Lots of FLT at La Zenia (SE Spain)

[MichaelT]

Apparently they have stopped parking at the Zoo in cordoba.

 

[Fragle]

Apparently they have stopped parking at the Zoo in cordoba.

We have not been on a site this whole trip so far nearly 60 nights. But it’s been hard work at times spoilt by the selfish few who insist on camping. I mean today on Ikea there were a fair few caravans as well set up. That doesn’t help much either.

 

[Terry242]

We're on a camperstop in Calpe. There's many vans parked on several pieces of waste ground and I've been told that the police have been giving them the 2am knock along with a €70 fine.

Terry

 

[bigtwin]

We’re currently on the paid for ‘Aire’ at Quarteira (Algarve) and there’s a Brit registered car/caravan on here (with a full awning erected too).

Ian

 

[Fragle]

We’re currently on the paid for ‘Aire’ at Quarteira (Algarve) and there’s a Brit registered car/caravan on here (with a full awning erected too).

Ian

To be fair to the British out here they are definitely not the biggest problem. Germans French and surprisingly the normally well behaved Dutch we have found this year to be very arrogant and don’t care attitude.
But then that’s not every one and it’s a small minority who spoil it for the majority unfortunately.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[pandas]

Solar panels, portable satellite dishes, BBQs, chairs etc aren't allowed however it depends on the police as some seem to ignore solar panels but anything else has to be shifted. It really is down to how rigidly enforced the rules are, in some places they are more enforced than others. If the police are really peed off they'll do a late night/early morning raid and shift everyone regardless of whether they're behaving or not.

Sorry but I don’t get the need to be parked up, albeit free sometimes , and not be able to enjoy the camping experience. No canopies out, no bbq, no tables and chairs, windows closed, on tarmac directly next to others. Not my idea of fun but clearly it is for a lot’s of others.

 

[Fragle]

Sorry but I don’t get the need to be parked up, albeit free sometimes , and not be able to enjoy the camping experience. No canopies out, no bbq, no tables and chairs, windows closed, on tarmac directly next to others. Not my idea of fun but clearly it is for a lot’s of others.

Sorry but I also don’t see the need to be parked up and pay a fortune when I’m not camping ect. I personally also don’t see the point of paying for a campsite to sleep.
If I wanted camping I’d have a caravan still.
Done properly there’s nothing wrong with a free park up.

 

[jumar]

Sorry but I don’t get the need to be parked up, albeit free sometimes , and not be able to enjoy the camping experience. No canopies out, no bbq, no tables and chairs, windows closed, on tarmac directly next to others. Not my idea of fun but clearly it is for a lot’s of others.

The simple answers are these...
1, Wherever these people choose to park up in Spain, be it IKEA carpark or any other suitable location,the weather is better than where they originated, thats all they want.
2, It's FREE...they are doing it on the cheap...they have no morals, no respect for Spain, no interest in the culture, people or the beauty of the country they are visiting...just having a cheap winter break..
3, They will in time, spoil it for everyone, every motorhome owner will be regarded as the same, causing big restrictions...which will effect locals and visitors alike..
4,What can be done...well to be perfectly honest, I don't know, there are laws in place in Murcia, but with the Schengen freedom of movement, they cannot be stopped from entering Spain, and perhaps a tightening up including fines might be the answer, or turn a blind eye knowing all too well that by April, everything begins to return to normality...

 

[Steve and Denise]

Sorry but I don’t get the need to be parked up, albeit free sometimes , and not be able to enjoy the camping experience. No canopies out, no bbq, no tables and chairs, windows closed, on tarmac directly next to others. Not my idea of fun but clearly it is for a lot’s of others.

Us either! We have not spent a lot of money on a van just to save a few pounds by parking in a side street or on a car park of a supermarket, here in Spain at the moment there have been numerous British registered vans Parked up for over a month on the road side outside Raco FLTs at their best, I do wonder who’s facilities they are using for free? Not for us

 

[MichaelT]

or turn a blind eye knowing all too well that by April, everything begins to return to normality...

This

We just did 6 weeks mostly free parking thru France and spain in proper aires or free parking. A lot do take the p155 parking for weeks/months on end in same place but lots like us have a day or 3 then move so there's a turnover and small cities are not built. But they do keep the economies of lots of towns and villages alive especially in holiday resorts that are empty at that time of year, bakers, supermarkets, petrol stations even barbers etc. So there is an upside making a dead town alive during winter.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[JJ]

The simple answers are these...
1, Wherever these people choose to park up in Spain, be it IKEA carpark or any other suitable location,the weather is better than where they originated, thats all they want.
2, It's FREE...they are doing it on the cheap...they have no morals, no respect for Spain, no interest in the culture, people or the beauty of the country they are visiting...just having a cheap winter break..
3, They will in time, spoil it for everyone, every motorhome owner will be regarded as the same, causing big restrictions...which will effect locals and visitors alike..
4,What can be done...well to be perfectly honest, I don't know, there are laws in place in Murcia, but with the Schengen freedom of movement, they cannot be stopped from entering Spain, and perhaps a tightening up including fines might be the answer, or turn a blind eye knowing all too well that by April, everything begins to return to normality...

I don't agree at all...


JJ

 

[pandas]

Sorry but I also don’t see the need to be parked up and pay a fortune when I’m not camping ect. I personally also don’t see the point of paying for a campsite to sleep.
If I wanted camping I’d have a caravan still.
Done properly there’s nothing wrong with a free park up.

Paying a fortune is relative, some don’t need electricity, but most will need water and all need black and grey waste facilities and that usually comes at a cost - either financially or at the expense of the environment. More aires would sort it. So would the behaviour of too many.

 

[jumar]

This

We just did 6 weeks mostly free parking thru France and spain in proper aires or free parking. A lot do take the p155 parking for weeks/months on end in same place but lots like us have a day or 3 then move so there's a turnover and small cities are not built. But they do keep the economies of lots of towns and villages alive especially in holiday resorts that are empty at that time of year, bakers, supermarkets, petrol stations even barbers etc. So there is an upside making a dead town alive during winter.

Yes I agree that small communities can benefit...but what we are referring to here is the Capital city of Murcia and one of the largest commercial centres in our region..
May I also add that what Spain gets from folk arriving in motorhomes in the winter does not compare with the family holiday makers during July and August..
This is why the Spanish Tourism trade is booming...the big spenders arrive...not the ones living on the cheap in city car parks.
Of course as you know we remotely park up in our van...both in official locations and overnight spots suitable to provide places to participate in our sporting activities...but not for 3 months..but the occasional night..we cause no harm or disturb anyone or anything..

 

[suavecarve]

Apparently they have stopped parking at the Zoo in cordoba.

Did you note any decent alternatives ?

 

[jumar]

I don't agree at all...


JJ

But you are not in our region to experience this...perhaps how you do it in Portugal is different, we don't comment on any such issues there, because we aren't there...but we are here in Murcia, where this thread originated..

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[MichaelT]

Did you note any decent alternatives ?

It was someone else who told me. There is an official aire plus another park up but from memory that was not so good. Will probably stop us visiting again.

Edit: Just looked on SFS and 2 alternative one looks OK but the zoo one looks like you can park on Mondays and Monday night.

 

[MichaelT]

Yes I agree that small communities can benefit...but what we are referring to here is the Capital city of Murcia and one of the largest commercial centres in our region..
May I also add that what Spain gets from folk arriving in motorhomes in the winter does not compare with the family holiday makers during July and August..
This is why the Spanish Tourism trade is booming...the big spenders arrive...not the ones living on the cheap in city car parks.
Of course as you know we remotely park up in our van...both in official locations and overnight spots suitable to provide places to participate in our sporting activities...but not for 3 months..but the occasional night..we cause no harm or disturb anyone or anything..

Yes I was talking about the bigger picture but there is a severe lack of suitable aires at reasonable cost. If you can get in its €15 a night without EHU and its basically a car park, cheapest ACSI is €19 and most are booked up. When we go in summer we can get in places so is it worth building an Aire that would be just a winter destination and empty in summer, or put up with the current situation.

 

[Carpmart]

As I’ve said before, we enjoy ‘free parking’ and the ability to conveniently park and sleep in the motorhome across Spain is a wonderful thing!

The issue is a significant number creating pseudo campsites in inappropriate areas, abusing the parking/sleeping rules, leading to the tarring of all Motorhomers with the same brush by local communities, Police Local and local administration!

It’s easy to envisage the outcome is obviously not going to be great! More local bylaws and the ‘not beyond the realms of possibility’ of a Portugal type approach with a complete ban being taken by the Spanish. Really annoys me!

 

[Fragle]

Yes I agree that small communities can benefit...but what we are referring to here is the Capital city of Murcia and one of the largest commercial centres in our region..
May I also add that what Spain gets from folk arriving in motorhomes in the winter does not compare with the family holiday makers during July and August..
This is why the Spanish Tourism trade is booming...the big spenders arrive...not the ones living on the cheap in city car parks.
Of course as you know we remotely park up in our van...both in official locations and overnight spots suitable to provide places to participate in our sporting activities...but not for 3 months..but the occasional night..we cause no harm or disturb anyone or anything..

Sorry. We must remember our place in society.

I apologise for not having the money to be a big spender and I’ll remember not to look up as we walk past the restaurant.
The fact that we cause no harm or disturb anyone or anything when we park on the cheap is an irrelevance then
We will try and save harder before we use our van in future.

 

[Ingwe]

That’s awful lot of people waiting for a gynae consult

When the AA man ( a very nice man) told me I needed a new coil, I didn’t expect this………

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Dolmen]

We are all different so it is difficult to comment without equal number of funsters having equal and opposite views. I'm one of those who has never been able to understand why anyone would want to spend any length of time camped up in a retail car park and claim its living the dream or a lifestyle choice, surely we dream bigger dreams than this? Surely those that spend £100k plus on a van had a bigger vision than this when they laid their money down, surely they were not thinking 'Great, I can holiday at Lidl in this now', surely their partners (male or female) secretly long for something more than this? Stopping off for a few hours kip in transit I can understand, (I use Sainsbury before going through the tunnel) stopping for a visit to town, where permitted, I can understand, however, as a destination of choice and staying there for days, I can't get my head around at all. Always makes me think of those less fortunate like the van lady in the Alan Bennett play or the film Nomadland where it was all about survival not living a dream or a lifestyle choice.

 

[MichaelT]

We are all different so it is difficult to comment without equal number of funsters having equal and opposite views. I'm one of those who has never been able to understand why anyone would want to spend any length of time camped up in a retail car park and claim its living the dream or a lifestyle choice, surely we dream bigger dreams than this? Surely those that spend £100k plus on a van had a bigger vision than this when they laid their money down, surely they were not thinking 'Great, I can holiday at Lidl in this now', surely their partners (male or female) secretly long for something more than this? Stopping off for a few hours kip in transit I can understand, (I use Sainsbury before going through the tunnel) stopping for a visit to town, where permitted, I can understand, however, as a destination of choice and staying there for days, I can't get my head around at all. Always makes me think of those less fortunate like the van lady in the Alan Bennett play or the film Nomadland where it was all about survival not living a dream or a lifestyle choice.

Much better than skulking round Industrial estates in UK like many I've seen "living the dream"

 

[bigtwin]

why anyone would want to spend any length of time camped up in a retail car park and claim its living the dream or a lifestyle choice,

Why do you assert that they claim any such thing?

however, as a destination of choice and staying there for days, I can't get my head around at all.

It happens to be very convenient for the tram into the city and one could easily spend a few days exploring the city.

Ian

 

[Mr porky]

Why do you assert that they claim any such thing?


It happens to be very convenient for the tram into the city and one could easily spend a few days exploring the city.

Ian

We have stayed a couple of times next to the ikea and it's great going into the city on the tram.
However I think Murcia itself is a bit boring.
Love ikea plastic though

 

[Lenny HB]

Apparently they have stopped parking at the Zoo in cordoba.

On S4S last review was 25th Feb but on CC Feb review says sign up no campers from 9am Tues to 20:00 Sunday.

That's a shame a good spot for the city, when we were there last September on Sunday it was about 80% Motorhomes and a few cars, on Monday & Tuesday it was all Motorhomes not a car in sight, so most of the week it will be an empty space now.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Fragle]

We are all different so it is difficult to comment without equal number of funsters having equal and opposite views. I'm one of those who has never been able to understand why anyone would want to spend any length of time camped up in a retail car park and claim its living the dream or a lifestyle choice, surely we dream bigger dreams than this? Surely those that spend £100k plus on a van had a bigger vision than this when they laid their money down, surely they were not thinking 'Great, I can holiday at Lidl in this now', surely their partners (male or female) secretly long for something more than this? Stopping off for a few hours kip in transit I can understand, (I use Sainsbury before going through the tunnel) stopping for a visit to town, where permitted, I can understand, however, as a destination of choice and staying there for days, I can't get my head around at all. Always makes me think of those less fortunate like the van lady in the Alan Bennett play or the film Nomadland where it was all about survival not living a dream or a lifestyle choice.

The old comment.

“Spend a £100k on a van and stay in a car park”

No you don’t have to have bigger dreams than this. Very condescending comment.

Why? Because we gave up work when we had enough to live on. We are in charge of our life now answering to nobody and personally we prefer free camping over overrated overpriced need to book months in advance. No chance of changing at a moment notice campsite.
When we worked we booked camping months in advance. Because we had to.
I might wake up in a Lidl car park or next to a sports complex or by the side of a road. But I wake up a free man.
I survived a life changing cycling hit and run years ago. It makes you realise how important life is. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Now if people don’t get it. That’s fine.

Keep working until you can afford all the good stuff you want in retirement. Because you are obviously going to live a long and happy retirement.

In the meantime we will enjoy the freedom in our £100k van. Beholden to nobody and living the dream together.

 

[pandas]

The old comment.

“Spend a £100k on a van and stay in a car park”

No you don’t have to have bigger dreams than this. Very condescending comment.

Why? Because we gave up work when we had enough to live on. We are in charge of our life now answering to nobody and personally we prefer free camping over overrated overpriced need to book months in advance. No chance of changing at a moment notice campsite.
When we worked we booked camping months in advance. Because we had to.
I might wake up in a Lidl car park or next to a sports complex or by the side of a road. But I wake up a free man.
I survived a life changing cycling hit and run years ago. It makes you realise how important life is. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Now if people don’t get it. That’s fine.

Keep working until you can afford all the good stuff you want in retirement. Because you are obviously going to live a long and happy retirement.

In the meantime we will enjoy the freedom in our £100k van. Beholden to nobody and living the dream together.

Quite a selfish comment in my opinion

 

[Dolmen]

Keep working until you can afford all the good stuff you want in retirement. Because you are obviously going to live a long and happy retirement.

I really do hope so, however, none of us know what is around the corner. I will have been retired for 12 years come May and like many, absolutely loving it

 

[bigtwin]

I really do hope so, however, none of us know what is around the corner.

I think that was rather his point.

Ian

 

[olley]

We stayed at the murca IKEA in April 22, we stayed on the proper aire for 3-4 days. Plenty of room, this was after the police had cleared them all off I presume.
It's not just that this and other spots are free, it's also there damn convenient for visiting the sites, either by walking or public transport.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}