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 Topic: Camping....not for the likes of us!
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06/7/2013 at 9:21am
Location: Midlothian
Outfit: bct bell
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This is the second time I have posted this, as I didn't realise I could post on the general forum.
I would really like to know what people think....
So....that's us (us being myself, my husband, and our three kids) just back from a few days camping at Aviemore.
We stayed at Glenmore campsite (we really wanted to go to Rothiemurchus but they were full) and had a really great little holiday - we love Aviemore!
However, I wondered what other people thought of how expensive campsites are becoming? The last time we stayed at Glenmore, which was about 2 years ago, I think we paid £22 per night for our pitch (standard pitch, no EHU), but this year it was £30 per night.
My husband and I have always been enthusiastic campers. When we met many years ago, it was a passion that we both shared, and one that definitely helped in bringing us together.
Now that we are a family, with three children, it's a good job we love it so much, as without it, family holidays just could not happen. We are not a well off bunch by any means, and our camping gear is sacred - best money we ever laid out etc etc...
It is sad to say, that we are now finding even a few nights camping a real stretch on our budget, when sites are charging £30 a pop. We just paid Glenmore £120 for four nights. £30 a night adds up to lots of money very quickly. We cannot sniff at £120 as a trifle.
Before we had kids (and for a little while after) we only ever camped wild. Our first foray into official sites was about three years ago, and it's true to say that hot running water, toilets and showers do make a family holiday easier to run. Even my husband grudgingly agrees on that...but we increasingly feel that we are being priced out of this option.
Looking around Glenmore this week, we saw some very impressive set ups going on. Families rolling up in huge SUVs, hooked up to trailers towing kayaks and bikes for the whole family, before they would hop out and pitch up their amazing mammoth tents.
Now I'm not criticising these people. If I sound a little scornful, it is simply because I am wildly jealous, and I will freely admit that. We have researched trailers amd roof racks and bigger cars, and we know the £££s that they cost. My husband and I decided that for many of these families, this was their passion too, and they choose this camping malarkey over two weeks in Costa Del Hellhole...so they are to be commended for having good taste. Thumbs up to the outdoorsy, adventure families!
But you know....there were a lot of these groups around. People with far more money to play with than us.
I think they're pricing us out of the market, and it makes me sad. Our passion is no less, even if our budget most certainly is.
Our two youngest children are 4 and 5, so in some places we don't yet need to pay for them. When we do we are looking at another tenner - so £40 a night.
Am I being unrealistic in thinking that that is a big ask for a bog standard pitch?
Am I being silly to feel that family camping will soon become a privilege of the better off?
I dunno - I'd like to book another trip for the beginning of August - and we are already wincing and doing the sums, and looking for cheaper sites. There aren't many.
Yours, feeling a bit elbowed out,
Fay
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06/7/2013 at 9:59am
Location: Earth
Outfit: Karma Bell Tent (5M ZIG) + Robens Tarp
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Depends on what you want for your trip. Yes some sites are getting expensive, almost as much as a hotel room, but there is still plenty of cheap- ish options and overall camping is a cheap holiday still. All my favourite sites are still pretty cheap, but that's because we like quiet sites, with campfires, with no EHU (the day I can't cope without electricity for a few days is the day I give up camping) and you can keep the chavy onsite bar thanks. If you like back-2-basics real old fashioned camping, there is still plenty of good options for little money. If you like big commercial holiday park type sites, nothing wrong with that everyone's different, then I agree the prices are silly now some places.
As for not owning all the mod cons and fancy gear, start looking at this as a good thing! You don't need all that stuff to camp. I don't even consider it camping sometimes when I see some people with more stuff than i have in my house. Take pride in not needing all these material things to survive for a few days. Plus there are let to pack, less to carry and much quicker set up times. Basically, just don't lose site of what's so special about camping.
By the way, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with EHU's etc, I would like a camper van one day and starting to think I need a kitchen tent as the family grows, just that we are all different and like different things. Enjoy what you have :)
Post last edited on 06/07/2013 10:16:55
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06/7/2013 at 10:51am
Location: Devizes Wiltshire
Outfit: MWB VW Crafter PVC
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I started camping relatively late in life back in 2006, and have been camping on my own since 2009.
I personally have not found any dramatic increase in prices, however, I camp on my own with the dog, and stay mainly at C&CC club sites, and usually camp during low to mid seasons.
In 2009, the membership fee for C&CC was 37 GBP a year, it is now 40 GBP a year, going up to 41 GBP when I renew in March 2014.
Their pitch fees have gone up by about 1 GBP per night in the past 4 years.
For Birchwood Tourist Park, one of my favourite sites that I keep returning to, the total cost per night at high season rose from 18.75 GBP in 2009 to 22.25 GBP in 2013; and for mid-season it rose from 13.25 GBP to 15.25 GBP a night.
Due to supply and demand issues, some independent sites can get away with charging the earth, especially during school and public holidays.
However, I have a choice and do not have to go to such sites, as good independent sites with not so greedy owners can still be found, just need a bit more effort in finding them.
DK 
Post last edited on 06/07/2013 12:40:44
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06/7/2013 at 11:49am
Location: Derby.
Outfit: Karsten 350+Awnings
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(Dons tin hat in readiness....)
So Fay, let me get this straight.... by the end of this summer, you, as a family, would have had two holidays this year?
With respect, and for want of being a little more tactful, I'm sat here shouting.... "Stop yer whingin' and count yer blessings!!"
My two were 6 & 7 before they even saw the sea.... and that was a day trip to Skeggy.
Their first "proper" holiday was a Mon-Fri £9.50 Sun Holiday, when they were aged 9 & 10.
The reason? We couldn't afford holidays!
Despite the hardship of their childhood, they have both grown up into decent adults, with families of their own, and thankfully, are "doing a lot better" than I was (financially) at their current ages. Indeed, as young parents who also missed out on holidays, Me & Muckerette get closer by the day, and are now fortunate enough to be in a position to enjoy both camping and renting villas in the Costa del Hellhole!!
We counted our blessings back then, and we continue to count them now.
Not being able to afford holidays is not the end the world.
Sit and play with the kids in the garden, if need be.... they'll still look back with fond memories!
Apologies if this has come across as patronising..... but your whinging was annoying me! Sorry!
Mucker
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06/7/2013 at 12:41pm
Location: Earth
Outfit: Karma Bell Tent (5M ZIG) + Robens Tarp
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How about a site that's cheap, small, always quiet (when others are packed), allows campfires, views to die for, quick hop to one of the best beaches in Wales and just the right length of drive to a nice town?
I know a few, but I spent years tracking them down and think others need to discover them for themselves. Why are they so hard to find? Well they are small sites, often farmers who are not website savvy, want to pay for marketing and don't want to be part of C&CC for whatever reasons. Also, if some people will complain about facilities that are actually fine, just basic. Maybe you need to start thinking out of the box. Plus places like the Lake District are lovely, but a flipping circus this time of year. Try more remote parts if Wales etc.
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06/7/2013 at 12:54pm
Location: Scotland
Outfit: esvo dakota green outdoor pyramid
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I'm with autopilot. Go minimal and be proud - don't be jealous of others. That's how the problems start, and a contributory factor in the price hikes you rightly bemoan. Some set-ups are ridiculous, bloated, over-indulgent follies. It's not just the stuff when it's there but the effort and energy usage making it and getting it here (often from China) and then driving it all around the country to campsites.
The more basic campers around are having to pay for it. It's easy to see why sites put up prices given the many set-ups that include separate bedrooms, living room, dining area with tables and chairs, kitchen area - inc a sink, outdoor area with bbq and recliners, separate utility/toilet tent - all hooked up to power for lights, fridges, laptops, tvs etc. It depresses the hell out of me - especially in a world where we all need to be consuming less not more.
Keep costs down by avoiding sites with non-essential amenities eg ehu, laundry (get a bucket and get the kids to tramp up and down on the clothes for a while), pool, playground etc. But I agree - it's getting harder to find those sort of places, and they are spread out. Hopefully there will be a revival of small sites with a back-to-nature ethos - there's a handful but not nearly enough for the demand I feel. Some campers - and I'm glad I'm among them - just need a field and a pot to wee in to enjoy themselves.
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, in fact I'd go as far to say I'm not really happy to pay that for a site with EHU AND swimming pool! Sadly most sites with a pool also have a bar and attract the less considerate camper in my experience, as our Park Resorts fees are paid in Tesco vouchers and are only for a few nights at a time we tolerate it for the kids as they seem to enjoy it.
