Billggski Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Just been on Facebook "motorhome adventures" where many contributors are in Southern Spain or the Algarve for the winter and are finding it really crowded. The French haven't gone to Morocco after the Paris atrocities so campsites and official Aires are full, so there are posts of car parks with moho's in rows with just enough space to open the door, waiting to be moved on by the police. Anybody out there and is it as miserable as it looks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 It was the same last Winter, as luck would have it we haven't been able to go this Winter but we have continued our booking for next Winter. The Friends who are down there, on the Algarve, have already said that the campsites and roads are very busy. We did speak to an Austrian man on our way back from the Algarve in March 2015 and he said that where he had been in Morocco it was very quiet and had found no problems at all, he had been there for 4 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 It's a bit more crowded than in previous years, but still loads of free camping. The noticeable change is the number of commercial Spanish Aires springing up, these are very busy, but not our cup of tea. Generally it's still brilliant, just get off the beaten track, get away from the lemmings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Sites in Spain have been getting busier each year, and the situation has been exacerbated by the recent troubles in North Africa and elsewhere. The site we use in the summer months is fully booked from October throught o March, and is one of the reasons we avoid that time. We have a friend who has just returned from Benidorm as she was 'desperate' for some sunshine. Yes, she did get sun but found the hotel was full of what she called 'dinosaurs' of Belgium nationality, who evidently were rude and not very pleasant. I am not suggesting that campsites will be the same, but you will get some who feel they own the place as they 'come every year, you know, and get the same pitch each time'. How boring. Unfortunately, I do not see it improving until the world becomes a safer place, and the 'baby boomers' start dying off, and I include myself in that category.I regret to say. Just too many older people at the moment, and if the news media is to be believed, have too much disposable income.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Yep campsites are packed..........Although we've just had a couple of days down at Lo Monte, which I booked on line last month, reckon it was a bit of a fluke as there was a couple who arrived at the same time as us, and wanted to stay for a few nights, but only got booked on for one and told to come back in the morning to see if they have vacancies :-S ............. The day's of winter touring and calling in at any old campsite, and finding a space is I fear history in Spain *-) ...... That said we've had the best winter weather since we started coming this year B-) ..........So Far ;-) ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Dave225 - 2016-02-18 1:55 PM Unfortunately, I do not see it improving until the world becomes a safer place, and the 'baby boomers' start dying off, and I include myself in that category.I regret to say. Just too many older people at the moment, and if the news media is to be believed, have too much disposable income. I'd like to know how they do it as 1) i can't obtain more than 84 days medication and 2) remain out of UK over 3 months and you *should* be removed from the GP's list plus you cease to be entitled to NHS treatment. Most appear to circumvent "the rules" in pretty much the same way as those mh'ing full time with no UK residential address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keninpalamos Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Bulletguy - 2016-02-18 3:28 PM Dave225 - 2016-02-18 1:55 PM Unfortunately, I do not see it improving until the world becomes a safer place, and the 'baby boomers' start dying off, and I include myself in that category.I regret to say. Just too many older people at the moment, and if the news media is to be believed, have too much disposable income. I'd like to know how they do it as 1) i can't obtain more than 84 days medication and 2) remain out of UK over 3 months and you *should* be removed from the GP's list plus you cease to be entitled to NHS treatment. Most appear to circumvent "the rules" in pretty much the same way as those mh'ing full time with no UK residential address. I don't see my GP more than 4 times a year if I can help it. He's never suggested I will cease to be entitled to treatment and he knows I am out of the country longer than a couple of months sometimes and he knows I was born in the UK and have paid UK taxes all my life. Admittedly I am only alowed 2 months prescribed drugs at a time but I feel that my life is worth paying the small amount in other countries pharmacies so I am able to stay longer than 2 months. What's your problem. You obviously don't like to see people getting on and enjoying their well earned retirement in stead of moaning and accusing others of bending the rules. I thought this was a forum to look for advice and help from like minded souls and not for some miserable b:-£@,"& to vent his spleen. Spain and Portugal is getting more crowded In the winter and as France is next door and they love their camping then you will see more French than German, Dutch & British. Also the Spainish them selfs are taking up with motorhomes and are numerous during Spains bank holidays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted February 18, 2016 Author Share Posted February 18, 2016 I think your tag line says it all, enjoy it while you can. It's just that another adventure in the Moho seems less desirable than it once was. My cousin went to southern Spain every winter as her husband has respiratory problems, but this year they have stayed at home and then booked a cheap all in holiday in Lanzarote where the weather is guaranteed warmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoko8pups Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 We live in Eastern Algarve and while there are 25-30 wildcamping where there used to be 5 there is still plenty of space. Today at Cabeco they were mainly Dutch and French but also quitea few Germans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojitoes Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 We are on our way back from Spain at the moment. Mojacer was not too busy, Marjal, Alicante was busy but still had plenty of spaces. the big surprise was Benidorm. Almafra was totally full, Arena Blanca had 10 m/h's parked on the car park and all other sites around were full. The weather has been excellent this year which, combined with fears of going elsewhere, has led to a large increase in visitors. There are many more aires in Spain now but still a large amount of wild camping- you can camp on all beaches free of charge, we are told, throughout the winter. Book up in advance if you can but worth the risk if you cannot. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsea Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 pelmetman - 2016-02-18 3:25 PM Yep campsites are packed..........Although we've just had a couple of days down at Lo Monte, which I booked on line last month, reckon it was a bit of a fluke as there was a couple who arrived at the same time as us, and wanted to stay for a few nights, but only got booked on for one and told to come back in the morning to see if they have vacancies :-S ............. The day's of winter touring and calling in at any old campsite, and finding a space is I fear history in Spain *-) ...... That said we've had the best winter weather since we started coming this year B-) ..........So Far ;-) ...... Dave you got my place because I let you ha ha john and mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penny56 Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 We're at Marjal at the moment and as Bojitoes says it is busy but there is plenty of space. We're having a fabulous time, lots to do and a very friendly crowd of people all busy enjoying themselves. The facilities are good and clean and the staff could not be more helpful. We're enjoying a lovely bit of winter sun, especially appreciated because we left England in the teeth of Storm Imogen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 penny56 - 2016-02-18 8:53 PM We're at Marjal at the moment and as Bojitoes says it is busy but there is plenty of space. We're having a fabulous time, lots to do and a very friendly crowd of people all busy enjoying themselves. The facilities are good and clean and the staff could not be more helpful. We're enjoying a lovely bit of winter sun, especially appreciated because we left England in the teeth of Storm Imogen. Are you in Marjal Eco or Marjal Costa? Have stayed on Eco and it is a very nice site with superb facilities, however a bit remote and you need alternative transport. Stopped at entrance to Costa and as it looked busy gave it a miss and again, as I cannot walk great distances, slightly remote on edge of town, but not isolated. Fly out next Saturday and pick up MH at Alicante airport and then heading south to get some sun. Enjoy. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penny56 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Hi sshortcircuit, We are at Marjal Eco Costa Blanca near Crevillente, not the smaller coastal site at Guardemar. Some friends cycled to the Guardemar site yesterday but it looked chock-a-block full and they were told there are no places. You are right you do need some form of transport here, we have bikes and they are good as we've found some great bike rides but if you have limited mobility of course it's difficult. We originally thought of hiring a car to explore further a field but the bikes have been fine. There is loads going on around the site, we did a ballroom dancing class yesterday, play pétanque three times a week and walk daily at a nearby nature reserve (about 2 miles from the site). There are lots of dinner dances and last week we saw Elvis!!! There's a caravanning and camping club rally going on, which we're not part of but they have even more things happening, plus coach trips. Having said that, we are planning to move on in a week, only because we get itchy feet. My husband writes a blog if you want ideas www.peterandnia.com I hope you enjoy your holiday, Nia :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 We night stopped recently at the site at Crevillent itself. Easy walk into town, nice restaurant on site, and good facilities. Would certainly use it again. We live in the Mojacar area, and there is room in the local Mojacar site on the coast, and the other near the Pueblo. There is another in the Vera area, and one near Los Galardos, so plenty of choice. There are a few camping on the beach near Villaricos and Palomares, so quite a bit of choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Thanks for all the info. We now have bikes so may have another go in Eco on the way back. Intend going further south down the coast and then into Granada before turning for home late April/May. Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 keninpalamos - 2016-02-18 4:11 PM Bulletguy - 2016-02-18 3:28 PM Dave225 - 2016-02-18 1:55 PM Unfortunately, I do not see it improving until the world becomes a safer place, and the 'baby boomers' start dying off, and I include myself in that category.I regret to say. Just too many older people at the moment, and if the news media is to be believed, have too much disposable income. I'd like to know how they do it as 1) i can't obtain more than 84 days medication and 2) remain out of UK over 3 months and you *should* be removed from the GP's list plus you cease to be entitled to NHS treatment. Most appear to circumvent "the rules" in pretty much the same way as those mh'ing full time with no UK residential address. I don't see my GP more than 4 times a year if I can help it. He's never suggested I will cease to be entitled to treatment and he knows I am out of the country longer than a couple of months sometimes and he knows I was born in the UK and have paid UK taxes all my life. Admittedly I am only alowed 2 months prescribed drugs at a time but I feel that my life is worth paying the small amount in other countries pharmacies so I am able to stay longer than 2 months. What's your problem. You obviously don't like to see people getting on and enjoying their well earned retirement in stead of moaning and accusing others of bending the rules. I thought this was a forum to look for advice and help from like minded souls and not for some miserable b:-£@,"& to vent his spleen. Spain and Portugal is getting more crowded In the winter and as France is next door and they love their camping then you will see more French than German, Dutch & British. Also the Spainish them selfs are taking up with motorhomes and are numerous during Spains bank holidays There are 2 ways to things in this world. One is to obey the 'rules', the other is to ignore everything until it 'bites' you and then plead ignorance oir any excuse you can think of. More than likely you will get away with it as the 'authorities' cannot be bothered with the paperwork. So, many people ignore the fact that they are really only allowed to stay in Schengen countries for 90 days without registering, others drive vast distances across Europe with little regard for either their own safety, or others. If I hear another Dutchman telling me how he drives from middle Spain to Amsterdam in one go, I will scream. Also many retirees in EU countries have more generous pension shemes than are available to many of us here, and so have the finances to do a lot more with their lives. Yes, i get slightly envious watching huge Carthago motorhomes driving on sites an parking up for 6 months at a time. The first thing to happen is the satellite dish goes whirrng round and round until it fixes on the thing in the sky, then the 'facilites' are connected and life is 'peachy'. However, that envy only lasts a very short while as when you talk to them, if they deem to speak, you find they are pretty boring people. I think I prefer the Spanish, yes, they are noisy especially at 2 am in the morning as they have dinner, but they are usually having fun, and that to my mind is the whole point. So, as my frienf from Benidorm put it, let the dinsoaurs from Benelux and Germany have the place, they will soon get bored and move on to the next 'cheapie' spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Dave225 - 2016-02-19 5:09 PM The first thing to happen is the satellite dish goes whirrng round and round until it fixes on the thing in the sky, then the 'facilites' are connected and life is 'peachy'. What is it with people and satellite dishes? Putting the dish up, along with the other jobs, is always an arrival priority. Doesn't mean we're in the van watching TV 24/7. Just like to get everything sorted as soon as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 derek500 - 2016-02-19 6:10 PM Dave225 - 2016-02-19 5:09 PM The first thing to happen is the satellite dish goes whirrng round and round until it fixes on the thing in the sky, then the 'facilites' are connected and life is 'peachy'. What is it with people and satellite dishes? Putting the dish up, along with the other jobs, is always an arrival priority. Doesn't mean we're in the van watching TV 24/7. Just like to get everything sorted as soon as possible. Perhaps he would be happier if you delayed pressing the button to raise your dish until after dark. A bit sad to be so judgemental such as branding all Carthago owners as boring but I suppose motorhoming attracts all sorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Mike88 - 2016-02-19 6:44 PM derek500 - 2016-02-19 6:10 PM Dave225 - 2016-02-19 5:09 PM The first thing to happen is the satellite dish goes whirrng round and round until it fixes on the thing in the sky, then the 'facilites' are connected and life is 'peachy'. What is it with people and satellite dishes? Putting the dish up, along with the other jobs, is always an arrival priority. Doesn't mean we're in the van watching TV 24/7. Just like to get everything sorted as soon as possible. Perhaps he would be happier if you delayed pressing the button to raise your dish until after dark. A bit sad to be so judgemental such as branding all Carthago owners as boring but I suppose motorhoming attracts all sorts. I was merely using a make that was recognisable, it could just as easily been Hymer or even Swift??. However, dare I suggest that anyone paying £100000 or more on a mtothome maybe has a different set of options compared with the vast majority of us. However, anyone who has watched large motorhomes arriving on site will be aware of the usual 'priorities'. As for watching tv 24/7 maybe they have not actually been beside certain vans who start at 5pm after dinner and it is on till 11 pm. Of course the Brits can be as good at that as other nations, but the change of satelittes has stopped that in Spain...........for a while. Again, my point is that winter camping has a different set of priorities. In summer daylight extends till midnight and so one can sit outside and enjoy many things, in winter it is dark at teatime so going inside is probably a better option. Personally, I prefer the summer options and do the 'inside dark' activities at home. I can only state from a good number of years of experinece that we see a distinct change in 'residents' towards the end of September, and frankly. not always for the better. So, we leave and allow them to take over the place. When I see flat pack wardrobes being erected inside the awning I realise that camping is a'changing.and accept it is time to head for home. I also see a slightly disturbing increase in campers who have caravans now buying campervans as well. This means that the pitch is occupied by the caravan as a 'permanent' home while the campervan is used as transport to and from home. While I see where they are coming from it does raise the issues of fire hazards as pitches are far more cluttered. A 7 meter caravan and a 6 meter camper occupy a lot of a 100 sq meter pitch, plus all the other bits as well. Of course sites could start banning more than one outfit per pitch but so far economics have detered them from implementing that rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keninpalamos Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 Bojitoes - 2016-02-18 7:21 PM We are on our way back from Spain at the moment. Mojacer was not too busy, Marjal, Alicante was busy but still had plenty of spaces. the big surprise was Benidorm. Almafra was totally full, Arena Blanca had 10 m/h's parked on the car park and all other sites around were full. The weather has been excellent this year which, combined with fears of going elsewhere, has led to a large increase in visitors. There are many more aires in Spain now but still a large amount of wild camping- you can camp on all beaches free of charge, we are told, throughout the winter. Book up in advance if you can but worth the risk if you cannot. Bob I don't wish to sound pedantic but I'm going to, :-) to make such a statement relating the matter of "you can now free camp on all the beaches in Spain" inasmuch as the precise correlation between the information you communicated and the facts in so far as they can be determined and demonstrated as such as to cause epistemological problems of sufficient magnitude as to lay upon the logical and semantic resources of the English language a heavier burden than they can reasonably be expected to bear. Spainish law dictate's as most Spainish laws do, that, you may not park any vehicle on any beach and you will also find that you may not "camp" on the Beach, or anywhere else apart from camping aires, sites etc. read the law and you will see that you may park. See 08/V -74 Articulos 90 to 94 in particular Numbers 92,93. And just to make it absolutely clear the DGT has stated what defines parking and the point at which it becomes camping. Now if you can get away with camping that's jolly good but it can be a little annoying for others who get moved by the military or the local police when they are parked. It would be great if everyone just parked their vehicle but if people are ignorant of the law or have never been moved then they will continue to Free camp as opposed to park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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