Campervans not wanted in North Kerry

peasant

Danuogma wrote: »

Its a sad day when malignant jobsworths on powertrips go out of their way to annoy and harass people who aren't bothering anyone.

There would be the minor matter though of wild camping being illegal

Danuogma

peasant wrote: »

There would be the minor matter though of wild camping being illegal

So what?. If people decided to live their lives to the letter of the law then they might as well stay at home in bed. As long as somebody isn't bothering others or causing damage then the law can go swing.

peasant

Well, it works both ways.

As long as you're not bothering anyone, usually nobody has any objections to a somewhat liberal interpretation of the (camping) law.

Telling objectors (official or otherwise) to go eff themselves however creates ill will. Insult enough "busybodies" and you'll find "no camping" signs everywehere and next time it'll be the gardai telling you to get a move on.

limerickguy2

its happening already peasant ,theres loads of :no camping signs erected , i was told by locals in dingle ,castlegregory area that too many "undesirables" make what you wish of that word :rolleyes:,were arriving in campers ,personally i think its greed on their behalf trying to gt everyone into *beds , b&b,s an hotels etc ,which i totaly disagree with as theres nothin like the feelin when u wake up to the soundof the surf an walk out in the grass in ur bare feet,:)in the morning ,what ever happened to the people that welcomed yuor custom in the summer months ,now its a case of rip you off as much as possible .

spaceHopper

limerickguy2 wrote: »

its happening already peasant ,theres loads of :no camping signs erected , i was told by locals in dingle ,castlegregory area that too many "undesirables" make what you wish of that word :rolleyes:,were arriving in campers ,personally i think its greed on their behalf trying to gt everyone into *beds , b&b,s an hotels etc ,which i totaly disagree with as theres nothin like the feelin when u wake up to the soundof the surf an walk out in the grass in ur bare feet,:)in the morning ,what ever happened to the people that welcomed yuor custom in the summer months ,now its a case of rip you off as much as possible .

There reason is that a gang of "surfers" camped on the common land just after the bridge on the way out to dumps, they left all their mess behind, stuff like that was always happening so they banned everybody - bit silly but TII - this is Ireland.

The recession will sort that, take Easkey, the buzz is gone since they closed off access to the castle field, I'm sure the town has noticed the drop off in trade - they can take it up with the local comunity council - when they need your buisness they'll soon change their minds

niloc1951

Nearly five years since the last post but nothing seems to have changed.

Messrs Beasley and Co, are still stirring the pot.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/crackdown-on-illegal-campervan-parking-277948.html

pastense

Was in Killarney at the Rally weekend, staying on a campsite, being charged B&B type rates despite bringing the room and bed with me, got several taxis during the course of our stay and the common theme was the 'undesireable' elements who were sleeping in their cars and littering the car parks. It seems to be conveniently forgotten in Kerry, for the purposes of promoting hotels and B&Bs it seems, that those people including the people in Campers spend quite a bit of money during their visit on food and drink etc. In fact after paying €17 for 2 coffees and 2 toasted sandwiches at a cafe in Killarney and €30 per night for two of us in the campsite its the Camper van owners who should be announcing Kerry as the place to put at the very bottom of the list.

Cork is showing the way anyway with parking facilities in places like Cobh.

endacl

Arra, just put the hazard lights on when you find a nice spot where you won't be bothering anybody.

"I'm not parked. I've broken down!"

demoreino

A whole lot of our customers here at Ireland West Motorhomes , and Im sure all motorhome rental company customers , ask us for recccommendations on places to visit and stay , both wild camping and on site parking .
I have been telling them for years that the west has as much , if not more to offer than some of the over hyped , over priced areas in other parts of the country .
The best of Mayo and Galway is better than the best of any other 2 counties in Ireland . And more importantly , campers are very welcome in all areas that I know of . ;-)
kevin www.iwmotorhomes.ie

db

A lot of the traveller community appear to be using campervans now and travelling in large groups. I have seen 10+ campervans parked in the one location for a number of days leaving a right mess behind them. I think this is what some of the councils around the country are reacting to and while it impacts on the majority of campervan owners who stop for a night, leave the area as they found it and spend some money in the locality, can you see where the councils are coming from?

Is the solution to this to create more designated parking spots? What do you do if a large group takes over one of these areas for a longer period?

spaceHopper

db wrote: »

A lot of the traveller community appear to be using campervans now and travelling in large groups. I have seen 10+ campervans parked in the one location for a number of days leaving a right mess behind them. I think this is what some of the councils around the country are reacting to and while it impacts on the majority of campervan owners who stop for a night, leave the area as they found it and spend some money in the locality, can you see where the councils are coming from?

Is the solution to this to create more designated parking spots? What do you do if a large group takes over one of these areas for a longer period?

You have CCTV cameras and a gate you can close. Trouble shows up you close the gate, they can't come and go as the please they'll move on. There are travelers in France too but they seem to manage to control things

mdolly123

Theres always someone looking to make money, add to the rules and generally spoil **** for others, let them camp.:rolleyes:

niloc1951

In Europe the type of activity is controlled by bye-laws which can be implemented if any abuse of the facility takes place.
Parking areas are for parking only and a person can usually park for 48 or 72 hours. If a person wants to put out awnings, furniture, cooking equipment or waste containers that is not allowed and you must go to a camping and caravan park.

See HERE for a French and Spanish example of the signs used to show 'camping' is not allowed and what is considered to be camping.

If a person does camping at a parking area they can be prosecuted for breach of bye-lay irrespective of who they are and no matter who you are once you abide by the rules you wont get 'moved on'.

Irishgoatman

niloc1951 wrote: »

In Europe the type of activity is controlled by bye-laws which can be implemented if any abuse of the facility takes place.
Parking areas are for parking only and a person can usually park for 48 or 72 hours. If a person wants to put out awnings, furniture, cooking equipment or waste containers that is not allowed and you must go to a camping and caravan park.

See HERE for a French and Spanish example of the signs used to show 'camping' is not allowed and what is considered to be camping.

If a person does camping at a parking area they can be prosecuted for breach of bye-lay irrespective of who they are and no matter who you are once you abide by the rules you wont get 'moved on'.

The link that niloc has shown here is definitely the way to go but in all honesty I can't see it happening. I don't think that the local councils consider us enough of a cash cow.

johnk1960

A few years ago my wife and I were driving through Kerry, stopped beside a lake to cook lunch (within the van) and got hustled on by an extremely abusive local woman and her 6 year old boy. I was gobsmacked! Won't return there again. Ever.

niloc1951

johnk1960 wrote: »

A few years ago my wife and I were driving through Kerry, stopped beside a lake to cook lunch (within the van) and got hustled on by an extremely abusive local woman and her 6 year old boy. I was gobsmacked! Won't return there again. Ever.

Ah shur she probably though she was backing up her local councillor y'know the guy who said all motorhomes should go to hell or a caravan and camping park.

A mate of mine has his window smashed in at 3 am one night by similar types obviously fired up by anti motorhome rhetoric from their elected representatives and non-elected officials.

The same carry on got a house burned down in Donegal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_McEniff

pastense

Got a mouthful of abuse from a Kerry 'lady' in the Manor SC car park in Tralee, parked while the missus went to Tesco for stuff, had to take up 2 spaces and even though there were loads of spaces available it seems that one of the ones I was on was the the exact one she wanted.
Its a bit of a fashion down there it seems to resent Camper van owners and I'm beginning to wonder if there are a lot of large chips being carried around on shoulders.

niloc1951

In today's Irish Examiner there's an article giving our side of the argument, nice to see

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/campervan-owners-give-kerry-thumbs-down-over-parking-278508.html

Nekarsulm

Councillors know there are hundreds if not thousands of B&B owners, each one with a vote. Not so many camp site owners. So their rational is: We have not provided facilities for these people, so let us instead draft by-laws to enable us to fine them, especially if they have the cheek to avoid paying our fine B&B owners and stay in their legally purchased and insured self contained machines.

Just avoid Kerry, go to Mayo.

Had a great week there around Westport last month. Great friendly people.

Niall_G

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Just avoid Kerry, go to Mayo.

Had a great week there around Westport last month. Great friendly people.

Not so good if you want to go to the beach though - every beach from Westport towards Croagh Patrick has height barriers - sometimes without any warning half way down a small laneway.

Irishgoatman

Niall_G wrote: »

Not so good if you want to go to the beach though - every beach from Westport towards Croagh Patrick has height barriers - sometimes without any warning half way down a small laneway.

That is such a small part of Mayo coastline. I live in Mayo and still haven't covered all of the coastline.

Allthough I wouldn't want to live there, too touristy for me, Westport is a great town when festivals are on and there's a car park where the barrier is only in operation from 18:00 - 06:00 or 08:00 (not sure about that time as I'm never up that early) in the centre of town. This seems a good idea, to me, as it means there is more chance of people spending money in the town as opposed to just arriving for somewhere to park and sleep.

mervifwdc

I traveled in our MH in South America for 2 years, sleeping in it every night. We visited almost all the countries in South America, and slept on town squares, truck stops, inside national parks, once on a guys lawn (by invite!), hostels with specific spaces for vehicles and very rarely in camp sites. We never had anything but a welcome.

We may have used camp sites more, but they were designed for backpackers and tents rather than large vehicles.

Such a pity that MH's are not as welcome in Kerry as they are in Venezuela or Colombia. Makes you wonder about the welcomes of the Irish.....

And yes, I'm Irish.

Merv.

old_aussie

Those people sound likem animals.

So animal training should be used with them, rub their noses in it, to teach them where to sheit and piss.

pastense

The Councillors who instigated this vendetta against All camper van owners, treating all as offenders, are the ones who need educating but who would be bothered, just go elsewhere.
A bit of an upturn in the economy brings out this kind of stuff in the Holiday Trade and their mouth pieces can't help themselves.
So I for one won't go where I'm not wanted and I'll spend my spare cash elsewhere.

sogood

I live in Kenmare, a popular summer destination and I have noticed a large increase in the number of camper vans visiting the town. About 2 weeks ago, I counted 12 vans parked along the road to the pier, overlooking the bay. This seems to have become a regular, although "unofficial" camp site, which I personally, am all in favour of.

There is also a long designated parking bay (free of charge) on the road to Molls Gap, just on the edge of town, suitable for campers/buses and the like.

I would love to see these locations developed and encourage more vans with better facilities and there are ongoing moves to encourage visitors to see Kenmare as a destination, rather than a place to pass with a short stop. Perhaps a proper camp site, charging reasonable rates might not be too far away.

niloc1951

sogood wrote: »

I live in Kenmare, a popular summer destination and I have noticed a large increase in the number of camper vans visiting the town. About 2 weeks ago, I counted 12 vans parked along the road to the pier, overlooking the bay. This seems to have become a regular, although "unofficial" camp site, which I personally, am all in favour of.

There is also a long designated parking bay (free of charge) on the road to Molls Gap, just on the edge of town, suitable for campers/buses and the like.

I would love to see these locations developed and encourage more vans with better facilities and there are ongoing moves to encourage visitors to see Kenmare as a destination, rather than a place to pass with a short stop. Perhaps a proper camp site, charging reasonable rates might not be too far away.

We have parked on Pier Road many times and left much Euros in Kenmare. We have restocked our groceries, enjoyed excellent food and drink in the many restaurants, bought gifts for our grand children and even a wedding present.

Kenmare is a good example of a town which could benefit year round if there was appropriate official motorhome parking provided, the limit could be 48 or 72 hours and if there were services and access control or c.c.t.v. for security a charge in line with that paid for such facilities in Europe would be very acceptable to 99% of motorhome based tourists.

PS. The Pier Road is not used as a camp-site, I have never seen and of the activities associated with a camp-site taking place, but it is certainly a lovely place to park for a night or three .;)
Incidentally, there is a bit if a road beyond the pier which seems to be an unfinished project from the past which would seem to lent itself to the development of a motorhome parking area at minimal cost.

sogood

niloc1951 wrote: »

We have parked on Pier Road many times and left much Euros in Kenmare. We have restocked our groceries, enjoyed excellent food and drink in the many restaurants, bought gifts for our grand children and even a wedding present.

Kenmare is a good example of a town which could benefit year round if there was appropriate official motorhome parking provided, the limit could be 48 or 72 hours and if there were services and access control or c.c.t.v. for security a charge in line with that paid for such facilities in Europe would be very acceptable to 99% of motorhome based tourists.

PS. The Pier Road is not used as a camp-site, I have never seen and of the activities associated with a camp-site taking place, but it is certainly a lovely place to park for a night or three .;)
Incidentally, there is a bit if a road beyond the pier which seems to be an unfinished project from the past which would seem to lent itself to the development of a motorhome parking area at minimal cost.

True, the pier road is not a camp site, official or otherwise, but is, as you say, a pleasant place to park, hassle free, within a short walk to town. There are a few locations around town that would lend themselves to the development of a proper camp site, but there would be the usual red tape etc. to get past, but, watch this space! PS Thanks for the nice review!!

niloc1951

sogood wrote: »

True, the pier road is not a camp site, official or otherwise, but is, as you say, a pleasant place to park, hassle free, within a short walk to town. There are a few locations around town that would lend themselves to the development of a proper camp site, but there would be the usual red tape etc. to get past, but, watch this space! PS Thanks for the nice review!!

Camp site, why a camp site. A formal motorhome parking area would cost a fraction of what it would cost to provide a camp site, is there demand for a camp site.

A motorhome parking area would not require the provision of a reception building, shower/toilet block, campers kitchen, electrical hook-up points or any of the other infrastructure of a caravan and camping site.

A motorhome parking area can be as simple as photo below. BTW where's all the rubbish we are supposed to leave behind :P:P

sogood

niloc1951 wrote: »

Camp site, why a camp site. A formal motorhome parking area would cost a fraction of what it would cost to provide a camp site, is there demand for a camp site.

A motorhome parking area would not require the provision of a reception building, shower/toilet block, campers kitchen, electrical hook-up points or any of the other infrastructure of a caravan and camping site.

A motorhome parking area can be as simple as photo below. BTW where's all the rubbish we are supposed to leave behind :P:P

Apologies, but as we were discussing motorhome parking specifically, that's what I meant when I used the term "camp site". Of course the level of facilities is as long as a piece of string, and some might prefer more creature comforts than others.

But I agree, a simple "motorhome parking area" shouldn't cost the earth. And I have never seen any rubbish left behind by anyone using the pier road in Kenmare.

odds_on

niloc1951 wrote: »

Ah shur she probably though she was backing up her local councillor y'know the guy who said all motorhomes should go to hell or a caravan and camping park.

A mate of mine has his window smashed in at 3 am one night by similar types obviously fired up by anti motorhome rhetoric from their elected representatives and non-elected officials.

The same carry on got a house burned down in Donegal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_McEniff

Some caravan and camping parks ARE hell - especially the prices they charge. In many cases, it is cheaper for me to go to a B&B than stay in one of those.

As an aside, slightly off topic, anyone know how much Dunmore East (and the lifeboat service) is losing out on by not allowing campers park on the cliffs above the harbour?