Caravan Club or Camping & Caravanning Club?

[SWCP Walkers]

Hi there

 

Excited to say we are about to get our first MH in a couple of weeks time - a Swift Bolero 600EK!!

 

We're thinking of joining either The Caravan Club or The Camping & Caravanning Club (or possibly both!) so that we would have access to their sites etc. Would welcome any advice on which is better, or is there not much to choose between them?

 

Many thanks. :-D

[sshortcircuit]

Welcome

You are going to get mixed views from both sides saying one is better than the other. It is alleged that the CC is more regimental and standoffish compared with the CCC but I have only experience of the later.

Although a member of the CCC I have made little use of its sites only as a stopping place when travelling to the ferry as most time spent abroad.

We are however going this weekend to a CCC MH rally site down in Peebles just for an experience and its is a lovely area we have not really explored.

Unfortunately both clubs have not caught up with the times and the majority of their sites are remote needing secondary transport and with an increasing number of MHs needs to be addressed.

I commented on the CCC facebook page sometime ago about the lavish amount of money they were spending on a site in Keswick which is always fully booked. Why are you spending money on a site that is successful, surely resources should be spent making less popular sites more attractive? Obviously no reply to somebody questioning their business plan.

You could join one this year and try the other next year, whatever, enjoy.

[caggsie]

We too are members of both, but also the MCC. The latter we haven't used yet and I don't quite know why. We use the CC more than the CCC due to their sites being where we want to go. Two CCC sites we use regularly are Bowness and The Oval in Keswick, both in the Lake District and walking distance to the towns, other than that we use the CCC THS (temporary holiday sites.) We find the CC more consistent in their main site offerings across their network from the sites we have used. Never had a bad experience with any of the wardens etc but haven't always liked the site- due to maybe too busy, too big, gloomy but that's a personal thing.

 

When we started years ago, we joined both as it offered variety, we are currently still members of both.

[malc d]

I'm in both - and have no complaints about either ( apart from everywhere being booked up when I want to tour - mainly CC club !!!)

 

If you are over 60 years you can get reduced site fees in the low season with CCC.

 

Happy travels..

 

;-)

[peterjl]

Hi

 

We also belong to both purely because it improves the geographical range. Both have pluses and minuses but I would agree both need to join us in the 21st century.

 

My biggest gripe is that we have to pay for wifi, where it woks. Just back from three weeks round Ireland where wifi included free on every site, similarly often free on continent.

 

Peter

[tonyg3nwl]

Have been a member of both for a considerable number of years.

Use both site and cls/cs as appropriate.

 

cant find much difference between them, some excellent, some not worth a revisit, mostly in acceptable range.

 

only once came across a jobsworth bossy warden, that was on a commercial site alongside loch lomond and many years ago..

 

biggest complaint is site charges..compared with municipals or aires in France...( or better still the France Passion freebies.)

Tonyg3nwl

 

[starvin marvin]

What you need to remember about both CC & CCC is that their primary customers are caravanners who obviously have a separate vehicle, and so tend to be away from town centres and the like. This is the same for the majority of sites regardless of the country, and that's why some folks like me free camp. Simples.

 

We are in the CC, 'cos they have site very close to where our daughter lives. You pay your money and take your choice.

[MikenKath]

Hi,your bollero is a great choice,we loved ours,best to join both and see which you like best, we dumped ccc after 2 years.

[Tall_Mike]

Think you "pays your money and takes your choice" , we are members of CCC but not CC at the moment, was shocked at the size of CCC, think they have a £55 million turnover, one of the really big understated groups in the UK, plenty of sites and local meets, some of the local groups are hugely active, some are pretty much in name only. Local meets are a good way of getting out for us..

 

Great mixture of sites from corners of someone's field to massive sites with top facilities.

 

My main criticism is that it all stops in the winter, between October and March everything quietens down, most sites but not all pack up, modern vans allow for all year camping, but sites are not keeping up.

[Gwendolyn]

We've been members of one for 30 years and members of the other for slightly fewer years, having been tent campers, trailer tenters, caravanners and motorhomers.

 

Some comparisons:

 

- The C&CC has fewer sites than the CC.

 

- The C&CC has a rolling programme of bookings; the CC has a December booking day [often referred to as Frenzy Day.]

 

- It can be hard to book a pitch on some popular CC sites [York Rowntree Park; Bristol Baltic Wharf for example] unless booked on, or soon after, booking day. There is seldom opinion expressed on forums about similar difficulties on any C&CC sites.

 

- It can be easier to get a pitch at short notice on a C&CC site. I hazard a guess that is because tent campers will tend not to book up too far ahead.

 

- The C&CC sites tend to be greener [not in the ecological sense] than CC sites as they cater for tent campers and there are fewer hard standings, thus there is less of a "car park" look to the sites, and more green spaces.

 

- Both Clubs have some sites which are on the outskirts of cities, towns and villages, therefore in walking distance. The CC has more, as it has more sites. And many are near to a public transport network. Some on-line research helps to identify these.

 

- Both Clubs have open-all-year sites, and sites with longer seasons. The CC has more, again as it has more sites over-all.

 

- Both Clubs have a network of small 5 van sites [C&CC: Certified Sites; CC: Certified Locations].

 

- Both Clubs offer other services such as insurances, discounted ferry crossings, travel services [European and Worldwide], break down services, discounts at "attractions" and retailers. Sometimes these may not be cheaper than those found elsewhere.

 

- Both have a Rally and / or Temporary Holiday Site programme, and host rallies abroad as well as in the UK.

 

We use the sites [and services] of both Clubs in about equal measure, although most of our motorhoming is done out of the UK; we use both caravan and motorhome in the UK on the occasions when we don't travel abroad.

 

When we do stay on a Club site, we tend to prefer the ambience of the C&CC sites simply because there is more of a mix of units, including tents, and the sites will look more like a campsite rather than a caravan dealer's forecourt. That is just a very personal opinion.

 

 

[RogerThat]

I joined both for my first year of motorhoming, with a view to seeing which was 'best' and then only renewing one next year.

 

I'll let you know in two months whichever decide but so far I've yet to use a CCC site. No particular reason for this though. Also, so far, I've only ever been on one big CC site, ever! All my stops have been on CLs. Personal preference ;)

 

Worth a mention though, as above, some additional benefits of each:

 

Caravan Club allows you to travel the M6 Toll Road for the same price as a car. If like me you do this frequently enough, the cost of membership actually pays for itself after just a few trips.

 

Camping & CC gives you 10% off every purchase at Go Outdoors shops.

 

 

[MagHal]

We're in the CCC. Largely due to the necessity of getting RAC breakdown cover. It's a good outfit. Though we don't use there sites that much. If you look around there are excellent private sites that are cheaper.

[PJay]

If you intend to travel over the water, then possibly the CC have more to offer

 

We are no longer a member of Cc, as we only travel on the continent, so find ACSI a better venue for us

 

 

PJay

[candapack]

starvin marvin - 2016-06-06 5:57 PM

 

What you need to remember about both CC & CCC is that their primary customers are caravanners who obviously have a separate vehicle, and so tend to be away from town centres and the like. This is the same for the majority of sites regardless of the country, and that's why some folks like me free camp. Simples.

 

We are in the CC, 'cos they have site very close to where our daughter lives. You pay your money and take your choice.

 

I'm on the CCC site at Rosemarkie just now. There are more motorhomes on site than caravans, I think the demographic is changing.

[Guest pelmetman]

We're in both.........but only because I needed the direct debits to get 3% interest from Santander ;-) .........

 

We've been living in our van since the 19th December, and have so far only used one CC site for one night at Ferry Meadows :-S .......

 

Now at Houghton Mill, ex CC site :D .........

 

So membership of either club is not essential for Moho'ing, I'd only bother joining if there was a site at place I wanted to visit, even then they often except non members, so I'd do the maths on whether the 40 + quid would reduce your pitch fee ;-) .........

 

 

[veletron]

I joined the CC for the CL's not likely to use the club sites, but we have used the CL's and we have used the ferry booking service to get cheaper ferries to France - oh... and you get the M6 toll for car rates saving you a fiver each way IIRC.

 

Nigel

[RogerThat]

Mag&Hal - 2016-06-08 10:25 AM

 

If you look around there are excellent private sites that are cheaper.

 

This is an excellent point.

 

Being completely new to motorhoming I just assumed there were only CC and C&CC sites. I was completely unaware there were sites out there which belonged to neither!

 

And on this subject, any recommendations for web sites to find these very sites?

 

[pepe63xnotuse]

RogerThat - 2016-06-08 9:47 PM

 

Mag&Hal - 2016-06-08 10:25 AM

 

If you look around there are excellent private sites that are cheaper.

 

This is an excellent point.

 

Being completely new to motorhoming I just assumed there were only CC and C&CC sites. I was completely unaware there were sites out there which belonged to neither!

 

And on this subject, any recommendations for web sites to find these very sites?

 

Mornin'..

We've always found this to be a good website for sourcing campsites:

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/

(..although we use more "private" than (main)"club" sites, I don't think we've found many privates sites that, if "cheaper", have directly matched up to (facilities, over all 'site up keep etc) a decent "club" site).

 

Personally, I've never thought of it as a case of being "either or", (ie commercial/private or "club"), as for only 40 odd quid a year either of the "clubs" will greatly increase the number of locations available to you...

The likes of Britstops may also be worth having in the repertoire' ?

http://www.britstops.com/ (which we still haven't joined :$

[StuartO]

Both CC and C&CC offer useful facilities and services and both offer CLs and a "club" dimension in the form of rallies and bigger "meets", including an annual jamboree.  But both, especially CC, are structured as businesses and you should not expect to be fawned (or even respected) as a "member" because in reality you are merely a punter and they will put you in your place quickly enough if you rock their boat.  Complaining won't get you very far, especially with CC, so don't waste your breath.

 

Using their Club Sites costs extra if you do so as a non-member and if you stay for more than a few nights the membership fee pays for itself.  And access to their list of CLs might be worth the annual fee to you too if you use them. And the "clubby" things like rallies suit some people, if only a minority.

 

Choose carefully when using the services like insurance or ferry bookings, since they will not always be cheaper or better.  Best to think of CC and (to a lesser extent) C&CC as commercial organisations which use their club structure to protect their self-serving management hierarchies at least as much as to serve the interests of their members.

 

[Thebroons]

We were members of the CC when we had the caravan but let the membership lapse last month. Their prices are getting too expensive and they have extended their peak period to charge more for longer.

 

Plenty of options with private sites and commercial sites. We have also found several C&CC CS sites that are happy to let you stay if you consider becoming members with no pressure to actually join.

 

As we mainly tour Scotland we also have the pleasure of many wild spots and that is what we mainly use now.

[colin]

We are members of the C&CC, don't often use the club sites, although the price is quite good with age discount out of season. We mainly use CS's. One of the attractions when we first joined was the 'big sites book' which listed every site in UK and Ireland, but this is now only half the size as it started charging for listings.

[Will86]

We have been members of both clubs but not in either at the moment. When travelling a lot we eventually chose neither and stopped where ever it was suitable or permitted to do so and chose which ever club was on our route.

 

If you simply want a few nights away then there are many 'events' all over the UK where camping is available when attending that event.

 

As said there are plenty of private sites.

 

 

 

 

[Barb]

I think it depends where you live. We here in the South West have very few Caravan and Camping Club Sites available to us and lots more Caravan Club sites, so for us CC is the better. We are shift workers so tend to dash off for a few days away when we can, so mostly in Devon and Cornwall. This means we have a much better choice of sites available to us from the Caravan Club.

[Brock]

StuartO, your description of the CC in your opening paragraph and your final sentence doesn't reflect my 26 years of experience in the club which has all been positive. Perhaps I'm lucky or have low expectations. Who cares! I get what I want from the CC and I know how to influence the 'management' when I feel the need.

[SAS]

If you mainly camp in the UK I'd join both for a year then see how you use them.