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Phoned a site to book a one night stay with DH and our four children (12, 8, 4 and 1) as we are going to Pleasurewood Hills next week. The site had availability no problem but when I said I was considereing bringing two small tents instead of our Outwell Indiana 8 (since only one night) I was informed that I couldn't have pitched it anyway as they only allow five people to a pitch.  I was really taken aback as I have never had this problem before.  Now, I know I wanted to take two tents but now I was perplexed as I was thinking what if I was trying to book a week.  So I asked why only 5 and they said because of toilet facilities etc.  I explained kids ages and the fact our one year old is in nappies but they were adamant that they wouldn't accept our large tent but we could pitch two small tents and pay for them both!!  So rather than being under £20 it was now going to be £38.  I've declined and now find someone who is happy to let us have on pitch with two small tents for £17.

Now I'm slightly worried that I am going to have problems in the future. Has anyone else who is mad enough to have a "large" family had this problem?

Lynne

Hubby and I took eight kids once. (Never again.....!) The site didn't even raise an eyebrow though it was pretty obvious that they weren't all ours. They just charged us the common tent+2 adult charge, plus a small extra charge per kid. Think it worked ot to about £4 per night but there were ten of us after all!

Now I could see me running into trouble now and then if I really did have eight kids, but four? Since when was a family with four kids regarded as particularly unusual?

we have never paid extra for being a large family, but then i wont book to stay anywhere that will charge extra for large tent and pup tents...

im just a skinflint really lol!!!

well done for telling them ,errrmmm "no!" lol

Quote: Originally posted by scotzlynnie on 22/8/2009

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Phoned a site to book a one night stay with DH and our four children (12, 8, 4 and 1) as we are going to Pleasurewood Hills next week. The site had availability no problem but when I said I was considereing bringing two small tents instead of our Outwell Indiana 8 (since only one night) I was informed that I couldn't have pitched it anyway as they only allow five people to a pitch.  I was really taken aback as I have never had this problem before.  Now, I know I wanted to take two tents but now I was perplexed as I was thinking what if I was trying to book a week.  So I asked why only 5 and they said because of toilet facilities etc.  I explained kids ages and the fact our one year old is in nappies but they were adamant that they wouldn't accept our large tent but we could pitch two small tents and pay for them both!!  So rather than being under £20 it was now going to be £38.  I've declined and now find someone who is happy to let us have on pitch with two small tents for £17.

Now I'm slightly worried that I am going to have problems in the future. Has anyone else who is mad enough to have a "large" family had this problem?

Lynne

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Quickly, you have too many kids... drown one of them so your holidays aren't ruined

Seriously that is the oddest of things to me!  I usually have 2 kiDS  and 2 dogs in tow and rarely pay anything extra!

Don''t think thats the norm.  It isn't

Never had that problem on a site..I have four children...and never met with this 5 people per pitch rule...Sounds to me like another of those "Hidden Charges" that never make it on to a campsites web site when their advertising a cheap(ish) rate per night...Then you find all these add ons when you get there!!!!

Only problem Ive ever encountered was on a big commercial site...We had payed for 3-4 nights and decided to stay on a few more days..Now this site had "marked out" pitches (Logs and fences around 3 sides) and when we went to book a few more nights we were told that we would have to move to another pitch...about 5-6 pitches further up the site...as two adults in a pup tent had booked our pitch for two nights on our origional day of departure...Pointing out that the two adults(in a pup tent) could relocate to the pitch further up the site quicker and easier than we could in a TT cut no ice with reception...and we could move or go!! Normally I would have just gone..but the kids wanted to stay....so we moved...2-3 hours later after much to-ing and fro-ing we got set up in the new pitch...and enjoyed the rest of our holiday...but it was a bit galling after all that work to see this couple turn up and be pitched within 10 mins of arrival??? Nothing against the couple who had booked in good faith...Think it was more receptions obsession with the paperwork for each pitch..Ie..whos on where..cos all the pitches were exactly the same size and a wee bit of paper shuffling would have saved us a lot of work...

Jelboy.

I have seen "maiximum 6 per pitch" rules before which does seem to penalise larger families but I guess it's there to stop large groups booking onto one pitch?!

I would have done the same thing as you - walk away and give someone who is more accommodating my money!