|
 Topic: Check your vehicle before boarding ferry.
|
  |
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
10/3/2025 at 1:37pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 17/9/2015 Diamond Member 
Forum Posts: 2507
| Site Reviews Total: | 1 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 1 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 6 |
|
Never taken the caravan abroad as yet, but have towed horse boxes and camping trailers with a LWB Landrover numerous times, and we are vigilant when we park up, and give it all a pretty good check over before heading to ferry.
Last few years on our trips, there has been a decent Police presence around the car park outside the port at Ouistreham, which I think helps a lot. Once inside the port compound, security is pretty tight and plenty of roving patrols, often with dogs.
But I suspect we may carry our own deterrent - 4 or 5 blokes all 6ft plus, 14-18 St, 'built like nightclub bouncers' as we are frequently told, probably make us look like BAD people to be messing with if we find you!  
I suspect a lot of the higher risk, is stopping somewhere on the approaches to the port, where policing and security is much less! We always make a point of getting into the well policed areas before parking up.
The law is designed to stop people being complicit in smuggling, and to that end seems fit for purpose, but it does make too casual an attitude to your personal checks a big risk. TBH, not overly sympathetic, any half decent check would have found him before boarding ferry! Suspect they were relying on border control officers at ports to do their checks for them!
|
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
11/3/2025 at 12:49pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 17/9/2015 Diamond Member
Forum Posts: 2507
| Site Reviews Total: | 1 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 1 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 6 |
|
Quote: Originally posted by dk168 on 10/3/2025
The link in the original post did not work for me, however, I managed to find it via CAMC's message board and BBC News.
No bike rack on my van, so it is the roof, underneath the van or inside the van.
DK 
Likewise with the Landy and trailers, absolutely massive risk really. Huge roofrack with gear on it and covered by a tarp. Landy has enough ground clearance someone could cling on underneath, camping trailer big enough to conceal a body, even 3 or 4 in the horsebox! Even the back of the Landy, if some of it's jam packed contents disposed of, you could get two people in there out of sight. Old Landys hardly have the most secure locks, and the trailers none.
We never had a problem, and the 'risks' were all around us and eyeing every opportunity, we simply kept up our vigilance, and did appropriate 'in our best interests/self preservation' checks before submitting ourselves to official checking at the ports. Didn't seem like rocket science to us, just the blindingly obvious precautions when the risks were known and obviously present!
|
11/3/2025 at 3:30pm
Location: Devizes Wiltshire
Outfit: MWB2BVW2BCrafter2
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 19/6/2009 Diamond Member
Forum Posts: 9695
Tent Reviews: 6
| Site Reviews Total: | 57 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 10 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 9 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 8 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 9 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 0 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 49 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 47 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 46 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 34 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 0 |
|
With the additional 80L+ fresh and 45L+ grey water tanks, and all the pipes/exhausts as part of the van's conversion, there is not a lot of room underneath the van, and I have to be very careful with the clearance.
I scraped and damaged the water tank once already, now repaired and reinforced, don't want that to happen again!
Not much room on the roof with the bathroom fan, air con, TV ariel and MiFi antenna, and I am able to see the top of the van for an extra body.
Other than that, my main risk minimisation measure is to avoid stopping within 30 to 50 km from the ports in Calais.
DK
-------------
Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2025: 19/71 inc. Scotland
- 2024: 10/49 inc. FR & NL
- 2023: 9/47 inc. FR
- 2022: 8/46
- 2021: 9/34
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
|
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
11/3/2025 at 10:10pm
Location: West country
Outfit: VW camper
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 13/11/2004 Diamond Member
Forum Posts: 2518
Tent Reviews: 1
| Site Reviews Total: | 3 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 0 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 0 |
|
I wonder how the authorities can prove the stowaway didn’t get onto the bike rack whilst it was parked on the vehicle deck? Or after it arrived in the UK? It seems terribly unfair, I believe another couple were fined for turning up at the UK customs point in France before even getting onto the ferry with a stowaway in their trailer.
|
|
via mobile 10/3/2025 at 12:08pm
