A few years ago we went to the Lake District as part of a 2 or 3 week trip to Scotland and back and we’re doing our usual thing when roaming around if just trying to find a campsite wherever we ended up. I think is was Keswick we ended up one day and there’s a caravan and camping site there that we checked into. We found the whole experience form checking in where the staff found that it incredible that we hadn’t booked and managed to squeeze us in, despite being pretty much only half full, to the warden getting wired about the awning not being set up in the correct orientation to the van all the way through to folks polishing their caravans of a morning. Really odd. On the way back from Scotland we were chasing the weather and ended back up in the lakes - another camping and caravan site we tried were so unwelcoming to us that we buggered off before they could say we don’t want you here. Ended up in a hotel in Grassmere that night that was a treat. The next day we found a great woodland campsite - not in that daft club and had a lovely stay. My advice - avoid caravan and camping sites unless you are a freaky weirdo.
This aires things sounds interesting, not only for us touring but my drive for one, flat overlooking village green, access to toilets, hook up, can see the village pub
I presume along the French lines, but establishing such here will no doubt raise issues of land ownership and who pays. After all they won't want a spot at the back of a motorway service station but as @PIE suggests nice outlook, access to facilities, including toilet pump out. I'm afraid to say online action groups are often full of those who want something for nothing.
No need to have waited to get on that Bristol Site. You can just park your van up at the side of the road, normally by a nice green space and live there for years. It’s ok until the residents get a bit upset and start burning caravans - then move on if you’ve not been torched... Bristol - home of the van dweller.
I always hear these stories and must be lucky, or boring abider of rules. When I was on a Caravan and Camping site in Oxford, the warden put me on a pitch so in his words " I've something lovely to see when I look out of my window ". However, after my idle solenoid failed and I limped back to the Caravan Club site and " parked " less than perfectly, the warden came out and asked if I was leaving it there...to be fair he helped me push it into a more "acceptable " position.
horses for courses I guess. I just struggle with rules for rules sake when camping. A reasonable rule would be noise levels/music after 10pm or 11 whatever. Sound travels in a field so fair enough an unreasonable rule is you must park in a certain direction. Why, what difference does it make - it’s just to satisfy some control freaks fetish. That’s why C&C ain’t for me..,
We’ve had pretty much only positive experiences on C and CC sites. We like their smaller certificated sites as well
I think that many new van conversion owners will go the same way as many newbie campers - the guitars and daisy chains vision of wild camping will become the reality of a couple of days without internet, showers and no pub to walk to. It will kill the enthusiasm stone dead by August.
I went to a site on Hayling Island last September and the toilet block was open, so not all sites closed them.
Didn't they used to park on roads to the left past the petrol station, as you drive out of Bristol to join the M32?
Yes - they got burnt out from there - just up the road by IKEA under the motorway for now. And on the downs and by many green spaces Horfield common or some industrial areas. Anywhere really.
Good to hear, the only site we used last summer closed off half of the traps, showers and urinals so there was quite a demand for the rest.
I suppose if you live in one of those rows of brightly coloured townhouses along there, you don't want Swampy's ambulance parked opposite?!
Thankfully this site was fairly quiet, think most were using their own facilities, it was something I specifically asked about though as I’d heard about a lot being closed.
We found last year with C&CC that choosing strange days worked - Saturday and Sunday night for instance got us into a busy site when we wanted, provided we booked expensive hard standing pitches. Not sitting there for a week. I expect places like the Canterbury site will be emptier as fewer people will be stopping off on the way to the Continent as this will probably be effectively closed to us for a few seasons yet. We propose to go to places that the glampers wont have thought of and avoid the obvious hotspots. Go to north Somerset or Dorset rather than the coast .. After all , we live on the coast and have a boat and a sailing club and plenty of restaurants and pubs within walking distance.
Personally , I havent had an issue with C&CC , just online book a day or so before turning up then the pitch is guaranteed. Dont want to spend ages going around the countryside trying to find campsites - can remember a desperate time about 38 years back in Ireland where we just had to give up on camping and find a B&B because none of the campsites listed seemed to exist. . .
