# Are Motorhomes becoming a pain in the ass for the Spanish?



## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

Are Motorhomes becoming a pain in the ass for the Spanish?
Where we are staying in Spain the local beach was jam packed with motorhomes, the locals, understandably, were pi**ed off with this and the Mayor has passed a law to get rid of um……so no more wild camping for motorhomes around here.
I think motorhomers need to think ,are we are wearing out our welcome in Spain? Is there anything we can do about it.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Sadly this happens to all sorts of things and activities, an inconsiderate few ruin it for the majority.

Trouble is that everyone thinks "Well Its only for a few days" forgetting that everyone's few days adds up to a lot of days!

Andy


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

We never wild camp near other vans or houses within sight for about half a mile, if we all did that there would be much less of a problem.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

It's happened in France many years ago. You could wild all along the Med back in the 80s & 90s.
There are still many places in Northern France as long as no one complains.

There are still many places to 'wild' here in Portugal Algarve but I'm sure as they get overcrowded and abused the authorities will clamp down and close access. Sad for the respectful vans but you can see the ones who cause the problems as they stand out obviously.

Ray.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I think it's true, MH are in danger of wearing out their welcome 

You do pass large numbers of MH wilding on beaches etc for long periods of time 

We stayed one night with such a group and were advised you can just empty the cassette into the sea 

I don't think so !!

Well I certainly wouldn't want to swim there 

That's total lack of respect for the environment and the local communities 

We wild in odd locations, usually alone 

We have emptied cassettes by lifting the top sod, digging a hole, filling it in and replacing the top sod 

We carry a spade 

We are more than happy to use campsites

Happy with Aires as long as they are not packed 

Are irritated by people who arrive late and leave early to avoid paying, and many do

Always post the fee into the Marie if no one collects it.

I don't wish for a free night I should have paid for 

To me that's theft and abuse of hospitality

There is or should be a code of conduct for MHomers

Those that ignore it will eventually cause resentment against all MHomers

And this is not righteous indignation 

Its every day comman sense, respect for the environment and for the communities who live there 

Sandra


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

greygit said:


> Are Motorhomes becoming a pain in the ass for the Spanish?
> Where we are staying in Spain the local beach was jam packed with motorhomes, the locals, understandably, were pi**ed off with this and the Mayor has passed a law to get rid of um……so no more wild camping for motorhomes around here.
> I think motorhomers need to think ,are we are wearing out our welcome in Spain? Is there anything we can do about it.


There's lots that motorhomers can do about it, and we all know what those things are.
Don't congregate in large masses.
Don't overstay, even on official sites.
Don't spread out your kit, it's not a campsite.
Don't leave litter, and worse, laying about.
Don't block people's views or amenities.

Do spend locally.
Do pay your fees.
Do a bit of litter clearing.
Do greet and smile at local residents.
Do dress respectfully.

It's all just common sense and basic respect for your hosts.

I was quite incensed when calling into a small Portuguese village to discover half dozen motorhomers had taken over the small village square for laundry. Not only had they set up several 12 volt washing machines but they were using the shady pagodas to hang up their wet clothes. If I'd been the local mayor I'd have gone in there with a water cannon!!


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Not sure about dumping cassette in the sea, you often see pipes going out to sea near towns, I don't think they're sucking in seawater, but it'd have to be at the water line at low tide for the sea to do the job of breaking it up as the tide came in.


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> Not sure about dumping cassette in the sea, you often see pipes going out to sea near towns, I don't think they're sucking in seawater, but it'd have to be at the water line at low tide for the sea to do the job of breaking it up as the tide came in.


Just right for young children to play in when the tide arrives?


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

I thought the EU stopped all that.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> Not sure about dumping cassette in the sea, you often see pipes going out to sea near towns, I don't think they're sucking in seawater, but it'd have to be at the water line at low tide for the sea to do the job of breaking it up as the tide came in.


It could be only rainwater run-off or field drainage.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Yes it could be run off, we don't do it, but I have seen little piles in the sand which means some do the doings with the do do on the beach.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

How anyone could dump a cassette in the sea of a country they are a guest in is just beyond me. You may as well go and dump it in the local school playground or outside the town hall.

Are people that desperate to save money scrabbling around in huge groups on some scruffy scrub land and dumping their cassette in the sea rather than moving the van to an Aire or site? Im all for wild camping and a bit of a freebie but thats just disgusting. I just cannot see the appeal of over wintering in Spain and behaving like that.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I agree it's terrible but I've even seen it in the corner of a supermarket car park as tend to park out of the way so we don't get boxed in.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Any sewage pipe discharging into the sea will be from a treatment plant. This means it is treated sewage and, therefore, considered quite safe. Technically you should be able to drink the water from a sewage treatment plant.
Why can't these people find a manhole? A fellow motorhomer, whom we were quizzing about disposal facilities in an area we were visiting, pointed us in the direction of a sewage manhole. He told us that the local police had given him the thumbs up when they spotted him using it for emptying his cassette.


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## iandsm (May 18, 2007)

Unfortunately its pretty obvious that there are low life people who use motorhomes, examples like emptying cassettes into the sea and taking over a village square with washing are but a few sadly. I just think its up to the decent folk to demonstrate that they are not like that and try to redress the balance by acting properly as has been suggested earlier and staying away from those who don't, or won't behave themselves.


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## H1-GBV (Feb 28, 2006)

Sadly there are some people who don't know or just don't want to know.

I was camped on a commercial site in Anglesey last year and someone had emptied their elsan into the drainage grid at a drinking water point :surprise:. Needless to say, the solids hadn't drained away but it surprised me that I was the first person to report it to Reception, as several folk were walking past it before I arrived.

Gordon


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

patp said:


> Any sewage pipe discharging into the sea will be from a treatment plant. This means it is treated sewage and, therefore, considered quite safe. Technically you should be able to drink the water from a sewage treatment plant.
> Why can't these people find a manhole? A fellow motorhomer, whom we were quizzing about disposal facilities in an area we were visiting, *pointed us in the direction of a sewage manhole.* He told us that the local police had given him the thumbs up when they spotted him using it for emptying his cassette.


We carry manhole keys for just that purpose but sce we have mostly been MHoming in France, with plenty of Aires and two cassettes, we have not needed them, but that is what we would do also, having checked it was a sewer manhole and not grey water.

Geoff


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Travelling along the bottom bit of Spain we were looking for a place to pull up for the night, we saw a sign for a picnic spot which was down a dirt road about half a mile, it was totally deserted so we thought this is nice we will pull up in the parking area and off the next morning.. Sandra got some snap on and I settled down with a beer, next there was a knock on the door and this ranger guy told us we were not allowed to park here and no Campismo.. So we said gracious and we moved on..
I looked at the sat nav and was surprised to find we were only an hour away from Gibraltar so we made our way there arriving just before dark and found a very large empty car park where we stopped for the night, next day another van arrived and parked up at the side of us, this attracted the police, he spoke in a very plum English voice, he said "Sorry sir but your not allowed to stay in your van in Gibraltar", so he moved us both on, off Gib back into Spain!..

So there we were chucked out of two countries in two days, we laughed our heads off having spent the previous 10 months travelling all over Europe with no problems... Ah motor homing the adventure of a lifetime we don't know we are born being able to do this..

ray.


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## CurlyBoy (Jan 13, 2008)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> We never wild camp near other vans or houses within sight for about half a mile, if we all did that there would be much less of a problem.


We used to wild camp a lot in Scotland, but that was in the 70's and 80's when there were not many campsites, always, if there was a house in site, Id' go and ask if they objected to my stopping overnight, only once in over twenty years of touring Scotland were we asked, no TOLD, not to stop, and she wasn't Scottish but a really bumptious English person!!
curlyboy


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## CurlyBoy (Jan 13, 2008)

aldra said:


> I think it's true, MH are in danger of wearing out their welcome
> 
> You do pass large numbers of MH wilding on beaches etc for long periods of time
> 
> ...


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## CurlyBoy (Jan 13, 2008)

H1-GBV said:


> Sadly there are some people who don't know or just don't want to know.
> 
> I was camped on a commercial site in Anglesey last year and someone had emptied their elsan into the drainage grid at a drinking water point :surprise:. Needless to say, the solids hadn't drained away but it surprised me that I was the first person to report it to Reception, as several folk were walking past it before I arrived.
> 
> Gordon


Sadly I've seen exactly this on a Caravan Club Site, just last year I had to ask a fellow member not to rinse his cassette at the DRINKING TAP!!!
curlyboy


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

nicholsong said:


> ... having checked it was a sewer manhole and not grey water.
> 
> Geoff


How do you recognise a sewer manhole Geoff? We used one at Platje de Tavernes - it was pointed out to us - but I wouldn't know what to look for myself.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Take years of learning Jean and can only be gained through experience.!
If some one shouts at you 'OI' it's pretty certain it aint sewer.

Ray.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

jiwawa said:


> How do you recognise a sewer manhole Geoff? We used one at Platje de Tavernes - it was pointed out to us - but I wouldn't know what to look for myself.


Well apart from some obvious solid objects and tissue paper flowing down it, the smell might give a clue. Also if it is not raining it will not be run-off water.

Plus what Ray says:laugh:

Geoff


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Possibly but not guaranteed.....


Saneamento for Spanish manhole covers


Esgotos for Portugese ones.


Always best to lift the cover first and check for Mr Whippys floating by though. :roll:


Pete


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## Al42 (Aug 4, 2011)

Those are inspection chamber covers, in the UK you could be prosecuted for emptying anything into them whether foul drains or surface water.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

OK, use the one with a telephone symbol on it......

Ray.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Now I'm confused! (doesn't take much!)


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Maybe I shouda put a 'smiley' beside my hint Jean.

Ray.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

It doesn't make sense Jean because unless you see turds and paper going past you can't know what it's intended for Jean. Even when you do see turds it could be a motorhomer a short distance away tipping his cassette down the nearest manhole to where he is.

To be sure you'd need to trace it all the way from where the toilet waste exits a building. Just lifting a manhole cover for a look is not a good idea and there in no possible legitimate reason for you to do so.

Drainage of all sorts was part of my work. Best avoided I think.

I carry keys too but will only lift a manhole cover to empty our tank into it if the landowner has pointed it out as a suitable disposal point.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

raynipper said:


> Maybe I shouda put a 'smiley' beside my hint Jean.
> 
> Ray.


I did actually get that Ray ;-) - it was Al42's comment I was refeerring to.

But yes, best not done at all, unless invited to.


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Last year at the NEC, there was a posse of "habitual year-round caravanners with white vans" ensconced in the far corner of the parking lot of the Premier Inn. I "wonder" where they were disposing of their "waste"?????? The kids were using the hotel's facilities whenever they could sneak in. They also tried to con the manager into giving them a refund for the money the "Coke dispenser" had "swallowed". (Plan didn't work.) They were moved on within a week, but a week's excrement is quite a lot for a big gang. Maybe I'll find the trees have grown exponentially when I go back this year!


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