Seeing to number of sites that are becoming luxury glampsites I wonder that attention isn't being paid to the toilet blocks. If this is old thinking please forgive. If I were setting up a glampsite I would not have a conventional toilet block but instead have a block of individual loo and shower rooms for each of my Yurts or whatever. Much nicer, more privacy and likely to be even more attractive to those doubtful about camping. I think you can even buy pods of shower and toilet rooms which would also be easy to install, maintain and clean.
Improved Glamoing rather than Bushcraft
- Thread starter boatman
- Start date
Hi Boatman,
I think it's down to good old fashioned cost and maintenance.
Making up to health code customer proof toilets isn't cheap, and to do a series of individual ones vastly puts the cost up. Also potentially means plumbing in pods all over a site which means you have vulnerable water and sewage pipes running in a potentially costly way underground. (Which have to be individually drained in winter.) Also you have the daily cleaning which means staff are spread out over the site thinly instead of being there to deal with the public.
It is all possible, having run an award winning campsite with an incredibly expensive toilet block I know it would be. But unit costs would go up greatly. There isn't a huge profit in campsites and staffing is usually tight. (I was on call 24/7/365) And if you want to maintain high standards of service and cleanliness then centralised toilets blocks do help. Especially as the public think that loos are a wonderful place to dispose of odd things, and chasing blockages over a wooded massive campsite wouldn't be fun or cheap.
I think it's down to good old fashioned cost and maintenance.
Making up to health code customer proof toilets isn't cheap, and to do a series of individual ones vastly puts the cost up. Also potentially means plumbing in pods all over a site which means you have vulnerable water and sewage pipes running in a potentially costly way underground. (Which have to be individually drained in winter.) Also you have the daily cleaning which means staff are spread out over the site thinly instead of being there to deal with the public.
It is all possible, having run an award winning campsite with an incredibly expensive toilet block I know it would be. But unit costs would go up greatly. There isn't a huge profit in campsites and staffing is usually tight. (I was on call 24/7/365) And if you want to maintain high standards of service and cleanliness then centralised toilets blocks do help. Especially as the public think that loos are a wonderful place to dispose of odd things, and chasing blockages over a wooded massive campsite wouldn't be fun or cheap.
Oh OK, hadn't thought about that. To me it still seems an expensive thing to install for someone to still have to walk to. Have seen posher blocks where each shower room is a mini bathroom - nicely kitted out with good shower, loo, sink, ECO lighting etc. but still for communal use.
Suppose it wouldn't be too much more of a stretch to have a block of rooms for the glampers (another for us mere mortals), with key access and supplied towels and toiletries.
Could create some onsite divisions though a them and us? Have seen it between static vans - caravans and tenters, where the three don't really get on. Depends on how you run the site I suppose.
I had a similar idea a while back - but in my version a family pays a deposit for a "family washroom" - this there becomes there own washroom for which they have a key BUT crucially for which they are responsible for keeping clean. Deposit refunded at end of holiday on inspection.
Thus the savings from staffing contribute to the luxury of having a family washroom. (thus not having to clean up after someone else kids make a mess of a toilet/sink/shower before you can use it).
Thus the savings from staffing contribute to the luxury of having a family washroom. (thus not having to clean up after someone else kids make a mess of a toilet/sink/shower before you can use it).
If you're away on a glamping holiday, the last thing you'd want to do is finish up with marigolds and a loo brush, on your knees scrubbing...
For me, high quality communal facilities would keep most campers happy. The zenith of which would be free hot water showers. Nothing worse than standing in the shower looking up at the cobwebs, surrounded by the smell of communal toilets and the shower stops just before you're ready to rinse.
For me, high quality communal facilities would keep most campers happy. The zenith of which would be free hot water showers. Nothing worse than standing in the shower looking up at the cobwebs, surrounded by the smell of communal toilets and the shower stops just before you're ready to rinse.
Loads of campsites have free hot showers - but it's free as in "included in the pitch price".
It's available over here; sort of. Those in tents are still using communal facilities as the "primitive" sites are kept cheap to attract them. But the RVers (at least those with the medium to large rvs) have their own facilities within the RVs. Their campsights almost always (both the comercial sites as well as the State & National Parks) have individual hookups for electricity, water, and sewer at the individual RV parking spot. And usually Wifi as well at the commercial sites.
Not in Ireland they don't and when called out on it, claim "standard industry practice".
As campers ourselves, we knew what was important for a comfortable stay when setting up our site, we have five tipis, but have four showers and four toilets separated into male and female blocks, always clean and always hot water on tap, lack of showers/hot water and toilets that are not kept clean is probably the biggest complaint of most campers. We also decided to include breakfast in the price, as this is the meal most campers dislike making, our guests tell us that crawling out of the tipi in the morning and heading to the dinning room for fresh our fresh baked pastries, bread and coffee are what make the holiday luxury camping. The trouble with many campsite owners is that they are just in it for the money, they will cut corners wherever possible, providing as little as they can get away with is their default position, rather than providing the best they can.
As for providing individual facilities, this might work if you have two or three units, but on larger sites the installation costs and maintenance costs would be prohibitive, not to mention the environmental costs, all our facilities are in buildings that were already there, i.e barns, to erect lots of new buildings for facilities, would surely go against the reason for camping in the countryside.
As for providing individual facilities, this might work if you have two or three units, but on larger sites the installation costs and maintenance costs would be prohibitive, not to mention the environmental costs, all our facilities are in buildings that were already there, i.e barns, to erect lots of new buildings for facilities, would surely go against the reason for camping in the countryside.
I enjoyed camping on the Continent the one time I did it. This was the days of the central hole loo in France and my mate once had to hang from the cistern to avoid a flood that swirled round after flushing. Best campsite was in Italy where there were individual pitches separated by fragrant hedges.
We live and work on a small campsite, and the main reason things are done they way they are is cost. despite what you may read running a campsite is not a cheap affair, and you can only charge what people are willing to pay, which these days isn't much!
It's far easier to have a shower and toilet everyone uses than individual, this is not only for cost, but practicality of cleaning, maintaining and repairing (you'd be surprised at the things some people break)
The there's the main issue of building several toilets/showers, pipework, plumbing, cost of materials etc, it would take years to get any money back, and all campsites are run as a business so have to make a profit, or they close, simple.
If you work out the cost of doing it, then add that cost into the site fees, it would make the cost of staying huge, and it's better to have lots of people who pay say £15 a night than the odd few who'll pay £30 a night.
It's far easier to have a shower and toilet everyone uses than individual, this is not only for cost, but practicality of cleaning, maintaining and repairing (you'd be surprised at the things some people break)
The there's the main issue of building several toilets/showers, pipework, plumbing, cost of materials etc, it would take years to get any money back, and all campsites are run as a business so have to make a profit, or they close, simple.
If you work out the cost of doing it, then add that cost into the site fees, it would make the cost of staying huge, and it's better to have lots of people who pay say £15 a night than the odd few who'll pay £30 a night.
.....and all campsites are run as a business so have to make a profit, or they close, simple......
......it's better to have lots of people who pay say £15 a night than the odd few who'll pay £30 a night.
!!!????
-You still don't have any campsites ran by the Park Service!?
-Over here the Park Service/Forest Service campsites cost about $20-$35 a night with just water (at the individual site) and a common shower facility. Full hookups (electric, water, sewer, etc. at the individual site for RVs) cost about $45-$65 per night. At commercial campgrounds the prices are higher. Neither have any shortage of campers.
No Santaman, our Forestry Commission does indeed run campsites - some are good, some are hell. Most aren't cheap. LINK
In fact there are those of us old school foresters that think the FC is really just a warden service these days as commercial state forestry seems to be a thing of the past.
xylaria
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I have stayed somewhere we had a bathroom and washroom to ourselves. It was Fetler in the shetland isles. We were wild camping on the grounds of a manor house, and locals said it was too haunted to stay there, so they gave us the keys to the campsite, and let us stay for free. Crickey did we scrub that bathroom before we left.
There is limited amount of people that would pay premium sums for any experiance. The bed and breakfast small site tipi plan sounds lovely. I always quite liked the communal bathrooms and washrooms as part of the social experince of site camping.
There is limited amount of people that would pay premium sums for any experiance. The bed and breakfast small site tipi plan sounds lovely. I always quite liked the communal bathrooms and washrooms as part of the social experince of site camping.
Thanks GB. I thought you'd have them now. The ones over here have evolved through the last 60 years or so. The national park and forestry services are still pretty constant in offering some primyive experiences. But the state run ones are more and more catering to RVers.
I still half want to sell the house and retire just traveling in a Class C RV.
I still think that on a vast average that the privately run campsites and hostels are way better than the "Camping & Caravan Club" & "Youth Hostel Association" ones. There seems to be a predominance of nasty little Lager-Kommandant at them. One of the good sites for tracking down good camping sites is this bunch "Cool Camping" and they do some good books on the subject and other things like outdoor cooking too.
Had some bad experiences on cool camping recommended sites too. Generally good experiences on camping and caravan club sites. Use ukcampsites for reviews.
In general a single bad experience (ie a bunch of inconsiderate campers) can unfortunately put you off a perfectly good site.
xylaria
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
What puts me off C&C club sites are caravaners. OK I have just bought a caravan, that is going to get painted a tasty shade of nato drab, but henry and maud in the pitch next door going on and on about every friggen C&C club they have been to in the last 52 years of their blissful cheesy nibbled marrage. With missy the rat of a yappy dog you want to BBQ if it barks one more time. I would prefer the conversation you get from the biker gang the non club site let in, hey I dont even mind sleeping with the festival feeling of "bom bom bomm" vibrating from a sound system a 11pm that has turned up. I am not too happy at paying 20 quid a night for it though but it beats henry and maud
Here by now saying why most people on here prefer to stay in a wood or field digging hole and washing in a stream on thier own paying little or nothing for peace.
Blimey. You dont have to talk to em you know.
Beer feuled chavs who play their radios all day and swear and guffaw loudly all night are my pet hate. There always tends to be a woman with a laugh like a pychotic horse that shrilly pierces the peace and quiet. Plus the obligatory public row when things start getting honest as the beer tips the scales.
Never had that on a club site. Had it on a couple of cool camping sites.
The worst was a site in a steep sided valley selling chinese lanterns on a packed bank holiday. I had to bat one away from someones tent. The site manager didnt care. Couldv'e been very nasty.
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