Should 72 hours be compulsory on camperstops. 🤔

They might be wild but they are not camping.
In your view no, but in the vast majority of MH's minds wild camping is using their vehicle anywhere other than on a site etc, being pedantic you could say it is only to be used for tent camping but then you'd have to educate MHers etc to use another specific phrase ... good luck as it will take a long time.

Its like 'Hoover' being used for vacuum cleaner ... we all know that there are many more vacuum cleaner manufacturers than Hoover but it is a generic term which is widely used ... thank goodness it's not Dyson!
 
They might be wild but they are not camping.
Wild overnighting then......Tent, Campervan, Motorhome, RV, Car...or even stood on one leg....😆

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We walked the coastal path today from just the other side of Moraira to Calp, they have moved campers from the big carpark, and 8 or 9 had parked on the small carpark by the beach, but every carpark has new signs put up and unless your motorhome is under 3500kg and under 5 meters its illegal, so it looks like we all will have to change to VW campervans. 😁
So it's take your chances and be prepared for a fine time. 😲
People like JJ and yodeli Frankie will be OK. 😉
IMG_20210101_130559697_HDR.jpg

Even the one in the photo was 5.4m , he hadn't been there all night and was gone on our return. 😎
Ps 😉 I wasn't sneaking up on him, that's our silver corsa opposite. 😁 Bob.
 
An unfair generalisation about fellow motorhomers who are German and Dutch.
Generalisation after many years touring France and Spain - and observing the shopping habits of them an actual observation not armchair pontification - - I would agree some are not like it but most we meet are
When we were caravanning we were on a site in Languedoc, where we observed a Dutch couple on vacation who NEVER left the site - didn't use the facilities ,not even the pool. They sat every day making Dolls we saw them produce around 20-30 a day . OH!!! correction they did use the rubbish bins - no recycling on that site so only one bin to go to
 
We never judge people on their nationalities, because we have friends from all over Europe, but you do get inconsiderate people wherever you go. 😁

I will give you a very funny example. 😄

We are in Portugal and pulled on the at Bragança, it's full and two Dutch parked nicely taking up 3 spaces, Janie gets out asked them to park so other people can park...... us. 😁
No problem they move over, it's an aire tables and chairs are not allowed. 🙂

We carry on touring, when we got to Porto it's full, so I squeeze in between these two Dutch motorhomes in our little van, having a sliding door I can just about get out, but they couldn't get in their hab door, when they came back on their scooters it was the same Dutchman. 😁
One had to move to get in his door, and the other moved over because he thought it was so funny 😲 not them again. 😁

But we missed the best one, we left Portugal and went passed the old road a big off road layby and the Dutchman was parked in there, 😉 I was so tempted to go back, pull up behind and ask him to pull forward a bit 😉 even though they were the only ones in there. 😆 Bob.
 
We walked the coastal path today from just the other side of Moraira to Calp, they have moved campers from the big carpark, and 8 or 9 had parked on the small carpark by the beach, but every carpark has new signs put up and unless your motorhome is under 3500kg and under 5 meters its illegal, so it looks like we all will have to change to VW campervans. 😁
So it's take your chances and be prepared for a fine time. 😲
People like JJ and yodeli Frankie will be OK. 😉
View attachment 452703
Even the one in the photo was 5.4m , he hadn't been there all night and was gone on our return. 😎
Ps 😉 I wasn't sneaking up on him, that's our silver corsa opposite. 😁 Bob.
Anyone seen the really Smug Brit couple touring southern Spain, posting on Youtube, saying how easy it is to get around the regulations, the Guardia Civil (They refer to them a Guarda) have told them there is no problem, however they don't speak Spanish and the Officer does.....
In one of their latest videos they are advising on Visas to outstay 90 days.....getting their info from Hilda on Campsite chatter in Spain.com...
There are many responsible oversea visitors here who travelled to the pre-booked campsite and stay there....for the duration.....not this pair, come and join us, its easy, is their message, but you guys stuck in the UK and us in Spain get stopped for doing this...... annoying I say.....Rant over....Have a nice day folks
 
Shame about Moraire it's one of our favourite places but perhaps understandable. Few years back the paddock behind the carpark became flooded and the vans dragged massive amounts of mud onto the tarmac some were even winched out. Last year we decamped to carpark behind Carrefour, safe but grim. Is daytime parking allowed? Also one of the best places in Spain to get fish and chips - yes I know sad but true.

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Year before last we stopped on an aire with a ticket machine which stated a maximum stay of one night. Struck me as counterproductive as normally reckon on two nights so we have a whole day to see the town /village bit of shopping etc. Couldn't use bars as having to drive the same day according to the rules. Eventually we just stopped overnight and left without visiting the town at all. Two to three nights would be ideal.
 
Shame about Moraire it's one of our favourite places but perhaps understandable. Few years back the paddock behind the carpark became flooded and the vans dragged massive amounts of mud onto the tarmac some were even winched out. Last year we decamped to carpark behind Carrefour, safe but grim. Is daytime parking allowed? Also one of the best places in Spain to get fish and chips - yes I know sad but true.
The signs on the carparks say NO, over the years there has got too many and staying long periods and that's what's happening everywhere, sad but true it started in Calp being over run. 😟
Once the rules are in place, they can issue ticket without any problems, here in Javea there are no signs but the rules are 36 hrs roadside parking.

The fish and chips are better taken away, because if you sit outside you get the smokers, if you sit indoors the extraction is poor and it's full of steam and smells, I don't mind them but Janie wont eat them because they use beer batter 😉 a she doesn't drink. 😁 Bob.
 
Yes really there is no point in quoting part of someone's post to suit your own agenda.
Whilst they recently brought in some new legislation to enable police to crack down on problem wild campers in sensentive locations such as the national parks it is still perfectly possible to wild/free camp your way around Portugal. Many places have laws that strictly speaking make wild camping illegal but in reality with a little care and consideration one can wild camp in all these countries. I've heard tell of Croatia being impossible to wild camp but met a young couple this summer who did it.

I think it's a shame you would write off visiting countries that bring in these laws. Yes it's annoying to have things change and be more difficult or risky but at the end of the day the reason these new laws end up being brought in is because too many people have abused the freedom of wild camping in environmentally sensitive areas. We have been in Portugal since beginning of October and wild camped most of the way down the west coast to the Algarve. Now we're in a sensitive area we mainly stay on a campsite as we're not touring about just now but periodically we go off for for a night or 3 and certainly don't want to be paying twice so we find somewhere sensible to stay.

We've seen some horrendous abuses of the natural spaces in the region with dozens of vans crowed together blocking the sea views and parking places not moving for days at a time and toilet paper and human waste so i can understand why the authorities have had to crack down.

If you are a solo van and park with consideration it's very unlikely that you will have any trouble.
 
Hi Brains I could not agree with you more Don't we selfish let other people have chance at staying at these lovely places and to those that don't spend money in the town / villages that allow us to stay for nothing put you had in your pocket and spend a few euros to say thankyou 24/48 hrs is long enough
 
Wild overnighting then......Tent, Campervan, Motorhome, RV, Car...or even stood on one leg....😆

As a leg amputee....














This is hilarious!

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I did have a motorhome before with a shower and toilet. I never used the shower as I didn't want the hassle of cleaning it and I was worried about damp long term. The current van has a toilet, but I try to use only when I don't have a choice. I'm sure some aires are nicer than others. Again depends on what you're looking for....Im looking for proximity to mountains not a bakery or castle.
now Geoff ....don't get me started on the wild camping debate....as a mountaineer....there is no such thing as wild camping in a motorhome......it's called parking without paying 😉
This is an on-going debate and a great time to launch into the new year with the wild camping thing, but I am with you big style on this one, how can anybody ever think they can wild camp in a motorhome baffles me, I prefer off grid camping to the term free loading, parking without paying is nearly as good. The first time I joined the Wild Camping forum, I was really excited about the prospect of folks going off in Uni-Mogs or similar but alas just conventional motorhomes or vans. I have hiked a fair bit in the US and don't even consider back country sites wild camping as somebody has been along felled a couple of trees and put up some ruck sack hoists with anti bear spinners on and some of those can be a long way form a road or track!
 
Are we talking about free aires or paying aires .

Because if we are talking about paying aires the owners have invested a lot of money and I can’t blame them for wanting all the pitches occupied

Free aires are different there should be a time limit and most of them do I’m not sure. anyone takes any notice we do .

Wild camping there are no rules

Too many motorhomes and not enough places .

10 years ago we never even thought about not getting in a aire but it’s different now and you always have to take that into consideration if we are going to a popular aire we always try and get there around 10 ish just as everyone is leaving
Wild camping there are no rules; and there lies the problem. To folks where wild camping encompasses some kind of human endeavour to get to somewhere remote, most, stick to a self imposed code; not being in sight of dwellings, leave no trace, take nothing but photos etc.....
 
This is an on-going debate and a great time to launch into the new year with the wild camping thing, but I am with you big style on this one, how can anybody ever think they can wild camp in a motorhome baffles me, I prefer off grid camping to the term free loading, parking without paying is nearly as good. The first time I joined the Wild Camping forum, I was really excited about the prospect of folks going off in Uni-Mogs or similar but alas just conventional motorhomes or vans. I have hiked a fair bit in the US and don't even consider back country sites wild camping as somebody has been along felled a couple of trees and put up some ruck sack hoists with anti bear spinners on and some of those can be a long way form a road or track!
You are spot on....totally ....
 

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