18 August 2014

An observation about camping in Spain...

At this time next week I should be at my hostel in Amsterdam!  That date seems awfully close when you consider that all the stuff I need to pack is still stacked in a disorganized pile in the other room chiding me for taking so long to get organized.  I anticipate throwing everything together in a blind rush on Saturday and Sunday.  Whatever.

Right now I'm actually trying to distract myself.  Some brain leaked next week's premier of Doctor Who season eight, and I'm trying very hard to be a good girl and avoid watching it before Saturday.  I needed something to get my mind off that.

So last week I thought, now, wouldn't it be cool if I could go backpacking in Spain and maybe try some wild camping?  My internet research turned up a ton of forums frequented by expats living in Spain, and their resounding answer is that you're liable to be woken up at dead o'clock in the morning with a gun pointed at your face if you camp outside the designated camping sites.  This delightful fact discovered, I think I'll leave my tent at home.  Camping seems rather...er...hazardous.

Thoroughly disappointed that camping is mostly illegal across Europe, I decided to go ahead and try to find out why.  Unfortunately there's no consensus, but there are a lot of theories floating about the expat community.  Here are some of the saner ones:

-Theory #1:  A lot of land holdings in Europe have been owned by the same families for hundreds of years, some going back half a millennium or more.  The owners are understandably possessive of their land.  Most of the stories I've read of warm welcomes at the muzzle of a gun come from these land holdings.  One expat speculated that people in Spain were particularly possessive of their land in the aftermath of Franco's rule.  Though I could not confirm this about Spain, it seems that the Irish government requires private land owners to open up their land to hikers, but they don't have to allow camping.

-Theory #2:  Valencia seems to have had a lot of problems with inconsiderate campers, mostly ones toting mobile homes, parking along the ocean and blocking out the views of the water to other visitors.  They also apparently leave behind a lot of garbage, so the authorities decided to heavily restrict camping.

-Theory (FACT) #3:  Individual provinces have the right to outlaw camping within their borders.  Most have.  The Balearic Islands outlaw it completely, as does Alicante.  Others handle it on a case-by-case basis, but the resounding answer is NO.

It's too bad, really, that camping is illegal--there's some beautiful scenery to be appreciated in Europe.  Most conscientious backpackers know that it's extremely bad manners to leave a bloody mess behind, but I guess a few idiots ruin it for the rest of us.  Otherwise it's just a matter of ancestral land ownership, and you can't really do anything about that.

Whatever the truth may be, it doesn't seem like a good idea to try camping in Spain, or, indeed, anywhere in Europe without first doing some thorough research into its legality.

The GOOD news here is that the options are hardly limited if you're looking for a cheap place to stay. Hostels of varying quality are available across Europe and if you find the right place you're only going to pay 10-20 euros per night for the cheapest room option.  I mean, you might end up sleeping next to a guy with a bad case of BO (FACT...this happened to me in New York City), but whatever.  Save your money for experiencing the local cuisine and only go back to your hostel when you're so tired that you honestly couldn't care less.  Anyway, I already checked the Balearic Islands of Mallorca and Ibiza for hostels.  Both have easy options available, and you can book those with your credit card through hostelworld.com.  No big deal.

The one thing I would mention concerning hostels, however, is to make sure you read the fine print thoroughly.  Some hostels can charge you so little because all you get is a mattress and bathroom privileges.  You're getting the absolute base level of service, so unless you want to be air drying in the nude and sleeping wrapped in tomorrow's clean clothes, come prepared.  Bring your own towel (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference for the win!) and sleeping bag to cover all possibilities.

I might also recommend bringing ear plugs and an eye mask so you don't hear the guy next to you snore or wake up to see him stripping naked.

Some things are best left to the imagination.