Which Caravan Club sites would you recommend? (or avoid!)

[LadyAlex]

We are booked on a couple this year and just wondered what are good and not so good.

We have a 4yr old and a young baby so thinking about a nice on site park, pram friendly things to do near by etc.

Nice shower rooms, clean lavs etc!

To be honest I've never stayed on a bad one! They all differ obviously in location but the standard is pretty consistent throughout the network. Showers have always been clean and pitches well kept. Which sites do you want to know about?

God yes, the rules! And if you don't fit in (as we never did in our scruffy VW camper with tent pitched on the grass next to it) you will be glared at at every opportunity.

Just my view but I think all that neatness takes the joy out of a holiday.

I like cc sites. Clean warm toilets and no footballs crashing into the side of my van. Shows how different we all are

Which areas are you interested in? The only one I wouldn't go back to was white water park as the warden was fawltyesque

You are right, Jins - we are all different. I have never understood the obsessive focus on the state of the toilets in relation to choice of holiday destination. Surely there should be more to a campsite than its loos?

You caravanners have your own toilets anyway, don't you? So even less reason for this to be a worry, surely?

Apologies for thread hijack - I will crawl back under my insanitary stone now.

I've only been to one CCC site - Norman's Bay near Eastbourne. Excellent for being right on the beach, and the visit of a good fish and chip van to the site. Everything else seemed fine. Toilets and showers - good, play area, etc. I've been twice, just for the location.

But I am more of a 'camp where you like in the woods and have a fire' camper, so CCC sites don't suit.

I like a longer shower than my 10 litre water tank allows so the cleanliness and warmth of the blocks is quite important to me.

I'm not a natural camper. In fact the van is just somewhere to sleep. I rarely stay on site, just use it as a base. The site isn't my destination so the facilities are the only bit I notice.

CC sites are characterless uniform sites which provide good size pitches and a predictable standard of facility. I don't have to research a CC site - I know what it's going to be like. I know it will be as far from camping in a field as you can get and that's what I like.

I agree with everything you have said Jins this is exactly why we often chose to stay on CC sites. This added to the fact that they are usually in a good location to explore the local area and that when we return to the van we are more or less guaranteed a peaceful nights sleep

I wouldn't glare at your VW camper either MummyPigsFatTummy but you might get a look of envy from me :)

Some people on CC sites are complete arseholes for sure. But they tend to be arseholes who keep to their own pitch and do their own thing. I find them fairly easy to ignore

Sadly, the van is gone now Jins . It just became too expensive and we rarely made it home from anywhere (or even to anywhere sometimes) under our own steam.

I do know what you mean about the peace too. There were certainly no rowdy parties on the CC sites I have been to! In fact, by comparison with everyone else there, we felt like the characters from Shameless when we pitched up. Although we were quiet at night - I like to think not ONLY because there were no campfires allowed on site.

And I can also see that not everyone is necessarily into the whole camping thing in and of itself.

As you said, everyone is different.

We're the Shameless gang! Not so much now that we've upgraded the van but we were when we had the old one and the pick up that towed it. It may be quiet on a CC site but I've not spotted anyone sober after it's gone dark. :) I had to help one older man up from where he'd fallen into the planter once

We've had a van for 4 seasons now and there's been a change in CC sites since we first visited. Not a huge change but there are more young families now where it used to be grandparents and grandchildren. I think it will continue to change

If the weather continues to be as lovely as it has been the last couple of years, I think you are right Jins.

I even stole a look at some items from the dark side on ebay this year, at least until I was slapped down in no uncertain terms by DH!

I never thought I'd have a van and we're on our second!. DH wasn't convinced initially but he's fully converted now. I think it depends how old the DC are. Mine don't come with us very often now so we can have luxurious weekends in the grounds of Chatsworth and get dressed up for a meal out in the evening. That never happened in the tent!

We have been Caravan Club members for over 20 years. Never been to a bad one. We have had a couple with over zealous wardens, including the one who came into our awning to check we were lifting the groundsheet, which we weren't using anyway. There was also an odd one where they wanted to check how we had parked our van as the pitch we had chosen hardly got used as people thought it was difficult to reverse in to. He wanted a step by step guide to how we did it, very bizarre!! We do find them a bit soulless but at least you do get a decent sized pitch and clean facilities. We have always found people to be friendly but we have a dog and normally get chatting to other dog owners.

I've only been to one, Tanner Farm in Kent, but it was very nice. Lovely fresh baked croissants from the shop in the morning.