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Subject Topic: Bank holiday madness
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20/4/2018 at 3:43pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Adria Altea 502
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So we’ve been Caravanning 3 years now and always struggle to get a pitch on a bank holiday as they are fully booked.

Caravan club(or whatever it’s called this week) would book up almost the moment the website opened in December. I've tried ringing round small sites but even they are booked. Short of booking for next year now, what do people do to get a site at a bank holiday ?

I'm looking for a site in the Peak District, but it’s more of a generic question than a find me site question. Websites with availability are usually way out of date. I suppose we could join a club and use the cl's but we hated the cc last time(whole other post) there hundreds of sites they can’t all be booked up... can they?


20/4/2018 at 3:55pm
 Location: TEESSIDE
 Outfit: SWIFT FAIRWAY 530
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We have noticed recently that the Caravan and Motorhome Club sites can be fully booked every weekend when we are looking to book well in advance. As the dates we were looking for draws near, suddenly there are vacancies as people cancel from mid week under the 72 hour cancellation rule, having not paid a deposit they have nothing to lose. We would try to book a pitch from Wednesday until Sunday and are usually disappointed as weekends are always full. There has over recent years been a boom in caravan and motorhome users and that is another reason that pitches are becoming hard to book.


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20/4/2018 at 4:00pm
 Location: Cambridgeshire
 Outfit: Outfitless!!!Vauxhal
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We booked our BH in January this year. Previous years we have left it until April and normally find somewhere, usually the very high priced ones!

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Started with a motorbike and tent.......my gallery, my life.


20/4/2018 at 4:53pm
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We gave up on BH's a while ago. Expensive, overcrowded, and the world and his dog is on the road.

Even managed to get banned from one in York. Gave them a bit of advice re' cramming units so close together. They said they didnt like turning folk away, i saw it as greed. As otherwise, where would the 'generosity' stop. When they cant physically get another unit through the gate?

Obviously, if other commitments such as work dictates when you can book, its a bit different.


20/4/2018 at 5:50pm
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Please don’t think me bad, but living here in Devon I can think of nothing worse than going away on a Bank Holiday........Sheer hell, we don’t even go much further than our local village pub. Sorry.

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Not ALL Newts get p**sed.

“Semper Fidelis”


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20/4/2018 at 6:01pm
 Location: DURHAM
 Outfit: Mondeo TItanium 140 Avondale Mayfly 25
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Yes many many years ago when our daughters were much younger we used to go away every bank holiday, but got to the point where site fees went up and up, sites were overcrowded, units to close to each other [fire regs.]. To visit anywhere for the day was crowded, so bank hols became a no no


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Tot


20/4/2018 at 6:35pm
 Location: nr Derby
 Outfit: Phoenix 440+
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Years ago, a warden at Black Horse Farm told us to ring sites direct even if they showed as full on the system. It's worked for us a few times but these days we try our best to avoid Bank holiday weekends and book midweek. we also use CLs whenever possible.

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Grahame


20/4/2018 at 7:20pm
 Location: essex
 Outfit: Swift Challenger 570
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the problem with the caravan club is that members are allowed to book and cancel without having to pay so members book every weekend knowing fullwell they wont make half of them then cancel last minute leaving empty pitches. So yes youre right madness

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its our imperfections that makes us perfect


20/4/2018 at 7:37pm
 Location: Ilkeston. Derbyshire
 Outfit: Disco 4 Unicorn Barcelona 4
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Hi
Always booked well in advance at Haven, for easter.
But am falling out with them to be honest, even if they do some great offers.
As for CMC, not in it, after them being to much up themselves years ago, when i was a member.
In the CCC but do not use main sites, as i can get commercial sites cheaper, with a lot better Facilities than what both the clubs offer.

C&CC CS sites are handy for us, (CMC, CL maybe the same) We go with the van at least a min, of once a month, and live in Derbyshire, and there are some real gems around trust me, in which ever county.

I know that some will disagree with the above, and so each to the own.
Hope this helps, good luck.



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Cheers
Ray

Discovery 4 & Bailey Barcelona 4







20/4/2018 at 9:45pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Not much help I'm afraid as for us bank holidays are most definitely stay-at-home days. Even when we were young with kids, I used to opt to work bank holidays, as being a train driver I got much higher pay and a day off in lieu when I wanted it. Now being retired we tend to go away mid-week.

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Best Regards,
Colin


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21/4/2018 at 9:48am
 Location: Shropshire
 Outfit: Bailey Phoenix GT 75
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Now retired we avoid bank holidays and peak times.
Less crowded and cheaper!

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DS-There's more to life than football!!!


21/4/2018 at 12:54pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Adria Altea 502
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Thanks for the replies, not sure whose booking all the sites then as ulcampsiters are obviously staying at home.


21/4/2018 at 8:29pm
 Location: Liverpool
 Outfit: Swift Challenger 560
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We will be away in the 'van over the bank holiday weekends as I work full time so we are tied to when we can get away. We are members of the CMC and always use their sites over BH weekends as they only fill the space they have and don't try to cram any additional units in. In the old CMC booking system we are those people waiting with fingers poised over the mouse on the day the bookings open and we book up everything we want for the year ahead in one go. In 10 years of doing this we have only ever cancelled a booking once due to ill health at the time. We have probably booked a total of about 50 weekends and 30 weeks over the years, as soon as the booking system opens. Then, we book last minute for other breaks as and when I can get away.

I have always really appreciated being able to book everything on one day and we really enjoy the run up to the booking system opening as we discuss and debate where we are going to book and make our plans for the year ahead. This way, we can be certain that when I am sure we have holiday time, we have a firm booking on a site that we want to go to. I'm not sure how we are going to work with the new CMC system as we will have to be on top of things all the time, remembering every month to book for that month next year rather than simply doing it all on one day.

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Pixie


21/4/2018 at 8:50pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Each to their own Pixie_Hez. We tend to be completely the opposite. Most of our bookings seem to be last minute, or at least never more than a month ahead. One of the appeals of caravanning was never having to book months ahead like you have to with foreign holidays, package holidays etc.

When we first started back in the 70s, of course there was no internet and we didn't even decide where we were going until the day of departure. We had maybe an idea of what general area, but that was all. We would just ring round and see what was available, book a couple of nights, and see what it was like when we got there. If we liked it we booked more nights, but if we weren't too keen we would go somewhere else, just ringing ahead again. To us that was what made it an "adventure", rather than something pre-planned. We are still a bit like that today now that we are retired, although being able to look things up on the internet beforehand does make it easier.

Still, I'm glad we are all different, it would be a boring old world if we were all the same.

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Best Regards,
Colin


22/4/2018 at 9:08am
 Location: swindon
 Outfit: Elddis Vogue Typhoon
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In short you've answered your own question, book now for next year. There's one site in Cornwall we visit every year. Lovely place, right on the beach, but if we don't book before we leave this year we don't stand a chance of getting on next year! Other than that ringing a site rather than booking on line is great advice, we've got onto several places that have been showing as full this way.

Agree with you about caravan and motor home club. Tried it once, really not our bag!

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Chris


22/4/2018 at 5:55pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Aaah! Book now for next year? Something we would never dream of doing. Had enough of that with package holidays. We haven't a clue where we are going next yet, it could be Canterbury or somewhere in Somerset. We'll make our minds up about a week before we go and we haven't even decided when that will be yet. Anywhere where you have to book months in advance is a place we would avoid, as it's obviously going to be crowded and we hate that. Quite likely we will look for a little CS somewhere, or somewhere else that is likely to be quiet, and we normally aim to arrive on a Monday just after all the weekenders have gone home. I love retirement!

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Best Regards,
Colin



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