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campsites have a no-turnaway policy for cyclists

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J1234 04 Mar 2021



I am reading this https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Ht&page_id=606489&v=kZ...

and saw this  "State park campsites have a no-turnaway policy for cyclists"

what's the situation generally for cyclists with campsites, booking in advance is a PITA as you might go much farther than intended or much less.

Do campsites tend to make an effort generally or is it a case of "We are full guv" next campsite is 20 mies and over that hill.

 

Post edited at 08:30
 ScraggyGoat 04 Mar 2021
In reply to J1234:

Completely variable.  Its very useful to research in advance your options as not only may you get turned away, you may find that the site has morphed into a caravan/motorhome only, or holiday park static caravan site, and some sites have a minimum number of nights.

The touring canvas camper are viewed by some as to be not worth the effort.

The worst jobsworths tend to be the Caravanning and Camping Club sites.

My worst experience was early season to find a site open, but having gone static only, still having plenty of grass and the central ablution block open. No we couldn't camp, but we could hire a static for hundreds of pounds for one night. Once we made it clear that wasn't going to happen, it was a case of the next site mate is 20 miles (back the way we came) in X.

Decided to sleep on the beach, after some grub. Which led to one of my best experiences. Posh hotel, dripping smelly cyclists, can we come in for a bar supper. Yes, and don't be silly we treat ordinary people like royalty, and royalty like ordinary people, your most welcome .  Get to the bar, the barman looks at us and says, pop out for your bikes I'll open the side gate and put them in the delivery yard, I'll be looking straight at them from the bar and I'll lock the gate as well.

Couple of pints later, can we look at the bar menu?, certainly & takes our order. Twenty minutes later the Owner walks through from the main restaurant, would be delighted to serve us in the main restaurant and won't take no for answer. Completely pristine white cloth tables, multiple sparkling glasses per person, immaculately laid out, attentive but unobtrusive table service, (very good) food comes through including a big pile of extra spuds as the chief thought we might 'make use of them'.  Was only going to have two courses, we ended up having three, a bon bush and a night cap.

Sadly the static site is still running, and the hotel has since gone bust....no justice in the world.

J1234 04 Mar 2021
In reply to ScraggyGoat:

I go to the Inn at Whitwell regular because "Yes, and don't be silly we treat ordinary people like royalty, and royalty like ordinary people, your most welcome" and yes the Camping and Caravanning club are like Stalag Luft 21. Sadly I do not think climbing clubs come out well here in welcoming a wandering camper.

Post edited at 09:27
 gethin_allen 04 Mar 2021
In reply to ScraggyGoat:

The cynic in me says that the hotel probably knew they weren't doing particularly well and needed to do everything they could to make a few ££ from you, whereas the static caravan site was probably spoiling some fantastic view in a very sought after location and knew they could charge what the hell they wanted and be as rude as they like because their beds were made.

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 DaveHK 04 Mar 2021
In reply to gethin_allen:

> The cynic in me says that the hotel probably knew they weren't doing particularly well and needed to do everything they could to make a few ££ from you,

I don't think you can fake the kind of welcome and service ScraggyGoat describes. Not for a few quid anyway.

 DaveHK 04 Mar 2021
In reply to J1234:

We've only been turned away once and that was a big static site like ScraggyGoat describes.

I think things are going to be a bit different for a while though and I'll probably try to book ahead or at least phone to see what the situation is for any tours I do over the summer. It kills a bit of the flexibility of touring but I think I can live with that right now

The time we got turned away we also ended up in a hotel. It wasn't nice like Scraggygoat's but it did give us a few stories. The bath in the room was covered in fish scales. The romantic in me thought that maybe someone had pulled a mermaid but the reality is more likely that they'd been gutting fish in the bath.  This was in Newfoundland so anything is possible.

 gethin_allen 04 Mar 2021
In reply to DaveHK:

> I don't think you can fake the kind of welcome and service ScraggyGoat describes. Not for a few quid anyway.


But you do hear a lot about good people trying to rescue businesses that have been run down due to the previous bad management.

Who knows.

 Jim Lancs 04 Mar 2021
In reply to gethin_allen:

I think you've had a bum deal from the Camping and Caravan Club sites. You should write to them with all the details as they will be interested. Cycle campers were one of the original founding groups of the club and a lot of their original campsites (including the one's around London) were bought in places that were a 'Friday evening's ride after work' distance from the city centres. The sites were bought in the 1920s when people realised that the expansion of the towns would soon drive suitable farm based campgrounds beyond a reasonable cycling distance from the cities.  There is still a special cheap rate for cycling campers (on a par with French municipal sites) and you shouldn't ever be turned away. I never have been.

These days old people in their campervans often complain that the London sites aren't really convenient for visiting Buckingham Palace, etc forgetting they were bought for people escaping the city. Sadly many of the staff who run the sites also assume that retired couples like them with their expensive vans are the 'norm' as that's who they deal with 99.9% of the time. But that's not the case.

PS I've only ever failed once to get onto a French campsite with my bike, although I have had some odd pitches including the grass in the middle of a little roundabout at the site entrance. I arrived late afternoon at the city site in Beaune in the middle of August after a long day in 35 degree heat. The owner said he physically didn't have a bit of grass left that was big enough for my tent. But he gave me a beer and said that if I could wait an hour he would run me out to his brother's site at Nuits St Georges. I thanked him but said I could go on that far. When I arrived the 'brother' said there would be no charge and gave me a lovely bottle of wine for supper. I left late the next morning.

Post edited at 11:01
 gethin_allen 04 Mar 2021
In reply to Jim Lancs:

> I think you've had a bum deal from the Camping and Caravan Club sites.

I didn't make any comment about camping and caravan club sites, the only sites I have issues with are those that have crazy rules like long minimum stays and no single sex groups (which I am surprised that they can get away with).

As a kid, in a group of 3-4 we used to cycle from Cardiff to the Gower or Pembrokeshire over a few days, camping at various sites. These days we couldn't do this because nowhere would give us a pitch for one night and nowhere would take a group of 3-4  15-16 y/o unaccompanied boys, despite the fact that we'd have cycled ~40miles every day with heavy bikes and were in no fit state to cause trouble even if we wanted to.

Some of the sites around Gower are terrible for this with minimum 4-5 night stays, and they wonder why campervans free camp on the top of Cefn bryn, complaining about it and lobbying for banning it.

 Jim Lancs 04 Mar 2021
In reply to gethin_allen:

> I didn't make any comment about camping and caravan club sites

Sorry- wrong reply button.

 DaveHK 04 Mar 2021
In reply to gethin_allen:

> no single sex groups (which I am surprised that they can get away with).

We turned up at Malham to climb once and were told they didn't take 'groups of guys'. There were 3 of us. Fortunately I'd been there beore and knew he was better disposed to climbers than other groups and he let us in.

Post edited at 12:35
Removed User 04 Mar 2021
In reply to J1234:

> and saw this  "State park campsites have a no-turnaway policy for cyclists"

> what's the situation generally for cyclists with campsites, booking in advance is a PITA as you might go much farther than intended or much less.

> Do campsites tend to make an effort generally or is it a case of "We are full guv" next campsite is 20 mies and over that hill.

That article is about the US where not being able to stay at a campsite could be a real pain at the very least.

 Andrew W 04 Mar 2021
In reply to J1234:

The only times I've had difficulty staying at a campsite was last summer when places were much more strict on numbers and having toilet facilities. Last summer I tended to work out roughly where I wanted to finish then look for campsite then ring and book the night before or at lunch time.

Normally I've just looked up campsites near the distance I was planning on riding and just rocking up, only had this not work twice, one when it was closed and another when there was a car meet and it was a small site. Mostly its worked really well with the occasional free or discounted stay, most campsites I've used are really welcoming of cycle tourers, and often directed to the quieter parts of campsite away from motorhomes or caravans.

Post edited at 15:46
In reply to J1234:

When I made possibly the world's most disorganised attempt at Lands End to John O'Groats, I was never turned away from any camp site despite several being nominally "full".

In reply to J1234:

> and yes the Camping and Caravanning club are like Stalag Luft 21.

We holidayed by caravan as a kid. The Caravan Club sites were the most snooty of the lot. We weren't members. We tried our best not to stay at them unless last resort. That would be up to 1980.

I see they're now the 'Caravan & Motorhome Club'. I bet that grates with some of the old school...

J1234 04 Mar 2021
In reply to Jim Lancs:

> I think you've had a bum deal from the Camping and Caravan Club sites. You should write to them with all the details as they will be interested. Cycle campers were one of the original founding groups of the club and a lot of their original campsites (including the one's around London) were bought in places that were a 'Friday evening's ride after work' distance from the city centres. The sites were bought in the 1920s when people realised that the expansion of the towns would soon drive suitable farm based campgrounds beyond a reasonable cycling distance from the cities.  There is still a special cheap rate for cycling campers (on a par with French municipal sites) and you shouldn't ever be turned away. I never have been.

>

Thats really interesting, my friend who introduced me to the CCC and has fed my perceptions of the attitudes of the CCC, is a very keen cyclist, I shall ask him if he knew of this other side to the club. Possibly as he should try turning up on a bike instead of his Hymer motor home.

 OwenM 04 Mar 2021
In reply to J1234:

Not tried cycle over there but have heard from others who have that campsites are very much geared towards motorhomes. Small tents are generally unwelcome. 

J1234 04 Mar 2021
In reply to Removed User:

Yes I should have said I am really thinking about Europe and UK, but looking at some of the pictures on that blog, cycling in the USA looks tempting in the longer term.

 ScraggyGoat 04 Mar 2021
In reply to J1234:

A mate who lost his job a few years back cycled solo coast-to-coast across the USA, absolutely loved it, and surprisingly said the standard of driving around cyclists was much, much better than the UK.  Essentially if a driver sees you they will plan and provide plenty of space, the worry being the ones on cruise control not paying attention in a daze.

Removed User 04 Mar 2021
In reply to J1234:

I recall being at the quiet end of Death Valley where a road disappeared off into the distance heading for the next settlement. There was a sign there saying the next settlement was 85 miles away and there wasn't any water in between. It seemed to be a popular cycle trip, I assume there was a campsite with water at the other end of the road.

J1234 04 Mar 2021
In reply to Removed User:

I cannot conceive of cycling Death Valley, we drove from Vegas to Bishop and I recall the Sat Nav showing the road arrow straight for mile after mile, and obviously the heat. 

 Dave Cundy 05 Mar 2021
In reply to J1234:

Me and a mate did an impromptu trip from Bristol to Cornwall, last September.  Ringing uo before leaving, I found loads of sites that were either closed  (for the duration of covid 19) or full.

When we actually set off, we did indeed find many that were full (ofter, pensioners who didn't fancy joining the masses in Jul or Aug).  That said, the site managers were very accomodating and squeezed us in somewhere.

I think Covid will be more of an issue this year than snotty campsite managers.

The only time we've been turned away was in Sweden. So we jumped on the ferry to Denmark and spent our money there, instead.


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