Clubs, great value

[crinklystarfish]

sambukashot - 2013-05-28 1:40 PM

 

...Gwen, i take it all back!  2.00pm in Girona, black clouds all over and now rain. Whats going on with the weather? Global warming?

 

Well, yes, most probably.

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

We are booked to sail on Friday, considering we haven't used the bloody van for nearly a year now, and the weather looks pants, it might go on Ebay ( if I can find a mug ) and bog of to Goa instead. :-S I want some global warming NOW. B-) 9 celsius today in Sunny Aberdyfi, but I did see someone in shorts. :D

[Gwendolyn]

sambukashot - 2013-05-28 1:40 PM

Gwen, i take it all back! 

2.00pm in Girona, black clouds all over and now rain :(

Whats going on with the weather? Global warming?

Rain, rain and torrential rain all the way from Avignon to the border. This evening - snow covered peaks and a robin on our van. Very seasonal.[sorry for the triplicate post up-thread. This morning the site WiFi seemed to have stalled. I hit “submit” a few times. Himself was impatient to be off, so I just shut down thinking the post hadn’t posted. It had, in triplicate as I now discover.]Down in the dumps,Gwen

[flicka]

You all need to head NORTH

Helsinki sunny 22 deg & inside the Artic Circle (in Finland but didn't catch the place name) reported clear skies, bright sunshine & 25deg.

 

Maybe this global warming is restricted to the far northern extremities >:-(

[Colin Leake]

Never fails to amaze me how these threads dart off at a tangent. We start off discussing clubs when I left on the last trip and now we are back it seems to have moved to foreign travel.

 

What I want to know is why do women keep chasing us men folk to be ready before we set out be a trip to the supermarket or off on a long holiday yet when the time comes to set off we are inevitably the ones kept waiting. My wife starts chasing before we even get up for a shopping trip and when we arrive home from one trip she starts chasing me up to make sure we are ready for the next! Is it me or does this happen to all us males? Why does it even happen? I it part of their genetic make up? Could make an interesting research project for someone!

[Robinhood]

flicka - 2013-05-28 9:54 PM

 

You all need to head NORTH

Helsinki sunny 22 deg & inside the Artic Circle (in Finland but didn't catch the place name) reported clear skies, bright sunshine & 25deg.

 

Maybe this global warming is restricted to the far northern extremities >:-(

 

.......I might have got it right this time, then. :-)

 

I'm typing this on the ferry out of Stockholm heading for Finland. A very pleasant sunny evening, and the views are stunning. Helsinki is the target for the next few nights.

 

Just to bring things a bit more on topic, whilst I prefer to stop at campsites, aires are quite acceptable for overnight stops. I can recommend the Swedish aide at Vadstena (on the harbour side next to the Slott) n a look at Google streetview will reveal the stunning location, and not bad value at 120kr with elec. 20 level hardstandings and a really attractive town only yards away.

 

The arrival of a vintage car rally with several hundred cars and several thousand (it seemed) sightseers rather destroyed the ambience at tea-time, but all was quiet again by 9pm.

 

I suspect Gwendolyn might give it her approval

 

[snowie]

Robinhood - 2013-05-30 9:02 PM

I'm typing this on the ferry out of Stockholm heading for Finland. A very pleasant sunny evening, and the views are stunning. Helsinki is the target for the next few nights.

 

 

Sounds good Robin; I was hoping to take a trip; Denmark, Sweden, & Norway late Sep/early Oct, but wife thinks March! I'd like to add Finland if we leave it to next year. Interested in your route and conclusions. Visiting daughter working in Stockholm for 2 years. You make it sound attractive right now!. Taking her to airport later this week. Weather better than here, sounds good.

regards

alan b

[bigal55]

20c in Bournemouth tomorrow and sun all weekend is the forecast, as was the bank holiday :D

[Robinhood]

snowie - 2013-05-30 10:16 PM

 

Robinhood - 2013-05-30 9:02 PM

I'm typing this on the ferry out of Stockholm heading for Finland. A very pleasant sunny evening, and the views are stunning. Helsinki is the target for the next few nights.

 

 

Sounds good Robin; I was hoping to take a trip; Denmark, Sweden, & Norway late Sep/early Oct, but wife thinks March! I'd like to add Finland if we leave it to next year. Interested in your route and conclusions. Visiting daughter working in Stockholm for 2 years. You make it sound attractive right now!. Taking her to airport later this week. Weather better than here, sounds good.

regards

alan b

 

They get you up early on this ferry! Arrival is 0700, and Finland is an hour ahead of Sweden. Baltic is like the proverbial millpond, and the sun is already shining.

 

Got 3 weeks to work around the Gulf of Bothnia and back to Esbjerg via Sweden. Less time than would be ideal, but all we can spare, and Finland has been 'on the list' for years (our last remaining untouched bit of Scandinavia)

 

I'll report in more detail when I get back! ;-)

[Guest pelmetman]

Had good runs ashore in Esbjerg and Copenhagen ;-).................Oslo was the most expensive place I've ever been 8-)..............but speeding around the fjords on an FTB has to be the ultimate way to experience the Northern climes B-)......................all funded by the taxpayer :D

[Robinhood]

Well, Helsinki was pretty good - and we've left enough for another visit.

 

Moved about 150 miles N,and it's now 27C, but with a bit of cloud.

 

Forecast is the same for a week, so we remain optimistic :-)

 

The campsite lake however, is looking alarmingly attractive :-( (even before a beer)

 

Sauna, swim and cycle tomorrow. I think, though not necessarily in that order.

 

Eat your hearts out all you who have headed South. :'(

[rupert123]

Just back from the Peak district. Wall to wall sun, who needs europe?

[Robinhood]

rupert123 - 2013-06-02 2:52 PM

 

Just back from the Peak district. Wall to wall sun, who needs europe?

 

Me for one! (the Peak District is on my doorstep). ;-)

 

...and shouldn't that be drystone wall to drystone wall?

[hughman]

Highlands and Skye very good as well. 3 full days sun on Skye, 1 in Glencoe, and only rain when we were travelling.

[arthur49]

We left the Caravan Club last year after many years membership because it no longer suited our needs. The most frustrating thing was HO who just don't listen and answer simple questions. All I got was PR / Marketing mumbo jumbo.

Today however was going to book a pitch at a non Club site, South Links Caravan Park, Montrose and was quoted £22 per night including electric. It's the low season!

This site is nothing special. Toilet block and that's your lot basically. 6m PVC.

Does that make the Caravan Club good value? Not in my view when you add in the annual sub.

What it does do to me is push me onto mainland Europe more often and for longer where I get better value and better weather most of the time.

Simply my view :-(

Arthur

[EMS]

having read rather a lot of weather reports, I was surprised that I did not spot any comments for France Passion, these sites are free with in some cases the benefit of purchasing local produce, wine or perhaps meals.

Yes one does need to join France Passion so there is a charge.

 

Regards EMS

[lennyhb]

Just wondering what Henry would do (probably go to a hotel).

 

On our recent trip to France, no Aires in the Area so we headed for a campsite in a forest park but being only the 31st May it was closed, not unexpected we have got used to sites outside main tourist areas only opening for July & August.

So what do we do of course we wild camped in the car park 100 yds down the road and very pleasant it was too. (lol).

 

We had a very pleasant 10 days mostly by the Normandy beaches (D Day week) sunshine every day and no rain. A couple of the villages had cut the grass in fields on the edge of the village so Motorhomes could stay, no charge of course (would never happen in the UK).

 

Edit: It's not about money Henry in 10 days we spent 28€ on camping, way over budget. :D

[snowie]

lennyhb - 2013-06-18 10:22 AM

 

We had a very pleasant 10 days mostly by the Normandy beaches (D Day week) sunshine every day and no rain. A couple of the villages had cut the grass in fields on the edge of the village so Motorhomes could stay, no charge of course (would never happen in the UK).

 

I'm not sure that you are correct there lenny.

If we had an equivalent major historical location and event that was bound to be attended by thousands of our neighbours and saviours; then I think we would make the effort.

Despite the fact that as a nation we have little affection for "the french" I do believe that as a nation we are respected by the French; certainly a particular age group.

alan b

[lennyhb]

My point is they wouldn't let you camp, park for the day yes but stay overnight no way they don't understand the concept.

I have phoned up a few UK events and asked if we could stay the night always met with a firm NO. Their loss, if there is not somewhere to camp in walking distance we don't go.

Apart from a couple of music festivals we go to every year & the odd weekend in the New Forest it's just not worth the effort of trying to take the van anywhere in the UK.

[snowie]

And my point is that we'll never know. I accept that this country is not motorhome friendly, but it's comparing apples with oranges; I think.

As for clubs being value; I wonder if they've ever considered a discounted Euro-card. Short-term membership for our European brothers and sisters? I doubt it. Uk members would complain about the difficulty of getting a pitch as things are; and visitors would give up in despair if they tried to book a pitch prior to setting off for the UK.

Not sure what it all mean in value terms,

regards

alan b

[lennyhb]

Apples & oranges - both fruit aren't they :D

 

As for our European friends booking in advance I don't think they will understand that concept. Most French Municipals do not accept advanced bookings, also try turning up at a German campsite at lunch time in high season and you will see a large queue outside the gate hoping to get a pitch when they open after lunch. (lol)

[Brian Kirby]

The answer in both cases, I think, is purely economic. We live on a small, crowded, island on which land is consequently very expensive. France has twice our land-mass, with about the same population, and land is much, much, cheaper. So, the social and price pressures on its land are much lower. Car parking in France is also often free, because the revenue towns and villages gain by encouraging people to visit, is greater than they would gain by charging and deterring the merely curious. Here, we use pricing to put people off visiting, because we can't afford to devote so much of our expensive land to parking, and because our councils are cash-hungry. If we had the population density of France, I guess we could also be more motorhome friendly. How about a dose of plague, anybody? That should fix it - though it may make travel outside the UK tricky for a few years! :-)

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

Considering many previously free car parks throughout the UK that are council owned and have been for donkeys years now make a charge I think says more about the efficiencies of councils, when you have council chiefs that earn far in excess of the prime minister, and the general gravy train of many non council jobs ( do we really need gender awareness officers ) its a self fulfilling prophecy that they will try to grab every penny they can.

 

As for sites again many have been owned for donkeys years as well, the land value I would hazard a guess is only agricultural values in any event, all I can conclude is that a useful exercise would be to see the costings of the equivalent French councils, and how they finance things, but for certain its not charging for anything and everything as is the case in the UK.

 

Another reason another Brit is over here, rather than touring the UK, weather permitting.

[pepe63xnotuse]

lennyhb - 2013-06-18 12:27 PM

 

...also try turning up at a German campsite at lunch time in high season and you will see a large queue outside the gate hoping to get a pitch when they open after lunch. (lol)

 

..and if the situation was reversed and they did that in the UK, folk would be calling it a bl**dy stupid idea and behind the times("..why can't we phone or book online,like they do on the continent?..")... ;-)

 

I thought everything MH related on the Continent was so easy going and chilled..?, what with the place being awash with pitches an' all.....So why the need to queue? ;-)

 

(..or are they all Brits?...we do seem to love a good queue.. (lol) )

[rupert123]

lennyhb - 2013-06-18 10:22 AM

 

Just wondering what Henry would do (probably go to a hotel).

 

On our recent trip to France, no Aires in the Area so we headed for a campsite in a forest park but being only the 31st May it was closed, not unexpected we have got used to sites outside main tourist areas only opening for July & August.

So what do we do of course we wild camped in the car park 100 yds down the road and very pleasant it was too. (lol).

 

We had a very pleasant 10 days mostly by the Normandy beaches (D Day week) sunshine every day and no rain. A couple of the villages had cut the grass in fields on the edge of the village so Motorhomes could stay, no charge of course (would never happen in the UK).

 

Edit: It's not about money Henry in 10 days we spent 28€ on camping, way over budget. :D

Just back from our Somerset/Cornwall trip, good weather, except last day, great sites, good, very helpfull wardens. No hotels for us Lenny as I have never, ever, not been able to find a site open in France at any time of the year, you must drive around with your eyes closed. Incidently I also must say have never seen so many euro vans around as this year. On this trip we saw a lot of Germans, some Dutch and even a couple of Swiss in Cornwall. Spoke to some Germans on the next pitch to us at Sennen, asked how they were getting on. They said fine, no problems with sites and all the main tourist places they wanted to visit catered for large vehicles. They knew in advance we did not have an aires type system but it did not bother them. Did not see any French vans though but they are just as tight as some on here so will probably stay in France, camping in laybys and annoying everyone. Incidently Lenny nice layby, not for us though.