Would you sneak into campsite facilities without asking/paying for the night (1 Viewer)

[shawn&emma]

Started seeing this quite a lot over the last couple of years. Motorhomers parking up close by, around the corner then when they think no ones looking enter the site towel in hand and use the showers. If you have paid for the night and saw someone doing this would you approach them?

 

[UK Pete]

Funny you should say that, on a few occasions i have gone into a site parked up and not been approached by any one, but have gone over and paid my fees later, some places it would be easy to do such a thing, and no doubt many people do , as to wether i would approach people doing as you say, welll i probably would mention it in passing to the owner but not really get involved with some scummy low life
pete

 

[Phill D]

i think a mention to the owner / warden when next passing, but risk verbal abuse and spoil my day " not unless it was unavoidable and very necessary "

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[Reallyretired]

Only once stayed and not paid, and I did try.

The site was near Dieppe, can't recall the name. We wanted to leave after our 1 night after the ferry.
The office should have been open but wasn't so I rang the bell. The chef de campings stuck his head out of an upstairs window and yelled something incomprehensible (I think he was in the shower). A couple of minutes later the barrier opened so I drove through, expecting him to put in an appearance to be paid. We waited about 10minutes and he still hadn't come down so we left.

 

[JJ]

(snipped) well i probably would mention it in passing to the owner but not really get involved with some [HI]scummy[/HI] low life
pete

Surely they wouldn't be "scummy" if they had just had a nice shower?


JJ :Cool:

 

[eddie]

We beat them up, and set the dogs onto what's left.

Then we smear the bits of their bodies over the windscreens of their vans, before torching them.

Theft is theft, which ever way you look it.

Parking two tractors 10mm each side of their vans whilst their stealing from you is also amusing when they bleat about it.

Sharp heavy things tractors!

Eddie

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[yorkieman]

Yes, it is just plain wrong, although on a couple occasions I've arrived late and had to park up in the late arrivals area where I've had access to all the magnificent facilities without having to dust my wallet down for the night.

 

[Sheddy]

Paying at some French municipal sites can test your honesty and determination, last year we spent 4 nights at a very rustic site ST VINCENT DE MERCUZE just north of Grenoble.
At no time was there a warden on site, we asked other local tuggers how to pay they just told us the warden would eventually turn up, he didn't !!!!!
On departure we eventually found him working at the local 'Piscine', he was amazed to see us, and probably very pleased to pocket the exact payment in cash we gave him. oh:
We felt happy to have eventually paid.
They say honest pays, but who ?

 

[eddie]

I think that it is "intent" I am sure that we have all stayed on a site an hour or two after we should leave, and I know that I have waited for owners to arrive so I can pay an leave. In fact I have in the past, "guesstimated" how much I owe and posted it under a door.

When the intent is to knowingly park up and steal services and facilities from the other paying guests and the owners, that is different, and I despise people like that that end up ruining everything for normal decent people with morals

Eddie

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[MHVirgins]

We'd booked into a CL on the north side of Glasgow recently. I phoned the owners who said, we'll keep a pitch for you, just set yourself up as we won't be here over the weekend.
We turned up to find all 5 pitches taken and had to park on the edge of one of the pitches for the night knowing full well that someone had obviously moved onto our pitch At about 7 am the following morning the car and caravan to one side of us started up and drove off. When we mentioned this to the owner after the weekend she said, this happens a lot, people know that we're not here and take advantage.......they hadn't booked and left without paying.

Bill

 

[vwalan]

when i was a kid in the 60,s we used to regularly get into a local pontins just like as been said . it was good for getting the girls on holiday.
yes have visited it since but not for years . weymouth just isnt the same any more .
have returned to see old mates etc but now i dont sneak into camp sites .
dont really like them or some of the folk that use them.
but never mind some of the camp site folk do sneak into the free parking places as well and pretend they do it alot . put up chairs etc and annoy the guardia .
they dont realize free camping isnt stopping on a campsite. and just parking as you should . here in spain we see the campsite dwellers spoil many a good free park up.

 

[Wildman]

People are not all honest unfortunately, we had two people who had stayed a couple of nights and got to know the routine then turned up after we had left for the night opened the gate because they had the combination and stayed an extra night, both knew about the honesty box, neither left payment (Separate occasions). I do know who the are as every numberplate is logged. They may well stay again this season, but not for free. I'd give away my last pound if someone needed it but will not tolerate theft.:Angry:

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[Ali n Tim]

We stopped on an aire in Brantome back in January. The fee was €2 with a honesty box plus envelopes. Unfortunately the box had been broken into! :Angry: Being honest be left the money but no idea if anyone came to collect

 

[shawn&emma]

Thanks for your comments. I think that if you do everything that you can to find someone to pay/ contact and you can't, then you done all you can. It's the blatant park up nearby wait till alls getting quiet late evening/early morning then walk in that's just knowingly wrong. I have spoken to some of these people, and had excuses like "just wanted to try the facilities out before we decided to stay" "I thought they where for public use" or one of the most common "I'm already staying on site, booked in yesterday"
We do have a lot of wild campers in Scotland so I think that does make it more of a common thing to see happening.
Have a good day Shawn.

 

[bobandjanie]

when i was a kid in the 60,s we used to regularly get into a local pontins just like as been said . it was good for getting the girls on holiday.
yes have visited it since but not for years . weymouth just isnt the same any more .
have returned to see old mates etc but now i dont sneak into camp sites .
dont really like them or some of the folk that use them.
[HI]but never mind some of the camp site folk do sneak into the free parking places as well and pretend they do it alot . put up chairs etc and annoy the guardia .
they dont realize free camping isnt stopping on a campsite. and just parking as you should . here in spain we see the campsite dwellers spoil many a good free park up.[/HI]

Jane

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[2657]

when i was a kid in the 60,s we used to regularly get into a local pontins just like as been said . it was good for getting the girls on holiday.
yes have visited it since but not for years . weymouth just isnt the same any more .
have returned to see old mates etc but now i dont sneak into camp sites .
dont really like them or some of the folk that use them.
[HI]but never mind some of the camp site folk do sneak into the free parking places as well and pretend they do it alot . put up chairs etc and annoy the guardia .
they dont realize free camping isnt stopping on a campsite. and just parking as you should . here in spain we see the campsite dwellers spoil many a good free park up.[/HI]

Really

What a good idea, never thought of that.

 

[funflair]

Many years ago 4 of us were going round Europe on a budget, we slept in the car and friends outside somewhere, if we stayed on a camp site we could not afford cream cakes in Austria and Switzerland so we alternated between sites and wilding.

One night in Switzerland we parked in the car park outside the camp site, and yes we did sneak into the facilities, we were woken up at 5 in the morning by Swiss police banging the buts of their rifles against the car window and telling us to move, how could we explain that we had to go and get our friends who were sleeping in the woods somewhere.

Young and daft, now much older and sadly not quite as daft either.

Martin

 

[scotjimland]

A few years ago, (must have been in the 90s, how time flies..) we were caravanning in France and were on a small municipal site on the Dordogne.. lovely location , beautiful toilets and right on the river bank.

It was also a canoe station where you could hire, take a trip downstream and get a lift back in the company mini-bus.

Next to the site was a picknik spot which had been taken over by a French motorhome.. they openly used the site facilities, showers etc.. collected water and dumped waste..

We got very friendly with the site manager, a Dutch guy called Bert..so laid back he looked asleep most of the time.. In return for helping with the hire canoes let us use them for free.

It was supposed to be a two night stop.. we ended up staying for almost 2 weeks..

if anyone wants to visit .. have a look on google maps..

45.022035,1.840051


added a couple of pics to show how nice it is .. our landy and caravan

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[jimiol]

I emailed a campsite near Rosslare as I wanted to stay on the site after I got off the ferry. The reply I got back was although they were not officially open for my to help myself. I explained I would be getting there about 7pm and was told no problem and they would see me in the morning. I waited til 11am no sign of anyone no one at the house or in reception. So I left 20 euros through the letter box and explained later in an email what I had done. The owner back a really nice email saying thank you and that there were not expecting any payment.

Whilst in Germany last year I noticed on a few sites where you had to pay extra for EHU, that owners of some MHs would hook up and then un plug for an hour, which coincided with times the collector would show up. I did not say anything but I did think they were taking the Michael.

 

[mondo]

A few years ago went onto a CL just outside Farnham..it was late at night we had left one CL nearby as it wasn't useable..so we looked in The Book (Caravan Club) and found the one near Farnham..we were taking someArmy Gear to my nephew down the road in Bordon..wearrived at about 9:30/9:45..found a space..connected up and I went round to the house to pay...No answer..so I rang the bell..knocked on the door..very very loudly I may add..even rang the number from the book on my mobile..Icould hear the phone ringing from outside so I was calling the correct number..I shouted through the letter box still nothing..so left it..went back 30 minutes later after a cuppa and some toast..tried again still nothing..it was 10:45pm by this time..so I thought bed time next morning at around 8:00am we were ready for the off so placed the fee in an envelope stuckit through the letter box..AFTER knocking and trying again..left my name phone number and CC members number with a note explaining..got a call about an hour later saying we should have booked we were out of order etc..so I said Look..there were 2 spaces..if there were late comers we would have moved across to the far side of the parking area to let any really late arrivals in..(mind you I can'treally see people arriving THAT LATE!!..)This coming from a young girl who sounded to be in her late teens early 20s..I did say well we tried 3 times at the house and again before we left..we could have sneaked off without paying..but we are people WITH a concience so we paid..I think the young girl was out clubbing til early doors and only rang when she surfaced..I did say If you have any complaints call THE CLUB..I suspect the £9 pound fee went in her pocket...

 

[Yorick]

A few times in France we have arrived at municipal sites after the warden went home. If no warden in morning, we've had to leave without paying.

We may be diddling the Govt out of a few Euros, but we've paid plenty to them in about 20 trips to France

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