Thinking of joining Camp and caravan club and was very interested in the temporary holiday sites idea. Seems very cheap especially in the summer, however our new to us caravan is a Adria and doesn't have a leisure battery would this be a problem? because they are temp sites do they have any facilities or are you a stand alone unit?
We have just booked into a CCC site at Bristol. They have electric hookups. However, it would seem most do not. We did not have a battery with our old caravan so stuck to main sites. Our new one does, so we are planning trying a few of these "farmers field type sites" out!
We have just started using caravan club sites this year, and I would say it is worth joining as they are chaeper than most commercial sites. You will make your money back eventually anyway. :-)
Usually there'll be a couple with facilities. Looking in the latest magazine I can pick out a few - definitely much cheaper than paying normal site fees. Where in the North are you - I can tell you which ones might be suitable.
THS usually mean you have to rely on your own facilities and power, although there are some exceptions when toilets and EHU are availabale. Prices are kept so low becasue the sites don't usually provide facilites. I added a leisure battery and 2 12v LED strip lights to my caravan quite easily. I have a suitcase solar panel which is more than enough to keep the battery topped up.
There are a few THS which may be suitable for you to try (you may need to contact each District Association to check exactly what facilities are available at each site)
* Durham DA - Crimdone House Farm TS27 3AA - 23 July - 21 August * Teesside DA - Beadnell NE67 5BT - 22 July - 14 August (own san ess.) * Central Yorkshire DA - Cracken House Farm DL8 5HF - 7 July - 26 July * Central Yorkshire DA - Lockside, Ripon HG4 1TZ - 4 August - 1 September
You have to be a member of the C&CC to use the THS and you will join a District Association (DA) but you are welcome to rally with any of them. I am member of Teesside DA but have rallied with other groups too. I am hoing to make the Lockside meet this summer - might see you there?!
Thanks all, think I'll stick to regular sites for the mo, until we get used to the van under normal conditions but will be a definate thought for next year I hope.
we have had an Adria for nearly 3 years, this is the first year we have rallied with the ccc! the cost of commercial sites being the main reason! Everyone we have met has been so helpful, we have had endless power problems but everyone pulled together & sorted us out! We do have a battery in our van, but we took it out of the old van & put it in this one. As already mentioned u need the battery for the lights & without ehu for everything else! we have have learnt to be economical with the power! I guess getting a decent battery needs to go near the top of your shopping list! Also LED lights, we have just got ours on ebay, so hopefully wont flatten the battery on our next outing!!
Whether visiting a temporary holiday site or attending a rally etc. the question you are asking yourself basically is...What source of electrical power am I going to supply to my caravan? Now that's a simple answer which is either 240 volts or 12 volts. If there are no mains electric on site then you can't use a 240 volt supply so the only other remaining supply is 12 volt for which case you need a fully charged leisure battery.
Or - you can just choose to have a decent camping light or two and use a container for water by the sink. Run the fridge on gas and cook on gas.
You might have a problem with an electric flush loo though! And if your caravan is totally electric (as I've read that some of the continental ones are) - with no two/three way fridge, and an electric cooker, then you would be struggling without fitting a leisure battery and 12v facilities.
Quote: Originally posted by cckids on 09/7/2011Thanks all, think I'll stick to regular sites for the mo, until we get used to the van under normal conditions but will be a definate thought for next year I hope.
I don't know why the C&CC can't have more THS / rally's on proper site's with facilities .
The centre that we belong to sent a questionaire out to all our members asking why attendances were falling and the resounding answer was that folks won't attend meets because they don't want "Bucket and Chucket" site's that have no electric or toilets/showers
If you serious about going just 12volt then your battery needs to be in tip topcondition and charged with a decent charger as most van chargers dont fully charge the battery.Be as frugal as you can with the electrics as you can quite easily discharge the battery in a weekend. If you find the basic sites are to your liking then I would invest in a solar panel to keep you battery topped up. There has been a few discussions on this and people say by the time you bought the solar panel you could buy a spare battery instead. Another option is a generator, again there is much discussion about this. Some site dont allow them or allow for limited time. They can wind up other vanners because of noise and smell and being a bit anti social. Me personally would go for the solar panel route as you wiil be doing your bit for the environment
Good luck
------------- A barman is just a pharmacist
with a limited inventory
Quote: Originally posted by neil and lena on 10/7/2011
Quote: Originally posted by cckids on 09/7/2011Thanks all, think I'll stick to regular sites for the mo, until we get used to the van under normal conditions but will be a definate thought for next year I hope.
I don't know why the C&CC can't have more THS / rally's on proper site's with facilities . The centre that we belong to sent a questionaire out to all our members asking why attendances were falling and the resounding answer was that folks won't attend meets because they don't want "Bucket and Chucket" site's that have no electric or toilets/showers
If THS and Meets are on "proper" sites with full facilities then the cost will rocket. The reason they are only £5 or £6 per unit per night is because the facilities are basic. I personally quite like that and it means I can get away more during the year. If prices went up in line with noraml site fees (which they would have to if the C&CC used their own sites or commercial sites) then I wouldn't get away as much as I just couldn't afford it.
if you need electric, look at the certificated (5 van) sites more and more seem to be offering electric for about £1 a night extra on the 3 or 4 I have been on