Can anyone recommend (or not) becoming a member of the Camping & Caravanning Club. We have an air tent and it seems there are good discounts to becoming a member.
Or indeed, any other 'tent' club offering discounts.
We have been members of the C&CC for several years now, and there are many discounts available on sites. However, it is quite possible to get better rates on non-club pitches too, so I think the decision as to whether to join is purely a personal one. If it works for you, try it for a year, but it's by no means essential. We don't always use Club sites, it often depends where we want to go. The only thing I would say is that Club sites do tend to be all of a guaranteed standard which has always been good on the ones we have tried. Commercial sites can vary enormously. Some can be pretty awful, but others can be superb. One of the best sites we have ever been on was a commercial (non-club) site. It was cheaper than the nearest Club site too, even allowing for our discounted rate.
As Colin says, try it for a year and see. There are 3 main strands to it -
1/ the club sites, which are usually very good, and are something like £10 per night "cheaper" if you're a member
2/ certificated sites (CSs) which tend to be small, lower facility but usually are around £15 pn, there are some gems in this category
3/ organised club temporary / holiday / district / regional camps which also tend to be cheaper and can sometimes be at commercial sites but aren't for everyone
Personally we join up for a year if we're going to spend at least 4 nights at a club site in the year, then we leave again.
I have been a member of C&CC for a number of years, the savings on one 7-night trip's non-member's nightly fees was sufficient for a year's membership fee when I joined, which was how I ended up joining back in 2007/8.
I stay at one of their club sites at least once a year, the first trip of the season over Easter less than an hour's drive from home at Salisbury C&CC, and have kept my membership going due to this trip alone.
I do not stay at their CLs as being a lone female camper, I prefer to stay at sites with 24/7 on-site wardens. I have visited CLs in the past and found them to be too remote and isolated for my liking.
All personal preferences and opinions etc...
DK
------------- * Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest And Play! *
- 2025 - inc. FR & DE
- 2024 - 10/56 inc. FR & NL
- 2023 - 48 inc. FR
- 2022 - 49
- 2021 - 34
* Ex-tenter & solo female camper *
* Treat life events like a dog: If you can't eat it, play with it, or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away! *
We are members of the C&CC. We go to a week long conference every year and the nearest site to the conference centre is a C&CC site, indeed, it is the only site within walking distance of the conference, so we make our money back in that week. Anything we use beyond that is a bonus. However, the prices on some of the main club sites are getting ridiculous so for the last few years we haven’t used them except for the conference week.
Only you can tell if it is going to be worth it for you. If there are sites on the network that you like and would use regularly and that you are happy with the price of then it will definitely be worth it. We have started using more commercial sites over the last couple of years as they are often cheaper than either of the Clubs, which wasn’t the case several years ago. I think the club site prices have risen more quickly than the commercial site prices, certainly on the commercial sites we have been using.
Remember that the C&CC also has a minimum stay length, usually 2 nights for most of the sites, but sometimes a minimum stay of as many as five nights. This may not suit your travel plans, or may make no difference.
Quote: Originally posted by colinlob on 14/1/2023
Remember that the C&CC also has a minimum stay length, usually 2 nights for most of the sites, but sometimes a minimum stay of as many as five nights. This may not suit your travel plans, or may make no difference.
I think that only applies over bank holidays and peak periods, and only on certain sites, as I have certainly stayed just one night on a club site. It is not a general rule.
Quote: Originally posted by Virsec on 14/1/2023
Have to wait until May for warmer nights ... you lot are all in vans
I was a tenter for about 10 years before I switched to a van as it took too long and too much effort with longer and longer recovery time as I aged.
DK
------------- * Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest And Play! *
- 2025 - inc. FR & DE
- 2024 - 10/56 inc. FR & NL
- 2023 - 48 inc. FR
- 2022 - 49
- 2021 - 34
* Ex-tenter & solo female camper *
* Treat life events like a dog: If you can't eat it, play with it, or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away! *
We have recently renewed our C&CC membership. The monthly magazine covers that really. There are other advantages too, particularly if you travel abroad and use their ferry discounts.
Quote: Originally posted by Virsec on 14/1/2023
Have to wait until May for warmer nights ... you lot are all in vans
I was a tenter for about 10 years before I switched to a van as it took too long and too much effort with longer and longer recovery time as I aged.
DK
Ha! We camped in snow & frost when we used a tent - or whatever the Scottish Easter weather was. I can�t be sure, but the outer cotton may have created an insulation gap with the inner tent. Plenty of hillwalkers tent in snow over winter too, when the days are short.
But yes, I agree, much quicker & more comfy in a campervan or MH. And I also agree - try C&CC for one year & see if it’s worthwhile: 4 nights covers the membership fee. We mainly use independent sites because there are so few club sites where we usually go.
I had done my fair share of winter camping in a tent too!
DK
------------- * Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest And Play! *
- 2025 - inc. FR & DE
- 2024 - 10/56 inc. FR & NL
- 2023 - 48 inc. FR
- 2022 - 49
- 2021 - 34
* Ex-tenter & solo female camper *
* Treat life events like a dog: If you can't eat it, play with it, or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away! *