There's no single answer to how much a CL site earns, because the range is huge. A quiet, part-time Certificated Location tucked away at the end of a country lane might bring in just a couple of thousand pounds a year. A well-located, nicely set-up CL in a popular touring area can gross seven to ten thousand pounds annually, sometimes more. The five-pitch cap means you can't scale beyond a point, but within that cap there's a surprisingly wide spread between the quiet end and the busy end.

This guide works through real numbers for three types of CL — small, mid, and top-performing — so you can see where your site is likely to land. We'll also cover the variables that move you up or down the range, the costs you need to subtract to get to actual take-home income, and the realistic answer to whether a CL can replace your day job.

The Honest Answer: CL Income Varies by a Factor of Five

The single biggest thing to understand is that two CLs on paper — same five-pitch limit, same certifying Club, same basic facilities — can earn wildly different amounts. The factors driving the difference are occupancy and pitch fee, and both are heavily influenced by location.

A CL on a remote hillside a long way from major touring routes will not see the same booking volume as one a couple of miles from the Lake District or the Pembrokeshire coast. A CL with a simple grassy pitch and no hook-up will charge less than one with a level hardstanding and a 16-amp electric point. These differences compound over a season. A site with half the occupancy and a pitch fee 20% lower earns less than 40% of what its better-located neighbour takes.

Keep that spread in mind as we work through the examples.

Worked Example 1: The Quiet CL (£1,000 to £2,000 a year)

This is the part-time, laid-back CL. It's the farm paddock with a tap and a waste point, and not much else. The owners are happy to have a few guests pass through in the summer and aren't pushing for bookings.

At £15 per night and 120 booked pitch-nights, the gross income is around £1,800. Some years it's a bit less; in a great summer with good weather it might touch £2,500. Take off insurance, the Club fee, a bit of grass cutting, and you're looking at a modest net that pays for a nice holiday once a year.

Worked Example 2: The Typical CL (£3,000 to £5,000 a year)

This is where most established CLs sit. The owners take bookings seriously, respond promptly to enquiries, and have made some basic investments: level pitches, signage, maybe an electric hook-up on two of the five.

At a blended average of around £20 per pitch-night and 225 booked pitch-nights, gross income lands around £4,500. Most typical CLs report somewhere between £3,000 and £5,000. This is a useful side income that more than pays for a decent family holiday, clears some of the maintenance on the rest of the property, or tops up a pension.

Worked Example 3: The Top-Performing CL (£7,000 to £10,000+ a year)

Top CLs are almost always in tourist hotspots: near National Parks, popular coastlines, or cycling routes that bring a steady flow of bookings. They also tend to be well-run: responsive owners, good photos in the Club directory, plenty of five-star reviews, and sensible pricing.

At a blended £26 per pitch-night and 350 booked pitch-nights, gross income is around £9,100. Top sites can push well past £10,000 with sensible extras such as a small honesty shop or logs and eggs sold on-site.

The Variables That Decide Which Bracket You're In

Location

This is the single biggest lever, and the one you can least change. A CL in a popular touring area with regular through-traffic of caravans and motorhomes will almost always out-earn a CL in a quiet, off-route location. If you haven't committed yet, walk nearby lanes on a summer weekend and count the vans. A dozen passing in an hour is a good sign. One an afternoon is less so.

Pitch fee

This is the easiest lever to pull. Research comparable CLs within 20 miles of you. Price competitively but don't undersell: CL guests generally aren't price-shopping within £2 or £3 a night. The more important question is whether your pitch fee looks fair for what you offer. Our pitch pricing guide covers the decision in depth.

Occupancy

Occupancy is half location and half operator effort. Responding quickly to enquiries, keeping a clean and accurate booking record, and being helpful with directions and arrival times all increase repeat bookings. Many top CLs run at 60%+ occupancy in summer weeks and have most bank holidays fully booked a year ahead.

Season length

The UK touring season has been getting steadily longer. Motorhomes with full winter kit mean plenty of guests are active in March and October. If your land copes with soft ground conditions, extending your season by four to six weeks can lift annual income materially.

Electric hook-ups

Hook-ups add a modest per-night charge, and they also broaden your booking pool. Many motorhomers and caravanners will only book pitches with electric, especially shoulder-season and early-spring guests. If your budget allows, installing hook-ups on two or three of your five pitches pays back within a season or two. Our electric hook-up guide walks through the details.

Extras

Logs for sale, fresh eggs, a small honesty shop, a short dog-walking field, or electric bike charging all add useful marginal income. None of them transform the numbers alone, but together they can add hundreds of pounds a year.

Costs You Need to Subtract

Gross income isn't take-home. Budget for the following annual costs:

Most CLs run at a gross margin above 70% once the initial setup costs are amortised. The real enemy of margin isn't running costs; it's under-pricing your pitches and then absorbing a year of inflation before putting your rates up.

Tax, VAT and Your Accountant

CL income is taxable. Depending on your other income and how you run the site, it's usually treated as self-employment or miscellaneous income on your self-assessment return. VAT is very unlikely to apply to a typical CL because you'll be well below the registration threshold. Speak to an accountant, especially if you're running the CL alongside a farm, a self-catering let, or any other business, because combining incomes can affect your tax position in ways that aren't obvious.

Keep simple, clean records from day one. A booking system with an export function makes year-end painless. Store receipts in one place. Note expenses as they happen.

Can a CL Be a Full-Time Living?

Honestly, no, and that's fine. Five pitches simply don't generate enough revenue at typical UK pitch fees to replace a full-time income. If your CL genuinely tops out at £10,000 a year gross, that's wonderful secondary income but not a salary.

Owners who want campsite income to replace a day job usually scale up beyond the CL cap. That might mean adding more pitches under planning permission and a caravan site licence, developing glamping units, or running a separate CS alongside the CL to double the directory exposure (though not the pitch count). Our comparison of CL and CS sites covers the interaction.

For the vast majority of CL owners, the income is a very welcome extra. It pays for holidays, groundwork, a decent new towcar, or the occasional kitchen refit. Combined with the pleasure of meeting interesting guests and putting underused land to work, it's one of the better side businesses a rural property can support.

Getting Your Site Earning Sooner

If you haven't applied yet, start with our guide on how to start a CL site. If you're already certified but feel your site is under-earning, the levers that usually make the biggest difference are:

The difference between a £2,000 CL and a £7,000 CL is rarely the land. It's usually five small habits the busier site has picked up. Adopt a couple of them this season and watch what happens.