We are Corrin and Paul and we travel Europe in our Motorhome with our two intrepid travel hounds Dolly and Pippa!
At the moment while we wait for our schengen allowance to reset we have taken a trip in the UK to uncover the costs of motorhoming in the UK.
This week we take a trip to a CMC club site in West Wales, do they provide good value or have they priced themselves out of the market?
Stay with us to the end where Corrin performs a deep dive into some alternatives and cost comparisons
this weeks what3words is
///aliens.differ.waddle
The site we visited was
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/wales/ceredigion/shawsmead-club-campsite/
If you would like to buy the dogs a treat you can do here
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/redsgotravl
30 Comments
Another honest vlog without any drama or clickbait, thanks guys for keeping it simple and full of facts.
Hi corrin and Paul 👋 just us 2saying hi 👋 thanks for sharing this video update…👍den and sue 👍👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🚌🚌🚌
Great vlog! Thanks. Was the £32 for a CMC member or non member please?
We are members of both clubs never use main sites we use independent sites or cs/cl sites.
I was just sick of the rise in fees over the past five-six years. They've tripled or even quadrupled it in some cases.
I'm a single woman with no kids, no pets and only one campervan (converted van – Renault Master).
Most of the time, all I need is a parking space, no hook-up and only want a peaceful secure night where I can get a shower. But that proves way too expensive for me.
I may as well park up in a public car park with public loos… that's only £2 a night – sometimes even free. So, how do they get away with these charges?
Another good video and Newquay looks great so we will definitely be booking a break at that site👍
I understand why you are encouraging pub landlords to start stop overs but sadly they need to be aware of the law because most pub stop overs are illegal unless they have gone down the route of becoming a proper CL or CS.
It is my understanding that to be within the law the pub can only accommodate motorhomes etc on the following basis:
a) the stay is for no more than two nights
b) no more than one motorhome being used for human habitation is on the land at the time
c) the land is not used for human habitation in caravans for more than 28 days in any 12 month period.
So, as far as I understand, a pub landlord can perfectly legally allow people in motorhomes to stay overnight occasionally but breaks the law if there is more than one motorhome in use at any one time and/or a stay exceeds 2 nights and/or such use is allowed for more than 28 days in any 12 month period.
We are already seeing legal action against pubs by some local authorities. I think if I’d have spent a boot load of money setting up a CL I would be pretty miffed if the local
Pub was pinching my business by offering free pitches !!
Campsite prices are currently too high for many and this is now showing by reduced bookings with both main club’s offering special discounts to get people in. We stopped at New England Bay recently where they had closed almost 50% of their pitches and a toilet block as bookings were way down and yet the ‘wild’ camping area nearby was rammed.
Some areas of the country are being overwhelmed by people turning up without any plans where they intend to stay (Anglesey, Snowdonia).
I haven’t got a clue what the answer is !
Think it’s so expensive now in this country however it’s swings and roundabouts isn’t it we toured France in our caravan for 3 weeks and never paid more than 17 euros per night but, it cost us nearly £1000 to take the van there and back
Where's the 🏴 flag on your countries flag board 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I would not pay to stop at a club site i find them very expensive personally, but everyone is different and its their choice, we only use independent sites and mostly CL sites as we prefer quieter sites and our average nightly cost over the year is £20 a great example is Barleywood CL in Norfolk 5 star facilities hook up, water and drainage on each pitch, toilets and showers, Laundry etc etc interesting vlog though
You guys seem to know the price of everything but the value of nothing – why keep comparing apples with pears it is all meaningless
We were with the caravan and motor home and the caravan club and camping club cancelled the motor home club 5 years ago I found it very expensive and I have to say very snobbish as well am still with the caravan and camping club it’s been 25 years now and very pleased with what we get from the caravan and camping club especially the DA camping sites we have a twin axle 8 feet wide buccaneer caravan so do not need first class showers and toilets as we prefer to use our own good luck Kev
Interesting good points made looking forward to your onward journey
With CMC sites you know exactly what you are getting for your money. OK prices have increased but don't forget a couple of years ago the Club reduced all their prices as a result of the VAT reduction due to COVID. Did everyone else do that? So when the prices went up to normal levels there was also inflation to be added. I suspect that many CMC members with motorhomes probably wouldn't use Pub stop overs in the same way they wouldn't camp in car parks. I am also wondering whether you would stop at a pub every night for a fortnight? You might need a good diet after that! We use a mix of Club sites (both clubs) and Commercial sites and quite frankly if you go to a decent commercial site with similar quality facilities found on CMC sites the prices are about the same or a little more. There are always opportunities to save money if that is important to you but personally I am not prepared to take second best just to save a few pounds. I take your point about Europe but the set up there is very different to the UK. In the main they have an over capacity of campsites which are only busy for 8 weeks of the year. They are more forward thinking when it comes to motorhome parking but generally they have conditions on how long to can stay. If your aim is for a relaxing holiday, moving on every other day might not achieve that?
I joined this club looked at there sites and there so expensive with nothing on them, decided to cancel membership within 2 days emailed the club but they still took £59 from my bank and said it takes 11 days for them to reimburse me but still waiting for refund .
This is worst club to join some of there sites are £50 a night 👎👎👎👎
THE Willows is 7 miles from Tewkesbury . by the river seven . 40 minuets walk along the river bank. or wiled camp down the end of Lower Lode lane .
We mostly stay on CLs. Everything you need for around £15 👍
I did like and sub because it was very informative so thanx.and good luck
I watched a programme recently on Channel 5 about a couple that hired an £85k motorhome for £1400 for a week and said that they couldn’t wait to go ‘wild camping’ !!
I was a member of C&MC for 30 years and saw prices rise with inflation, I only left because I stopped touring. The club is what it is, almost always guaranteed clean and functional, with very friendly staff.
We have only stayed on one Caravan and Motor home site at Clumber Park which was very nice, we went early on in the season and it was still fairly pricey and whenever we have tried other popular sites in our area they always get booked up quickly at weekends. I priced Chatsworth up for August and it was a stupid amount for just the weekend so we always opt for either CL's or privately owned sites as its usually much cheaper. We have some cracking CL's that only cost £20 – £22.50 a night with hotel standard shower/toilets that we prefer to use as we much prefer small sites to the larger ones.
You’ll obviously get a better idea when you’ve been to a few more sites, prices have risen ridiculously over the last 2 years. Also depends on wardens a great deal re even being told reverse on to pitch only, some are jobsworths. My Motorhome was end lounge and on some sites spent the week looking at a hedge! Excuse was your hab door opens on same side has neighbours if you drive in forward which is nonsense, what happens if you have a foreign van?
I’m seriously thinking of leaving CMC after quite a few years.
In my opinion mo point having a motorhome if you are not wild camping.
Just look at the costs involved with buying your van,keeping it on the road,paying for sites.
May aswell use hotels or bnb etc.
Just sit down and add up the costs involved for the length of time you use your van!
Sutton on sea rounded up to £54 per person per night plus an additional cost £10 per night for the dogon grass no electric!! And the person I spoke to sounded like they were doing me a favour at that?
Been a member of CMHC for quite a few years now and rarely use club sites they have gone way to expensive now, the clubs changed it's just a marketing operation now bombarding you with deals that you can find cheaper yourselves.
Choice is being taken away by councils being unfriendly towards campers parking up thereby funneling us all into overpriced sites.
Interesting… we much prefer CSes, (or CLs) less facilities, cheap as chips and usually lovely views.
For Tewkesbury, we stay at Mill Avon, just opposite and down a bit from your site but it was £35pn Inc water & EHU on your pitch. Lovely views, too, but rubbish facilities and doesn't get flooded.
I'm just back from a 14 day trip & completely finished with the club prices far to much compared to the private sites with better facilities & WiFi closer to towns…I payed xtra for WiFi premium still nothing… private sites no issues…worked out with membership we payed 50+ for sites… absolute disgrace
I was quoted £54.00 hard standing for 1night on a club site way over the top for a 2 berth van in my opinion .
Got back last week from a 90 day tour of France stopped 2 nights on our way down it cost £94. Our stops for 90 days in France came to £160 yes the rest was free which includes empty waste / toilet and in some cases free electric We go twice a year and know the French are more into motorhomes than Briton but the local economy gain’s massively. Yes rip off British camping is solely money orientated. My daughter has booked a site for us out Morecambe way for a family meet it has cost her £15 for 3 nights for our dog !!!!! Something I never ever do Thanks for the video
Newquay town is an absolute dive, I used to go there most years with my mum and dad and sister over 50years ago for our holidays when it was a NICE town. I’ve only ever used a camping club once in the last 4 years of being in it, but I have just got a £3 discount on 4 tickets for the caravan show in October that’s £12
We have been CMC members for 34 years.Our use of their sites has declined due to: vfm declining on many sites,theirvchange to an opaque booking system and our increasing time in the EU.We do still use them but they are no longer our "first port of call" when deciding where to go in our MH.There are deals out there from Morris Leisure et al which can out-compete the CMC in low season.Having been MH owners for a long time we are selective based upon our prior -knowledge of what is available and when.Knowledge is Power etcetera.