Can no longer afford

There is a perverse logic there. Whilst Club sites may well be expensive how much cheaper would they have to be for you to carry on as you have before? Fuel costs are going to be the same and the only way you can save is to either use less sites and travel less. Even by Nellie's reckoning of spending on average a frugal £16.25 a night he has already spent over £2000 on campsites this year and I imagine that figure will by the close of the year be well over £3000 if he maintains his usual nights away for the rest of the year? Not wishing to sound unsympathetic but if we are questioning the cost of a hobby, which is not just a passing phase, I think we have to be honest with ourselves is asking whether we can continue or give up. Owning a motorhome is not a cheap option when you take into account insurance and servicing and perhaps storage. The Club obviously have a model of charging that covers their costs. I know many argue with that model but it is what it is and unless the Club see a massive decrease in occupancy which forced them to lower prices I expect a spin off from that would be to close less popular sites to save money and I would question whether that was to the benefit of members. 

David

I know it is not really a fair comparison, but it gives an idea of savings that can be made.

We have just returned from 5 weeks in northern France and NL. With the exception of food and visits it came in at about £1500 for the two of us. It is not cheap, but it is good value.

Booking in advance, using  both ACSI and C&MC deals meant bigger discounts and £13 -18 a night fees. Advance bookings on crossings resulted in drastically lower prices, eg Hook of Holland to Harwich for £100. Towing a low profile van behind a 1.5 petrol Audi at 50mph gave 40mpg over nearly 1/2 of the towing miles, and about 36mpg over the remainder of the towing.

On our return we stayed the night at a CL near Harwich. This turned out to be our most expensive night at £20. 

Colin

For anyone on a budget currently the cost of fuel is the overriding factor. As has been mentioned there are much less expensive sites than those run by the CAMC. However, fuel costs can only be significantly reduced by travelling shorter distances. Whilst undoubtedly site costs, particularly with a MH can be significantly less in Europe, you do have to get there. Even for us with a reasonably economical MH and living in the East Midlands, getting to and from the ports is an additional £125 cost, which could be used as part of a restricted tour closer to home.

Fuel is, without doubt, the biggest expense, so perhaps Brittany, Normandy and Holland will become the destinations of choice rather than long treks to Italy, Croatia and Spain. So far this year my site costs have averaged £12.60 and I will continue to seek value for money which makes club sites pretty much a non-starter. I have seen such sentiments expressed across a number of forums.

As already pointed out the cost which is the most difficult to overcome is fuel and only real way to save on that is not to travel so far but as far as savings on site fees, you have a motorhome and the world is your oyster. Overnight costs can be free or very cheap compared to Club sites. I have just come back from a 30 day tour of northern UK and if I discount the Club sites I stayed on (both Cubs) my avergae nightly cost of using the C&CC temprory holiiday sites and official overnight parking areas was £7.70.

peedee

Now that we are retired an extra £20 or £30 to fill the tank is not going stop us going away. We are however having less coffee’s out and taking a flask and packet of biscuits instead. Life is too short to worry about a few extra £’s to fill the tank.

DK wrote:

There is perverse logic there.

I see nothing "perverse" in the OP's logic. On the contrary, it sounds normal and understandable and a common notion that I have heard a lot. However, I do not hold the CMC responsible (I am not saying the OP was having a dig at the CMC prices particularly, but that does seem to be the flavour of recent threads). I am not one of those who perceives club sites as particularly expensive. Against CLs, yes, of course, but CLs are a quite different kettle of fish. Against good quality, private sites, not at all expensive in my experience. Mind you, I am a solo motor-homer so the CMC way of charging helps me compared to sites that charge only for the pitch.        

The real killer for me is paying £130 + to fill up my diesel tank. Scotland is my great love, but going there now is expensive. I work things out and find that a three week trip to Scotland might cost me about £7 a night more because of the extra fuel cost. Can I afford that? Probably, and so I carry on - for now! Next year might be different. I certainly fully sympathise with the OP. Nothing perverse to see there.      

Since having the caravan these past few years we know how much we spend / allocate each year. Its pretty constant. If pitch costs go up, number of nights goes down has been our mantra so far.

We have noticed a large increase in CAMC site costs over that period, well beyond inflation and in comparison with other options. The exception was the voucher discount available during the peak of Covid, for which we took advantage and had some great breaks away in  peak school holiday period South Wales, North Wales, Southport, Ferry Meadows involving towing fair distances. Well done CAMC. Why not do it again?

The main cost increase is fuel, so those meals out supporting local business will go, pub visits etc. also. Price of a pint is another comparator, £6.50, £8 per pint won't get our business either. As for £34 for fish and chips, no thank you.

As we are now able to go outside school holidays there is more choice than in our caravan ownership so far. If CAMC are lower cost they'll get our business, if not they won't.  

That's a good argument, but as with everything there comes a tipping point, especially if income is fixed or not keeping pace.  

In my case the extra cost of a tank full is closer to £50.

In the 12 months to June 2022, the AA figures show that the average price of diesel in the UK has risen from1.330 per litre to 196.4. My last fill up cost 199.9, but this has fallen in recent days.

£20 or £30 extra? And some I would think. It's £50-odd to fill the little 35 litre tank of my Smart & £100 is barely over half a tank for my tow car