Crowded out

I am just wondering if the CL has a separate rally field. Many do, and this appears permissible, but without knowing the CL we will not know. 

I wondered the same TTDA

Hi All,

Twocals - I am sorry you have experienced a CL site which has over booked, please could I ask you to email us at clresponse@camc.com with details of this so we can investigate this further. We do not share any member details with the CL owner so this will be anonymous. 

We are able to certificate sites under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 for our members use. The Caravan and Motorhome Club allow land owners to have a maximum of 5 pitches for Caravan and Motorhomes and we do not allow the use of tents (except pup tents).  This is made very clear to CL owners when applying for a CL site and throughout their time as a CL Site.  CL sites are for touring purposes only and not used for work purposes (EG Worker vans)

Any breaches of this rule are extremely serious, not just for breaking the Club rule but also for health and safety risks such as fire hazards. We are a small team looking after the CL network and do rely on members informing us of any breaches so we can address these with the CL Owner.

Some CL sites do have commercial licences as well, or have a rally field, but these need to be entirely separate from the CL site and not share facilities such as CCEP.

Thanks

Maddie

Good to have the situation clarified, Maddie and exactly as most of us who use CLs regularly assumed. 

Not to worry then, DD will be along in a minute and apologise.

Still, it would nice for us regulars to know the name of the CL, if only to avoid it as it seems to be a regular occurrence.

Deafened by the silence 

We like CLs because, like many others, we like the peace and quiet and their location but on quite a number that we have visited over the years there have been more than 5 outfits.The question must be asked why? Is it to make the CL viable, is it because the area is very popular or is it because of a lack of alternative CLs?

We stayed on one in an area of the Lake District which didn't have an over abundance of CLs and was obviously very popular because of its location. This had 7 hard standings (with EHUs) and which on at least one night of our stay were all full plus another outfit just inside a barn and another on the roadside in the farmyard which wasn't actually separated from the CL area. All the units were very well spread out and it didn't feel crowded but it went against the five van rule. If I reported it there is a possibility that the CL could close which would mean one less for me and, obviously, others to enjoy. The farmer could toe the line and reduce the number to 5 which would  affect his income and the financial viability so he puts up the nightly fees and we all complain. Nobody wins.

Another CL at the other end of the country could easily accommodate far more outfits. It is a massive field part of which is hard standing and with a total of 10 double outlet EHUs spread over much of the whole area. On more than one occasion there have been 5 outfits on the H/S with a further 2 or three on the grassed area. Again, this is a very popular CL as it isn't far from Dover and is used by many who are using the ferries. If this was to close or strictly adhere to the 5 outfit limits there would be many of us very inconvenienced. They could apply to be a licensed site but that would almost certainly increase the nightly fees or they could close down completely if it was no longer financially viable.

These are just two examples that we have experienced. How many of us, though, have turned around and gone home again or tried to find an alternative CL or site at very short notice when we saw there was more than 5 units on site? I'm guessing not many and certainly not me. Regretfully I think we are all a bit hypocritical. I'm not saying I encourage over booking and like it if there are only 5 units maximum but if the CL is where I want to be and there is enough space and EHUs, complaining about more than 5 units would just cut off my own nose to spite my face. 

Personally I would like to see the number of units increased to 6 but only where spacing allowed this. This would make it a more viable proposition for the owner and gives us, the complaining members, an immediate increase of 20% more pitches available on the rapidly shrinking CL network. The rural economy is very fragile and us visiting helps to put some money into an area but we can't do that if the CLs aren't there.

To be fair, he may not have wifi on the site he's moved on to - top quality customer service,  just no wifi! 

Some years back I arrived , as No 5, on a fairly compact CL. Subsequently three more arrived, utilising a three way socket adapter for EHU. Whilst I wouldn't get too exercised over one additional van if reasonably spaced with sufficient sockets, I felt this was a bit OTT. I did discover that the owner was something of a serial offender and, having reported the incident, I noted that it was later removed from the network.

Was I the final straw that robbed him of an income or was I a victim of opportunist profiteering? In situations like this and in submitting reviews, I am always conscious that I may be impacting on someone's livelihood.

I’m more inclined to feel the site owner's behaviour is impinging on the club’s reputation and jeopardising the future of all CLs, CY.