When we first started motorhoming twenty years ago we joined the Caravan Club and the Camping and Caravan Club. After visiting the Great Dorset Steam Fair four of us, two vans, decided to go to Brixham,I did the phone booking, I told the receptionist we would like four days, the first thing she asked was how many wheels had the van got, I did a quick count and said well it has two at the front and four at the back, she said she would have to give us a super pitch as I would get stuck on the grass apparently a car and caravan wouldn’t, so we duly parked on the super pitch and put the awning up, down she came and said that would be another three pounds, by now I thought this is getting complicated, away she went, my friend returned from taking his dog for a walk and down she came again a dog was another three pounds, by now our super pitch with sea view was enshrouded in mist and I was thinking have we done right in buying a motorhome,this was the first and last time we ever stayed at a club site. During our short stay I realised what a regulated group of people these carravaners were they did not seem self thinking people and we soon realised the motor home was the right decision the Clubs were not .On travelling around for a while it became apparent that Club Members had been indoctrinated with Club rules and that those rules applied everywhere which of course they don’t. All too often I have seen Club members trying to enforce their petty rules where the simply don’t apply so I am always very wary if one appears with the dreaded sticker (to me) on the windscreen.
My latest altercation with a Club member was last year in Northern Spain when we drove onto an area by the beach where there were a few motorhomes parked of foreign registration the owners were windsurfing, on entering the area there was a huge sign in English saying no overnight stop for camping cars, adjacent to the area there was a campsite, I asked an English speaking German what was the situation for parking overnight he said no problem the police drive round twice a day without any challenge, we stayed a couple of nights and then Mr clubman arrives we had a bit of chat and he asked me about parking so I repeated what I had been told, he then to my amazement said I will ask the police when they come round if it is alright to stay overnight, I said like f--- you will if you are not happy go into the campsite, do you expect them to say yes when it clearly states you cannot, would you ask a traffic warden in the UK if you could park on double yellow lines !! thankfully he went away otherwise we may have all been asked to move on.
Wild camping for Motorhomes for us is a great club to be in, excellent informative forums, good banter and helpful members; I just hope it does not drift away from its title.
