Irresistible Autosleepers ?

I know Autosleepers are A Good Thing but it seems that the likes of Hymer, Burstner, Chausson and Pilote owners want to be seen in their company.

On pretty well every aire or campsite we have used this trip we have settled ourselves in the quietest, most isolated corner only to have someone park as close as they can get to us, ignoring the umpteen other empty and desirable spots. 

What is worse is that they then get out mobile phones, cigarettes or yappy dogs and make as much noise and smell as they can. At La Palme, where there are hundreds of places in a huge area and there was just us there, I was tempted to ask if they were afraid to be on their own. 

Does this happen to others ?    Do you mind or am I being over- sensitive ?

Oh yes. We were on an aire in France one very cold night in November. Three of us spread nicely over 20 places or so. A Spanish motorhome arrived at 10.30pm, just we we were going to bed, parked next to us and the four occupants proceeded to get ‘set up’ with as much noise as possible. Then they began cooking. we opened our blinds and moved. Our only conclusion was yours, they were afraid to be on their own.

In forest car park in Scotland we were on our own when we went to bed.

When we woke up a small car with German plates was quite close to us. The only occupant was a young women. She went for a walk in the forest before we could talk to her but I presume she found it reassuring to park next to our van.

Perhaps it's not the vehicles but the owners!

I went into an Aldi carpark (in my car) the other morning and was surprised to see it almost completely empty. Picked a spot around the middle, well away from the door, the few cars parked and the road in. Switched off the ignition and started to open my door............and almost lost it to a young woman in a Corsa parking right beside me 

Askit wrote:Perhaps it's not the vehicles but the owners!

..... Picked a spot around the middle, well away from the door, the few cars parked and the road in. Switched off the ignition and started to open my door............and almost lost it to a young woman in a Corsa parking right beside me 

Last year we parked up in the huge empty overspill parking area of the Mondeville 2 centre commercial at Caen. Within minutes we were joined by a French motorhome. No problem, safety in numbers, except he was so close that when we both put our electric steps out they touched !

After last night, at St Saturnin aire, can I add deaf ( ?) people who watch TV with the doors and windows open to my list of pet hates.

I think its more to do with the vehicle. People park near me as they can see i look after my vehicle and will not be a hazard to them.

Micky

Never park so that there is a nice shaded spot to the right or left of your 'van,
one gets ten there will be someone parked there when you return!!
frederic

this is something that I have written about many times on various fora /forums.

I believe that it is caused by the high concentration of steel in motorhomes, this coupled with the fact that they are usually stationary for long periods often aligned with the Earths magnetic field causes them to become magnetically charged

It is this magnetism which (I believe) causes the clustering effect you describe.

I think that your observation that Hymers, Pilotes etc are preferentialy attracted to your Autosleeper is confirmation bias on your part - you believe that you have a superior motorhome and so you preferentialy notice other superior marques

Yup - clustering is a well-known motorhome phenomenon. We suffered an acute outbreak once in Copenhagen. A very large temporary motorhome site had been built in the centre of the city, on a site to be developed. It was tarmaced, and had EHU outlets all around its permimeter walls. There were no marked bays. It had capacity (at C&MC spacings) for at least 35 vans. We had been there a few days, along with fewer than 8 other vans, all discreetly spaced. And then a fleet of vans with Italian plates arrived, and parked so close to us that I had to ask one to move so that we could have reasonable access from our hab door! And they stayed clustered until they left a few days ago.

Mind you, I guess I worried one of them when I set the cheese nachos on fire.....

Cymro

raymondo wrote:
It is this magnetism which (I believe) causes the clustering effect you describe.

Excellent theory. You’re clearly a man with a scientific bent. Are you able to offer an explanation for another observation of mine I wonder ?  I’ve noticed that the further away people get from their home country the louder they seem to shout into their mobile phones when phoning them.

I did suggest to one bloke that he dispense with the phone altogether as it was clear he could be heard all over Spain anyway, just by shouting.

Cymro wrote:

Mind you, I guess I worried one of them when I set the cheese nachos on fire.....

Cymro

I’ve heard that Mexican food can be rather hot

Hadn’t previously wielded an extinguisher in earnest !   Now relegated to water-related tasks!

 Cymro