Cycling UK Forum

Just to let you know how cheap our weekend meets are, here are the prices for our next three Association of Lightweight Campers (ALC) camping meets.
Prices shown are a TOTAL for TWO nights camping! All three sites are Camping and Caravan Club sites with full facilities.
You would need to be a Camping and Caravan Club member though. The additional fee of £6 per year for joining the ALC section can be sorted out later if you want to try a weekend first.
It's great fun, lots of good conversation (if you wish) and various informal events such as cycle rides, going to the theatre or seeing a tribute band, all very laid back and relaxed!
If you are interested please contact me through the message system here or via our website:
https://www.lightweightcampers.org.uk/

By the way, just to mention that we are volunteers running this, it's not a business!

Furkuk wrote: ↑26 Jan 2025, 9:50am I’ve been a member of C&CC since 2013 and never saw this group. Looks interesting. Do you have different groups for different areas? I live in the north west and cycle/camp to Hayfield or Delamere

No, but we have had meets at both Hayfield and Delamere.
The next meets are Canterbury (14 Feb), Barnard Castle (7 March) and Alton, The Star (28 March).
Let me know if you need any further information.

Just read this on "One man and his bike" by Mike Carter (a great book!):

"The site was a member of the Camping and Caravanning Club. 'It's seven pounds forty-nine for the night,' the man said. 'As you've got a one-man tent and are on a bicycle, the C&C classes you as a backpacker, see. We're always obliged to try and accommodate a backpacker, even when we're full, which we are.'"

The book was published in 2011.

Nice to see it in writing somewhere!!

Carlton green wrote: ↑7 Dec 2024, 9:11am

Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑6 Dec 2024, 12:40pm I'm not a big fan of C&CC sites, but as Nearholmer says, they're useful every now and again for showers, laundry and even kitchen. But as for them publicising the "backpacker rate", well maybe they will (though that might be self-defeating?) – but this is a club which, in its magazine, distinguished between "camping" and the minority sub-genre of camping known (to them) as "tent camping". So it's clear where their interests lie.

To my mind that’s a bit judgemental and harsh. Caravan and motor home camping can be done nearly all year round and the income from that near continuous - if peaky - activity helps - ensures even - that sites are available (open and in business) to tent campers too. One could say that their interest lies in making sites available to all and that to do so they needed to be inclusive whilst responding to business needs. From the little camping that I’ve done over the years I’d say that metal box campers were positive towards ‘canvas’ ones and vice versa. There is no us and them but there is identification to ensure that everyone is catered for.

Hi Carlton,
I think that's a very nice and intelligent observation. I can also understand Bmblbzzz's point of view.
I agree with you, metal box campers are positive towards canvas ones and I think it's really helpful to have conversations with metal box campers and site staff while we are there. Often they are especially fascinated that we can arrive on our cycles, with all the stuff we need to exist there. It's also true that there are metal box campers who were once canvas campers but for a variety of good reasons can no longer canvas camp.
As usual actually talking to each other is a great way to dispel stereotypes and make friends!

Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑6 Dec 2024, 12:40pm I'm not a big fan of C&CC sites, but as Nearholmer says, they're useful every now and again for showers, laundry and even kitchen. But as for them publicising the "backpacker rate", well maybe they will (though that might be self-defeating?) – but this is a club which, in its magazine, distinguished between "camping" and the minority sub-genre of camping known (to them) as "tent camping". So it's clear where their interests lie.

Hi Bmblbzzz, I absolutely agree but the facilities are there to be used and the price is right! Cycling UK have 70,000+ members, there are countless others who go bike packing and touring, if more of us start using their sites we might just start to change perceptions, and save some of our money too...

mattheus wrote: ↑6 Dec 2024, 1:02pm

NigelonForum wrote: ↑6 Dec 2024, 11:17am

scottm wrote: ↑6 Dec 2024, 10:16am Interesting to know that, even as a non-member, there's a reduced backpacker rate.

t's a shame this info isn't made more widely available, I can't count the amount of times I've been searching for a camp, input my details to a C&CC website and baulked at paying the very high price presented, and so looked elsewhere.

Hi scottm,
Yes, I agree, even amongst it's own members it is not well known. Perhaps the Club will recognise the great potential amongst bike packers/tourists and back packers and more openly promote the "back packer rate".

Over the years this has been mentioned many times in camping threads, and frankly the situation always seemed muddy.

So this thread is much appreciated for bringing clarity. And telling us about https://www.lightweightcampers.org.uk/ !

p.s. @nigel I think you need a couple of more "lightweight" photos for this page: https://www.lightweightcampers.org.uk/social-camping !!! ;-)

Hi Matteus,
Thanks for your positive response and your great suggestion!
I've just replaced all those pictures, they are not ideal but definitely more lightweight - told you I was a volunteer webmaster!!

scottm wrote: ↑6 Dec 2024, 10:16am Interesting to know that, even as a non-member, there's a reduced backpacker rate.

t's a shame this info isn't made more widely available, I can't count the amount of times I've been searching for a camp, input my details to a C&CC website and baulked at paying the very high price presented, and so looked elsewhere.

Hi scottm,
Yes, I agree, even amongst it's own members it is not well known. Perhaps the Club will recognise the great potential amongst bike packers/tourists and back packers and more openly promote the "back packer rate".

Nearholmer wrote: ↑5 Dec 2024, 1:13pm Even as a non-member, if you turn-up on a bike you get a huge discount.

Back in the summer I booked on-line what seemed to be a very expensive CCC site, because I wanted to stay at a very particular place, so was (reluctantly) prepared to “fork out”. When I got there, the woman at the kiosk asked for my bank card, and transferred the great majority of what I’d paid back to me! As a non-member I ended-up paying £12.50 a night.

The site was utterly immaculate, almost military level of neatness, and although she apologised that the shower block was due to be refurbished over the winter, that was exceedingly good too.

I’m not sure whether all of their sites operate the same discounting, so worth phoning in advance to ask.

Not sure I’d want to stay on CCC sites often, because I rather enjoy the much more “rough and ready” farm pop-ups, but I think I’d schedule one every three or four days, just for the shower and clothes-washing facilities.

Hi Nearholmer,
Glad to read that you had a positive experience. The "back packer" (also bike packer / tourist) rate is a bit of a black art but ringing up and calling the site seems to be the best way - actually speaking to people is often effective! I have also enjoyed cheap rates on non Club sites by calling ahead and telling them I will be arriving on a bicycle - I remember one site even had a "green rate" for such people.
The £12.50 would have been reduced if you were a member but I know you know that - other readers may not so I will mention it here.
I'm totally with you on the "rough and ready", but there are a lot of Club sites and, as PT1029 said, they have the same "Premier Inn" type standards, which are monitored by the Club.

PT1029 wrote: ↑5 Dec 2024, 12:42pm I am not a member of the light weight campers, but am a member of the "main" part of the Camping and Caravan Club. When I was school age, our family were members. I continued to cycle camp as an adult, but only recently persuaded to join by a friend, glad I did.

I am told a cyclist (and walker too I guess) will not be turned away from a Camping and Caravan Club site (but this doesn't apply to non club sites listed in the handbook/on the app which are owned/run by other parties). Having the phone app site listing, it is easy to find sites as you tour, looking at sites in about the right place (distance), book and pay before arrival, usually online as your tour progresses. After 50 years of touring, this year saw my first tour with no specific route other than approximately to Brecon and back. Each day's route being decided the day (or 2) before, being determined by where I found an appropriately located camp site.

The Club owned sites I have been to have all be friendly and efficient. A bit like Premier Inn but for camping, efficient and all quite similar, so you know what to expect. If you want small, quirky, odd ball (some of which can be nice to camp at), then non Club sites in the hand book is the place to look.

I wouldn't worry about no back packer rate on line. I have booked a normal rate, and the site reception then refund the difference. Camping on a club site is typically £7 - 8 or so. I was told the reason the back packer rate is not listed on line is that it could be, but the more pricing levels you have, the more it costs the club to have its online booking system.

Hi PT1029,
That's really helpful, additional information, thank you so much!
Your point about distinguishing between Club sites and others on the network is important, I should have said that but you can only write so much!
I don't know the reason for the back packer rate not being on the Club system, but I have also benefited from the refunds you describe. However, it's good to remember to ask for the rate, staff are generally excellent and friendly, but they are often very busy, especially at 1pm when everyone is trying to get on site!
If you fancy trying one of our ALC weekend meets please get in touch and we will see what we can arrange as you are already a Club member! If you enjoy it you could consider paying the additional £6 to join the ALC section of the club.

I’m retired and only started cycle camping about two years ago (Dawes Super Galaxy, Airnimal Rhino & Brompton). At the same time I started “social camping” with the Association of Lightweight Campers, great fun, and then I became their treasurer AND webmaster - both voluntary!

The social camping has been wonderful but I’m really fascinated with the lack of cheap camp sites, unless you wild camp, which I often do! It seems that £15-20, sometimes more, is the going nightly rate for a site with a shower and toilets.

However, many are not aware that the Camping & Caravan Club have a kind of secret “backpacker rate”. I say secret because you cannot book it through their website, you need to speak directly to the site. I have usually paid around £8, there is no fixed price, it depends on the site, less than a tenner anyway. Club sites are very well kept, the facilities are cleaned every day and they offer some very basic provisions from the site shop.

I think the big advantage, in addition to the low cost, is that if you just turn up at a Club site, without a booking, they will really do their best to find you a pitch, especially if you are a member. As we know, cycle touring or bike packing often means being very unsure how far you will get in a day, so I love being able to “drop in” to a Club site when I am ready to stop.

To join the Club it costs £53 per year (at time of writing) plus £6 per year if you also want to become a member of the Association of Lightweight Campers (ALC).

The ALC have meets that cost less than £15 total for TWO nights sometimes less. In fact I am going to Conkers site (near Moira, Leicestershire) next weekend for £9.44 total for TWO nights! At that meet some of us are walking over on the Saturday night to see John Tams at the nearby National Forest Folk Club.

If you have any questions or comments please post them here or just contact me directly!

Thanks!

Nigel Jennison

Treasurer for The Association of Lightweight Campers.

treasurer@lightweightcampers.org.uk

www.lightweightcampers.org.uk

A Section of The Camping and Caravanning Club of Great Britain.

The Camping and Caravanning Club
Greenfields House
Westwood Way
Coventry
CV4 8JH
Tel - 024 7647 5448
https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk