Cheap CS near Oban

[Deleted member 13867]

Hi Guys
Just returned from a couple of weeks touring Scotland and had no problems finding some great wild spots, however we wanted to stay within walking distance of Oban and be able to leave the 'van whilst we went exploring and could not find a suitable wild spot. We did however find a great CS site within 2 miles of Oban with a nice walk into town down a quite road and with a nice forest walk within half a mile. Its all hard standing with great views and after talking about Wild Camping the site owner said he would be prepared to offer wild campers a reduced rate of £6 a night, there is a toilet on site but he prefers green chemicals in the loo so whilst I know its not 'wild camping' it really seems a good deal if you want to visit Oban.
Anyone interested the postcode is PA34 4QB
Directions
Travel South from centre of Oban on A85 and bear left just before Glencruitten Church. Continue to Glencruitten Rd, site is approximately 2m on left (0.5m after railway bridge)
Or phone Gary 07827509207 and make sure you tell him you are a 'wildcamper' for the reduced rate.

 

[patbhoy]

Nice one Dr Dave, will be heading that way in July so will be sure to use it as a stopover to freshen up etc....
Do you have a name for the cs.

 

[Deleted member 13867]

Nice one Dr Dave, will be heading that way in July so will be sure to use it as a stopover to freshen up etc....
Do you have a name for the cs.

yep its. Glen Sonas.
hope that helps.
Dave

 

[angelaa]

We are hoping to get up there this year. Mother in law used to live in Lochgilphead. Love the butter tablet you can buy in Oban.

 

[Namder]

Be aware this is a Camping and Caravanning Club Certificated Site (hence the CS designation) and advertising this as a non-member facility is putting the owners licence in jeopardy. There must be many members on this site who are club members who will not appreciate this site being closed down.

 

[Robmac]

Be aware this is a Camping and Caravanning Club Certificated Site (hence the CS designation) and advertising this as a non-member facility is putting the owners licence in jeopardy. There must be many members on this site who are club members who will not appreciate this site being closed down.

Did I miss something? I don't think the OP said that it would be available for non members, or am I reading it wrong?

 

[Namder]

No he didn't but any member would already know of its existence if needed and the owner wouldn't/shouldn't be offering a discount to other bodies. The responses to the OP would also indicate their prior ignorance of its existence.

 

[Robmac]

No he didn't but any member would already know of its existence if needed and the owner wouldn't/shouldn't be offering a discount to other bodies. The responses to the OP would also indicate their prior ignorance of its existence.

Fair enough. I didn't know that C & CC sites were not allowed to offer discounts.

But I saw it as a recommendation for a site, there are many CL's and CS's recommended on here. I am a member and was not aware of the site (without looking it up).

 

[Namder]

Fair enough. I didn't know that C & CC sites were not allowed to offer discounts.

But I saw it as a recommendation for a site, there are many CL's and CS's recommended on here. I am a member and was not aware of the site (without looking it up).

Precisely, if you were in the area and were a member you would look it up. As a member you will realise that Cs's in Scotland are very few and far between, so to travel to one and find it full with some non-members taking up the few pitches allowed would be annoying to say the least.

 

[Robmac]

Precisely, if you were in the area and were a member you would look it up. As a member you will realise that Cs's in Scotland are very few and far between, so to travel to one and find it full with some non-members taking up the few pitches allowed would be annoying to say the least.

But that is the point I am trying to make. (Discounts aside). Nobody, neither the owner or the OP has said that non members would be allowed to stay there. And yes I could look it up, but I would rather have a recommendation from somebody who has actually stayed there.

Not wishing to argue about it, just wasn't sure about the license in jeopardy thing.

 

[angelaa]

I am a member if the c&cc as well.

 

[Obanboy666]

I am a member if the c&cc as well.

Me to.

 

[Deleted member 13867]

Just for the record.
I recommended this site to our members for this reason. We were the only people to have stayed so far this year and this was April and the owner was asking my opinion on how to attract others so i mentioned a discount for our members, as it was such a gem of a site i don't want it to be closed down for lack of visitors. I presented it as a CS which most members will or should know as is a C&CC certified site and you do need to be a member. That is why the contact details are provided for you to ring first. Don't forget these sites have overheads and no visitors eventually means no sites so by all means trawl through the Big Sites book of the C&CC and try to find a decent CS in a good location or allow a member on here to recommend one, what you do with such information is up to you i am sure the members on here are clever enough to work out the details. I am a member of the C&CC and have never been asked for my membership card on any CS despite offering to show to the site owner and it was the same with the CC and their CL sites i know this is not how the rules state it should be but with my experience that's how it is. Some money versus no money.
So to summarise This CS is a Camping and Caravanning Club Certified Site that accepts members only.
And don't forget you can join the club on site So turn up as a friend leave as a member! So you don't have to be a member to present yourself at any CS Site.
Will that do?

 

[northman]

Just for the record.
I recommended this site to our members for this reason. We were the only people to have stayed so far this year and this was April and the owner was asking my opinion on how to attract others so i mentioned a discount for our members, as it was such a gem of a site i don't want it to be closed down for lack of visitors. I presented it as a CS which most members will or should know as is a C&CC certified site and you do need to be a member. That is why the contact details are provided for you to ring first. Don't forget these sites have overheads and no visitors eventually means no sites so by all means trawl through the Big Sites book of the C&CC and try to find a decent CS in a good location or allow a member on here to recommend one, what you do with such information is up to you i am sure the members on here are clever enough to work out the details. I am a member of the C&CC and have never been asked for my membership card on any CS despite offering to show to the site owner and it was the same with the CC and their CL sites i know this is not how the rules state it should be but with my experience that's how it, is some money versus no money.
So to summarise This CS is a Camping and Caravanning Club Certified Site that accepts members only.
Will that do?

Many thanks for the heads up on this site , very useful and exactly what I was looking for for this autumn's trip to Scotland. Bet you never thought you'd have to publish such a long disclaimer for such a positive post, but there you go!!

 

[Deleted member 13867]

Many thanks for the heads up on this site , very useful and exactly what I was looking for for this autumn's trip to Scotland. Bet you never thought you'd have to publish such a long disclaimer for such a positive post, but there you go!!

That is only the abridged version, However as only one member was compelled to kindly explain the details in response to the post i can only assume most members knew the facts already.

 

[Log Man]

Oban

Hi Guys
Just returned from a couple of weeks touring Scotland and had no problems finding some great wild spots, however we wanted to stay within walking distance of Oban and be able to leave the 'van whilst we went exploring and could not find a suitable wild spot. We did however find a great CS site within 2 miles of Oban with a nice walk into town down a quite road and with a nice forest walk within half a mile. Its all hard standing with great views and after talking about Wild Camping the site owner said he would be prepared to offer wild campers a reduced rate of £6 a night, there is a toilet on site but he prefers green chemicals in the loo so whilst I know its not 'wild camping' it really seems a good deal if you want to visit Oban.
Anyone interested the postcode is PA34 4QB
Directions
Travel South from centre of Oban on A85 and bear left just before Glencruitten Church. Continue to Glencruitten Rd, site is approximately 2m on left (0.5m after railway bridge)
Or phone Gary 07827509207 and make sure you tell him you are a 'wildcamper' for the reduced rate.

We recently wanted a night wildcamping in Oban as we were booked on an early sail, the leisure centre
Is no longer available and there was a notice for no parking at the side of Tesco after 3rd March so we parked in a car park right at the side of the ferry terminal £5. Thanks for your site will bare this in mind
For future.

 

[Deleted member 13867]

No he didn't but any member would already know of its existence if needed and the owner wouldn't/shouldn't be offering a discount to other bodies. The responses to the OP would also indicate their prior ignorance of its existence.

May i just offer my opinions as you seem to be very well versed in Camping Club rules and have chosen to take my original post out of context. You say any member would / could know of its existence this is true if anyone took the time and effort to look, however the small space in the book does not do it justice neither does the vague pricing statement in the book. I have also written a review on the CC&C site this has not yet been published so they must be too busy trying to sell Camping Pods and Chalets to non members at extortionate rates but i digress. Wild camping around Oban is scarce to non existent so I thought a heads up would be a good idea as a lot of wild campers are also club members and as being a member of both the CC&C and wildcamping is not illegal then neither is the fact that the site owner is so desperate to get people visiting his site because only us have visited so far this year 'that's one in four months' you will appreciate that this take up will not keep any site viable and to facilitate more visitors he is is offering our members who are also CC&C members a bit of an incentive and why should he not do this? perhaps he should just close the site and have done with it. This discount was my idea as i don't want such sites to die from lack of interest. I could have also suggested he changed from the CC&C to the motorcaravanners club who allow non members to stay on their certified sites. Also just out of interest how would anyone else staying on any site know that you were not a club member as even a police officer could not demand you produce your membership card and the club does not know your registration details and even if they did the data protection act would prevent disclosure.
And finally just a link to one of the many web sites that also promote certified sites outside of the club website and big sites book.
Glen Sonas Certificated Site , Oban Campsites, Argyll
Best Regards

 

[champstar]

If he has a small space of land he could claim it is a rally field and allow non-members to camp.

It is hard for these guys to make anything out of a cs and someone quibbling about offering a discount and allowing non- members to camp goes against the ethos of community spirit of this forum. I understand that rules is rules but if no one complains then lets do the guy a service and use his site at £6 a night it is a good deal and close to Oban for ferries etc

As had been said you can get a membership form for the C&CC on site and just forget to post after you leave...job done.

I had looked at a potential business opportunity not far from Oban and looked into getting a MCC cert but the landowner objected and that was that.

I know someone on this forum is a britstop member and also has a cs so it can be done. I go to Oban often and will give this guy a try out.....and yes I am a member before I start WWIII...lol

 

[frontslide]

2 weeks ago i sent an email to 2 sites in the west of Scotland, 1 a caravan and camping club site and 1 a caravan club site, stating that i would be in the area the following week and asking what the possibilities of staying at there site would be stating that i am not a member of any type of caravan or camping club and did not know the precise days i would be in their area. Both responses were similar in as much as ring the day before and if they had space it wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Deleted member 13867]

2 weeks ago i sent an email to 2 sites in the west of Scotland, 1 a caravan and camping club site and 1 a caravan club site, stating that i would be in the area the following week and asking what the possibilities of staying at there site would be stating that i am not a member of any type of caravan or camping club and did not know the precise days i would be in their area. Both responses were similar in as much as ring the day before and if they had space it wouldn't be a problem.

This is exactly our experience, The site needs income and non members money is as good, probably better than members money. Of course if they were constantly full of members this would not be an issue.