Which is the best Organisation to join?

As a newbie person to owning a Campervan (Peugeot Boxer Harmony Auto-Sleeper), I want to take advantage of cheaper campsites and perks from a club.  There is the Camper and caravanning Club and the Caravan Club to name a couple.  Obviously I only want to pay the subs for one club.  What club would people suggest is the best value etc for a guy just travelling around the UK with a campervan?

There's no easy answer, because there are lots of factors. For example one of the two main clubs has more sites in, say, Scotland, than the other. They have different rules for over-55's/60's, etc. They have different rules regarding minimum stay, etc. Sometimes one can be cheaper if there are two or more people, others if there is only one. So it's a complicated decision depending on your circumstances.

The one thing to bear in mind is that neither of the two main clubs is anything more noble than a money-making enterprise. At the moment (in my opinion) the Caravan Club seems to be making a fairly good job of satisfying a larger number of its members, and the C&CC does not - a lot of the rules for the latter seem to be mainly for their commercial benefit with little regard for the needs of the members. I should add that I am a member of both, and I regularly use sites run by both "clubs".

However, I have stayed at quite a few independently-run sites as well recently, and I'm not convinced that either of the two clubs offer anything that great in comparison (not in terms of facilities, nor in terms of price). Alternative approaches such as Britstops also seem to be a good development, if you can accept the pressure to buy something (other than a pitch) at the site.

Apologies for the slightly jaundiced view, but I've been a member of both for a long time and all I see at the moment is commercial greed taking over!

-mojo- wrote:

Apologies for the slightly jaundiced view, but I've been a member of both for a long time and all I see at the moment is commercial greed taking over!

A tad cynical mojo ! Both clubs lobby in many forums, both nationally and internationally, for the interests of caravan and motorhome owners and road users , they help farmers and others who wish to diversify by expanding into  sites ownership, they facilitate discounts on a variety of goods and services, ( motorway toll, service station food, accessories, days out and so on) as well as coordinating insurance, ferry bookings and travel, both independent and guided.

To keep the show on the road they have to remain commercially viable but it would be wrong , I believe, to say that this is commercial greed.

I am a member of both and all sites are different. I usually google them and read the reviews. It really depends on you and what you want from a site. Join one for a year and see how you get on. The one thing I have noticed is -- Mrs Bucket would be a member of the C.C. 

If it matters to you then note that, usually, on a CC site you select your own pitch when you arrive. The C&CC allocate your pitch when you book. We've never had a problem when we've asked to change to a different one however.

This isn't what you want to hear but there is no "best" club it's what's best for you

That said we are members of the CC.    C&CC.  MCC,  and  ASOC

In recent years the C&CC have been coming up with hair braided ideas that don't suit many of us

Must agree with Roli. Have belonged to both Clubs for very many years. On balance tended to use the C & CC the most until a couple of years ago when they made a number of fiddling changes to the method of booking sites. Since then we have been using predominately the CC without any problems. I still retain membership of both Clubs to give me the greatest choice of Sites. However when my membership of C & CC came due recently I was very tempted to cancel it.
Mick.

We also belong to both clubs and used to use C&CC sites most due to the age concession discount in low and mid season but when they introduced an extra charge for hard-standing and increased the cost of hook-up, we started to use more CC sites than C&CC sites. We got back yesterday from two weeks away, staying on five different sites none of which were club sites. Instead we made use of the C&CC temporary holiday sites (commonly referred to as THS's) staying on three different ones, prices varying from £7 per night to £14 per night and one CC CL site (£13.95 with hook-up). The other site was a weekend on a C&CC rally at a steam fair.
Both clubs get you discounts at retail stores such as Mountain Warehouse, Go Outdoors etc so they are much the same in that respect.
I'm sure we will continue to be members of both simply to give use more choice of sites and CL's and CS's but we will make more use of THS's when there is one where and when we want to go.

We joined C&CC many years ago to take advantage of the list of Certified Sites. CC run a similar listing but call them Certified Locations I think. C&CC's list seems comprehensive enough for us, and we've never had a problem finding a place.
I've never used one of their official campsites, finding them far too expensive compared with other commercial sites in the same location, which seems a shame, paying to be a member of a club should give a bit of a financial perk.

and never having been a member of either club we joined CC this year for the first time. A good guide book or the internet to locate a commercial site was always our first port of call.

We have now stayed on a couple of CC sites and they give us what we want. Hook-up and clean toilets is all we want and that is what we have got. They charge a premium of (I think) £15 on some sites if you are not a member. We recently stayed on a commercial site that we have used many times in the past recently and it is now one of the worst sites we have every stayed on. I would hope a club site would never get that bad.

Thanks for all your input, people.  Some very good, considered opinions there and many points that I hadn't even considered.  At the moment I'm leaning towards the Caravan Club as the first to try out for a year but I'll have to read through all the details and see how suitable it is for a 65 year old single male who will probably potter about the UK and could venture over to France.  Thank you all for your opinions and experience.

I have just noticed your location and would suggest that you DON'T try the Southsea one as a first experience. That was the one I referred to. (And the Stokes Bay was only marginally better the last time we went there.)

The one on the Hamble looked good but the ground was too wet for us to stay.

You will get consistently very high standards with the Caravan Club, and contrary to some opinions I don't think the rules are excessively restricting.

Most of them are there as a guard against the selfish, inconsiderate idiots who would spoil it for everyone if allowed to do so. The "Corner to the peg" rule has been imposed on them by EU Elf 'n' Safety regulations. It's the only way they can ensure the 6 metre rule is seen to be enforced when the inspectors come round. (However it does annoy me a bit when they tell you which way round to park so your door doesn't open onto your neighbour. Clearly they haven't heard of Continental vans!!)

You will also get few, if any, gangs of teenagers in tents rampaging (or whatever!!) for half the night. Tents are generally not allowed on CC sites. We have rarely been more than momentarily disturbed at night, usually only by people talking as they return to their unit from the pub.

It has been described as being, "Run by boring old farts, for boring old farts." Not far wrong there!!

The general standards are lower on C&CC sites in our experience, but you pay much the same - although the age concession (can we call it that?? ) does bring the price down.

If you are unsure, why not try a night or two at each? You will pay over the odds, but not that much - and it will give you a feel for the facilities you prefer better than all the words of advice on here. You can join on the spot at many sites, which might make it even easier when you have decided.

Dave

The CC were never a problem whilst we had our Adria and a succession of two Eriba caravans, all with doors on the 'wro ng' side.

We have always belonged to the CC but joined the C&CC this time last year when we wanted to stay on a site and it was cheaper to join and pay member prices then not join and pay non-members prices. I've cancelled my D/D so won't renew this year.

Hi Newforester,

Im fairly new here and have bought my Harmony in the last couple of weeks too. Had my first outing this weekend, great fun. Like you I travel alone.

I think I am going to join CC but not sure yet. Have joined Britstops.

F4

I've been a C&CC member for 25+ years. We occasionally use their Club sites and I find the standard consistently high. However they're not cheap particularly if all you really need is a hard standing for the night.

My main gripe with the C&CC is the decimation of their network of CSs/CLs. In certain areas of Wales where we frequently visit, there is a virtual desert of simpler sites whereas a quick look at the 'BSB' from 20 years ago shows plenty to choose from. When I've asked farmers why they've abandoned their CSs they've often told me that the Club demanded an increasing amount of administration which, based upon their traffic levels, made it just not worthwhile. Not sure if the CC CLs have gone the same way - I'd be interested to hear.

C&CC Temporary Holiday Sites (THSs) are very useful in the summer though, and we love some of those run my the Mountain Activity Section such as Kemplerigg in the Lakes.

Bartfarst

We are with both clubs and generally book ahead with the C&C club, their app is user friendly , we amend our traveling schedule and dont get penalised for cancelling ,(if cancelled with the club time frame)
I'm not a great fan of the CC&C booking and deposit system, especially losing your deposit if you cancel out side of their TACs.
Having said that some,of the CC&C coastal sites are excellent ,Rosemarkie being our favourite .
Boaby

When I was a lone camper I preferred the Camping and Caravanning with the age concession. I could find sites for between £12 and £15 a night which was a saving even over most commercial or private sites and I knew I wasn't going to be alone on a site.

Nora

FannyFour wrote:Hi Newforester,

Im fairly new here and have bought my Harmony in the last couple of weeks too. Had my first outing this weekend, great fun. Like you I travel alone.

I think I am going to join CC but not sure yet. Have joined Britstops.

F4

Hiya and congratulations. I've now joined the Caravan Club and bought the Britstops book also. Looking to get away next week to explore some sites in the South West.
Hoping to get a bit of Sea Fishing in as well..:) I'm open to any suggestions as to sites with nearby Sea Fishing..:)

Best one i joined is MOTORHOME FUN or FUNSTERS as it is known by its members.By far the most informative forum on the net for motorhomes and excellent rallies.WWW.motorhomefun.co.uk,,BUSBY65