Centre Parcs charging to cache

[+Dogfort]

Im going to centre parcs next month and was booking acitvities when I saw this.

 

£15.50 for a group of 4. For what??? Usage of a phone with a caching app? Thats a lot of money if you have 20 people an hour looking for a cache. I dont think tis right. I think if you have your own app you should be able to take part.

 

[Langy]

Well this is a money making task for them. After all they are trying to get their costs back for the GPS units, setting up and managing the activity.

It's also an activity to get people all around their village.

 

If you had never done anything with a GPS before but liked the idea of it would you not actually consider paying that?

I'm sure people pay more than £15.50 to cover 4 people on a 2 hour activity on other things so to me it sounds like a good deal.

 

How much does it cost to go watch a premier football match now? That's 90 minutes of sitting on your behind watching overpaid sprtsmen not be so sporing by diving when they get touched.

I'm not anti-football in fact I love watching just the way the top end of the game has gone now, not a sport but a business to win at all costs.

 

Langy

[+Delta68]

If you had never done anything with a GPS before but liked the idea of it would you not actually consider paying that?

I'm sure people pay more than £15.50 to cover 4 people on a 2 hour activity on other things so to me it sounds like a good deal.

 

Yup!

I don't have a problem with it, nor would I do it!

 

They also charge for canoing, climbing, rowing, horse riding and all sorts of things you can do for free in the outside world if you've got your own equipment!

 

 

Mark

[+Dogfort]

Pwalo - IM sure theres lots of things you like doing that I dont like. I only wanted to see if I was the only one disappointed you couldnt take your own GPS. DIdnt ask you for your strong opinions on my holiday destination.

 

Langy - You are right. Compared to some of the other stuff it would be a cheap 2 hours worth of entertainment. My issue is that if I dont use any of their stuff its still 15 quid!

[+Dogfort]

If you had never done anything with a GPS before but liked the idea of it would you not actually consider paying that?

I'm sure people pay more than £15.50 to cover 4 people on a 2 hour activity on other things so to me it sounds like a good deal.

 

Yup!

I don't have a problem with it, nor would I do it!

 

They also charge for canoing, climbing, rowing, horse riding and all sorts of things you can do for free in the outside world if you've got your own equipment!

 

 

Mark

 

Heh ya know what. I bet theres a kayaking forum somewhere with some dude complaining he has to pay to use his own kayak at centre parcs haha.

[+drsolly]

We're making a family visit to CP at Longleat in a few weeks, and I was planning to go get some caches while there.

 

I can't imagine that they'd charge me £15 for going out caching - I wasn't actually planning to tell them what I was doing while I'm staying there. Apart from telling them when we want to eat.

 

£15 sounds like a reasonable charge for a two hour thing - I'm guessing they not only provide equipment, but also someone to explain how to use it, to put in the info, to walk with people or some such, and I'd expect it to cost some money.

 

And that £15 is gornisht compared to the eye-watering sum we'll be paying for accomodation.

[+Matthew 7:7 Too]

You're paying CenterParcs for an introduction to geocaching, but if (as I suspect) the caches are on site they are unlikely to be official gc.com caches (as they are not accessible without paying for access).

 

However, take your GPS and download details of official geocaches nearby. I can usually find loads outside the CenterParc boundaries, often within cycling distance too!

 

Chris

[Deceangi]

Centre Parcs have their own "Private" geocaches, which are located on their own property. They might have Listed them on another Listing Site. But are not Listed on GC. As such they treat them the same as any other "chargeable" activity that they run. Which all goes towards their profits.

 

Deci

[+Happy Humphrey]

Really you'll have to take this up with Center Parcs as it's nothing to do with geocaching.com. If caches are listed only on your own site, and they're on your own land, then you can do what you like. Including charging.

 

I think there's a little confusion that geocaching.com IS geocaching; but no, it's just one of many listing sites.

[+Simply Paul]

I note Center Parcs call it Geo Caching. And can't spell Centre.

 

I already have GPS and know how to find caches, but as a cheap introduction to caching (ignoring free phone apps or meeting another cacher to be shown the ropes) I don't think it's too much. Under £3.13 each for two hours rental and, as solly suggests, perhaps personal help, isn't silly.

 

There are pay-to-cache locations (I own one myself) which I have bigger issues with than this. If you want to find their cache but don't want to pay, I suggest you shadow someone for a couple of hours as they do it, stalking them through the trees and not being spotted. Could be (free) fun, actually. Suggested name: Geocachering

[+Delta68]

I note Center Parcs call it Geo Caching. And can't spell Centre.

 

'Center Parcs' is deliberately spelt that way so as not to be specific to any one country!

There is no country in which spelling of both words is correct.

 

(I think )

 

Mark

Edited September 19, 2012 by Delta68

[+metal-bijou]

If I'd never heard of geocaching then I'd pay to give it a try. I have paid to "play" on a well maintained orienteering course and would consider that very similar. You pay for the information as to where the markers are placed which covers the cost of maintenance and profit.

 

Sounds like they have setup a good multi cache that could get people interested. That's a win to the hobby and hopefully they would arrive at geocaching with high expectations. (I've not done one of the Center Parc caches so I am making the assumption based on the quality of their other activities).

 

I would agree that it is a shame it's not free or just a minimal charge if you have the equipment and a charge to hire or be chaperoned similar to cycling around their centres. I would think this could be free to people with the equipment as way of getting you to see all the other paying activities.

[+Fianccetto]

If you had never done anything with a GPS before but liked the idea of it would you not actually consider paying that?

I'm sure people pay more than £15.50 to cover 4 people on a 2 hour activity on other things so to me it sounds like a good deal.

 

Yup!

I don't have a problem with it, nor would I do it!

 

They also charge for canoing, climbing, rowing, horse riding and all sorts of things you can do for free in the outside world if you've got your own equipment!

 

 

Mark

 

Heh ya know what. I bet theres a kayaking forum somewhere with some dude complaining he has to pay to use his own kayak at centre parcs haha.

You can take your own bikes there and there's no charge for using them on site, and is a recommended alternative to hiring their bikes.

[+Delta68]

You can take your own bikes there and there's no charge for using them on site, and is a recommended alternative to hiring their bikes.

 

You can also take your own food as well!

 

When going to the [far cheaper and much more exciting] European parks we hire bikes because it's a lot less hassle than taking our own.

 

 

Mark

[+The Growler]

There is no country in which spelling of both words is correct.

 

There is only one word and it is called CENTRE! Anything else is WRONG I tell you. WRONG WRONG WRONG! Despite what our cousins from over the pond might think.

BAH

[+Dogfort]

This si what im getting at.

 

If you take your own 'whatever' its normally free. Bike, food, drink,sports equipment. Why not caching?

[+MartyBartfast]

This si what im getting at.

 

If you take your own 'whatever' its normally free. Bike, food, drink,sports equipment. Why not caching?

 

But there are prizes to be had, so as well as covering the costs of the equipment the charge also has to cover the cost of the prizes. Also it would be a tad unfair on the 'muggles' if they had to pay to enter then a bunch of cachers joined in for free and took all the prizes, which they probably would being experienced in the use of GPSs etc.

[+Delta68]

This si what im getting at.

 

If you take your own 'whatever' its normally free. Bike, food, drink,sports equipment. Why not caching?

 

If you want to take a piece of tupperware to hide in the woods for another member of your family to find using a GPS, I'm pretty sure you could.

 

You are asking why you should pay to take part in an orgainsed and staffed activity. It surprises me why you think you shouldn't have to pay!

 

 

Mark

[+Need me glasses]

Geocaching? Geokerching? Geocashingin?

[+Chilli Pipers]

We took our bikes out from Center Parcs at Longleat and did some nearby caches including "Heavens Gate" which had stunning views.

 

Free intro to Geocaching can be done from many National Trust properties (they even loan you a garmin gps for free)

[team tisri]

Pwalo - IM sure theres lots of things you like doing that I dont like. I only wanted to see if I was the only one disappointed you couldnt take your own GPS. DIdnt ask you for your strong opinions on my holiday destination.

 

Langy - You are right. Compared to some of the other stuff it would be a cheap 2 hours worth of entertainment. My issue is that if I dont use any of their stuff its still 15 quid!

 

So don't do it then. Try one of their other activities that you can't do with your own equipment.

 

Complaining that an activity set up to introduce people to geocaching is too expensive for an experienced cacher makes no more sense than complaining that the course introducing people to rock climbing is a waste of money when you're an experienced climber with lots of gear.

[+Eddie Robinson]

This is not geocaching as we know it, haven also do it, I enquired last year, someone comes in and sets up some checkpoints, you all set off and the first one back is the winner they must have an app or something or load waypoints on a gps, I think its more of a mix of orienteering and caching maybe

[donvanvliet]

Yes its on an app they have on the gps.You need to hire their GPS to find the waymarks.