Expensive CL's

Hi Steve874
I just came across this discussion.
I run a “basic CL” or “Off Grid CL”
IF YOU USE OFF GRID CLS YOU MAY FIND THE FOLLOWING OF USE can see how many CAMC Cls out there!
I have produced a sheadsheet database of the CAMC non EHU (Off Grid CLs) It is available for anyone to view with the link. Click here to open the Non EHU CL sheet
The default view of the sheet should be CLs sorted by County. There are currently 434 listed on this sheet along with the postcodes. You can scroll up and down the list on the right vertical scroll bar and left & right on the bottom scroll bar. There are links to the CLs page listing on the CAMC website in column 5 which should open a separate page and take you there, to the right of that there will be a blue dot if they have images to view. To the right of this is a range of facilities available a dot against CLs row means available. If you view the Non EHU CL Google sheet by clicking a sharing link or from the link above on this page on a computer you will be able to sort data by filtering what you do or don’t want (there are some “filter views” already set up! “A-Z County”, “A-Z CL Name” , Postcode, etc) Look for Filter Views along the icon menu bar above the sheet for  to the right will be a down arrow if you click that it will show the filterviews already set up go down and click the one you wish to view. You can also you hover over the top on the right of the column header (the cell where the letters are) a down type arrow will appear or if you see  you will be able to sort sheet, click it and click sort A-Z (this work on the the dots as will group them all together!)

If you find an issue or would like us to edit/add an entry please leave a comment on the sheet page or email me. We will update the Google sheet monthly after going through the Club Magazine CLs update page.

We have now produced a Google Map to show the location and info of each of the non EHU/Off Grid CLs visited in the April 2018 updated database Click here to view. You can zoom in on the area you are interested in and click the icons, this will bring up the data on the CL.

Or both avail via your website
Regards, John Clifton, NEWTON GROVE, Barford Road, South Newington, BANBURY, OX15 4LN
E: newton.grove@btconnect.com
P: 07722 918265
W: newtongrove.co.uk
See Sites Directory 2017/2018” on page 440, entry no: 1273,

That looks grand Johnny. I hope that a mod will find a way to make it a sticky, just like the Fully Serviced CL one, so that those that want a non-facility CL have a good place to start their search.

Excellent resource Johnny, many thanks for all the work you've done with Paul in putting this together.

peedee

Brilliant Johnny! Thank you for your hard work 😀👍👍👍

Have just spent 7 glorious nights on a CL at Mildenhall Suffolk.  Lovely large but secluded glade, with EHU plus water and waste facilities to each pitch.  Pitches were not actually defined allowing you to pitch any which way, so provided you had longish waste & fresh water pipes, there was no lugging of aqua roll or waste master required.  Summerhouse full of Books and DVD's for members use.  Wildmeer Farm Mildenhall Suffolk .  Outstanding. They even provided 7 days of uninterrupted sunshine!

All for £12 per night, - £84 for the seven nights.  Why would I want to use a regimented club site??

TF 

I think that the requirements probably depend on how long you have been caravanning. We started with a second hand Ace Globetrotter with a foot pump for water and gas lanterns (no electric). So we are used to 'making do'. Having had 5 caravans now over the last 30 years, only our latest one we bought new.

Even at 6'4" I prefer to use my own shower - why trudge across fields to get to a shower block.

So our view of using Club Sites and 'top end' CLs - is why? We have our own amenities on board. Admittedly, with all the mod-cons caravans come with now, if you are going to use your caravan for all of the year EHU is almost essential.

However, we do like to hook up and go away for a weekend a lot, but the cost of some of these CLs is making it less of an option.

One thing we have noticed is that when we joined the Caravan Club back in 1988 there were over 3500 CLs and we know of a few CLs that have either been closed down by the Caravan Club or forced to due to H&S requirements. Plus, in general, CLs then were not necessarily a business - rather a bit of a side line for a farmer to get a bit of extra cash.

The simple fact is that most caravanners want EHU. Probably most campervans also and particularly in colder weather. 

We did not have a caravan with EHU provision until I installed it on a caravan in about 1995 as that van no longer had the warmth of gas mantles and no exterior vented gas fire! Also most pitches on main sites were including EHU in pitch prices. No battery on the caravan usually as simply plugged into the back of the car for power to run lights and water pump. Quite easy to manage without caravan battery of EHU for a 7 week tour.

Up until the upsurge in EHU (was that at the end of the nineties) all a CL owner typically needed was access to foul drainage and a water tap. Many ran a second hand toilet set up with perhaps a brick surround for plack waste and a grey water drain into same pipe run. The other set up cost was some stone in field access and sometimes a row of flags for caravan wheels. 

For most CLs to be successful in attracting good footfall EHU is now required by most. 

I rarely use CLs these days but have a 5 night stay booked on a CL in September as part of a tour. There is a toilet and shower facility which we may or may not use and EHU. Happy to pay £18 a night.

Maybe they see the price of CMC sites and think we will have a slice of that cake

A CL isn't exactly a money making enterprise with the limitation of 5 units. There has to be some profit to make it viable to keep the CL viable.

Recently we have stayed on a number of CL's and when speaking to the owners have said the Caravan Club have advised them to put the price up.

Am I being cynical but could this be a tactic used by the club to bring the prices nearer the cost of Club sites to fill them up. Not so much in the summer months as the cost to stay on club sites are very expensive and still get full. But in the winter months they need filling and therefore they drop the prices slightly nearer the CL prices to tempt them away. People who don't mind either CL or Club sites would probably opt for the Club site mainly for the shower blocks.

I love CL's and enjoy the smaller sights and have only used the Club sites as a last resort as I am lucky to have toilet/shower and appreciate not all caravans have such luxuries and need CC sites.

However I just hope CL owners do not over price themselves by the CC tactics!!

I now have a solar panel to get the best use of all CL's and will probably only use CL's with hook ups in the winter months.