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Hi

I am new to this site, I think it's great! (It was recommended to me by the person I bought my Khyam tourer 200 from  -  to stop me asking him too many dumb questions --brilliant tent btw, survived gales on Norfolk coast - with help from Delta pegs - when lots of others flattened) I've been camping for a good few years now, but went to a new  site in the summer,  was surprised to find we weren't allowed a pup tent (tiny one person bivvy) on the same pitch as our Khyam tourer 200, yet other pitches had huge frame tents plus Khyam kitchen tents etc. Together we  weren't taking up anywhere near the same space as we would have if we'd brought our huge Wynnster Satellite 12. Asked the reason and was told 'it's health & safety regs'. I found this attitude a bit rigid, esp as the little bivvy actually fits inside the Tourer 200 like a little bedroom. And lots of other sites allow pups. Confused!

I can't help with an answer except to say I do find it annoying that my small four man tent plus my small two man tent for the kids is charged more than one enormous great affair which is nevertheless one tent.  Suppose campsites find it easier to make a rule for charging and stick to it but it always annoys me that I am charged that bit extra for my 'pup' tent.

Sally

Hi

It wasn't being charged extra, ( I didn't mind paying) they wouldn't allow the pup tent at all even tho others had big kitchen tents as well as big frame tents on the same pitch.  I was told 'that's different' and they wouldn't be swayed.  As you say, different campsites interpret things in different ways, it didn't spoil our stay and I did suggest maybe they should remove the 'charge for pup tent' from their pro-forma invoices. 'cos if I'd known in advance I would have taken our bigger tent which is big enough to park a 'plane in! lol

Went to Park Foot by Ullswater a couple of years ago. They wanted to charge extra for son's pup tent. We had a Countyrman folding camper at the time which had an underbed tent so I said in that case he can go in the underbed tent. They wanted to charge extra for that as well so we had a big row and in the end they gave in as reception at that moment got very full with new campers coming on site.

Last weekend. awnings were free but pup tents were an extra £5 - had I known then I would have taken the full awning for daughter and friend to sleep in. As it was I had only taken porch awning so I had to stump up the extra, even though pup tent and porch awning take up less room than full awning would have done.

I can't remember offhand anywhere that ever refused a pup tent on our pitch, tho'.

Very interesting thread!

Actually I was going to take both my smallish tents on my October two week break thinking I could easily get them on a pitch,but now I'm  not so sure!

Might ring the site and see what they say!

Guess we're being charged not for the pitch, but what goes on it( which is a bit silly in my opinion)

Rip off Britain!

Thats all I can say!! In France (Well the campsite I have just been too anyway!) you get a marked out pitch and what you put on 'your' space is up to you!!

You pay for a pitch in England and then they charge you the earth to erect other stuff? Why? No-one else can come and put anything there? It is your pitch? This is really getting to me now!! I used to enjoy camping but its all money money money!!!

I can see arguments for and against all the different ways sites set their charges. Charging per head is one option which I can see the logic in as more people, as a rule, means more use of the site's facilities such as showers, pool, play area etc. But for the life of me I can't see why a site charges more for 4 people in a couple of small tents sharing a pitch than it charges for a family of 4 in one big tent on the same size pitch.     

Charging per size of pitch is another option, irrespective of number of people. So, if you want to spread out and bring everything including the kitchen sink with you and not be within whispering distance of your neighbours then you can but you'll have to pay more in order to do this. That has some sense about it but only if the site also has small pitches available to you if you are just one couple in a little tent with a gas stove.  

I can't see an answer for this really other than when you enquire about booking, be honest about how many people and how many tents, gazebos etc. etc. your party consists of, how big the pitch will be and get them to quote a price. If you don't like it - look elsewhere and tell them why.

Out of interest, do sites have a limit to the number of people they are allowed to have staying at any one time - for fire regs or whatever? And do some sites ever get people to move tents that are ptiched too close together (either neighbouring ptiches or two tents within the one pitch)?