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OF THE CAMPING AND CARAVANNING CLUB
  
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Guide to Rallying

The following is not intended as a comprehensive guide to rallying but might give you some idea of what to expect.
Every District Association (DA) or Section organises meets for Camping & Caravanning Club members. Take a look at your membership card and it will tell you which DA you have been assigned to (it is done by postcode) and you are entitled to vote at that DAs AGM. After a year of membership you could even be elected onto that DAs committee. However, as a member of the Camping and Caravanning Club you are quite free to attend any other DA or Sections meets. There is usually no need to book, you can just turn up. Occasionaly some meets will have to be booked but this would mainly be if the meet is very popular or held on a small site (Clare Priory is a prime example in Eastern Region). If you do have to book it will be stated in Out and About (the magazine that comes with the main magazine) or on the units website.

So you've decided on which weekend to go away and where - what next? Get your battery charged up. You will be going to a field with a tap and elsan point and probably nothing else. Normally there won't be an electric hook up so you're going to have to manage on your battery. You might ask how are you going to keep the TV and Sky box going all weekend on a 12v battery and the truth is - you won't. What you will find, if you can bear to tear yourself away from the box and get out of your van is that very few of the people around you have TVs with them. They may have bought them out when they first started rally camping but got fed up lugging a big lump around with them that they never used. You'll find that they are all talking to each other and don't miss Friday and Saturday TV at all. We'll always find a way to watch the World Cup though!!

A fully charged battery could easily last you over a week especially when the weather is warmer. You'll find yourself sitting out under the stars having a drink and chatting the night away. There's always someone with a funny story or joke. There is a tendency for people to sit in a circle and it can look like a closed group. Please do not feel that you can not join that circle. You'll see other poeple walking over to the circle with chairs and the circle will expand to allow them in. It is very daunting to walk over to the circle but you will soon find out why we are called "The Friendly Club". It's not an idle tag line - it is the truth!!

When you arrive on site you will be greeted by the Steward. They need to take a few details and make sure that you are a member of the Club. They'll let you know where the water tap and elsan are. There may be some entertainment (which you are free to take part in or not - the choice is yours) and they'll tell you when and where it is. They'll want to take your site fee, usually something between £10 and £16 for the weekend and that includes all your children, dogs, awnings, pup tents. Some stewards will park you on a pitch, most will let you park wherever you would like to (as long as you are 20 feet from the next unit) and in whichever direction you want. Children can camp in their own tents next to your unit if they wish.

Since we just mentioned children can I tell you about the kids on a DA meet. Every one of them knows that they must not leave the field without their parents so they tend to play within the rally field. They also all know that we know who they are and who their parents are and it tends to make them behave impeccably. Obviously there is the odd little problem but you can go to a children's meet with 80 plus children and almost not know that they are there. It is a fantastic sight to see a car pull up on site and the back doors fly open and kids shoot off in all directions to meet up with their mates only returning when they get hungry. No Playstations, no TV, no boredom!!!

We've got a set of rules that we have to follow and at first sight they may seem overbearing and very regimental. Once you start understanding why they are there, it all starts making sense. Every one of them is there to ensure that you enjoy your weekend, but also that those near you enjoy themselves as well. We've all got different tastes in music for example and you might not want to be listening to my music all day and all night. We have a 5mph speed limit (which is just about walking speed) because it is suprising how far a car will skid on wet grass or how fast a child can run out from behind a van.

If you think of something not covered here then email me, Mark Walland. and ask the question. There could be 20 other people asking themselves exactly the same question. After a few years of rallying you tend to forget the questions you had in the beginning, so please forgive me.

At the end of the day, rallying may not be the thing for you - no problem, maybe the Club Sites or Certificated Sites are your thing but I keep meeting members who have been in the Club for many years and have only just discovered rallying. Now they are kicking themselves for not trying it earlier. You don't want to start kicking yourself in 10 years time now do you? Please give rallying a try, even with a couple of different DAs or sections (they are all different) and if you don't like it then let that DA know why - they want you to join them. If you do like it, then welcome to the Friendly Club.

Below is the complete extract from the Code of Camping for DA members.
Code of conduct for organising Meets and Temporary Holiday Sites

General

  1. It is assumed that all participants will be familiar with the Code for Campers and the Caravan Code which can be found in Your Big Sites Book.
  2. Meets are open to members of the Club only, in accordance with the Certificate of Exemption under which they are run.
  3. Proof of Club membership is to be shown by participating members when properly demanded.
  4. One named person is to be responsible overall for the conduct of the meet or the Temporary Holiday Site.
  5. Campers should not arrive before the published opening time and must not occupy the site in the absence of a properly appointed steward. To do so is often a source of conflict with the landowner and is outside the provisions of the Club’s exemptions under which meets and Temporary Holiday Sites are held.

Safety on a site

  1. All vehicles must be restricted to 5mph on the meet field and learner drivers are not allowed. Vehicles must be parked at right angles to any slope.
  2. Units, excluding guy ropes, must be 6m apart from adjacent units. This is a precaution against fire. Vehicles can be parked between units, provided that a 3m clear space is left within the 6m gap at all times.
  3. Children’s pup tents can be classed as an integral part of a unit, in the same way as an awning, when they are occupied by children and when no appliance with a naked flame is used in or close to them. This means that a child’s pup tent is not required to comply with the 6m rule and can be pitched close to the parent’s unit.
  4. Stewards may instruct campers to take down their awnings and gazebos on safety grounds.
  5. Open fires are not, in general, allowed except with the permission of the steward and in a place agreed with them. Barbecues should also be agreed with the Steward and sited well away from tents, vans, awnings, etc.
  6. It is strongly recommended that all members’ units carry a suitable BS/EN3 approved fire extinguisher or fire blanket and that everyone should be aware of how to use the one they have. Buckets of water placed outside units are also useful as near-to-hand fire fighting equipment. It is also recommended that at least one extinguisher of AFFF six-litre or one 3kg dry powder extinguisher is provided for use by the Stewards in charge of the meet or Temporary Holiday Site.
  7. It is advisable that each member’s unit should have a first aid kit.

General behaviour

  1. Respect should be shown to the landowner’s property – trees, fences, farm buildings, equipment and stock.
  2. Dogs and other pets must be kept under control at all times. No animal is allowed to be loose on the site and must always be on a lead not more than 2m long if outside a unit. Members must remove any droppings left by their pets.
  3. The Steward may instruct any camper to remove their pet from the site if, in their opinion, it creates a nuisance.
  4. It is forbidden to fly kites and model aircraft and to use catapults, airguns, firearms, bows and arrows, etc., on site. Ball games are permitted only with permission of the Steward on an open space well away from units.
  5. Each pitch must be left clear of litter at the end of the meet or Temporary Holiday Site, and a careful check made before leaving the field that no litter has been left behind.
  6. Noise should be kept at a minimum from radios, televisions and other sources, e.g. generators, and there should be no noise whatsoever between 11pm and 7am.
  7. Campers may only use generators with the Steward’s permission. If a Steward considers the use of a generator to be causing a nuisance then he may ask the camper to stop using the generator or else leave the site.
  8. Cars should not be driven on the camping field if at all possible when the ground is wet – to prevent damage to the field.

Public health

  1. There must be a clear differentiation between drinking water taps and water supplied for cleansing chemical closets. The two uses must never overlap.
  2. The arrangements made for the disposal of waste water and chemically treated sewage must be agreed with the landowner, and must take full account of the need to safeguard water supplies and to prevent pollution of rivers and streams.
  3. The contents of chemical toilets must not be disposed of on the site except into the disposal point agreed with the landowner.
  4. Similarly, waste water must not be disposed of except as agreed in paragraph 22. Members must collect waste water in a receptacle, even when using a waste water filter unit, and should not allow it to overflow and foul the ground.
  5. The Steward is asked to give special consideration to the disposal point requirements at the time of the initial site survey. They should bear in mind that the disposal point should not be sited:
    1. Adjacent to a spring, stream or river.
    2. Adjacent to a well, borehole or adit.
    3. In an area used as a gathering ground for water supply purposes unless authorised.
    4. In the same area more than once in the season.
 

Potential sites found in category 3 above should be avoided unless arrangements have been made with the river authority. If a DA or Section is particularly anxious to utilise such areas, then the appropriate river authority should be consulted in every case as early as possible, and its advice sought concerning waste disposal methods.

  1. It is recommended that participants who use their own chemical toilets ensure that they are properly charged with one of the biological-based toilet fluids.
  2. The disposal sites should be filled in with the excavated earth at the conclusion of the meet or THS and, where possible, the disturbed turf replaced.
  3. Members attending meets must take their refuse home with them if receptacles are not provided.
  4. At meets or THSs, where refuse is to be collected however, refuse receptacles should be used and the subsequent disposal of the contents in a proper manner should be arranged with the landowner. In particular, the Steward is asked to ensure that:
  5. The landowner undertakes to ensure the proper disposal of the refuse.
    1. OrThe local authority is requested to collect. Or
    2. Where an independent contractor is engaged they must be a licensed carrier. The licence must be inspected by the organisers each time a contractor is engaged.
  6. Under no circumstances should refuse be emptied into the disposal point.
  7. Essential repairs to vehicles can be carried out so that an unserviceable vehicle can leave site, but maintenance and servicing are not permitted. Stewards have the authority to allow vehicle and unit washing provided it can be done discreetly, away from campable ground and with suitable drainage.

Trading

  1. Trading is not allowed at a Meet or THS unless authorised by the Steward. Touting and commercial advertising are forbidden. Campers must not advertise services and goods for sale at Meets except with the permission of the Steward. A firm’s car or van which has the firm’s name and description on the sides is acceptable at Meets.

Choice of venue

  1. Care should be taken when arranging Meets on land immediately adjacent to a Certificated Site to avoid a clash of interests with members using the CS and with people living locally. A clear and permanent boundary, e.g, hedge or fence is required to separate the two activities.
  2. Meets or Temporary Holiday Sites on land adjacent to licensed sites are not permitted unless approved by the local authority.
  3. Meets or Temporary Holiday Sites must not be arranged on prominent sites: sites close to particularly sensitive areas such as Nature Reserves; venues very close to houses other than the landowner’s; on land where it is known that planning permission for camping and/or caravanning has been refused.

Frequency and timing of Meets and Temporary Holiday Sites

  1. Organisers must avoid the over-use of any venue, taking into account its position, general suitability and impact on the locality of numbers of units. In National Parks, Meets and THSs can only be held in strict accordance with Club procedures and contact must be made with the relevant Club National Park Officer for each National Park. Further details are available from Club Headquarters.
  2. DAs, Regions and Special Interest Sections should avoid holding Meets or THSs on successive weekends at the same venue.
  3. The arrangement of successive five-day Meets in holiday areas at peak periods, involving members moving on from one Meet to the next, must be avoided unless the movement of outfits is spread over a period to avoid nuisance to other road users.

Road safety and access

  1. In popular holiday areas at peak periods, e.g. Bank Holidays, movement of units should be arranged outside the periods of heaviest road use to avoid inconvenience to other road users.
  2. Venues chosen should be situated on good access roads of sufficient width to enable members’ outfits to pass any other traffic which may be encountered, without difficulty.
  3. The access into the camping field should be at least 3m wide, easily negotiable and clearly indicated.
  4. Where possible avoid selecting a venue where the access is directly off a busy ‘A’ class road.

Advance bookings

  1. Where deposits or fees are paid in advance the conditions under which refunds may be made will be at the discretion of the organising committee.

Alteration of sites’ rules

    1. From time to time the above rules may be amended by the Club’s Exempted Camping Committee.

 

 
 
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MEETS CANCELLED AND MOVED
Occasionally due to poor weather conditions some of the DA meets have been cancelled or moved at the last minute - more info here

BRAND NEW
The Bridge Group is re-forming - more news here