Frequently Asked Questions

The Camping and Caravanning Club is organised into Regions and each Region into District Associations (DAs). Each DA elects its own committee, raises its own funds and arranges camping and caravanning meets (rallies), events and associated social activities.

Yes, anyone attending a DA Meet must be a member of the Camping and Caravanning Club and you will be asked to show a valid membership card when you attend a meet. All/Any adult members will need to show proof of membership if staying in a unit overnight at all DA rallies. For a temporary holiday site only, a temporary membership can be obtained for a small fee to cover your non members for the duration of your stay. Please consult the stewards. You can find more information on becoming a member on the camping and caravanning club website or call Headquarters on: 02476 475442.

Yes, you can camp with any DA. Your membership card tells you which DA you are a member of and this gives you voting rights at their meetings. In the first instance, your DA membership is determined by your home postcode but you can opt-in to another DA if you wish by contacting the secretary of the DA and applying to Club HQ, for more information who will be able to help you with this.

Site fees are levied on a “per unit night” – (PUN) basis. There are no extra or hidden charges for an awning or children’s “pup” tents, pets or children. Our current PUN fees range from £8.50 to £10 for a normal weekend meet. Certain meets including our Temporary holiday sites may be subject to a slight increase. All prices can be found on our sites list page.

The walls of your unit (including awning) will be at least 6 metres away from any other unit. This is the minimum but normally there is space for a greater distance and we encourage this. There is normally much more free space around you than you would get on a commercial site or even a Club site.

Yes but these are simply in the interest of the safety and comfort of fellow campers. For example: 5mph speed limit on site, no noise that would disturb your neighbours after 11pm, pets to be kept under control. You will also need to take your own rubbish home.

Yes, tents, trailer tents, camper vans and all types of units are welcome as long as they are designed for overnight accommodation.

Weekend meets usually start on Friday and finish on Sunday. However thanks to some of our members who have more time available we have recently organised more meets lasting up to 5 days starting for example on Thursday. Bank holiday weekends are usually 4-5 day meets. We also organise special meets called Temporary Holiday Sites (THS), which typically last for 10 days or more. In principle these are no different to weekend meets but we have to seek special permission from Club HQ before they can go ahead. Please visit our Holiday Meets page for more information.

Normally there are no toilet or shower facilities available and therefore you must provide your own. Most of our Temporary holiday sites with the exception of Lyndon Top at Rutland Water do have Toilets available.

Yes, as long as they are kept under control on a lead no more than 2 metres long, exercised off site and the owner cleans up any mess.

Yes, however occasionally, mainly due to space restrictions on some of our more popular meets, we ask campers to pre-book, this will always be stated on the website if it is a pre-book meet. However if you are new to DA camping and are unsure we suggest you contact us beforehand. We also suggest that you make this known to the steward on arrival so that he can give you that extra bit of help if required.

The steward(s) is a member/ couple or family who has volunteered to look after the meet. They take on the responsibility for collecting site fees and liaising with the site owner. They sometimes will arrange small events on site and can usually offer advice on the local area. They also has the authority to advise campers to adhere to our basic rules.

The benefits of stewarding are that you get your site fees paid for, so you get a free weekend or holiday if you steward a temporary holiday site.

In a nutshell being a steward means you are responsible for the site. you normally go to the site early (sometimes on the Thursday) to liaise with the landowner. You put out all the signs to direct campers to the site and water, elsan etc. You greet people, take note of their membership numbers, car reg etc. and take their camping fees. You direct them to where they will camp, sometimes you take them to their pitch – but not always. At the end of the weekend you collate the money collected and pay the landowner. You should stay on the site in case of any emergencies and you should be the last to leave at the end of the meet when everyone is safely off.

If you would like more information or if you wish to steward one of our meets, please get in touch with our sites officer . You can see which meets still require stewards by looking on the Sites page.

Yes. We have members of all ages and backgrounds and interests: families with young children, families with older children, couples, singles, and retirees.

Camping with Northants DA is very informal. During the summer season we have regular coffee morning gatherings which enable members to chat to a wide cross-section of members and for latest news to be exchanged. We occasionally have organised afternoon and evening gatherings with some games and Quiz’s .We hold our Annual Country Fair and Charity weekend in September where people come and exhibit their home grown produce and crafts which ultimately go under the auctioneers hammer to raise as much money as possible for our nominated charities of the year. Side stalls and games of chance all contribute to make this a memorable weekend. Other special meets include Easter where we put on a full entertainment programme which usually involves a professional singer or group. During the early and late season we often hire a local village hall or on-site room for social evenings with activities to suit all ages during the winter season we have our end of season social evening where Christmas cards are usually exchanged, and at the end of the year we put on a special 4-day meet to celebrate the New Year.

No, not at all, but this is a great way to meet new people and develop friendships, however please do not feel under any pressure to join in with any activities if you just want a quiet weekend, we want you to feel comfortable and enjoy your stay with us whatever you choose to do with your day.

Very occasionally and very limited availability. Details of electric hook-ups will be posted on the home page where applicable.

We discourage the use of generators because of the noise nuisance they can cause to other campers. However we appreciate there are sometimes valid reasons for their use and do our utmost to be understanding and reasonable. The steward must be consulted before you use or are likely to use a generator. They may ask that you pitch in an area, if available, where you are unlikely to cause annoyance and/or agree with you certain times for their use which would minimise disturbance to others.

Read the published directions and compare them to good road map or sat-nav. Use sat-navs with care – postcodes do not often pinpoint the site in a country area. Use the map reference given in conjunction with an ordnance survey map to familiarise your self with the local area. Be wary of using apparent short cuts, the published directions are suitable for caravans/motorhomes, other routes may not be – especially in the countryside. It is often worth using the latest map technology available on the Internet.

When permissible we display yellow “Northants DA” direction signs local to the site.

No doubt there is something we have missed! Our contact details are published in the Out and About section of the Club magazine and on this website. Please do not hesitate to ask, we will do our best to answer.