We first booked to visit the CL at Bicknam in September 2010 but cancelled due to illness. The owners (Merv & Lyn) were very understanding & when they 're-sold' our pitch, returned our deposit, when they might reasonably have kept it. We got to visit the CL a year later, had a fantastic time, & have visited several times since. The site is apparently located within the city limits of Baths but is an oasis of calm. It is within a few hundred yards of one of the main road into the centre of Bath & in a residential area, but you wouldn't know this once on site & surrounded by trees & fields, & occasionally being visited by wildlife. During one visit, we were eating lunch when a deer appeared in the field next door! Each pitch is a hard stand so it is possible to visit in the wettest of weather, when a city break is ideal, and each has its’ own hook-up & water supply. We are particularly impressed by the recycling facilities on site: There are separate containers for paper, cans, bottles, etc. Some club sites we have visited could do with taking a leaf out of Merv & Lyn's book. Most times we have visited, it has been Merv who has greeted us. He always asks if we remember where everything is, tells us how to travel into the centre of Bath, & provides an information pack about Bath & environs. The pack must take Merv & Lyn an amazing amount of time and effort, & they are still happy to answer any other questions members may have about the area. We even phoned the site recently to ask if they knew of any good B&Bs: We are in between units (awaiting delivery of motorhome) but fancied a trip to Bath: Merv & Lyn were more than happy to help. Finally, in submitting this review, we noticed a couple of members have reported unhappiness at having to pay for bookings they have cancelled or tried to cancel. Each case is different & it is impossible to comment on a particular case without knowing all of the facts. But presumably, any CL owner who were to read such comments would be devastated & wish to offer redress ... or if they disagreed with the comments, wish to tell their side of the story. It would be interesting to know whether, as a club, we afford CL owners that right of redress. And in any event, should the club not have a policy on deposits & cancellations? Perhaps it would be useful for members who have negative 'payment' experiences to report these to the club in the first instance & seek a view on the behaviour of the site owner (in this case, seeking full payment for cancellations). If the club agrees the behaviour was unacceptable, then that information should be shared with all members via the 'review' facility; if not, then it should not be posted. It is not clear what the club's view is in respect of the 2 posts about Bicknam; it would be useful to know. The important thing is that members be able to provide proper, & where possible, corroborated, feedback. We hope this 'club policy' element to our review is as helpful as the review itself.
