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Quote: Originally posted by jenna16 on 25/6/2006

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Because you can book Caravan Club on line, greedy people book all the bank holidays etc in January "JUST IN CASE" but from experience then dont turn up, because you dont have to pay any deposit, I think a deposit should be paid and this would deter people from booking everything,

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QFA, this is the biggest wind up with the CC, I have always said that non refundable deposits should be taken with each booking.

I think that this has been the biggest disappointment for us 'newbie caravanners' so far. The romantic notion of car and 'van waiting to trundle over hill and dale to each and every corner of this sceptred isle; only to find that it is now almost obligatory to book months in advance.

In a job where I cannot guarantee my shift pattern 'months in advance'; where I often have days off cancelled up to and including the day before, if not the day itself, it is a situation that we are just accepting and getting away when we can. We also have to fit in around school holidays so mid-week breaks are out of the question unless during school hols.

Look on the bright side....... there may be 500,000 caravanners competing for the available pitches but lets thank our lucky stars that the other 59,500,000 inhabitants haven't cottoned on to just how great caravanning is!!!

Defender 

Exactly Kate. Here here.

Robin

I am a Warden on a site in North Yorkshire, we are fully booked now for weekends at least two weeks in advance, we ask for a deposit and most people that pay it turn up or ring and cancel and use the same deposit for another date, but some people who do not pay just do not turn up, so on a Friday we can be turning vans or campers away, then come the end of the day we have 4 or 5 spaces empty, i do not agree that if you take a deposit thats it just sit back you have the money anyway, if that happened in a couple of months we would be empty who would want to come back to a site that is going down hill.

Ken

Hiya Kate,

From your last post I'd taken that you go camping in the off peak periods. Well, being in Northumberland there are lots of smaller campsites not being CC or C&CC, but do have space, tranquility or scenerie. Being mid fourties, my wife and I tour our motorhome around the UK in the offpeak season as well and we have only booked the first campsite after we disembarked in harwich from Holland. All the other sites were chosen randomly and at the time we came across them and it was time to pitch up as well.

Mind you, make sure you find a site before 15:00 o'clock as that's the time other campers are starting to look for a site. You'll have your pitch by then. Also make sure that you have a site on friday before 13:00 o'clock. That's when all the weekenders go for their trips. Check if there are pubs on site as this could be an indication of "alcohol induced noises" in the evenings. And for the rest? Camping as we have done it for the last 35 years means freedom to pack up and go with the wind or sun in any direction we fancy at the time. Off course you will have the lesser experience on some sites but you'll see: before long you have "knacked" the anticipation to look for sites.
Pointer: Get a good roadmap of Britain where caravan sites are printed. It gives you an indication of how many sites there are in one erea.

Happy Camping.

 I am with mr ulti-mates on this one and that probably makes me a greedy one, I book  many cc sites as soon as I can in December because I have to book holls early at work too. They let me so I can and do and it's as simple as that, if I had to pay a deposit I would because I have turned up to every site I have booked so far.

 I do think that a deposit should be taken especielly on sites that admit non members,( i.e the other week on Chatsworth Park, a site you HAVE to book months in advance if you want a weekend there), they were showing full on the web site but over three nights there were at least four spaces free.(same pitches over three nights).

   Likewise last new year on a cc site that we had booked a year in advance, some friends wanted to come too and rang every week right up to xmas to see if there had been a cancellation only to be told there hadn't.  Guess what there were at least two spaces empty all the time ewe were there grrrr.

Hi

I've pre booked a weekend wityh the c&cc, over the phone and I paid a deposit. Maybe they are changing their booking requirements.

Elliex