A Tale Of Freeloading Off-Site Motorhomers. (1 Viewer)

[rainbow chasers]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hDDHMP2OuaA#t=136s




This van looks familiar

I thought that too as soon as I saw it - then read your post!

 

[Snowbird]

Those damned freeloaders get all the best pitches......But only when they know where they are !!!.

 

[Jim]

Sorry buttons. you have it all wrong..

They [STRIKE]freeload [/STRIKE] wild camp here by choice, not to save money but for the ambience and freedom from noisy neighbours.. far far better than on a secure site with all facilities, hot showers, EHU, water and sewage hook up.. they enjoy the freedom to lift manhole covers to do a dump in.. ..
Beats me why anyone would chose a site when you can have all this free..

This is Living The Dream

Whatever floats your boat Jim. Many of the campers that wild park like those in Alvor only come in for the evening, Yes there are those that stay for months they get their deck chairs out and sit in the dustoh: but it takes all sorts.

Many are freeloaders and could afford to stop on sites but a very large number of these campers are retired pensioners who would struggle to pay for a winters camping and are just whiling away a winter on a warm beach, nothing wrong with that. Seems to me that those that moan about them the most are those jealous types trapped in their 2 up 2 down. Living my nightmare.

I rareley stop at communal parking sites like that, and if I do its for a night at most, but I don't like camp sites, I have no need for a EHU And the shower in my van is more than adequate, and In late summer and autumn many campsites are dustier waste ground than seen on the video:BigGrin. I have used the manholes alluded to at these wild parking places and must say I've been on sites that have shittier facilities. as for the noisy neighbours the camaraderie on some of these places is superb, people looking out for each other and it certainly beats the stalag stares and nosiness of CC campsites, which to many of us are he'll on earth. Each to their own.

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[scotjimland]

Whatever floats your boat Jim.

have your say by all means Jim ..

but why quote my post from all the others who see it differently from you .. ?

What I see is a Itinerant camp.. not wild camping, and if they can't afford to winter on a site perhaps they should just stay at home..

.. all fur and no knickers comes to mind

 

[buttons]

have your say by all means Jim ..

but why quote my post out from all the others who see it differently from you .. ?

What I see is a Itinerant camp.. not wild camping, and if they can't afford to winter on a site perhaps they should just stay at home..

.. all fur and no knickers comes to mind

I would settle for a two up two down in beautiful coastal Suffolk any day, sun rain or snow :Cool:

 

[scotjimland]

I would settle for a two up two down in beautiful coastal Suffolk any day, sun rain or snow :Cool:

Indeed...

We lived in an RV for three years and NEVER used Itinerant camps..

We used airs, municipals, big sites and CLs .. but nothing beats living in a nice house.. glad to have done it but more than happy to be back under tiles.. great for a time, but the shine wears off ..

I love motorhoming and caravanning .. but not as a lifestyle .. great for two or three years.. seeing all these places.. but grand to be 'home'

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[Jim]

have your say by all means Jim ..

but why quote my post from all the others who see it differently from you .. ?

What I see is a Itinerant camp.. not wild camping, and if they can't afford to winter on a site perhaps they should just stay at home..

.. all fur and no knickers comes to mind

Why should they stay at home because you would rather be on a CC site with hook up and shower? At Many, if not most, of those wild parking places no laws are being broken, they are there will full knowledge of the police and at the will of the local businesses. It's not my cup of tea, but if it's theirs why deny them. Maybe they should just stay at home and get all bitter and judgemental about stuff.

IMO Those sites are not really any different to the large sites in Devon all lined up. Car-awning-caravan-barbecue-Car-awning-caravan-barbecue-Car-awning-caravan-barbecue. Bar on site, kids running riot, give me a dusty car park in Alvor over that any day

 

[2657]

I would not go so far as to say that I fully approve of the type of wild camping advocated by Jim, JJ, Snowbird and others but I can certainly see the attractions of the lifestyle, certainly when done responsibly as I am sure they do and in small numbers.

We have the same sort of ideals but choose to do it on sites, we have our favourite areas and sites. Sometimes we have to compromise slightly on the site because we love the location, but we would never go on what we think to be a bad site in a nice location nor would we go on a good site in a poor location with the exception of occasional night halts.On most sites that we use we have more space to ourselves than we have seen on the gathering grounds for 'wildcampers'

Having said all that I can see no other reason for using car parks such as Silves in the manner that they are, ie free camping grounds, other than avoiding payment.

The area at Alvor shown in the video has now been closed but a nearby area has been provided with basic facilities for €4 a night but some 'wildcampers' still set up on the nearby beach road.

Some authorities in Portugal have started charging a small fee for using previously free 'wildcamping' areas, Alvor,Vila Real & Manta Rota is especially nice.The authorities at Silves are missing a good revenue raising opportunity.

 

[scotjimland]

Why should they stay at home because you would rather be on a CC site with hook up and shower? At Many, if not most, of those wild parking places no laws are being broken, they are there will full knowledge of the police and at the will of the local businesses. It's not my cup of tea, but if it's theirs why deny them. Maybe they should just stay at home and get all bitter and judgemental about stuff.

IMO Those sites are not really any different to the large sites in Devon all lined up. Car-awning-caravan-barbecue-Car-awning-caravan-barbecue-Car-awning-caravan-barbecue. Bar on site, kids running riot, give me a dusty car park in Alvor over that any day

you didn't answer my question Jim ..

but why quote my post from all the others who see it differently from you .. ?

it's starting to feel personal .. and it's not the first time I've noticed this..

who do I complain to ?????????????????????

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[Jim]

I answered yours because it was your post, being disingenuous, and your living the dream wink wink, comments that I wanted to address. They are mostly retirees, wild parking, and everyone's dreams are different. You are living yours why deny them theirs.

Nothing personal

 

[scotjimland]

I answered yours because it was [HI]your post, being disingenuous, [/HI]and your living the dream wink wink, comments that I wanted to address. They are mostly retires wild parking, and everyone's dreams are different. You are living yours why deny them theirs.

Nothing personal

so now I'm disingenuous...

now if I'm not mistaken, there is a rule (which you keep reminding others about) .. about addressing the content of a post.. ?

as I said.. it's not the first time you have had a go at me on a thread.. but as it's YOUR forum I have no redress.. so I will do the honourable thing and leave you to it.

 

[Jim]

so now I'm disingenuous...

now if I'm not mistaken, there is a rule (which you keep reminding others about) .. about addressing the content of a post.. ?

as I said.. it's not the first time you have had a go at me on a thread.. but as it's YOUR forum I have no redress.. so I will do the honourable thing and leave you to it.

It was your comments that were disingenuous,

I don't ever recall having "a go" at you personally, on the contrary. If you want to leave because I disagree with your position on something, that's sad, and I'd rather you didn't but it's your decision,we're all adults here.

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[buttons]

I answered yours because it was your post, being disingenuous, and your living the dream wink wink, comments that I wanted to address. They are mostly retirees, wild parking, and everyone's dreams are different. [HI]You are living yours why deny them theirs. [/HI]

Nothing personal

This could be one possible reason Jim a post from your own earlier link. Or is this just nimbyism on behalf of the locals. Affect on me personally, I have difficulty stopping at or visiting most places because of past abuse. Portugal is just catching up with the rest of Europe.
Broken Link Removed

 

[haganap]

Now Now Jim's behave or Ill report ya to Yosser Hughes. :Cool:


Jim, (English)-- I can't believe that you would choose that as a place to stay for anything more than a night? But as I said, we are all different, and for some, obviously they are. If it were a choice between the both, ie my lifestyle and that lifestyle,,, it would be a tough decision, but my Bath and local Indian would probably win.

However,,,,

Snowbirds Lifestyle? his little camper parked in them pictures, still free but with one difference, its beautiful.... Now given that life and my bath and Indian? no comparison.

That for me is living the dream, but Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I was always told

 

[Sundowners]

I think that we have the best of both worlds at the moment-----we have a house as a base/place to park our motorhome--------but we can use the motorhome as and where we please
As far as costs go----we have found that, being carefull, it costs no more living in our house than staying on campsites in the m/home, and, during the winter/bad weather, a house is more convenient

Those vans parked on that 'wasteland' in the video-------what you don't know is how long each one has been there------a lot just stop the night------not many of those 'perfect' wild camping spots have drinking water/waste- dump/wi-fi/etc. ---so it is not possible to stay on them for so many nights without going 'out':Sad:-------------what you don't know is where the vans are when they are NOT on that wasteland----we found dozens of great camping spots in Portugal, most times on our own-----we did stop on the Silves car park for odd nights, and it's plain to see that vans are changing every day. Some do stay longer------it's all down to personal choice-------------------------------if ALL those wild campers went onto campsites, tourists would never find a camp ground to stop on.
There are natural springs chucking water out 24/7----we can't see that it's a cost to anyone if we use some of it-----------Why pay campsite fees for stuff you don't need or get for free-----we are quite happy to spend money into the local economy----so the locals can benefit from our 'freeloading'
Nigel & Pamala

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[Jim]

I've had loads of ding dongs with Jim over the years, we see lots of things differently and I'll always fight my corner as will he. but i've NEVER"had a go" at Jim personally. I count him as a friend and I'm sorry if he feels the way he describes. However I feel his justification is unfounded.

Every now and again Jim spits his dummy and threatens to leave, it's always a good day when he decides to come back. But, it's not in my nature to start a please don't go thing, he goes or he doesn't that's for him.

 

[Jim]

Now Now Jim's behave or Ill report ya to Yosser Hughes. :Cool:


Jim, (English)-- I can't believe that you would choose that as a place to stay for anything more than a night?:

I hate the places, as much as I hate big commercial sites. But I know quite a few people who stay in areas like it, and Itinerants isn't how I'd describe them. There are too many nice out of the way places to pitch for me to spend time at those communal areas But a lot of those wild parkers do get hooked on the group and don't fancy nights away on their own, they like security the group gives even if its only a placebo. Each to there own.

 

[2657]

"But a lot of those wild parkers do get hooked on the group and don't fancy nights away on their own, they like security the group gives even if its only a placebo. Each to there own."

Is that not what sites are for !!

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[Jim]

"But a lot of those wild parkers do get hooked on the group and don't fancy nights away on their own, they like security the group gives even if its only a placebo. Each to there own."

Is that not what sites are for !!

That's one benefit, but what's your point? If people don't want to use sites, and can park legally elsewhere, so what?

 

[Chris]

Why is it that any thread containing the word freeloader or freeloading ends in a bit of a ruck?

I think everyone wants different things and thankfully the land mass of this country and the rest of Europe is plenty big enough to accomodate everyone and everything.

:thumb:

 

[trophychap]

I have been following this thread with some interest. I note that a lot of posters refer to "freeloaders and Itinerants". Well it seems to me the only video evidence refers to Alvor not Silves and as Jim pointed out quite early in the thread, the guy who posted that video on utube does it seems have a "hidden agenda". Having looked at the video a couple of times now I can't help but think to myself thats not a lot different to quite a number of Aires that Jenny and myself have stayed on in the south of France.

The other thing I did notice was that there was nothing in the way of deck chairs or awnings or other "camping paraphinalia" about, and also there was absolutely NO Rubbish lying/blowing about indicating to me at least that the motorhomers in question were in effect looking after the area where they were staying.

Pete

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[haganap]

Don;t want to sound pedantic but I can't see anyone calling freeloading campers Itinerants?

What I have said, is that the place looks like what you would expect to find at a Itinerant site. There's a difference, between that and calling people Itinerant's which is actually not a very nice term at all.

The reason why these threads allways end in rucks is simple.

There are those so blind that they can't see past their nose.

It ain't my cup of tea, I could think of nothing worse than to spend any time 1 night or 10 at a place like that. But, those that do are welcome too, in much the same way that those keep telling me that they could think of nothing else worse than being in -20 skiing.

It's about choices, we all have them, but some think others choices are wrong, there not wrong, just different.

 

[Barclaybasher]

Having looked at the video a couple of times now I can't help but think to myself thats not a lot different to quite a number of Aires that Jenny and myself have stayed on in the south of France.
Pete

If there is a problem with the 'site' in Alvor it seems to be the sheer numbers of motorhomes. Aires in France and elsewhere are set up by the local comunity, usually with water and waste disposal, not by the motorhomers.

Legal ? maybe - fair on the local comunity ? I don't think so

If they want an 'Aire' in Alvor it should be the locals that decide

 

[chesterfield hooligan]

remember children

this site is

called FUN ​

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[simsy56]

Some thread this has turned out to be! From good hearted 'wild campers', to cursed 'freeloaders'!
Nice to read, and get others slant on this though.

Craig

 

[Gromett]

Don;t want to sound pedantic but I can't see anyone calling freeloading campers Itinerants?

What I have said, is that the place looks like what you would expect to find at a Itinerant site. There's a difference, between that and calling people Itinerant's which is actually not a very nice term at all.

The reason why these threads allways end in rucks is simple.

There are those so blind that they can't see past their nose.

It ain't my cup of tea, I could think of nothing worse than to spend any time 1 night or 10 at a place like that. But, those that do are welcome too, in much the same way that those keep telling me that they could think of nothing else worse than being in -20 skiing.

It's about choices, we all have them, but some think others choices are wrong, there not wrong, just different.

The Itinerant term was used in the video and I think I used it in reference to myself

I would rather be in Alvor than -20 skiing :thumb: Each to their own.
If we were all the same and agreed on everything life would be sooooo boring.

 

[Jim]

If they want an 'Aire' in Alvor it should be the locals that decide

I do think they have done just that. These days Police soon move people on that are parked illegally.

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[Snowbird]

There is another slant to this that not many have thought of. I know many retired travellers from around northern Europe that drive south in the winter and meet up on these wildings just for the company of people they have known for years. They know were everyone is at certain months of the year and go and have the craik with them for a few days. As a matter of fact I have been guilty of it myself occasionally. I don't think any of those in the video would be sitting there all winter, but calling in to see old friends just as many used to do on the beaches of Spain in the early days. When travelling as most of these snowbirds do its just not practical to call on campsites for a couple of days with what the campsites charge on a day rate.
What many forget is that these people are not on a 2 week holiday, they are away for at least 6 months and don't want to sit on a campsite for that length of time. Thats why they bought a MOTORHOME in the first place.

 

[jhorsf]

I would like to ask Jim and JJ as they own land how they would feel if 200 motorhomers decided to park up on your land as they thought it was a nice place? I think they are parked where they have no permission on private land you cannot say that this is ok

 

[Mel]

Yes it is OK they are doing the commmunity a service .

Outhrwise it whould be full of *gypsys

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