Can no longer afford

Having found the prices on club sites increase to far more than we are prepared to pay we have avoided this clubs sites since early May of this year. Camping club sites have been cheaper with the age discount and more recently we have used their temporary holiday sites at ten or twelve pound per night which is a fraction of the price for a club site. We have thus managed to go away for just as many nights as normal as we don't need EHU, a posh toilet block or manicured grass. Economy is the key for us. 

OH has fixed price contracts for both gas and electricity for our local Guide Hall, there are no get out clauses in them to cover unexpected price rises.  And it is very expensive if the consumer wishes to get out of the contract.

Fortunately they run for 3 years, through to January 2024.  Hopefully the crisis will be over by then!

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That is the approach we have adopted too, though for us, having EHU is an essential,  so savings are less.  We can do, and have done, a one night basic stopover without EHU, but that would be the max as I would worry about the battery.  We do use gas for heating and HW when colder, to boost the Alde, but the Alde pump, the water pump, and the mover are power hungry.

We started using CLs more often, when there are just the 2 of us, about 6-7 years back and found we liked them better than larger sites, so have been increasing the number we use each year.

I have now got used to the "luxury" of serviced pitches at reasonable prices, and these days we would rather pay a little extra for a serviced pitch on a no facilities site than use one with everything laid on.  No point in paying for facilities we do not need or intend to use.

Our personal fix ran out in January this year, unfortunate timing!   We only had a one year fix, longer ones were not readily available up here.  

Our DD for the house has so far gone up to about 2.5  times what it was, so we are making a few economies these days.......switching off things etc etc.  Will be interesting to see what difference that and our new gas boiler make, hoping for a decent saving in use if not in money!

 

Got the e-mail offering 'Hurry, summer getaways still available at Gowerton club site', as we stayed there last year, earlier today.

Offer is £39.63 per night.

We paid £32.80 per night last year before the VAT reduction, but to keep apples for apples:. 20.8% increase.

 

Don't forget that there is also some savings to be made whilst not being at home. You won't be using gas, water or electric at home. OK, it may not be a massive saving but it all counts.

We never count food eaten in the caravan as being a holiday cost. We would have to eat if we were at home and we limit ourselves to no more than two meals out during a week, usually it is only one. We have a good breakfast before we go out in a morning and then just have a cup of tea and maybe a scone mid afternoon before returning for a meal in the caravan in the evening.

Up until Covid we went to France most years and whilst fuel and campsites were cheaper over there we still had to pay for the ferry and Red Pennant which were still a not inconsequential net expense and we invariably covered many more miles than if we had stayed in the UK. For us, those expenses have gone for the time being at least.

This year we went for two weeks to the Isle of Wight and even with the most expensive ferry crossing in the world mile for mile, we managed to keep the costs down to under £500 per week using a very nice CL with EHU and shower / toilet, (£19.00 / night). The total figure included £60.00 each way for diesel for a 400 mile round trip, meals out and entry to various attractions. Whenever we can we use our National Trust membership for free entry to places (I know it's not actually free) and have a 2 for 1 voucher book for many gardens and attractions.

As has been said further up the thread, being only 25 miles, or even less, from home can seem like a thousand miles away. 

The bottom line is that caravan holidays can almost be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be or need it to be. We certainly couldn't have anywhere near as many days away from home if we went in hotels or even B & Bs for the same total expenditure..

 

It is possibe one energy company doesn't cover all the Club sites and perhaps some sites had contracts with companies that folded.  They would then be automatically transferred by the regulator to a higher trariff company?????

peedee

Just to clarify ferry crossings the most expensive foot passenger ferry is not white link as it is fourteenth in the list of expensive in the uk

If I were as young as you I would sell the motorhome , free up some capital, and travel some other way. Budget airlines are amazingly cheap, and outside the UK trains are too, AirBnb has all sorts of bargains, and gap year student children can give good advice on how to go places without breaking the bank. Motorhomes and caravans are not the only way. Good wishes to you.