut our stay short because of medical problems with myself , we cut the stay by three days and when my wife went to reception to hand the key in and inform them we were leaving early , they informed her that if she was one hour earlier informing them about our circumstances we wouldn’t have to pay the cancellation fee of £120 and to contact the club to see if they would waiver the cost . I contacted them the following week and was told because we had agreed to their terms and conditions they would not waiver the cancellation fee , I informed them that we had booked over the phone and terms and conditions was definitely not mentioned but that made no difference , the club is just a money making club where the members mean nothing to them as long as they’ve had your cash

Been a CMC member for nearly 25 years but now looking at cancelling our membership. Although generally clean and well naimtained the sites have got very expensive and to regimented in how and where you place your van on the pitch.

We are members of both clubs never use main sites we use independent sites or cs/cl sites.

Use to do mid season long stay full amenity site for I4 euros a night . better Euro rate then , in the Costa del Sol , did a month in West Country when we retired first real caravan trip , only once in Britain for long stay , awful weather expensive , Spain lower cost of living ,particully booze , party time every night at Cabopino with many new friends and of course the weather ,does rain heavily a few times in spring and autumn ,most of the time hardly ever in van . sadly wife passed on , not caravanning but fantastic memories of our trips in Spain.

Are parking machines in Cornwall in Welsh now?

I joined this club looked at there sites and there so expensive with nothing on them, decided to cancel membership within 2 days emailed the club but they still took £59 from my bank and said it takes 11 days for them to reimburse me but still waiting for refund . This is worst club to join some of there sites are £50 a night 👎👎👎👎

Crossing the Channel is very expensive, so comparing pitch prices in Britain with those on the Continent is not the total picture.

Prices have gone mad 35 pounds for a bit of grass and EHU ,daylight robbery.

To balance out those costings you have to factor in an average cost of your motor home.

There are loads of solo campers, but the price includes 2 adults. They should lower the price for solo people as they only use the facilities half as much!

Sutton on sea rounded up to £54 per person per night plus an additional cost £10 per night for the dogon grass no electric!! And the person I spoke to sounded like they were doing me a favour at that?

At £32 per night that’s about the cheapest camc do try rowntree park York £58.10 per night for 2 people. If you want 2 friends to stay in your van add another £38 that’s a rip off sorry camc are a joke on prices but there sites are fabulous

So £40 in total in the pub Did this include drinks and food? Or just food Ta

Even if you paid the high fees, you would be lucky to actually get a booking. Forget weekends for a start. The Airbnb comparison is not realistic. You could go on Airbnb for years for much cheaper when you consider the cost of a motorhome.

I live in my van so I've got no choice but to use lay-bys , wages were never any good so there was never any chance of a comfortable retirement.

Judging from what I hear on the Internet the club is great for couples but when you add extras for a family it's then massively overpriced. I've never been a member we like quiet fully serviced sites, I think £35 is really the max I'm willing to pay as otherwise its cheaper to not tow use the smaller car and do travelodge. I know prices have risen but precovid it was far cheaper now it seems everything is on the raise prices bandwagon. I prefer sites to be transparent and simple, place I go to set fee per night serviced pitch not extra for this that and the other.

Cancelled my membership a few weeks ago..... It's now cheaper ( from Manchester via eurotunnel) to go to France and wild camp in safety than get ripped off or attacked in the uk.

Choice is being taken away by councils being unfriendly towards campers parking up thereby funneling us all into overpriced sites.

And they say there’s no money about?

😮

Seacroft CMC is now £60 per night for a serviced pitch not good value

caravan club site every time

No fun in this anymore the cost of buying one of these vans and silly site fees,fuel,food n drink maintenance of the vehicle I can go abroad many times in a nice hotel all inclusive

Too Expensive

Where's the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 flag on your countries flag board 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Well i joined the club this year went to a site outside Canterbury needed to take on fresh water to stay a few nights, but i had to turn my motorhome as my water refill on the opposite side next thing a sergeant major jobs worth came over your facing the wrong way its a one system on this site. Not renewing next year. its outdate run by power crazed little hiter that think their running a concentration camp, F🤬🤬🤬 witts, pub stops its the way foreword 👍👍👍👍

Video was showing mostly your face and not the views and items of interest you were talking about

You guys seem to know the price of everything but the value of nothing - why keep comparing apples with pears it is all meaningless

Hey guys, really enjoyed that, especially the price comparison at the end, really eye-opening! We wondered if you did in fact take the lions share of the fish and chips...I would have (Julia!!) 😋 Looking forward to the next installment and hoping you're less seal pup like 🦭 😂😂❤