Is the Caravan and Motorhome Club still value for money ?
Helen and I first started caravanning in 2007 , our first outing was to the Caravan Club site at Castleton Derbyshire , coincidently 100 years after the Club was formed. There is no doubt the Club has been a major player since it’s inception in 1907 and to this day has over 3000 locations in its network and literally thousands of members. Members who over the years have enjoyed the facilities of the club which has formed the back bone of the camping network in the UK. If you’re interested further in the Club’s history this link takes you to an interesting read. - https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/about-us/our-history/
We have just returned from our latest mini tour this weekend, which has seen us visit North Yorkshire and Derbyshire, primarily to visit friends but also to do some street photography in York.( Link HERE) We stayed on Caravan and Motorhome Club sites at York Rowntree, Knaresbourgh , Chatsworth House and Castleton.
We chose these sites because of their location , thereby allowing us to maximise time on our trip. The use of ‘big’ Club sites is a rarity for us preferring CL’s/ CS’s, as generally they offer a less regulated stay and peace and quiet in contrast to big sites.
We were, as usual active on Instagram and YouTube which brought a rather unexpected consequence in that we were asked repeatedly whether we thought that Club membership was necessary and indeed value for money. This caused us to reflect and hence this article is our response to these questions.
Understandably the shrewd reader will want to know by what experience we draw on in forming our opinion . This is a fair question and I’ll get to that shortly as I firstly want to emphasise that we do not, as a travelling pair seek to influence or direct anyone else , we do however enjoy discussing caravan and motorhome issues with other like minded people. We have learnt much this way.
Returning to the question of our knowledge base , we are long standing members of the CMC but we have also camped in 14 European countries in all grades of camping situations including wild camping , aires and other options, vineyards, marina’s etc. We have also enjoyed what we think are the best private sites available, our favourites being Concierge Camping , Tranquil Parks , Love to Stay , Somers Wood as well as some of the best club affiliate sites including East Fleet and Milestone. (Any site next to a micro brewery works for us). We are also members of the Camping and Caravan Club . So we have some experience, but we do not offer ourselves up as experts but claim right of opinion as as result.
Otters Edge Campsite Benbecular Outer Hebrides
Any discussion without context is usually a shallow one and missing key elements of consideration and as such we feel this reflects the new reality we are currently facing in the UK and in the camping market
In a capitalist economy the correct price is whatever the customer is prepared to pay. ( All the sites we stayed on were fully booked)
We are in a challenging economic situation and both companies and individuals are having to tighten belts
In difficult times some companies will exploit the situation and profiteering will occur
There has never been greater competition in the sector for Clubs to compete against
The sector has expanded in the last decade to meet demands of customers
Customers are increasingly demanding and less loyal , on the latter point so are some businesses
Camping is becoming expensive for families, we do feel strongly that camping should be affordable to working families.
The crisis in the Utility Market is making camping expensive
Much of the on line discussion on this topic appears to confine itself to whether CMC big sites are worth the money, rather than whether membership is worth the money. This seems to us to be a different question and this article is addressing the latter, so we need to identify what services are actually offered by the Club.
Sandringham CMC Club Site.
CMC Services
The services offered by the club are diverse and it shows that the the decision on Club membership is clearly going to be influenced by the number of services used to the satisfaction of the membership . It is fair to say that we have used all of these services so feel able to set out what we like and dislike about the CMC and provide our personal conclusion in the summary beneath . We have availed ourselves of all of these services over the years.
The Campsite Network - The large sites
CL Network
Regional/National Club Rallies
Insurance Services
Courses on manoeuvring and mobility
International Travel & Guided Tours
Advice and Training
Membership retail benefits
Storage
Seasonal Pitches
This is how we see the CMC .
The clubs development areas in our view.
The big sites are over regulated in culture - it's the club of signs - there are more signs telling you what you can't do that what you can do . Most people are good people and the operating culture should reflect that . It’s still stuck in the 60’s. This is not the case on the comparable Private sites where you feel treated more maturely.
The big sites are process over people driven - toilet closures , rigid arrival times , office closures during the day are all signs of processes constructed to help the Club operate with minimal staff . The current teams despite their best efforts can’t be everywhere , but here’s the rub, Private sites do it better and if the club is to charge in the same price banding, this in our view needs to change and customer service and satisfaction needs to come before internal practices.
Motorhome service points are not as advanced in comparison to good quality private sites . They are often located on one way systems, a problem if you have a euro built van which places the services hatches on the wrong side of the vehicle and grates rather than grills are still often in use. These are heavy and difficult to move, especially for those who are elderly or with physically disability.
Facilities available on private sites to the pitch are better than Club sites in the main. Most good quality private sites are providing at least fresh and sometimes grey water to the pitch and the customer experience out performs the Club on balance . Private sites are now also often better in terms of user experience and facilities.
Changes in the booking system need to be settled down yet. The App is complex for many people and staff are still struggling with the new system. The latter we experienced first hand on our last trip. It would be unfair to be over critical however , this is a comparatively new system and it’s a big change with a lot of staff to train. More time is needed in our opinion before we judge this system.
This will divide opinion but we like to be pitched , it stops the nonsense that we see and makes best use of the space. Very few sites now allow the people to pitch themselves, although some negotiation is possible, but most understand that effective management of space is an essential business imperative.
Not all the pitches are big enough for modern caravans , awnings and a car - but they are generally bigger than the CCC but still need to be bigger.
Prices for families are a concern the club must not price out working families, a concern especially with the incoming installation of metered electric. This will be egalitarian but not necessarily family friendly.
The Club wifi network is poor , even the gold standard - which is part of the problem. If you are going to classify something as GOLD , it needs to be good by the standard of the day or make it free. We recently paid £11 for a week’s GOLD wifi , it was less than useless.
The site managers at the CCC and private sites are generally friendlier in their communication style with customers - exceptions apply of course . As we have witnessed both extremes on this trip . A special mention to the CMC site wardens at Chatsworth, who would hold their own anywhere. They were that good.
Things we like about the Club
Membership is not particularly expensive - depending how many of the services you use and whether you use the club all year round - less than £5 per month
Insurance services are competitive and good products . This service is competitive generally but clearly dependant on personal claim history . The telephone service provides high quality customer interaction.
90 day travel Home Insurance - If you are to travel aboard for 90 days the club is one of only a few providers that provide cover for home absence in excess of 60 days
Red Pennant Insurance - These are both excellent services and we wouldn’t consider using any other service for European travel other than Red Pennant. This is not a cost decision for us , the service is excellent with a 5 star user rating. We never pick insurance on cost , but on the quality of the cover. We also want to know Poppy, our Cockapoo is covered for repatriation. ( Dog Medical Insurance still required)
International Travel - In many ways this is the best department in the clubs portfolio as the service is excellent, we have and do on occasions book direct with sites and ferries etc , but it’s much easier to make one call to the Club and it’s a preferred option due to the high quality of service and efficiency
Guided Tours - The Clubs escorted European Tours are also excellent, they are especially good for people who have not been to Europe before with their caravan or motorhome and also for those who want to do a particular tour. We did this in 2018 when by chance all the Italian Cities we wanted to visit were nicely wrapped up in a Tour offered by the Club. We would highly recommend them they are well organised.
CL Network is excellent - these are our preferred UK campsites , the network has been upgraded and we find that in many cases the services to the pitch are often better than on big Club sites and they deliver a high level of customer service
Location is everything sometimes - there are sites at key locations, giving the Club a key competitive advantage, just like the ones we have just visited this time, and others such as the Abbey Wood site in London . These sites place you exactly where you need to be and are unrivalled location wise.
There is no doubt that Club sites are excellent for inexperienced campers . Site wardens are generally helpful with new starters and there are Club members around who will help answer questions
Winter time opening is a real plus if you are going to use you vehicle all year round . There are some key locations open in winter where many private sites close.
There is an element of consistency with the Club , you know what you are going to get , we like that, even where we think improvements could be made at least when we make a decision we know what we are taking on
Summary
So on balance for the number of services we use, we believe the CMC Membership is still worth having and we’ll continue as members. We probably won’t use the big sites so much, but the we will continue to use the following services .
The CL Network
CMC Storage
Insurance Services
Travel Department
Sites open in Winter
We hope we have made a contribution to a community discussion and want to finish be showing some sensitivity to the fact that in challenging times some people will need to make changes in terms of their budget , we understand and wish them better times ahead. Best wishes Helen and Martin
