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Quote: Originally posted by rexgrant on 28/10/2007

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Hi all.
After this year I should think that most of us can tell a tale or two about pitches that turn into ponds some as deep as six inches, for a short time, but long enough to ruin your holiday if all your gear is soaked and you have children then it is ten times worse and should it take place at 3am with high winds with the torrential rain, can you make any wonder why people say never again.
So who should be responsible for seeing that you are not given a pitch that is susceptible to flooding and holding standing water.
Experienced tent campers will not accept a pitch that is liable to flood, but there are many new campers out there without the relevant experience. And these people rely on the proprietors and managers and warden to pass on this information. But most of the time this is not forthcoming from them even if you ask them if it floods.
I will give you an example of what I witnessed this year at Folkstone C&C Club site. for those that know the site the pitches are the ones 50 yards into the site on the left at the bottom of the steep little slope. They look Ideal to pitch your tent.
Well we had a bad storm and all the water from both sides of the slope and the runoff from the cliffs behind all ran into this little hollow and within 10 minutes it was 8 to 9" deep at the bottom of the slope and about 6" all over the rest, it was lucky that it happened on thursday when they were no tents pitched there. Within 8 hours it had all drained away,
Next evening the weekend campers arrived and three tents with about 6 or 7 children arrived and set up while we were out. I asked them if the manager had suggested that it may flood He had not. They were lucky it did not rain that weekend.
I recommend that when you are given a pitch without a choice you ask dose this pitch old standing water after heavy rain, you may be lucky and get a truthful answer.
All the best.
Rex

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Can't say I have. Booked up twice to go away this year, and both times it was dry and the sun was out.

Must say, a mate borrowed a tent for a long weekend with some friends in the New Forest. Had a text from him on evening saying he was having to dog a trench for the water to go around him.