Camping Clubs

We have been camping in our motorhome for a few years.  We have hardly ever stayed on sites, but the huge increase in motorhome numbers, and the animosity of the locals caused by inconsiderate owners is driving us to look at staying on recognized sites.

There are two big clubs we could have joined.  Here is my attempt to check them out..

The Camping and Caravanning club

Trust Pilot review   Not very good. 70% of 134 reviews rate it BAD.

Prices - hard to tell. It's £42 for one but probably only a few pounds more for two. I am not giving out my address telephone number and email just to find out the price,

The Caravan and Motorhome club

(formerly the Caravan club)

Trust Pilot Review   Not bad. 80% of 4178 review rate it GREAT or EXCELLENT.

Prices £54 per year for two people

SO it looks like the Caravan and Motorhome club is a no brainer.  We joined on August 11th 2020

First problems was that the documentation could not be downloaded so we had to wait until August 18 before we had the documentation.  We did try to book on a few certificated locations but there is no on-line booking system for them so we had to phone.  Non answered straight away.  Those that returned calls were all booked up, mostly for weeks or months ahead.

I guess we were wildly optimistic thinking we could book a site for the weekend on the Wednesday and Thursday of the same week in the peak of the Tourist season.  Staying on sites definitely takes away the spontaneity we have when wild camping.

We finally did get on our first CL in May 2022.  We were completely out of water, so we fell back on a CL.  Most were booked up but we found a one in North Lancashire. The Handbook said prices from £13 which I thought was expensive given they had no toilets or showers.  We were charged £20!  All we used was the water and waste disposal.  We did not use a hook up. We effectively paid £20 for 50 litres of water.

A good time to buy a motorhome?

We have had our van for nine years now and it has been wonderful. We have not used it a lot since the start of the pandemic, but we are out and about in it as I write this.  We are seeing hundreds of motorhomes on the road. Many more than we used to see.

We hardly ever stay on campsites, but this trip we got caught short for water, so we tried to book on a Caravan and Motorhome Certified Location.  It was not easy - most were booked up - sometimes for weeks.  We finally got on one with no loos and minimal services (we did not need the hook up) for £20 per night.  All we wanted was to fill up with water. The site owner wanted payment in cash, and I'm pretty sure the club, and the taxman will know nothing about it.

We were talking to a lady in a pub who was travelling in her motorhome.  She had been to Scotland, and said it was overrun with motorhomes.

I think many of these motorhomes were bought when travelling abroad was impossible or difficult due to Covid. Many will have become very disillusioned with motorhome life due to the difficulty in finding a place to park up and the congestion on the roads, mainly caused by increased traffic due to the huge increase in "staycations".  Also, international travel has opened up again. As a result many of their motorhomes will be up for sale at the end of the summer season this year. A surge in supply will cause a dip in prices, so the end of this year would be a good time to buy.

HOWEVER, don't expect the travelling situation to get any better soon. Many people will jump on these bargains and fill up the campsites and the roads again.  And, incredibly, many places are becoming more motorhome-hostile.  I am not now allowed to park my own motorhome overnight in the Cornwall council  car park where I have parked for five years.  Another car park in Lancashire where we have parked for a few days overnight for eleven years has suddenly decided that overnight camping is not allowed.  My (perhaps cynical) guess is that the councillors have connections to camp sites and want to maximise their profits - despite the fact they are fully booked. Many in-town car parks have height barriers.

The travelling folk do not help either.  It is their chosen way of life and I believe they should be allowed to continue in it, but some compromise in their strict hygiene rules, like not using in-caravan toilets would be a reasonable compromise.  A caravan parked by some woods and the users disappearing into the trees for a pee is not a problem, but a dozen or more caravans taking over an in-town site and leaving the surrounding bushes stinking of urine, and worse, results in bans for overnight stays or height barriers for everyone.

Ultimately the market will help as more motorhome sites open up to make some money from the situation.  But that takes time due to planning regulations, and the final consequence will be even more congestion.

One more battery for the road

The Varta was 4 years old.  I had got the feeling it was a bit down on capacity, but it's a bit immaterial. I managed to flatten it by leaving it for a few weeks with a light switched on.  I must have inadvertently left it on when we unpacked the van from a previous trip. Unfortunately the weather has not been good, and the solar panel with a few hours daylight per day could not compensate for the light on 24 hours per day.

I charged up from my wonderful little Ctec battery charger. It's only 5A and so it took quite a while. But it charged up fully. Then we headed off for a 3-4 week tour up North.  The battery was good enough for a couple of overnight stays, but the o/c voltage could only reach about 12.3V and the solar panel could only pull it up to 12.5 (as opposed to the usual 13.2V.  We really need to be able to last a week or more.

It looks like technology has moved on and the LDF90 is no longer made. My goto site recommended an Exide ES900, but it looks like a Yuasa L36-EFB (enhanced flooded Battery) is even better.

But sod's law raised it's ugly head.  When I drove the van back from the storage place, the brakes did not feel right. So we took it to our local garage. Fishers garage were amazing. Despite being really busy, they replaced my front brake discs in the morning and the rear ones after their normal closing time.  They also temporarily sorted the handbrake next morning and we set off in the afternoon. I cannot recommend them highly enough.  We entrust our car and the Nuevo to their care.

As we travelled, the battery charged up from the engine, but next morning it was down to 12.3V, or 60% charged.  With some more driving around it got up to 12.8V (fully charged), but  next morning it was 12.1V, or 40% charged.
Yep, it was knackered.  So we ordered a 100Ah Yuasa L36-EFB from Tayna, who in their usual style had it delivered to a relative in Lancashire next day.  Yuasa are selling this battery for £320, Tayna are selling it for £115.
It is now fitted.

It has been in two days, and the voltage is now showing 13.2V, which means that our short drive today (20 mins tops), and the 40W solar panel have, between them, topped it up from it's work last night powering the lights and charging 3 phones, laptop, and ipad. It's only 4:30pm. the sun is still shining and the solar panel controller has disconnected the panel to prevent over charging.

I think, but for my own carelessness, I could have got quite a bit longer out of the Varta.  Hopefully I will get longer from the Yuasa.