Caravan And Motorhome Club Benefits?

[DXX]

I’m wondering if the £54.00 annual membership for The Caravan and Motorhome Club is good value with a T6 SWB.
The only reason I’m considering it is the need to book one specific campsite which requires membership, normally I wild camp or use independent sites in the UK and Europe.
I just got a quote for insurance which seemed to omit a lot of detail, it didn’t even require a registration number or engine power. The quote came back at 60% of Brentacres price.
I also see that there are 5-10% discounts on ferries, however I’m fairly sure that I’ve read that club discounted prices can still be more expensive than other offers open to all.
Comments and experiences from Caravan and Motorhome Club members please.

 

[True Romance]

How long will you be at the site your looking to book? We stayed (camping) a few years back in Kent for over a week and the membership fee more than paid for itself with the nightly discounted rate.

 

[DXX]

Probably no more than 3-4 nights a year at the specific campsite.

 

[Andyf]

@DXX

You get a free night when you join at moment, so that will save you one nights fee
Then I think membership saves you £12 per night after that

Hope that helps

Andy

 

[Phil_G]

I wish the two clubs would come up with some reciprocal arrangement even if only a discount or a mutual agreement to skip non-member surcharges. Sometimes a stay with "the other mob" cant be avoided and as a non-member it can be really expensive.
(having typed this I've a deja-vu feeling that I might have harped on about this before...)

 

[DXX]

I’ve signed up now as no choice if I want to use the specific campsite that I need. They are a bit slow off the mark with the ‘free night’.
Next step is the sheep skin rug on the drivers seat and walking the cat on a lead every morning

 

[Tourershine]

We've been Caravan Club members for years, but rarely use the sites in the UK, other than Blackhorse Farm by the tunnel, but I think with the discount we get using just this site around 6 times a year before our crossings and the other small discounts we get as members at some European sites, it still justifies the annual membership.

I'm not afraid to say that Club sites in the UK are not really for us. They are often lovely and well kept, but the regimented way these can sometimes be run by overzealous wardens can ruin an experience for us. We are so used to the way Europeans run sites, that it's often a shock to the system to be barked orders at on the rare occasions we use club sites, not to mention the hassle we have in a European Motorhome, meaning our door is on the other side. This often leads us being told to pitch in forwards with a view of a hedge or the back of someone else's unit.

 

[dubber36]

I just wish there was an opt out of the magazine option for a lower membership fee.

 

[Tourershine]

I just wish there was an opt out of the magazine option for a lower membership fee.

Totally agree, it's just full of adverts.
I don't even bother taking it out the wrapper anymore.

I suspect that will never happen, or they'd loose that advertising income which I know through experience is very expensive.

 

[Martinf]

We joined the C&MC early last year. The reason is that it seems to have many more sites open all year as opposed to the other Club which closes most over the winter. We think the sites are better, both facilities and locations, but a bit more expensive.

As I have also commented elsewhere, our experience is that the C&MC doesn’t lock the gates at 2200 hours either. We think this practice of the other Club and some other campsites, including many abroad, to be restrictive. Does it really improve safety and security?