Pitch price

[poppycamper]

I bet they get a high turnover of staff because they get fed up with all the motorhome owners moaning, haha

Is it only moaning motorhomers then??? Are Tuggers and Tenters immune to moaning?

 

[Lenny HB]

I think the question should be on a caravan or tent forum, motormes don't need full facilities just somewhere to empty & fill up every few days.

 

[poppycamper]

I think the question should be on a caravan or tent forum, motormes don't need full facilities just somewhere to empty & fill up every few days.

And contriary to what some think also dont need leccy

 

[shawn&emma]

I think the question should be on a caravan or tent forum, motormes don't need full facilities just somewhere to empty & fill up every few days.

I agree that Motorhomes shouldn’t need facilities, we only need water and waste when away but there’s a very big % of motorhome owners that will only use sites with full facilities. I’ve not statistics but id be pretty confident more use full sties than don’t.
I’ve worked on three big touring sites over the last few years and the higher percentage of users are Motorhome/camper vans etc.
Has there been a poll on fun to ask just that question, do you use a site with full facilities or one with just basic or wilding.

 

[Lenny HB]

there’s a very big % of motorhome owners that will only use sites with full facilities. I’ve not statistics but id be pretty confident more use full sties than don’t.

My apply to the UK but we hardly ever camp in the UK.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[On the road again]

As mentioned above the cost of land, of acquiring the site and putting in services plays a major part . I would imagine any acre of land anywhere in eg Spain & France can be bought for less than a 10th of that at say Baltic Wharf so not so much the knee jerk mantra of 'rip off Britain' but more a longer more considered look at ALL the factors.
As was also said working to a 10% margin is far too near edge to be a sustainable business.
Think of the pricing another way ( again fom hotels) Say 2 identical 100 pitch sites have one selling 60 pitches at £80 and another selling 70 pitches at £70.Obvioulsy the 1st one is doing better isn't it?. Higher prices, less work.No it's not
The first is generating 80 x£60= 4800 per night , an average of £48. 00 per AVAILABLE pitch.
The second is generating 70x£70=4900 per night, an aversgee of £49 per AVAILABLE pitch.
Extrapolate that over a year and the second is generating 365 x £100 =£36500 more per year to at least cover costs and even generate a bit more profit.
Remember you can't ever sell last night's unsold pitch so it's not as simple as just looking at the headline price.That's why now, in large hotels, the most important job is that of the Revenue Manager who is charged with optimising those returns on an hourly basis to respond to the market and the competition.That's why prices can change whilst your looking at them on screen.Get a good revenue manager and then you can start to dream of hwo to spend that bonus.(I did!!)
Now imagine a campsite owner has to deal with all that as well as operating and maintaining a site.

 

[Barryh]

My wife and I owned a campsite from which we needed to make our living, so I can give you a crude idea of what it cost in 2012 to break even on a 70 pitch campsite in the countryside.

Our site had EHU to every pitch and unmetered electricity was included in the nightly pitch fee. We opened usually for 7.5 months of the year as there was insufficient trade from November through February. We employed 2 staff for 6 months of our season. We offered discounts for seniors and other non-peak season discounts to drive occupancy.

Over the course of a 235 night season we would expect average occupancy of around 55% or around 9000 pitch nights. Selling bank holiday and good weather weekends was relatively easy, selling anything in a wet and cold April and October not so easy. I dare say occupancy rates are higher now.

Our average pitch fee then was about £20.5. Our annual running costs including all the services mentioned by the OP, plus mortgages, loans, VAT, business rates etc but excluding capital expenditure for which we may have have borrowed more money, came to around £120,000 per annum. So in an average year and crudely calculated £120k divided by 9000 nights is £13.33 per night pitch fee needed before we started making any money. What’s left didn’t exactly fund the champagne lifestyle that some folk imagine we led. Mind you working 6 or 7 days a week in-season and our out of season site works provided reduced opportunity to spend it.

 

[Langtoftlad]

Interesting just over 12 hours into the thread nearly 700 views and 19 reply’s but only two saying how much they would charge after having a good think about it for them to be able to make money.

It's an impossible question to answer...
Without knowing:
The price of the land
The cost of the infrastructure
The level of borrowing
The number of employees
The business rates
The occupancy
The competition
Opening dates

And any other variable that applies.

 

[Mikey RV]

It's an impossible question to answer...
Without knowing:
The price of the land
The cost of the infrastructure
The level of borrowing
The number of employees
The business rates
The occupancy
The competition
Opening dates

And any other variable that applies.

I agree it’s a very difficult question to answer and it’s how long is a piece of string. But saying that peaple now how much it is to run there house, car etc over a year and can get an idea when they look around a campsite and start adding up the cost and will see how quickly it all adds up.
I don’t want this thread to get into a slanging match between peaple but just to realize how much things cost. We all have motorhomes that cost a lot of money and want to use them to travel to different places but don’t want to pay to stay at them places.

 

[RIL7979]

I like to work out how much the site takes each night by mutilpiling the number of vans by the cost per pitch, you will be surprised by how high the amount is. I would rather pay for a pitch with EHU, water and waste and extra for the showers etc if used (tokens). Happy to pay £25 per night

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Ivory55]

Is it only moaning motorhomers then??? Are Tuggers and Tenters immune to moaning?

No I bet they moan as much

 

[Barryh]

I like to work out how much the site takes each night by mutilpiling the number of vans by the cost per pitch, you will be surprised by how high the amount is. I would rather pay for a pitch with EHU, water and waste and extra for the showers etc if used (tokens). Happy to pay £25 per night

What a site takes on the nights you are there to observe is irrelevant unless you know the other side of the equation.

 

[tboy]

If you belong to a members club,another factor they should consider is there members position, gas up, wages static,
morg up,ect all things should be look at. not market rate is ,surely thats what a members club is for.

 

[TDub49]

Good to see that this post has encouraged some sensible and informed discussion and maybe dampened down the knee-jerk "How much?" type comments that are made without maybe thinking about what is involved cost wise for the campsite providers. As a few have pointed out it is not an easy question to answer unless you know what costs are involved that help the site manager to calculate their offer.

Comments like "I am paying such and such" for a pitch in one place/country and that therefore if someone at another place/country asks for more, they are "ripping us off" are just irrelevant really. In the end the system works on what people are prepared to pay for something and it's maybe best left at that.

 

[gus-lopez]

But saying that peaple now how much it is to run there house, car etc over a year

I don't think you will find many that do? I've only ever met one couple in my life who actually budgeted.
When I worked I had no idea what the costs where, just paid them and worked longer if more money was needed for outgoings.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Ivory55]

I don't think you will find many that do? I've only ever met one couple in my life who actually budgeted.
When I worked I had no idea what the costs where, just paid them and worked longer if more money was needed for outgoings.

I have no idea what stuff costs but I am told by the other half I can’t afford it. Haha

 

[Itsmcb]

How about £70 a night? That's what Three cliffs bay campsite in the Gower are charging this year and they are already almost solidly booked all summer. I mentioned them last year as being expensive and they were (only!) charging £50 a night then.

 

[Lenny HB]

I don't think you will find many that do? I've only ever met one couple in my life who actually budgeted.
When I worked I had no idea what the costs where, just paid them and worked longer if more money was needed for outgoings.

My boss records every penny spent in an accounts program & can go back over 20 years and find out what we paid for everything.

 

[Emmit]

Last year Ashbourne Heights, full facility site in Derbyshire charged me £16 a night (£112 a week) for a grass pitch with ehu. Non school holiday but main season.
At the time Ashbourne was owned by a group that owned 6 sites.

I booked and have organised a rally there for this year.

Shortly after I had booked, Ashbourne's Company was sold to an even bigger Company.

This year, as a result of Ashbourne rally being over subscribed, I tried to buy some more pitches. They would be regular pitches but not on the Fun field.
The price? With a 12+percentage discount,
£245 for the week ie £35 per night.
Make of that what you will.

 

[Drexxer]

Emmit, We're there with friends for the second May bank holiday, £48 per night!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Bleau’s]

One site came on the market yesterday 60 pitches plus owners park home with a £212-000 turnover with a valuation of offers in excess of £1.3 just think how many nights it would take to repay that let alone some profit.

 

[Rosemary1]

I don't think you will find many that do? I've only ever met one couple in my life who actually budgeted.
When I worked I had no idea what the costs where, just paid them and worked longer if more money was needed for outgoings.

I did/do - as I am trying to calculate how much I will need for everyday expenses before I retire/review pension - scary scary stuff, especially as we have gone well over food and utility costs. Down on some other item so still able to manage.

 

[MitchandJenny]

Haven't a clue about the costs of running such a site. If I was running a site it would be the sort I would wish to stay on myself ie good location water and dumping. Under £10. No toilets or ehu which are expensive to install and run, and motorhomes mainly don't need.

It’s called an Aire.

Mitch

 

[Dazza 6863]

I think £30/40 per night (max four people) is fair if near to a town or city, the further out it is the cheaper it should be IMO.

 

[Reallyretired]

It’s called an Aire.

Mitch

Why we usually only go abroad, however there is Setthorns in the New Forest which we occasionally stay at which fits all except the price

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[On the road again]

I did/do - as I am trying to calculate how much I will need for everyday expenses before I retire/review pension - scary scary stuff, especially as we have gone well over food and utility costs. Down on some other item so still able to manage.

I did the same just before retirement- and never stopped!I now have monthly accounts going back to 2007 and including all holidays, trips, tours etc.
I do like a spreadsheet and am just about to reconcile yetserday's spend from the shopping, drinks, dining out. Today will be much easier as it's absolutely hissing down here in Benicassim.

 

[Poursay]

I wonder if people who say “ we always go abroad because it is much cheaper to camp there “ factor in the cost eg ferry, tunnel, fuel, dog passports etc when assessing the cost against a UK holiday

 

[gus-lopez]

I wonder if people who say “ we always go abroad because it is much cheaper to camp there “ factor in the cost eg ferry, tunnel, fuel, dog passports etc when assessing the cost against a UK holiday

It would only be the ferry or tunnel price as fuel would be used wherever you went.the dog has to have the same jabs & vaccinations even if he is at home ?

 

[Tonks]

I don't think you will find many that do? I've only ever met one couple in my life who actually budgeted.
When I worked I had no idea what the costs where, just paid them and worked longer if more money was needed for outgoings.

I do. I started budgeting when I bought my first flat as I'd've been in serious trouble without doing so at that point, and it's been a habit ever since. I set up budget spreadsheets for each financial year, and I also have a monthly one. I know exactly what goes out for all regular costs, and how much money is allocated for varying costs like food shopping.

 

[nicholsong]

One site came on the market yesterday 60 pitches plus owners park home with a £212-000 turnover with a valuation of offers in excess of £1.3 just think how many nights it would take to repay that let alone some profit.

If that is a freehold site what is the land worth?

Deduct that from the £1.3m and that is what you are paying for the 'business'. Then start the calculations again.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}