Can no longer afford

Just to balance that as you're making it sound over two posts as if the club prices are high, but in reality club prices are middle of the road.  

Quiet site SP is £50, Skelwith Fold is £53, and the CCC site at Windermere is £53. Many of the others are about £40+.

On the sites I've been on this year they have been fuller than in previous years, and full at weekends.

You've found sites that give you the quality and price you're after so just be happy. I'm sure all those users at club sites I've been on are equally happy. Actually there is one who is even more happier and thinks they're all better choices than the ones you have chosen, but it's up to the individual to decide?

I'm not sure who you're posting to with all these comparisons? Are you trying to convince people who use club sites they're making some form of economic mistake?

If club prices are too expensive for anyone and/or don't give value for money, don't use them. No argument from me there at all. To answer the OP no I'm not feeling the pinch or go away any less. I'm very lucky, I know, but from a quick read of the replies has anyone said they are going away significantly less? Perhaps just changing the way they tour?

We decided to try something a bit different for a longer trip this year, something we have never done before. We won’t truly “wild camp”, at least not somewhere we would be an annoyance to say local residents, but we are quite happy overnighting on stopovers, Aire type pull ins. So we planned a return to Dumfries and Galloway, partially utilising some such stops, combined with a couple of nice CLs. We did a bit of research, found some good places that we thought would suit us, and happily it all came together nicely. We did learn a lot…… the pro’s and cons of hopping from one stopover to another, best arrival times, what kind of facilities are essential, which are merely desirable, and I have to say on the whole, it was great fun, and felt very different. It’s something we would definitely do again. The main things it taught us was being well prepared for no hook up, take advantage of the extras close by such as swimming pools, cycling/walking venues on the cheap, look up shopping/fuelling opportunities if you are away from towns, and just how nice the camaraderie is alongside others doing the same, and willing to share places to stay. We recognised that we needed to add in another CL for a longer stay, rather than having three, four days of driving with only one night in each location, but mainly to get more cycling in. 

We too got an email like that, the first one sometime last week, and another one today.  

The curious thing about it, for us, is that our emails are for Cirencester Club Site "as we have stayed there before". 

Yes, correct, we have, I can't remember how long ago exactly, but it must be at least 7 years ago......  We have stayed on another CAMC site, Meathop Fell, as recently as February; had a look at availability there, and there is plenty of availability there too, even for BH August weekend; although 3 weekends in August have either the Friday or Saturday showing full.  The last weekend of July is still available too.  Cirencester has one weekend in August where just 1 night is full, so yes, slightly more availability, but still possible to book a fortnight at Meathop too.

A mystery to me how that particular site was aimed at us, from a stay years ago.....

We are very happy that we have found sites that we consider offer us better value for money than Club sites.

We all have  our own opinions, and spending limits.  Good for you that you are not "feeling the pinch", but everyone, as you have said, is not so lucky.

If we wanted, we could  afford to use Club sites all the time, but we do not feel they offer us value for money.  Nor are we these days making full use of the on site facilities, so we would rather use alternatives and save a bit to do other things with our money, or spend more time away.   It is not in our nature or upbringing to be unnecessarily profligate.

 My examples are purely to illustrate, like Take the Dog Along  has, that there are other site providers who can offer alternative ways of touring, and less expensive pitches without any drop in standards.  I do not see you commenting on her posts in the way you do on mine.

Maybe because TDA doesn’t make price comparisons and continually try to justify her actions.🤷🏻‍♂️

Sorry, if that offends, Kj, but you do rather labour the points as if you feel the need to defend your stance and, by doing so, invite counter comments because you put it across rather bluntly at times. It’s not a competition of who can do it cheapest or of which way is right or best. We all do what suits us as individuals and shouldn’t need to defend our ways. Nor should any one of us feel obliged to detail our spending or financial habits or to comment on the ways of others. We are all free to do as we please within the realms of law and rules. I hope you take that as it was intended, an explanation and not an attack.👍🏻

Well you say you're happy but frankly you keep posting about the precise prices compared to club prices a number of times in this thread as if you're trying to prove something to either yourself or to others.

TDA does mention other providers but as far I can see does not give precise comparisons to named club sites the way you have in such detail.  You appear to be trying to justify to someone, who I don't know,  why you have chosen the sites you like and we should too, and really you don't have to justify anything.

And really you cannot say without any drop in standards as if it is some form of fact. You cannot be the arbiter of such things? I believe standards on your sites are not the same as club sites and vastly inferior to be honest but it is just my belief and I do not give it as a fact in the way you do. TDA does mention other sites but also says that value is subjective.

I find "reasons" for doing something interesting and as we're on a CAMC forum the CAMC prices are the ones that attract the most comments. Earlier in the year we stayed on a CL very close to the Carnon Downs site, there was a very big gap in the prices on offer. Although the CL didn't have facilities it did have services to each pitch and was in every way a very pleasant place to be for a lot less outlay. As others have said there are ways to make money go further and many will find these ways if needed.

I enjoy watching some videos of the, what should we say, lifestyle campers who live in their vans and tend to use free park-ups or car parks that allow overnight camping at a small charge. Sometimes they do stay at campsites and I have just watched a YouTube video by "Those Happy Days" when they stopped for the night at Porth Beach in Cornwall which cost £50 without electrics! They were shocked as well!!! I suppose you have to balance that against the wonderful location of the campsite but I don't suppose the facilities are any better than the average CMC site? Those that are constantly complaining about the price of sites, be they Club or other providers might want to ask themselves what they would do as an alternative. We have a week booked at Seacroft in October at a cost of £258 for a serviced pitch for a week. Just by way of an alternative I checked out a week at Experience Freedom at Cayton Village for the same dates, over £900. Over £400 at Lady's Mile Campsite at Dawlish (a commercial site we have recently stayed at). I think prices are going up everywhere and I doubt there will be much escape from them in the next couple of years.

David

We too watch Liam & Janine (Those Happy Days) on youtube. Interestingly last year they stayed at Tristram at Polzeath, where they spent the day in the clip you refer to, for £35 with hook up and said that was the most expensive site they'd stayed at. We are booked for Tristram after the summer holidays at a reasonable fee given the location ie on the terrace next to the gate to the beach. It gets rammed in school holidays and the fees are very high! 

We also watch the Trudgians who have changed their summer holiday from Hawes to New Forest Centeniary site due to cost of fuel.

Amongst other you tubers there are a group who 'compete' and get kit to 'test' , 2 of whom are setting off to europe in the next week or so. One are going to Albania and back and reckon the cost has increased from £3k to £5k due to fuel.

Slightly off topic there are other you tubers doing various things. An older couple 'Wizard in the Wild' are using their MH solar panel and lithium battery to power domestic appliances in their home. Having solar PV system on our home we know the benefits of changing the way we use electrickery can be low cost. 

There are caravaners on youtube too. Interesting ways people do things. One couple are in the current fire region in France, they've not posted in nearly 2 weeks, hope they are ok.

Another 'The Rolling Rucks' gave details of where to fill LPG tanks at a reasonable price. Others point out lpg stations as they travel the UK, particularly worthwhile.

Since the Club seem to be continually bleating about rising energy costs, it puzzles me that a non-EHU option is not offered. Whilst they offer an all-in price, could it be that they actually make a bit of profit on providing EHU over and above the cost of provision of the energy and amortisation of infrastructure costs?