# Asked to leave! First time ever..



## CaGreg

After four years of MHing, both in Ireland and abroad, we were asked to move on and it was in the place where we spent our first ever night in the van.

There are 'No Overnight Camping' signs in Derrynane, Co Kerry. We have only ever visited there out of season and have always enjoyed our trips. On Wed morning a council worker knocked at the van window while we were having our breakfast and told us that there was no camping allowed. We immediately replied that we were planning to move on that day anyway, so he just left. We did move on, but were sad that we had to. 

There are signs like that all over Kerry and I know it has been highlighted before, but I suppose we thought that in quiet times they wouldn't be enforced. It is a fairly spacious car park and we are very unobtrusive, and respectful. 

I'm not complaining, just saying that it happened. We have parked there on at least five previous times.

Ca


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## seamusog

Sorry to hear that Ca,we will soon be heading in that direction,Bundoran first,then a slow meander down the west coast to Mizzen head before meeting up with langer cousins. Never been moved on in Ireland,sad times.
seamus.


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## UncleNorm

I'm sorry to read of your concern, Ca.

It's that bl**dy lack of vision in operation again. It annoys the hell out of me. Why do the French have so much vision and we have none? :x 

I've been on the roads for 48 years and have only ever picked up 2 parking tickets, both local. The second ticket was issued in Cleethorpes in FEBRUARY 2002 on a freezing cold day. We had taken our older grandson to see the ducks on the Boating Lake. A huge carpark, covered in goose turds... 

We were 3 adults and the one child, Matthew, aged 13 months. We had to wrap Matthew up whilst avoiding the droppings. And off we went to see the ducks.

Half an hour later, we returned to our MH, the ONLY vehicle parked in a large carpark, and there was the ticket on the screen. "Failing to display a valid parking ticket". 

I'm sure the ticket carried the message: "Welcome to Cleethorpes. We hope you have a good day. Please hurry back." 

No chance. Some jobsworth saw an opportunity... and made sure I would NEVER visit that area again :evil: :evil: 

A bit like your case, eh, Ca? :roll: :wink:


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## chasper

CaGreg said:


> There are 'No Overnight Camping' signs . Why should we be excempt from the rules? :?


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## Alfa_Scud

To be fair to Ca I don't think she was complaining, & I think (sorry I can't read her mind) that she was just pointing out it's the only time in 5 years it has happened.

We certainly aren't exempt, but then again nor are the travellers that turn up on parks, car parks etc, & they stay for days & sometimes weeks on end!!

It is a difficult one this "No overnighting / camping" stuff. I personally think it's great just to be able to pull up somewhere beautiful, stop for a night or two & move on. However, as usual the majority have to suffer the from behaviour of the minority i.e. the people who drop waste, leave rubbish, treat the area generally like their own private pitch that someone else will sort out when they leave.

"What?? Me?? I Would never do that!!!" I hear you all scream. Unfortunately though, someone actually does, & that's why we find ourselves in this situation, look at Loch Lomond as a recent example.

I think you've done well getting away with it for 5 years Ca. Look on the bright side, on that statistic you'll either get caught again tonight or it'll be another 5 years :lol: .


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## DTPCHEMICALS

Sorry Ca why did you not say to the man that you clearly were Not Camping.
You were Motorhoming. :lol: 

Dave p


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## erneboy

It seems to me that in Ireland the no overnight parking signs go by county council areas. We have found them quite widespread in some places. The good news is that often the next county does not erect signs, so you don't often have to move far. It is not very friendly to our form of tourism. I saw us described as "Touristico Itinerenti" or some such the other day, not in a perjorative way, Alan,


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## tincan

Back in Old Gods Time when we just had a tent we camped, in Doolin in West Clare, directly under one of those "No camping or overnightparking" signs. An "Official" from the county council arrived with an old bus conductors bag over his shoulder and requested ten bob to cover us for a BankHoliday weekend. Everyone (approx 40 campers) paid up without question and we weren't bothered for the rest of the weekend, even had the local feds visit to ensure order was kept. It was probably equivalent to a weeks wages for the ol chancer.

Noel


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## ActiveCampers

Sorry. Ignoring "no camping" signs or "no overnight" signs when they clearly apply to motorhomes will only result in height barriers stopping us from parking during the day. The fact you did it for 4 years is no justificatin and more ammo for them to put in height barriers.

(Says us, who last night in Faborg, spent ages trying to find a place that didn't have a "no campervans overnight" sign on - the first place in Denmark plastered in them - probably from previous abuse  )


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## grouch

When we toured Ireland some years ago, we were told by the police the no overnight signs were just to give them power to move the gypsies on and even showed us where to park, by a no overnight parking sign.


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## presto

Was heading over to the West and South next week.Intended to overnight in Derrynane wont now, hope there are some spots for wild camping we normally stay at sites but after wild camping in France was going to try this at home.
Presto


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## Phillip

I read "No Overnight Camping" signs as "Your Money Is Not Good Enough For Us - Now Bu66er Off".

Councils that put up such signs are clearly not interested in entertaining the likes of us, and so I'm not interested in helping their local economies by spending my hard-earned in their shops pubs and restaurants :roll: 

The french seem to have grasped the concept that if they invite people to stay overnight in a parking area, those people might just spend some cash before they leave  

If it's an out-of-the way lay-by type of place you're talking about, and you respect the place and "camp" responsibly, then whats the problem :?:


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## Nora+Neil

Hi C+G. 

Sorry to see ye got moved.

Kerry Country Council has a big chip on their shoulder. They are hassled by Hotel/BB and they don't want to see Motorhome around, they had a big write up on the paper a year or so ago about people parking.

We have wildcamped in other county
(parking under signs) and never had any trouble, as Tincan said we had Gardai around to see we were OK.


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## UncleNorm

Phillip said:


> I read "No Overnight Camping" signs as "Your Money Is Not Good Enough For Us - Now Bu66er Off".
> 
> Councils that put up such signs are clearly not interested in entertaining the likes of us, and so I'm not interested in helping their local economies by spending my hard-earned in their shops pubs and restaurants :roll:
> 
> The french seem to have grasped the concept that if they invite people to stay overnight in a parking area, those people might just spend some cash before they leave
> 
> If it's an out-of-the way lay-by type of place you're talking about, and you respect the place and "camp" responsibly, then whats the problem :?:


Well said Phillip. I think that was the point that Ca was trying to make. The French want us and our money, the others clearly don't. :x


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## joedenise

That's why we go to France and not stay in UK or go to Ireland. No point in going where we're not wanted.

Denise


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## Jezport

I have posted before about our stay in Bridlington. All the car parks had height barriers, all the parking spaces were too short. So we were walking through a car park and noticed discarded picknic wast, kids nappies, wetwipes and bottles and cans. As the height barriers wers too low for any van or MH they cant blame motorhomers. Yet if one could have parked there who do you think would be more likely to be suspected?


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## rayrecrok

Hi.

It's only happened to us once.

We were traveling back from Portugal through France when after tea we entered this charming French village with a nice square with the town hall, a church and some small village type shops.
There was a lorry parked up so we pulled up at the side of him out of site of the square to stop for some dinner. I asked for some pancakes but alas non to be had as everyone Sandra made stuck to the frying pan.
"We need a new pan", well in the square among the village shops was a shop selling frying pans, cool we will buy one, but the bugger was shut.
No problem we will stop here over night and buy one in the morning, out of site to everybody hiding behind the lorry, we went to the local restaurant and bar and had a very pleasant evening and kip.
Next morning as we had now bought the pan cake pan and was getting ready to leave we had a knock on the door and it was this French lady who turned out to be the Mayors secretary, she said "The Mayor said will you leave as we do not allow overnight camping". no signs anywhere saying such, and we were not intruding or blocking anybody in hiding behind the lorry which was still parked up.

So smiling sweetly I thanked her and we set off, if she had waited another 5 mins we would have gone any way .

So if you are going to be chucked off make it somebody worth while like the towns boss, not one of his dustbin men.. :lol: :lol: :lol: ..


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## CaGreg

Thanks for all the replies. I realise that parking under a 'No Camping' sign is always a bit risky, but as I say, we never go to this place during the summertime, and it is so quiet there out of season. There are often no cars there, or maybe one or two in the afternoon. 

I'm not asking for sympathy or even too much understanding from the strict 'rule keepers'. We didn't argue with the guy, who has seen us there plenty of times over the last four years. I suppose I am reporting it, as I would report if I was gassed, or the back wheel fell off, or if I was thrown out of the Chat Room (though I have been regularly told to stop talking in there!! Did you know that it can tell you to shut up if you are typing too fast???)

Thanks again.
Ca


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## JohnGun

to be fair to Ca, i had presumed these signs were there to deter gypsies, however the fact that it says NO CAMPING, how can they prove you are camping, in NI they have put these signs up, so make sure your step is not out, you dont have the van up on ramps, hey presto, you are just parking, not camping. they cannot do anything as long as you havnt got your table,seats and bbq out, you have parked a plg vehicle which is taxed/tested and is entitled to be there.

as for NO OVERNIGHT PARKING, thats a different story, define overnight?


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## Nora+Neil

Ca.
Sometime out of the chatroom you are told to shut up too. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## wobby

I lived in Sligo for 22 years and motorhomed in Ireland for best part of 8 of them. The signs and the barriers were there to stop the itinerants from camping, most the guards took little or no notice of camper vans. In fact many times we overnighted right in the middle of a village. A guarder friend of mine said " we are not interested in campervans so long as they don't cause an obstruction". 

My advise is take no notice of the council man as there isn't much he can do about it, after all it takes them weeks to move on the itinerants and we all know the mess they leave behind.

We used to stay overnight at a beautiful spot by the sea in Mayo, that was until one year when the itinerants decided to stay, after they left, up went the barriers and the council were landed with a bill for thousands to clean up!

Wobby


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