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Topic: Confused about CSs

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jayenn

21/2/2024 at 8:43am
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Morning all. A friend has recommended joining the Camping and Caravanning Club for their little CS sites - I imagine the other main club is the same. So I've been looking around in the area I want to visit and the sites listed on the CC club as CS's have say 30 pitches, or the photos certainly show more than 5. They are also found on here as normal commercially available sites. None say members only. So what would be the point of joining the club/s? I'm very confused.

Can anyone explain how it works? I feel I'm missing a point somehow! Thanks.

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Mrs. Bonce

21/2/2024 at 9:42am
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which area? I will investigate.

jayenn

21/2/2024 at 10:30am
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That was quick - thank you! I want to go to the Southwell area and 2 sites I found on the CCC site, using the CS filter, also have their own websites with no notification about club members only. Maythorne Farm and Lurcher Farm. I only have a little camper and expected CSs to be perhaps a small field with minimal facilities where I could tuck away nice and quietly for a couple of nights. I prefer a site rather than using one of the pub or other semi free sites for the security and ability to book ahead.

Highly confused. I don't see the point in joining the club at all if there is no advantage that works for me anyway. I don't want social events/insurance etc so perhaps it is just me!

Thanks

Fiona W

via mobile 21/2/2024 at 10:48am
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I donï¿½t think there is anything sinister about it. I would say the majority of CLs or CSs in my area are 5 pitches only (mostly on farms. Their fees are generally - but not always - lower than independent sites & certainly lower than Club sites (maybe half). Being a member can get you a pitch when the rest of the site is full. Conversely, some members will only stay on CSs or Club sites & these area may be full when the independent area (or a site nearby) is equally good & not booked up. You wins some, you lose some.
There is a farm near Largs (that Mrs B has reviewed), that has several small fields of which one is a CL or CS for members only and the other(s) is / are independent. Same views.
In a similar vein, North Ledaig near Oban is in the UKCS as a CAMC affiliated site (not a CL) with c150 pitches for members only; in fact, the non-CAMC members area adds maybe 300 pitches to the total (as you can see on Google maps). I could not get booked via the CAMC website as that section was full, but I got a pitch via the site website. Same facilities used by both areas.
As always, I say join whichever Club has CLs or CSs with the facilities that you want (ticking the UKCS site search for toilets drops many sites for us), where you want to go. Next year, decide on your experience whether you want to rejoin or not.

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2024 = 18 sites / 38 nights. 2023 = 9/23. 2022 = 13/35. 2021 = 11/29. 2020 = 4/20. 2019 = 13/35. 2018 = 20/33. 2017 = 10/22. 2016 = 19/33. 2015 = 15 sites / 27 nights. Didn't count 1976 to 2014.

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jayenn

21/2/2024 at 10:57am
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Thank you. No I didn't think there was anything sinister, I was just confused. However you have clarified something I didn't realise, that a CS could be part of a big site, perhaps just a separate field joining a big site. I hadn't thought of that which would explain why there are more than 5 units on the photos of some sites I looked at. I once stayed on a CS a million years ago where the farmer wasn't bothered about membership etc and it was a quiet little field with just a water tap (and nobody else there). I thought all CSs were like that. Thank you Fiona for setting me straight. Not sure it's worth joining now...hmmm...thinks!

Colin21

21/2/2024 at 11:10am
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I do sometimes wonder why we are still members of the C&CC as we don't always use their sites. We just use whichever one suits us best in the area we want to go to. Even with our seniors discount C&CC sites aren't always the cheapest, even their CSs. We have used club sites, CSs, and commercial sites in the past and we have found virtually all of them using UKCampsite.

I do like the C&CC magazine, and we do have our caravan insured through the club, but I doubt whether that makes much difference as our caravan is old and therefore relatively cheap to insure anyway.

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Best Regards,
Colin

Dave and Cyn

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CS sites are 5 van + 10 tents maximum.
CL sites are 5 van maximum.
Been to a couple that have 1 of each in adjoining fields with shared water and Elsan points.

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tango55

21/2/2024 at 11:40am
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You will find that the CS's (Certificated Sites) are 5 van sites and operate under the C&CC banner. That means if you want to stay at that location you officially need to be a member and the majority of the ones I have contacted have asked for a membership number. There may be the odd one that doesn't but if a C&CC inspector should turn up unannounced and finds that anyone staying on the pitches is not a member of the club then the site owner risks the chance of lose their operating licence. However, there are bigger sites that accept far more than 5 units which their licence is different due to the fact that they operate under the local council and just work in conjunction with the C&CC in terms of advertising etc. but they can accept non members if they so wish without breaking any club rules.

kenles

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We go to a cl site but go on the bigger side they take twenty vans

arthurdent

21/2/2024 at 12:15pm
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Quote: Originally posted by jayenn on 21/2/2024
That was quick - thank you! I want to go to the Southwell area and 2 sites I found on the CCC site, using the CS filter, also have their own websites with no notification about club members only. Maythorne Farm and Lurcher Farm. I only have a little camper and expected CSs to be perhaps a small field with minimal facilities where I could tuck away nice and quietly for a couple of nights. I prefer a site rather than using one of the pub or other semi free sites for the security and ability to book ahead.

Highly confused. I don't see the point in joining the club at all if there is no advantage that works for me anyway. I don't want social events/insurance etc so perhaps it is just me!

Thanks

I had a quick look at Maythorne Farm and I see what you mean - there are clearly more than 20 pitches. Some sites will have a commercial operation as well and might have more than 5 pitches, and some won't. Some will allow non-members (or ex-members that they already know) stay, and some won't. Hard to quantify but it seems to me over the years that the vast majority of CSs have a 5 van limit and are for members only.

In answer to your question, is it worth it to you ? If you literally want to stay on one CS near Southwell and you can already do so without being a member, then it is clearly not worth it. If however you want to go to a larger number of CSs over the year, then it might be worth it. Figure out how many sites you are likely to stay on and do the sums - how much will you save per night vs how much is the membership.

Ancient Uncle

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It is possible that the larger sites are not cs sites which are licensed by the c&cc, but commercial sites that are listed sites (listed by the club) and are completely independent of the club. The club has no influence on them.

Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!

jayenn

22/2/2024 at 1:02pm
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Thank you very much indeed for all these responses - I'm still not completely sure but a lot clearer about some aspects. The sites I looked at on the CCC website were definitely listed as CSs (not a 'listed' independent site) which is what led to my confusion. I think I'll delay joining the club for now as there doesn't seem to be any great advantage in doing so and I can't tell if they would be cheaper via the club.

Thank you so much everyone, really appreciate your help.

Mrs. Bonce

23/2/2024 at 10:02am
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Join the Caravan and Motorhome Club (CAMC), there are far more CLs than CSs.

DaveS1

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Club membership is not just about camp sites although when you book one of the main sites you do know exactly what you are going to get.
With CL/CS sites facilities can be a bit hit and miss.
For me, the main value of membership is the ferry discounts that are available.
DaveS1

morepints

24/2/2024 at 4:13pm
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Quote: Originally posted by DaveS1 on 23/2/2024
Club membership is not just about camp sites although when you book one of the main sites you do know exactly what you are going to get.
With CL/CS sites facilities can be a bit hit and miss.
For me, the main value of membership is the ferry discounts that are available.
DaveS1

That being said, no discount on Tunnel this year; and 20% on DFDS Newhaven route available to oldies on a direct phone call to ferry operator in France. I have been wondering whether to renew this year; but worth hanging on to my veteran status, I think. And I do have Arrival breakdown.

There is a role for the clubs, in terms of advocacy for our chosen hobby, as part of the general countryside policy. Which is worth supporting, I think.

jayenn

02/3/2024 at 11:27am
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After all this over-thinking a friend has persuaded me to join the CCC - she gets a voucher after all. But I think I've wasted my money. Last week I stayed at 2 different independent sites which were lovely for well under £30 incl ehu each and have now just booked a CS for a couple of coming nights for £30 incl ehu. Wasn't asked for membership no or even if I was a member. You don't get age discount - I gather that is only for the actual big club sites, nor do you get single person discount - which I didn't really expect but it is annoying that my tiny camper with just me in it, pays the same as a big motorhome with a family of 6 using water, showers and so on.

I'll give it a serious go for the rest of the year and see if it suits my individual needs better as I may be being completely unfair. Horses for courses and all that!!

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