The Camping Forum

[nutgone]

OK, so I've had enough of hijacking someone else's thread, so I'm bringing it here.

I've been looking into prices for camping in my local area (south east, East Sussex to be precise). & I've been astonished!
Disgusted in fact

I'm a solo camper, & it seems to me, I can't get anywhere local to pitch my tent for under a tenner a night.
So what? I hear you say.

Well, I don't need a bar, don't need a sports facility, don't need a pool. Don't want EHU & don't have any kids!

All I want is a "CAMP SITE". ie. a piece of grass to pitch my tent, a tap to collect some water, a toilet for (well, you know what that's for) & the occasional shower (I don't even feel it necessary to shower "every" night, but let's not get started on that one, that's a whole different debate).

So, what's going on?
I can understand families wanting a few facilities, but I thought a camp site was just a base, somewhere to put your stuff while you go off & explore the local area.

Is there a book for "Cheap" camp sites? Is there a book anywhere listing England's camp sites? (like the French have).

Or do I have to cross the channel every time I want a reasonably priced night under canvas?

Anyone got any thoughts?
& are the old CL sites still in existence? Maybe I should swallow the £39 joining fee & get on the Camping & Caravanning Club sites. But I don't want to join only to find out all the CL's are now called "eco-friendly" sites & also charging the earth (something else that seems to have happened to the good old fashioned "basic" sites).

[Luiiz]

I can't comment for the area you live in but Neil and I have camped in Cornwall for £17 a night with ehu and north Wales for about £12 a night and that's for the two of us.

We to only require simple facilities like yourself and I wouldn't consider anywhere that is more £17 a night for both of us!!!

Prehaps the north is just cheaper!!! x

[CrazyCamper]

This has the potential to be an interesting thread on the prices around the UK - which do vary considerably of course...

I can give just 2 examples from personal experience - South Wales and Worcestershire:

1) Newgale Campsite, Pembrokeshire is just £5 per person per night.
The site has a shower / toilet block and other basic facilities but no EHU's. Local shop for provisions - and a good location within a very scenic area for tourists to enjoy.
http://www.newgalecampingsite.co.uk/
I've used it many times, and absolutely love it as I used to live there in my youth

2) Hopleys Campsite, Worcestershire has variable prices from £10 - £13.50 per night for 2 Adults + 2 Kids without EHU and £12.50 - £16 per night with EHU.
The site has loads of facilities including a farm shop & cafe on site plus shower / toilet blocks etc. Good location quite close to Bewdley and surrounding tourist spots and has stunning views on site too.
http://www.hopleyscamping.co.uk/
I've used it before, and visit it too as I live not far away. Very nice site albeit popular in the summer with groups such as this very forum

For value alone, Newgale in my book wins hands down - if just for the location of the site. So it IS possible to keep prices down for site owners even in today's marketplace (Newgale's site owners have been running it for a long time and know what folk seem to want down there). Basic sites are still popular (I think even Shell Island could fit that category given it's size) - but it is also true that many modern families require more than basic facilities in order to keep them keen on camping.

[Donnelly69]

There's plenty of sites which charge per person/car/tent/gazebo/dog etc which makes it fair all round, especially for the lone camper. I find this usually applies to sites which do not have marked pitches, but rather you just squeeze in where you can.

In the lakes, most sites (other than the club sites) do not take bookings for tents, because they are going to be full regardless. Why pay someone to manage the bookings/diary etc when they are guaranteed to be full? If it's full when you arrive, there's plenty of other sites to choose from. It can be a pain over the holiday season or bank holidays, not being able to book, but we've stopped using these sites for that reason as it is difficult when you've a kid in tow. We tend to stick to sites with minimal facilities which are usually the last to fill

And for the lone camper, there's still plenty of sites where you can stay for a tenner Personally, as a family of three and a dog, I wouldn't be happy paying more than £22 a night on a site with full facilities. I don't think I ever have and it will be a long time before I ever do! As I know we can camp very successfully with out these things, and I know I can camp cheaper elsewhere and ultimately have a very enjoyable time.

Sadly, as I-A-T says, in the last couple of years camping has become very popular, due to the recession. Tent sales (and caravans) have gone through the roof thanks to the likes of Argos and Halfords flooding the market with cheap kits

[nutgone]

I blame a lot of this on the so called "middle class campers" who are happy to pay over-inflated prices for everything to have Outwell written on it.
Site owners must think "if they're happy to pay nearly a grand for their tent, then I'll charge 'em £20 a night to pitch it" & like good little English men (& women), we're only too happy to pay! Some are probably reassured by expense (reassuringly expensive??)

I guess it's just the area I live in, it is the most expensive part of the country for just about everything. I'm glad to know the good old fashioned sites still exist further up country, now all I need is for petrol prices to come down so I can afford to visit them!

I was put off Hopleys a tiny bit by their price including 2 adults. Lots of sites do this, & I feel like asking "as there's only one of me, do I get a discount?" (a fair question, in my book).

In all this madness, I'm actually putting feelers out for a possible place to do a South East forum Campout. But it won't be happening unless we ALL get in for a tenner a night!

[nutgone]

I do find these "eco-sites" very funny. Half of them ask you to take your rubbish home & recycle it, most of them have a car park miles away from the camping field, all have nothing but the most basic of facilities

"IT'S A BLOODY FIELD/FARM/CL SITE!"

for crying out loud! These were previously known as basic sites, or CL's, & were always about 2 quid a night. Suddenly someone throws up a couple of tipis & lights some josticks & all of a sudden it's an "eco-site" greener than the greenest bogey!

Do me a favour!

[CrazyCamper]

In all this madness, I'm actually putting feelers out for a possible place to do a South East forum Campout. But it won't be happening unless we ALL get in for a tenner a night!

Might be an idea to have said so then - or start another thread searching for a suitable site in that area

[badger]

at eco sites..... I also a solo camper and encountered same problems; Half of my trips are 'wild' camping so a basic campsite is a bonus!!!! you just have to shop around. I am going to Lincolnshire end of the month and most sites were £15 for 1 night!!!! Then i found a belter that is better than the rest,£8 a night and they will put my bike in storage overnight for free!!! Good sites are about just have to try and find them!!!!

[nutgone]

In all this madness, I'm actually putting feelers out for a possible place to do a South East forum Campout. But it won't be happening unless we ALL get in for a tenner a night!

Might be an idea to have said so then - or start another thread searching for a suitable site in that area

I already have a thread running about a possible south east meet.

It is only a possible, & may even have to wait until next year.

Anyone's welcome to organise a meet/campout, but I thought I would try & do one down this way, as I'm unlikely to be able to travel up to Hopleys for the big forum campout.

EDIT: found my thread here:
http://www.thecampingforum.co.uk/forum/the-camping-forum-campouts-f73/topic3071.html

Probably wouldn't do any harm to bump it back up

[nutgone]

I suppose haggling could be called for in some of these instances.

Haggling seems to be a bit of a lost art these days, in this country.

I find, if you're cheeky enough to haggle, these days, most people are so shocked they usually concur, not always at your asking price, but most will meet in the middle, & usually once you start off, the other party jump straight in. So not an art that's lost for good, it's usually to be found just under the surface.

I do like a good haggle.

[LittleSkink]

got to wade into this one as I feel prices are getting crazy but people do seem to keep on paying up - we have been looking to Holland, in the hope Eu is cheaper but so far its not working out that way

Not two nights ago we had planned to book 8 nights at Sandringham C&C Site so we could explore Norfolk with the kids. So 2 kids, 2 adults in a basic 5 Berth Frame Tent with no EHU -it came in a knats under £300 !? We used to use club sites all the time before we had kids and found them excellent value - but that is taking the mickey

[CrazyCamper]

I already have a thread running about a possible south east meet.
It is only a possible, & may even have to wait until next year.
Anyone's welcome to organise a meet/campout, but I thought I would try & do one down this way, as I'm unlikely to be able to travel up to Hopleys for the big forum campout.
EDIT: found my thread here:
http://www.thecampingforum.co.uk/forum/the-camping-forum-campouts-f73/topic3071.html
Probably wouldn't do any harm to bump it back up

Thanks for that - hadn't spotted it before and have now posted on it - wasn't having a pop, just an observation you understand

[M0KAS]

This has been brought up before, on how some site owners punish solo campers. and I have to agree, when it comes to solo campers its as though many sites see us as a burden, or an easy way to make a few extra £'s for doing nothing.

Yes there are sites that will do a lone camper in a tent for £6-10 per night, and i have been to a few of them, but soon as you have more than a 1person rabbit hutch (tent), or want a pitch with EHU, its sorry you have to pay the pitch price for 2 adults, gazebo, ehu, and x amount of kids.
One place that's crazy for this kind of pricing is Anglesey. I think its about time site owners realise, that solo campers want for little, and don't require all mod cons sites, yes they are nice, but if i wanted to take my 5 person tent and want EHU, due to the size of tent, and the EHU, im looking around £17+ minimum per night, and that's low season, but the pitch next to me could have, 2 adults, 2 kids, gazebo, with shouting and screaming from 7am until 10pm for the same price, and i know who i would rather have pitch beside me. Its just a shame that many site owners don't read forums like this, they would probably then realise that solo campers are not a burden on their site, or require a 16a ehu, and keep themselves to themselves..

[nutgone]

I already have a thread running about a possible south east meet.
It is only a possible, & may even have to wait until next year.
Anyone's welcome to organise a meet/campout, but I thought I would try & do one down this way, as I'm unlikely to be able to travel up to Hopleys for the big forum campout.
EDIT: found my thread here:
http://www.thecampingforum.co.uk/forum/the-camping-forum-campouts-f73/topic3071.html
Probably wouldn't do any harm to bump it back up

Thanks for that - hadn't spotted it before and have now posted on it - wasn't having a pop, just an observation you understand

On the contrary, I'm glad you bought it up. I had put the whole thing on the back burner until today, when I was looking at local sites for myself.
So your timing couldn't be better.

(& don't worry too much about upsetting me, I seem to upset everyone else sooner or later, I should be able to take some of what I dish out! )

[nutgone]

It wasn't just solo campers that I was aiming this thread at this time round (although we do get a raw deal). The site that started this all off was Chestnut Meadows, near Hastings.

They have an extremely fair pricing structure, you pay for the pitch, then you pay for what's on it, much like the French municipal sites. Even their children rates were fair, in as much as they class children to be anyone up to the age of 18.

But, whereas French sites charge €1-4 for the pitch plus €1-3 per person then some charge €1-2 for the car, usually resulting in about €4-6 for me per night.
Chestnut Meadows charges £7-19 for the pitch plus £4.50 per person (the £7 pitch is the out of season backpacker one). Which seemed outrageous to me.

Then I started looking round at other sites in the area! GOOD GOD!

I think even with petrol prices where they are, & my car doing about 28mpg, I would still be saving money if I came up north for a weeks camping!

& as for these so called "eco-sites", well, I think you know what I think about them. Anyone gullible enough to fall for that deserves all they get!