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Greetings All,

I contacted the C and CC today to ask a question about Freedom Camping.

I rather liked the concept but couldn't find out which sites were in the scheme.

However, on speaking to the rep I was informed that Freedom Camping stops this year on December 31st to be replaced by the C and CC going into partnership with ACSI.

I don't know whether it will be a tweaked version of the ACSI system or whether the Club will be promoting the concept via the magazines.

Just thought you might be interested.r

I suspect that the ACSI Card will offer more choice. A similar thing happened a  few years ago when the CC gave up there own camping cheques in favour of the real thing. We were on a campsite on Lake Maggiore earlier this year and we used the ACSI card and the two couples next to us use  Freedom Camping, I think we both paid the  same price so hopefully no one will be out of pocket by the change.

David (Agde)

Quote: Originally posted by wineciccio on 25/9/2009

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You will be out of pocket re, the price will be upped by whatever they are going to call the new system???

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Hi

We used the freedom camping for the 1st time last month as we'd always gone away in the school holidays before and really liked it, but had decided that we would try the ACSI card next year because there seemed to be a lot more sites, so I can understand why they are thinking of going together.

Also going to have a go at the french passion sites and mix the two together, really looking forward to it as ive always been a book everything sort of girl, but found the experiance of the freedom camping really freeing, being able to decide at the last miniute where to go

it will be interesting to see how this venture will pan out.

assuming that foreigners will be able to use club sites in the uk,using the discount card,

it could mean that members could find themselves on a pitch next to a foreign non member ,and the member would have paid more.

the same thing hapened in the caravan club a few years ago, they put about 12 sites in the acsi guide, which offered pitches to non members or foreigners at £9 40. but charged members, for the same pitch at £14.

it never came off !!. after several heated complaints, myself included.

the system was withdrawn, and a court case followed to get the whole system legally terminated.

this issue was never reported to members or mentioned in the club magazine,

but i did get a letter months later stating they were sorry i felt the way i did.

YOU BET I DID.

anyway lets wait and see, could this be one of the new systems to replace the camping miles rewards system.

stu

But many British members of the CCC probably already buy the ACSI guide and may also use the card at British sites in addition to those in Europe.  There are some sites in England which already accept the ACSI card - one in the 13 euros band, and two at 15 euros. (And 7 nights stay if you pay for 6).  Three or four nights on site would more than pay for the guide, and any longer and you would be in profit.  We have an ACSI card and use Camping Cheques in Europe, and we also use Camping Cheques at sites in Britain and pay less than the normal site tariff. 

To my mind the difficulty will be in booking sites in Britain.  Many European caravanners are used to the 'just turn up' way of caravanning, which is much more common in Europe - and one of the reasons why ACSI and Camping Cheques are so popular.  In Britain, even using Camping Cheques, you often have to book sites weeks in advance to get a pitch when you want one - and I would presume that this will also apply to ACSI sites in Britain. 

As a CCC member and a user of the Freedom Voucher scheme this year, it would have been nice to have been forewarned of the demise of the scheme for next year by the CCC.

I did notice that beyond the perimeter of France and, perhaps, Spain, the choice of sites were beginning to fade.

I looked at Campingcheques. Am I missing something, but the price per cheque would seem to have gazumped alarmingly since last year , at £14... per cheque.  Perhaps eurocamping is becoming exceedingly expensive!

I don't think £14 is that expensive - you'd be hard pushed to find a site with the sort of four star facilities you find in France, in this country, for just £14!   Camping Cheques have been 14 euros for quite some time I think - so the 'real' price hasn't risen - just the exchange rate has altered for us in Britain. 

In 2008 Camping Cheques were £11.95 in this country - but a currency supplement pushed the price up to £13.40 in August 2008.  However,if you booked a ferry through Camping Cheques the price was still £11.95.  This year they are £13.95 - whether or not you book a ferry - but we're now only getting 1.05 euros to the pound instead of 1.44.

This year the lowest rate with ACSI was 11 euros and the highest 15 - which, personally, I don't mind paying.