Finding places to stay, fill and dump in Spain?

[hanz64]

I am a newbie to van life in Europe. However, I towed a large camper trailer all around the USA, but things are different in Europe and being in a camper van is definitely different as well. If anyone has some advice of how to get started with vanlife after I roll off the lot, that would be highly appreciated. I will start in Spain. And these are my initial questions:

• Is there a good app that I can use to find the next place where I will spend the night? I don't intend to go to campgrounds very often to save money.
• Where can I find spots to fill the water tank in Spain?
• Where can I dump the gray tank?
• Where can I dump the cassette?
• Is there a chemical that I should use in the cassette? I intend to keep the TP separate in order to avoid clogs.

I look forward to any comments and replies to my questions.

View attachment 447784

/Hanz and the Outlaw

 

[bobandjanie]

Park4night is very good, but make your own mind up if (1) it's safe (2) is it allowing motorhomes to stay because they are good at fining them.
Normally in winter they turn a blind eye, unless someone reports you for doing
something you shouldn't, or they get too many in the location. Bob.

 

[Armytwowheels]

Sorry I just reply to your similar question on your other thread. Didn't realise you had started an new thread.

 

[138go]

We use Campercontact. Wild camping in Spain is becoming more and more difficult.

Some of the Spanish Aires are okay but many charge. The ones that don’t tend to limit you to two nights. There aren’t that many Aires.

 

[hanz64]

Many thanks for you replies. I am currently checking out both the Park4Night and Campercontact apps. Judging from the initial look at these apps, they appear incredibly helpful.

I don't mind paying some fees to park. What is the range of the nightly parking fees that I can expect to see?

Also, I am curious about how to properly use my cassette toilet. In the US they mainly use black tanks. And you would pour some special liquid (I suppose to break things up and limit odors) into the black tank after each time you empty it. Is that a product that is used here with the cassette toilets?

/Hanz

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[Richard n Ann]

Be careful using fine park for night. A lot of the parking places get well used, the locals then quickly get peed off and the police make regular visits to fine people. Read the comments.

 

[nicholsong]

Many thanks for you replies. I am currently checking out both the Park4Night and Campercontact apps. Judging from the initial look at these apps, they appear incredibly helpful.

I don't mind paying some fees to park. What is the range of the nightly parking fees that I can expect to see?

Also, I am curious about how to properly use my cassette toilet. In the US they mainly use black tanks. And you would pour some special liquid (I suppose to break things up and limit odors) into the black tank after each time you empty it. Is that a product that is used here with the cassette toilets?

/Hanz

Hanz welcome.

There are special liquids for cassettes available at motorhome/camper accessories shops, but they are quite expensive and a lot of us use bio wasing liquid or sachets from supermarkets. They are labelled 'Bio' in UK but not in Euriope but can be identified by the word 'enzyme' in the list of ingredients(take your glasses if needed as letters are often small)

YOu have been given two apps and 'searchforsites' and 'campingcarinfos' (french) are two others.

Geoff

 

[Gaston aires]

We use searchforsites and find it excellent. You can get for free but we pay the extra £6 to use offline and other benefits. Haven’t used it much this year of course.
Phil

 

[jumar]

Hi Hanz, we use Park4Night but stick to the official overnight parking, too many entries are included because someone found a place and decided to advertise it to others, this is known to cause localized problems.
If you find that quaint place with a view to beat all other views, keep it that way, don't tell the whole motorhoming community, because next time you choose to return, it will be rammed, and the time after that, signs erected stating No Overnighting.....Motorhomers are their own worst enemies...

 

[hanz64]

I really appreciate all your comments. From what I can tell there are way too many "illegal", or "not approved" sites listed in these apps. I wish there was a way to list only the "approved" sites. I would definitely prefer to pay a small fee and sleep better at night, and not having to worry about having the police come and bang on the door and wake me up in the middle of the night (I had that happen to me once in the US). It is not fun to wake up and be forced to drive somewhere else.

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[Lenny HB]

We find Camper Contact far more reliable than Park4Night, we find Park4Night often takes you to places you really wouldn't want to stop at or only suitable for a small camper van.

Never had any problems finding somewhere to fill or dump in Spain.

If you find that quaint place with a view to beat all other views, keep it that way, don't tell the whole motorhoming community, because next time you choose to return, it will be rammed,

Not a wild spot but we found a brand new Aire in Portugal we were the only van there, last year (one year later) it was in Camper Contact, it was rammed.

 

[Dipper65]

I spent a few weeks last winter in the Costa Blanca area, fuel stations will let you fill up with water if you buy some fuel, most campsites and aires will let you fill up and empty for a small charge and in my 6.5m PVC had no problems with finding quite places to park for a night or two using park4night and common sense.

 

[jumar]

I spent a few weeks last winter in the Costa Blanca area, fuel stations will let you fill up with water if you buy some fuel, most campsites and aires will let you fill up and empty for a small charge and in my 6.5m PVC had no problems with finding quite places to park for a night or two using park4night and common sense.

Hi dipper65.....common sense..... don't see that being stated or used on too many occasions just of late....
Thank you for using this, I like to use consideration, nice word that....means so much...brings happyness..... thank you..

 

[Reusables]

You can park anywhere and sleep if you keep your head down and chairs inside..if you want to get a beach front view with all the trimmings (chairs and table out) then campsites are best..as others have said it's getting harder and harder to find the perfect spot with no trouble..to many newbies taking the Mick and locals hate it...the police will put up with a bit if your on your own and parked correctly but not so much in the summer...
Most service stations in the ap7 have a place to empty and fill water..
Stealth in a town is ok..walk to the shops and bars...YouTube is the beginning of the end for wild camping IMO

 

[Tony50]

I would buy a " Aires book" look on the website, gives you a picture, description, plus rough price guide , there are a lot that are Free attached to villages , towns , all legal, usually cost peanuts if you have to pay , all have somewhere to dump grey water, toilet and get fresh water, France, Spain, and Portugal have them , Germany has them called Steleplazes, different books for different countries , some may not be available in winter or froze up, we don't believe in dumping anywhere in any country for the sale in some cases 4 euro to say up to 15 + euro ,we found the books worthwhile and gives you Sat Nov directions.

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[Tony50]

While and gives you directions

 

[jumar]

I would buy a " Aires book" look on the website, gives you a picture, description, plus rough price guide , there are a lot that are Free attached to villages , towns , all legal, usually cost peanuts if you have to pay , all have somewhere to dump grey water, toilet and get fresh water, France, Spain, and Portugal have them , Germany has them called Steleplazes, different books for different countries , some may not be available in winter or froze up, we don't believe in dumping anywhere in any country for the sale in some cases 4 euro to say up to 15 + euro ,we found the books worthwhile and gives you Sat Nov directions.

I have stopped buying the books due to them being out of date very quickly, using web based information has been for me a better option, new Aires and service points can be added by the owners quite quickly, where updates for books need to be prepared for the next years edition....each to their own....just a personal view...

 

[138go]

I have stopped buying the books due to them being out of date very quickly, using web based information has been for me a better option, new Aires and service points can be added by the owners quite quickly, where updates for books need to be prepared for the next years edition....each to their own....just a personal view...

I agree with that. We had a Spanish Aires book and it was out of date when we bought it. We use Campercontact, the information on there is up to date and the reviews are very useful. You can pretty much work out if it’s the sort of place you want to stay.

 

[Lenny HB]

I would buy a " Aires book" look on the website, gives you a picture, description, plus rough price guide , there are a lot that are Free attached to villages , towns , all legal, usually cost peanuts if you have to pay , all have somewhere to dump grey water, toilet and get fresh water, France, Spain, and Portugal have them , Germany has them called Steleplazes, different books for different countries , some may not be available in winter or froze up, we don't believe in dumping anywhere in any country for the sale in some cases 4 euro to say up to 15 + euro ,we found the books worthwhile and gives you Sat Nov directions.

I don't think I have bought a book since 2009, they are always out of date and expensive.

 

[Landy Andy]

And heavy.

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[Tony50]

I don't think I have bought a book since 2009, they are always out of date and expensive.

All I can say last winter I spent a couple of months in Spain , and used Aires books , done alright for me , mind you it was the latest 2019 book delivered December 2018, but, I must admit a like a book rather than a website for that sort of thing. Another thing if you can't get the Internet what do you do ? because a signal can be a bit here and there. but probably some never have a problem.

 

[Brella]

I would buy a " Aires book" look on the website, gives you a picture, description, plus rough price guide , there are a lot that are Free attached to villages , towns , all legal, usually cost peanuts if you have to pay , all have somewhere to dump grey water, toilet and get fresh water, France, Spain, and Portugal have them , Germany has them called Steleplazes, different books for different countries , some may not be available in winter or froze up, we don't believe in dumping anywhere in any country for the sale in some cases 4 euro to say up to 15 + euro ,we found the books worthwhile and gives you Sat Nov directions.

Definately buy aire books they are reliable. We have France North and south but need the Spanish and Portugal aire book. For Spain and Portugal we use search for sites at the moment and we have always found an aire without any problems. Aires can be free or anywhere up to 15E with facilities.

 

[xsparks]

Another couple of useful apps are 123fuel & myLPG.eu.

 

[Lenny HB]

. Another thing if you can't get the Internet what do you do ? because a signal can be a bit here and there. but probably some never have a problem.

Apart from very remote mountain areas don't get that problem with a roof mounted MIMO aerial.

 

[Tony50]

Apart from very remote mountain areas don't get that problem with a roof mounted MIMO aerial.

Must nice to be rich !!, must put mine roof , instead of side !!

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[Lenny HB]

Must nice to be rich !!, must put mine roof , instead of side !!

???
only £125.

 

[mitzimad]

no one has mentioned acsi which is a book of campsites that you can buy that gives you discount on sites out of peak season ,we tend to wild till we need services and then have a night on site,finding places to wild camp is much easier away from the coast spain has a lot of mountainous regions quite wild and lots of opportunities they do seem to be opening camperstops near the coasts to alleviate the problems of wild campers

 

[Riverbankannie]

Hi
I would just add that using the gps co-ordinates given in the apps, you can easily copy them into google earth and then use street view to take a look at access and location.

 

[Tony50]

???
only £125.

I knew you were well heeled , my wife said that's the first time I have been right this year !!

 

[Stonemags76]

All the apps have an offline version for about £5.