Givendale Spaniels Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Planning a trip away is a great way to while away the winter nights, looking at those photographs of summer days on a beautiful campsite or the surrounding area lifts the winter blues no end, I love using google earth and the internet to research areas and especially for us who love to fish the French rivers its an invaluable tool from which you can just about pick your fishing peg and your pitch, AA route planner again can afford you a near military style organisation that allows all periods in between to be totally the opposite " chilled out and relaxing " we plan to spend the future years seeing here there and everywhere we can from the UK to all of Europe so much more planning to come, would love to hear fellow caravaners thoughts and plans for future trips over the coming years, month's, weeks . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hp100425ev Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I agree with you with regards to planning, google earth etc. Seems though that your trips across UK and Europe are going to be quite expensive when you have to cross from Ireland everytime to achieve them. We went across to Ireland last year, and the ferry costs wern't exactly cheap! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubble2015 Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 We are currently planning/have almost planned, our route and preferred sites for the West coast of Scotland in July. Big question is - do we book ahead at all the places where we plan to stay, which makes things rather fixed; or do we just turn up and hope the sites have availability? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesbunny Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 We are currently planning/have almost planned, our route and preferred sites for the West coast of Scotland in July. Big question is - do we book ahead at all the places where we plan to stay, which makes things rather fixed; or do we just turn up and hope the sites have availability? Depends what sites you are planning to stay on. If Bunree CC site is on your agenda, you will definitely need to book in advance. Going on the "off chance" could potentially involve a lot of time spent phoning around to find a space, so would not be my choice. 1 Quote Les. 2. 0ltr 150TDCi TITANIUM X KUGA + 2016 Elddis Crusader Mistral ( Misty ) " I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hp100425ev Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 If all planned sites are CMC, I would book them all. Changes can be made at short notice. As long as you are going to another CMC site, the 72 hour rule doesn't apply. Also, if you arrive and pay for the planned visit, if you then decide to move on, as long as you are going to another CMC site, the retention of one nights fee does not apply. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Givendale Spaniels Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 (edited) I agree with you with regards to planning, google earth etc. Seems though that your trips across UK and Europe are going to be quite expensive when you have to cross from Ireland everytime to achieve them. We went across to Ireland last year, and the ferry costs wern't exactly cheap! Belfast to Cairnryan is always cheaper to the UK, can I ask what you thought of the Campsites in the Republic which is where we live, our opinion is they are terrible, over priced and un kept with poor facilities, Northern Ireland is different again as is the UK. For us we can travel to France and back for the same price as the UK cabins and all included Edited March 17, 2017 by Givendale Spaniels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ern Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I agree with the OP about planning. I often say that there are three definite parts to a good trip: A Planning, researching and getting excited about the forthcoming. B Setting off and travelling to the place or places, then enjoying being there, returning satisfied. C Recalling the trip and browsing the photos, and recalling the memories. We have a small Study where we get set up military style to scrutinise the maps, brochures, web sits etc. Sometimes there's a map on the wall with Captain Mannerings pins strategically embedded. 1 Quote Ern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipbroker Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Givendale. .. I don't need to use the RoI caravan sites now as we have family living there,however, we did a six week grand tour a few years ago with the Irish National in the middle. ...Yes the sites in the North were more to our taste. Friends from there,who live over here, suggested we do two things, firstly put all the breakables on the caravan floor when using the roads,especially across 'the bog'...second, when we got to sites ask if they gave pensioners discounts? The first worked well, the second less so. ....only one site offered a decent discount of 20% and the use of the shower free for 10 minutes. The only other site to offer anything at all was the CMC approved site in Killarney,you know where I mean, they were surprised by the request but gave me a Euro token for the shower! We were charged for showers on all sites except a small farm site near Kilkenny. ...facilities otherwise were clean but basic and not cheap. One site we tried to book at New Year by e-mail was never answered in time,why? Because the computer was in their office and they had not been in there since September until a week before the site opened in April! Another,in Wicklow, was left in the hands of the owners elderly parents who directed me through a gap in a pine hedge. ..that had been cut the day before and scored the caravan sides!! But despite this we enjoyed our caravanning there even though it rained most days. ..the people made the difference. geoff 1 Quote Kia Sorento KX-1 CRDI 4WD towing an Elddis Affinity 530 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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