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Portugal ends wildcamping


witzend

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A good find and a useful bit of info. I've just cut and pasted some of the article into Google translate and it doesn't look good for campers. Things could be a wee bit bleak for motorhoming in the wake of the virus.
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CHAPTER II

 

Parking management

 

Article 8

 

Interdictions

 

1 - Parking outside the parks and parking areas licensed for this purpose is prohibited.

 

2 - It is forbidden to stay with motorhomes or similar in parks and parking areas.

 

3 - In case of non-compliance with the provisions of the preceding paragraphs, the fines provided for in the applicable regulations are applied, and the sanction frame must always be increased to double, without prejudice to the maximum limits applicable in general terms.

 

4 - Signaling in places where parking is prohibited must be reinforced by the competent authority.

 

Article 9

 

Delimitation of parking space

 

1 - The management entities of the parks and parking areas should, whenever possible, organize the space.

 

2 - When formal parks and parking areas do not exist, it is the responsibility of the local authorities to proceed with the creation and organization of the parking space, without jeopardizing the natural values ??present.

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Excellent news - if it is enforced :-D

 

Too many freeloaders not disposing of rubbish and effluent properly have brought this on themselves.

 

We've never been fans of wild camping but can see the attractions to some free spirits.

But...."Great holiday, paid nothing, lived on a car park/street" - what? why?

 

Perhaps those with expensive vans from the country we all know will be forced to stay on organised sites, or will they all crowd onto the aires? (lol)

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These laws are related to parking at and the use of bathing beaches/inland bathing areas. It is a temporary law for the 2020 season. The 'no overnight' for campervans in the beach car parks is to ensure the regulations for management of the beach facilities are not breached, the security personnel/police will only be on duty within working hours.

Portugal has managed the COVID-19 problem very well with few cases in the Algarve. The borders are due to open soon and there will be an influx of tourists from Spain, France, Germany and perhaps even the UK.

Bars, restaurants, camp sites, approved camper stops, are now open with restrictions in place to ensure social distancing and hygiene.

 

Mike

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Why on earth would you want to go wild camping in Europe when there are plenty of official places to stay? Its just folk doing things on the cheap. Unlike the UK, there are tons of places to overnight in Europe either for nothing or for a few euro.
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rael - 2020-06-11 11:06 PM

 

Why on earth would you want to go wild camping in Europe when there are plenty of official places to stay? Its just folk doing things on the cheap. Unlike the UK, there are tons of places to overnight in Europe either for nothing or for a few euro.

 

A childish answer but...Because nothing comes close. Hopefully a temporary restriction, don't need another Croatia.

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Depends on the car park. Supermarket not so much, many others like at trail heads, mountain passes etc. tend to be nice, quiet and if there's a storm coming in...quite spectacular. A MH makes a very nice photography base in such cases as it's a bit easier to avoid lightning strikes if you're shooting though a window rather than a tent.

 

Not to mention there is often a lot less light pollution for night photography.

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Interdictions

 

1 - Parking outside the parks and parking areas licensed for this purpose is prohibited.

 

2 - It is forbidden to stay with motorhomes or similar in parks and parking areas.

 

3 - In case of non-compliance with the provisions of the preceding paragraphs, the fines provided for in the applicable regulations are applied, and the sanction frame must always be increased to double, without prejudice to the maximum limits applicable in general terms.

 

4 - Signaling in places where parking is prohibited must be reinforced by the competent authority.

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The hope for wild campers may be that this is a law brought in to make the use of beaches and tourist spots as safe as possible while the threat of Covid 19 is high. They include rules about distancing, cleanliness and so on. This gives the police authority to fine or arrest people for infringements, it may well have a limited life.

Unfortunately the Portuguese blogs have spent the winter running a campaign against wild campers, you know the "disgusted of Tunbridge Wells" types? I have to say that there are a number of wild campers who do ruin it for the rest, I know because we have one dog who will eat human poo and she often finds it in the scrubland where campers are.

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Nothing that I have found in this regulation constitutes the end to wild camping in Portugal.

 

What it does say is

 

a) that there is a temporary and exceptional ban:

 

(Chapter I. General provisions, Article 1)

This decree-law establishes the exceptional and temporary regime applicable to the occupation and use of beaches, in the context of the COVID-19 disease pandemic, for the 2020 bathing season.

 

b) that it applies to beach areas (coastal and inland) only and their associated parking areas:

 

(Article 2, Scope of application, 1 )

The present decree-law applies to all bathing waters identified as bathing beaches, comprising coastal, transition and inland beaches integrated in the water domain, their access, parking and contiguous spaces for public enjoyment, for bathing support, in continental territory.

 

I haven't read beyond that because clearly, it is intended to be temporary (2020 only) and to apply only to beach areas and associated parking areas.

 

On that basis it is not the end to wild-camping, and certainly not to areas other than those associated with beaches.

 

 

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witzend - 2020-06-13 10:30 PM

 

Alvor & Feragoda have been closed

Wild camping at Alvor was always hit and miss, some times you could other times you were moved on,we had a few nights there this year, Feragoda was a no no this year as a new Marina is planned there or so we were led to believe, The Portuguese economy is totally shot so they will be glad of Tourism in any form for sure , even the EU has told Portugal they will hold off on their deficit in the budget.
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