Motorhoming in Greece - Drastic news.

[billym]

I just can't see how they cleared Elia beach, there was hundreds of vans there.

Maybe that's the reason.

 

[Raul]

Maybe that's the reason.

We stayed one night there, not the kind of place to hunker down for us.
But yes, I understand something had to be done because places like that.

 

[Just smiffy]

I last night started following this couple as they just entered Greece with the intention of finding out how it’s affected, I will be watching to see how they get on…

 

[Soycd]

But yes, I understand something had to be done because places like that.

Sort of hit the nail on the head there. All of us who have illegally parked overnight in Greece (guilty M'lud, but only twice last year!!) are, like it or not part (small part hopefully) of the problem. Circumstances can very much dictate an overnight stop not on a campsite or official location, tiredness, lack of campsites, late ferry etc. I think we are seeing a knee jerk reaction to concerns about places like Elea Beach and hopefully a compromise can be negotiated in Greece, whereby more official places can be established.

 

[MichaelT]

I've just had a quick look at park4night, elia beach , kala Nero, messini .. all places I have stayed regularly. April reviews fine ...may reviews as below View attachment 1066790View attachment 1066791View attachment 1066792View attachment 1066793

So is it like Spain, tolerated in winter out of season but as soon as the season hits they are clearing everyone off?

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[vzac]

So is it like Spain, tolerated in winter out of season but as soon as the season hits they are clearing everyone off?

I think At this point only the me will tell.

 

[Northernraider]

Sort of hit the nail on the head there. All of us who have illegally parked overnight in Greece (guilty M'lud, but only twice last year!!) are, like it or not part (small part hopefully) of the problem. Circumstances can very much dictate an overnight stop not on a campsite or official location, tiredness, lack of campsites, late ferry etc. I think we are seeing a knee jerk reaction to concerns about places like Elea Beach and hopefully a compromise can be negotiated in Greece, whereby more official places can be established.

Elea beach is privately owned ....its not council land etc and is well used by locals for wildcamping too , it was gifted to the friends of elea foundation when planning permission for the holiday resort was denied.

 

[Northernraider]

So is it like Spain, tolerated in winter out of season but as soon as the season hits they are clearing everyone off?

Not really as I was in the peloponnese this time last year and only problems I had was it being busy with locals

 

[Northernraider]

I think At this point only the me will tell.

I'll be continuing to check park4night up till September time if it still shows lots of folk being moved and fined etc then I'll be avoiding Greece altogether this winter and it will be my last trip. Campsites hold no appeal for me and after 2021 and having to do the shengen shuffle it's just becoming more unpleasant trying to escape cold winters. 3 months isn't enough and there are few places with better weather than UK in winter . This daft law is the final nail in the coffin as far as I'm concerned

 

[PxJ]

Hi Tam, are you serious about this winter being your last trip, I really find it hard to believe that after all your journeys you’ve done over the years you’ll be able to just stop travelling. I hope not

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[Northernraider]

Hi Tam, are you serious about this winter being your last trip, I really find it hard to believe that after all your journeys you’ve done over the years you’ll be able to just stop travelling. I hope not

I am yeah... to be honest the last couple of trips have been plagued with issues, trying to stay out of shengen also has issues. ...the shine is going off it and I'm thinking more and more that it's time for a change..

 

[MichaelT]

Not really as I was in the peloponnese this time last year and only problems I had was it being busy with locals

But the law only came in this year didn't it?

 

[jerryz]

But the law only came in this year didn't it?

Yes in Greece its new law ,,, but Holland , Luxembourg , Switzerland and Czech republic have been going this way for 2 years already ..

 

[Northernraider]

But the law only came in this year didn't it?

Yes although the law apparently existed before but not quite so draconian as it is now.

There is a chance that it might be a bit more relaxed during winter ...but its not cheap getting to Greece and its risky if there's always the fear of being moved on or fined.

As I said I'll check back on park4night reviews later in the year and see how it looks but if still lots of reviews saying they've been moved then I'll just avoid going. There are no aires in Greece and very few campsites that are open over winter. So wildcamping is the only way to go really. There are always a few places that ran the risk of being moved and I tended to avoid those or just park daytime and move to overnight...but generally most of the peloponnese was quiet over winter and hassle free for parking, many times I was the only camper there. That's why it was my favourite country to visit.

If that truly has gone and its a constant challenge to visit there then it's a big blow.
Spain is nice....but there's no where near it bar Morocco to escape shengen and I'm not keen on revisiting Morocco... Spain is also busy over winter and 90 days isn't long enough .

It's very sad as there are many small villages and small businesses in Greece that will suffer from this too . Some of the villages the only visitors they get in winter is motorhomes. And most I've found have been welcoming.

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Looks nasty, no surprise it's so cheap.

East Midlands Airport is anything BUT nasty, thank you very much!

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[chaser]

East Midlands Airport is anything BUT nasty, thank you very much!

Anyone who hasn't travelled from east mids has never seen how air travel can be.
Admittedly they haven't got the through put the others have but for anyone who has a Downer on air travel and you are in reach of Nottingham give it a go , you may be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Ingwe]

This is an excerpt from the UK government advice regarding this ban:

Camping and Motorhome travel​

Greece has introduced regulations prohibiting camping in tents and the parking of trailers, semi-trailers, camper vans and motorhomes at archaeological sites, seashores, beaches, edges of public forests and in general public areas. Ensure that you used licensed campsites to avoid fines.

Here’s the link:

Safety and security - Greece travel advice

FCDO travel advice for Greece. Includes safety and security, insurance, entry requirements and legal differences.

www.gov.uk

 

[Soycd]

Elea beach is privately owned ....its not council land etc and is well used by locals for wildcamping too , it was gifted to the friends of elea foundation when planning permission for the holiday resort was denied.

That's interesting. So effectively before the new law came in it would have been perfectly legal to stay there, with the owners consent. Seems the sledgehammer to crack the nut applies with the new law. We stayed at Camperstop Fanaria near Corinth last year, presumably at the moment it's even illegal to stay there if there is more than one camper. I doubt they would have a formal licence as its a restaurant that allows you to stay over. I'm trying to be optimistic that once the dust settles things will look brighter. We still plan to go back to Greece again next year so am watching developments with interest. Certainly don't want the whole of Europe to become narrow minded about motorhomers........... like the UK.

 

[Jon Stewart]

That's interesting. So effectively before the new law came in it would have been perfectly legal to stay there, with the owners consent. Seems the sledgehammer to crack the nut applies with the new law. We stayed at Camperstop Fanaria near Corinth last year, presumably at the moment it's even illegal to stay there if there is more than one camper. I doubt they would have a formal licence as its a restaurant that allows you to stay over. I'm trying to be optimistic that once the dust settles things will look brighter. We still plan to go back to Greece again next year so am watching developments with interest. Certainly don't want the whole of Europe to become narrow minded about motorhomers........... like the UK.

See post #197

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Anyone who hasn't travelled from east mids has never seen how air travel can be.
Admittedly they haven't got the through put the others have but for anyone who has a Downer on air travel and you are in reach of Nottingham give it a go , you may be pleasantly surprised.

Travelled recently from Leeds Bradford Airport as could not get flight times to suit at East Mids, which is our local and favourite airport.
Absolute shocker was Leeds Bradford, so never again from there!

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[brushdw]

That's even more Fiddlesticksing F,D and NL motorhomes to clog up Spain...
Our local Municipality is building another 500 pitch camperpark...I think they might have to add another Zero .

As an NL plated van I'm interested why you think I should leave Spain to UK based visitors? Fiddlesticking? And, in any case, most of Spain not clogged up.

 

[Pasty or no?]

Those happy days and other you tubers are in fact there now, havnt seen any of them saying anything about it

Those Happy Days posted this video on Youtube:

 

[Northernraider]

As an NL plated van I'm interested why you think I should leave Spain to UK based visitors? Fiddlesticking? And, in any case, most of Spain not clogged up.

First point jumar lives in Spain.
Fiddlesticking is the forums answer to f'eckin
Their point about f,d,and nl vans is due to the vast amount of German and Dutch motorhomes who don't respect the no camping rules and insist on having chairs tables bicycles etc outside vans on display...many even have large plant pots etc now.. often reserving spaces on beaches and carparks with the aforementioned items whilst they go off out for the day. And as a result have caused countless restrictions on the costas and other places.....of course other Nationalities including some brits do this too but they're in the minority overall. Even the French are less guilty than the Germans and Dutch.


And Spain is always clogged up ....mostly over winter

 

[Pasty or no?]

Those Happy Days posted this video on Youtube:

...and the first 7 mins of this Youtube video from Eurosully explains the situation:

 

[Northernraider]

Those Happy Days posted this video on Youtube:

That's about the first factual intelligent video I've seen that pair post.

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[Northernraider]

...and the first 7 mins of this Youtube video from Eurosully explains the situation:

From that video they do what I do ...park not camp . But that video is from the 3rd of May which means their 7 weeks in Greece has been March and April. From what I have seen everywhere ...the enforcement have started at the beginning of May..

Maybe it will calm down by winter ....I certainly hope so . But its risky

 

[Strichener]

Certainly don't want the whole of Europe to become narrow minded about motorhomers........... like the UK.

Certain parts of the UK. No problems up where I'm at thanks.

 

[Molly A]

Tam

I have said it to people before - become resident in an EU country which does not have much restriction on how long one can leave for, here it is 5 years.

There is still a restriction of 90/180 in the other EU countries, but with no border checks it is impossible to check.

You would still be allowed to go to UK for work for as long as you want.

Geoff

Until the EES system starts...

 

[Molly A]

But the law only came in this year didn't it?

Nope, it has been illegal to wild camp for over a decade, they ars only now clamping down and have added more restrictive elements.

 

[Molly A]

The following has been posted on Niesmann&Bischoff Owners forum on Facebook.

"

https://www.facebook.com/groups/225...ish_ZNB9F7GET6MvYAXXXkEMyI&[B]tn[/B]=<<,P-y-R

Andreas Bächle​

torpsenoSdl9149277g0c139mc65u06fh1ca0l02u73t01mic1uafh35gtfm ·


Does anyone on MHFun know any more about this new law?

In Greece right now. The law is not new, in essence it has always been illegal to wild camp, but a blind eye has been turned to it unless it severely affects the local interests such as vanlifers crowding out popular beaches, staying for months and emptying their shxt everywhere.
We are in the boatyard where we keep our boat right now, but have made a couple of trips out and about. Seen fewer vans on the road, and the ferry over from Bari only had about 20 vans on it, it is usually heaving and it certainly wasn't full. We have wild camped twice, once in Vonitsa on tne new quay, visiting friends who were already in the water. No official interest as it is on a no through road , and not clearly visible. However, we were made to move in tbe night by teenaged vandals pelting the van with hard fruit from the road above. The little shxts ran away but then came back an hour later so we drove back to our boatyard . Next time inland near Agrinio, on the shores of a large lake, in the carpark of a taverna. They were a usual very welcoming but wevwere the only van there. More trouble from teenaged oiks who rocked up and did donuts in the car park, narrowly missing the van, but eventually chased off by the lady owner of the taverna and her son. She assured us that they would not be back. As she had once assured us that we would be perfectly safe as her husband has a large gun I was inclined to believe her.
Apparently there is a significant groundswell of protest about all of this, not least from Greek businesses who benefit from us, especially out of season and in less touristy areas, as well as from Greek camper businesses and organisations. Given that most Greek campsites seem to close from October to Easter, it would appear to be difficult to stay legal, unless the police take a more pragmatic approach and only prosecute in the most egregious situations, which may be the case out of the main holiday season and away from the areas where you see most of the trouble.
Will update if I hear more.

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