After our Trans-Africa and South America trip, I had taken a more relaxed view of the topic of "safety on the road", at least for our overlanding trips within Europe. Of course, we prepared for eventualities, thought through possible incidents and our possible reactions to them.

I would never have thought that even after more than 400 nights of lonely wild camping, the pump could go so badly again - even on a seemingly tranquil trip in Europe or Spain.

We were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, on a deserted beach in Spain.

Article: https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2022...dangerous.html

Not only was my ticker going - I was scared. Afraid that this was not going to end well. And with our reaction - we probably didn't improve safety for other travellers wild camping on the beach.

Surfy

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About Overlanding, Travelogues, Equipment
Trans-Africa over the west coast

I know the area well, from Playa de los Muertos in the north (where converging sea currents used to wash the bodies of shipwrecked mariners ashore), and round the cabo (cape) to Almería. The nature park is remote enough in the daylight, so I can understand why it is popular with smugglers.

I have a friend who wild camps there, so will send him the link.

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Fascinating story.

There's a really good hotel (which also has an excellent restaurant) only about 200 metres away from the restaurant you ate at. It's called the Blanca Brisa, and it's a delightful place - huge rooms, nice decor, pleasant people, and very low prices.

Next time you go to Cabo del Gata, stay there & enjoy a hot shower. They have a gated, underground compound with video oversight where you can park the camper (or a motorcycle).

Spent an entire winter in that region wild camping and witnessed quite a few arrivals of dope and farm slaves. Closest encounter was at a beach west of Algeciras, back lit by the port, where I and another stealth camper still sat aside our cars having a drink around 2a.m. while a rubber boat rushed close to the beach, two vans and staff appeared and took over some cargo. Didn't took them more than a few minutes, because we knew not to stand in the way of hard working people or fuzzing´around at all. We were recognized by those subjects but obviously weren't considered a risk, as both parties pretended to have seen nothing at all.

Sometimes they drop and forget a pack in the dark or drop them into the sea where tides bring them ashore. Most local surf instructors can only afford their life style by cleaning up the beaches when walking the dog early mornings. Keep your surf spot tidy;-)

If you would have had a look at the staff parking of the next police and border control station, i.e. in Tarifa, you might have gotten a clue why the police didn't start a nation wide ring search or deep dived into an investigation after you have called them in. Even low rank officers seem to be able to afford the latest models of six-digits-€ Range Rover Sports and Audi RS6 for their daily commute. Wonder how that works? It's called corruption.

I believe, the least risk to the common overlander, van lifer or camper arises from those drug or people traffickers. As long as you are not standing in their way of doing business or are known for calling the police just out of spite.

Biggest risk are the masses (+30% in some areas) of unemployed teens to thirty-somethings who are not busy in the tourist, slave or drug industry and cannot make a living from tiny gov subsidiaries in their parent´s basement. For them a blinky new alemannish plated VW T6 full of Apple items is the best place to get their "fair share" in re-distribution of wealth. These youngsters break into your car while you are sleeping in it. Use of narcotic gas is frequently reported.

Second biggest risk for tourist on the southern med-route are the trick robberies by highly skilled teams of balkan gypsies, serious looking elderly men in white collar with family in the back of an semi-old CEO limousine like a Merc S-class or BMW 7-series, who try to stop one at night on a deserted highway to trick out of the car ("Stop! Stop! Your car is smoking from the back, its on fire, come out and have a look yourself, while my colleague steals your stuff from the passenger seat....")* or they slap your off side mirror at the gas station to mimic an accident and intimidate you to pay for the huge dent you just caused in their state limousine.
*Happened to my mom near Barcelona. While she went out of the car to search for that fire with that helpful elderly man, her dog didn't mind the guy who took her handbag from the passenger seat. After begging for some change at the next toll station, she managed to find a rural police station. Cops instantly knew where to look for her handbag (still containing phone and credit cards) beside the road and brought them in within half an hour. Thieves were only interested in cash and get rid of every personalized item asap.

Best way to travel that region is, to appear as busy or broke as the locals or hide in some gated tourist compound.

Wrong area. Cabo de Gata is about 400km to the east of Algeciras and Tarifa, it's the other side of Almería. And Barcelona is 800km to the north of Cabo de Gata.

I don't dispute there's crime in the costas, but I don't recognised the picture you are painting which sounds more like the wild west. For the last ten years I've spent months each year in the region and the average visitor will see nothing of these activities. I have a wide network of Spanish friends and most certainly don't hide in a gated tourist compound. We've never had a problem with theft, despite our property being unattended for periods.

The narcotic gas story is an urban myth that unfortunately won't die. This is a quote from the Royal College of Anaesthetists,

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Just as a slight counterpoint to Tim, most of the people who are targets of pickpocketing in Barna look exactly like the sort of person you'd think would be easy to pickpocket.

As for the gas, yeah there's limited proof of it actually happening and I suspect those lorry drivers who claim it happened to them are covering for being in on a planned robbery.

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FreeBSD fan since before it was cool ...

Well, I considered it the same area, as it was the region far from home I've toured around to visit the slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the Atlantic swell during that winter.







I´d guess from your posts here, you and your circles are modest people and/or seasoned travellers, who don't show off shiny gear or flash your wealth and therefor won't cause any envy among the have-nots and don't have to fear to become a target.

Surely the common camping tourist won't have much to fear either, as they appear in herds, rarely camp totally alone in remote areas and therefore have some kind of protection by this herd. But this Hubb´s visitors mostly - and Surfy in particular - are looking for the "off-the-beaten-path"-experience, camping in remote and abandoned areas, where the Wild West is sometimes literally re-enacted with bow and arrow*


Regarding Surfy´s question, what they might have done wrong or could have done better:

- vehicle choice. I'd chose a camper, where you do not have to close a pop up roof to escape an unwanted situation 2.) I´d prefer to keep a low key appearance when it comes to vehicle choice and like to blend into local traffic, a brand new T6 wouldn't do that for me outside wealthy northern Europe.

- don't mind other peoples business, legal nor not. (well unless you have to protect s/ones health/life) Don't do anything at all. Ignore, pretend to sleep or continue your doings, just as nothing happens. Any hectic reaction will make you be recognized as a potential witness which can lead to dangerous conclusion in those who commits the crime.

- don't call the police unless you are personally involved.

Anyway, enjoy your travels


*At one of those abandoned spots - a beach close to Roses with an unfinished multi level hotel building next to the parking, just behind the French border - we and several other tourists got broken into our cars while kitesurfing. Must have been in 2010 or 11. Smashed windows, stolen cash, surf gear, camera and documents from locals and tourists cars.
While surfing we already had a sneaking suspsicion, as we've noticed some spotters on the top of that abandoned building overlooking the area. They were clearly checking the scene for their chances. Since the police refused to arrive at the crime scene only for records, me, my friend and a local family father decided to enter that abandoned building to look for thrown away documents, cards and such, but did decide against it, when the indigenous occupants of that building startet to practice bow and arrow shooting inside the hotels lobby, unleashed their dogs and totally made clear, to not give way into the building. 3yrs later I received my stolen passport and health insurance card from the Spanish police, found I an occupied house close to Cadiz - so the completely opposite part of the country....

Hello to all, it’s ages since I’ve been on here so apologies for that, however I’m catching up with the posts and I’d forgotten how good this travel forum really is.
The issue of the travellers being gassed while asleep is interesting as we met a family who had been victims of a robbery and insisted they had been gassed. ( in a towed caravan) Their alarm and distress was made worse by the fact they had 2 teenage daughters with them. The campsite we were on was virtually empty and they parked next to us, obviously looking for some “ perceived” security. We got to know them well, and we had no reason to believe they were telling fibs. They were, very distressed. The.alleged incident occurred when they overnighted at a Spanish “ aire de repose” something we never do.well, we have wild camped in Morocco but have always carefully selected our spot.
We have heard ( but not met) friends of camper-van users being gassed but cannot validate their accounts. So, Urban Myth? Me? I think they were gassed.
Best regards to all, Bill Westley

Thanks for sharing your experience wild camping in Cabo de Gata - it definitely pays to be cautious wherever you travel. I'm always hesitant to dismiss stories of gas attacks entirely, even if hard proof is lacking. At the very least, it's probably best while overnighting remotely to take basic precautions like parking carefully and storing valuables out of sight. Glad you made it through that unsettling encounter safely.