Priced Out.

I would imagine if you want to visit this area on that type of site during the peak season, that sort of sum is not unusual.

For those who can holiday out of peak, midweek in early October costs £18.20.😀

You are right WN, but I would love to take Patty along with us to a nice CL, with the facilities needed, and see how she would get along. We see lots and lots of pensioners, and I am talking 80 plus year olds out in all sorts of vans on some of the CLs we use, some as a couple, some on their own, and they get along fine with all aspects. It is sad to hear of someone giving up because of Club Site prices, and I have no doubts Patty isn’t alone in this. CLs can be such friendly places, it’s rare we come away without having a chat with most of the folks who are on site. 

I think there are a lot of folks giving CLs, and some small private sites a go because of how much Club Sites cost, especially in Summer.

I agree Ttda. We use them regularly as you know and there are some excellent ones out there at a fair reduction on a club site but we're not privy to Patty's mindset and maybe she feels vunerable on her own (it sounds like she is on her own). She may well have tried them and found a bad'un. 

Still it's a shame when price per night is the reason for jacking it all in.

So how come on some sites children 5- 17 are charged @ £1 / night

A solo caravanner will often pay less on a Club site, even in July, than on a CL where the price usually includes 2 adults and no reduction is given if you are only one person in the outfit, so a CL may not be the solution.

why are there so many offers for children all over the leisure industry, not just the club? why all the kids eat free? or free child places? 

Once you look into it the kids it is strange to see that it is the kids that are subsidising you! Kids don't (usually) travel by themselves  (or eat at restaurants) but come with lovely juicy full paying parents. By doing so the club is ensuring that full paying adults are coming to the sites, if you think about it, a non club site charges from 14, so parents will choose a club site because it is a better deal, the club fills more pitches, more income.

Also there is the thinking that families need a helping hand which you can agree with or not. 

You forgot the short arms,

TBH I think it is because a booking fee is not required.  This means people can book up as many weekends as they want thus preventing long stays like people who want to stay a 5 or more nights on a CC site. 

As they find they cannot book a week away on a CC site they go elsewhere and the club site sits empty during the week but the nearby commercial site who require a deposit is full! 

The club loses money on its sites so to rectify this they increase the price making the members only site much more expensive than a nearby commercial site plus the CC site has less facilities for the same price!

When we had three children in tow the cost of them did add up considerably and it did restrict our touring to some extent. I find it difficult to justify the charge for children at anything more than a minimal figure as what do they cost the club.

The only thing they use that we do not is play equipment and given the cost split between the numbers this is minor. So on top of that there is a bit of electricity and water, which cannot cost anywhere near the full charge, so it probably benefits the club to attract people with children at a very low cost to help fill some sites and keeps membership numbers higher than they would otherwise be.

You also have to try and replace members leaving for the future good of the club and children who have learned the benefits of touring are our best bet. Any organisation that puts obstacles in the way of the next generation is doomed.