The Alan Rogers Inspectors
We continue Alan Rogers's original philosophy of monitoring campsites, adding new ones where appropriate and removing those where standards have fallen, continuing to produce independent qualitative site reports on a selection of the best campsites. To help us with this task and to ensure that high standards are maintained we have a team of site assessors.
Expert Opinions
We rely on our dedicated team of Site Assessors, all of whom are experienced campers, caravanners or motorcaravanners, to visit and recommend sites. Most are UK-based but some live abroad making inspections in certain regions easier than otherwise would be the case. Each year they travel some 100,000 miles around Europe inspecting new sites and re-inspecting old ones. Our thanks are due to them for their enthusiastic efforts, their diligence and integrity and their commitment to the philosophy of the Alan Rogers Guides.
We also appreciate the feedback we receive from many of our readers, and we always make a point of following up complaints, suggestions or recommendations for possible new sites. Of course we get a few grumbles too - but it really is a few, and those we do get usually arrive at the end of the high season and relate mainly to overcrowding or to poor maintenance during the peak school holiday period.
Please bear in mind that although we are interested to hear about any complaints we have no contractual relationship with the sites featured in our guides and are therefore not in a position to intervene in any dispute between a reader and a campsite. If you have a complaint about a campsite featured in our guides the first step should be to take the matter up with the site owner or manager.
Our inspectors come in all shapes and sizes but share a common passion for camping, caravanning or motorhoming. David and Marjorie Chapple are in many ways typical of site assessors. They bought their first caravan back in 1966 and have been travelling to the continent regularly since 1971. David is a retired mechanical engineering university lecturer and Marjorie a retired teacher. They are both avid Francophiles and have a good command of the French language.
With the opportunity for early retirement, they spent a few years working as campsite couriers in France, latterly in the Drôme region of central France. Some time ago they joined the Alan Rogers inspectorate and have become specialists in central France and the French Alps, covering a region broadly marked out by the Auvergne to the north and Provence to the south.
In a typical year they might inspect around 60 sites, including a number of new sites but also renewing their acquaintance with other sites, some of which have been in the Alan Rogers guides for many years.
David and Marjorie use their caravan when inspecting sites and typically might expect to visit 2 or 3 sites each day, overnighting at the last of the day. Needless to say, site owners are unaware that they will be visiting. Although they arrive unannounced, all inspectors do, of course, introduce themselves upon arrival
When visiting sites which are more isolated, or at the end of tortuous mountain passes, they often leave their caravan and continue with a two man tent. In all they might cover as much as 3,000 miles but they always seem ready to bounce back for another ‘tour of duty’!
Interested In Becoming An Inspector?
If you fancy inspecting campsites and feel you might have the necessary skills (camping and caravanning experience, ownership of your own tourer or motorhome, ability to write to a decent standard using email/MS Word) please contact us.
