Cycling UK Forum

I've had 2 items stolen from campsites now. One in France, one in Germany. The France one was pretty stupid of me really. I left a battery pack charging in the toilets, I should have given it to reception.

But the recent one in Germany was annoying. It was a microfibre towel. I'd only left it on the radiator to dry for an hour and it was gone. Only about a fiver, but it had been on all my tours and it meant I had to make a special trip to decathlon on my tour to get a replacement . Who would steal someone else's towel?

I've always maintained that if I were to steal something it's have to be at least a million quid to make it worth it.
It beggars belief what people will steal

Your towel was probably removed as its was seen as having a dig at the stereotypically German's on holiday.

robing wrote:I've had 2 items stolen from campsites now. One in France, one in Germany. The France one was pretty stupid of me really. I left a battery pack charging in the toilets, I should have given it to reception.

But the recent one in Germany was annoying. It was a microfibre towel. I'd only left it on the radiator to dry for an hour and it was gone. Only about a fiver, but it had been on all my tours and it meant I had to make a special trip to decathlon on my tour to get a replacement . Who would steal someone else's towel?

I had my towel stolen from inside the top of my pannier while I was in the kitchen, when bad weather caused me to stay in the bunkhouse at Drumnadrochit.

sizbut wrote:Your towel was probably removed as its was seen as having a dig at the stereotypically German's on holiday.

We had a large, brand new, awning stolen from under our caravan as we slept .... but not the poles ?!
The police officer ... who with his wife .. owned the campsite ... was not surprised ..." They've got the poles, they don't wear out, but the fabric does" ... He even knew which local "travellers site" it would probably be at .... but proving ownership ... not a chance ....

I steal shower gel / shampoo left in the showers.....

Well just enough to have a shower and top my little bottles up.

I really should hand myself in.

Whilst camping near Cassis, southern France, in the mid-90's, a group of us had our tents ransacked, but nothing was stolen! They had the chance to steal personal food (chocolates/savouries etc.), small change and some personal luxuries, but nothing was taken. We came to the conclusion that the would-be thieves were looking for passports/significant money - all of which we had taken with us for the day.

Grateful that we were that nothing was stolen - we still felt violated and it taught us a valuable lesson on security. We were of course annoyed that the campsite had no security measures!

phil parker wrote: "we still felt violated "

I have a concept issue with this statement ... we have been burgled 3 times ... the sheds twice.
On 2 occasions the criminal entered our house ... Victim Support ( possibly a contradiction in terms ) told us they would help in overcoming the effects of being violated ... baffles me ... don't get it ... someone came in .. took stuff .. left ....
No, still don't get the "violated " thing ......
Must be missing the gene, like i'm missing the "football" gene ..

landsurfer wrote:

phil parker wrote: "we still felt violated "

I have a concept issue with this statement ... we have been burgled 3 times ... the sheds twice.
On 2 occasions the criminal entered our house ... Victim Support ( possibly a contradiction in terms ) told us they would help in overcoming the effects of being violated ... baffles me ... don't get it ... someone came in .. took stuff .. left ....
No, still don't get the "violated " thing ......
Must be missing the gene, like i'm missing the "football" gene ..

I have been burgled too, and I did not feel violated. I am prepared to believe that some people do.

landsurfer wrote:

phil parker wrote: "we still felt violated "

I have a concept issue with this statement ... we have been burgled 3 times ... the sheds twice.
On 2 occasions the criminal entered our house ... Victim Support ( possibly a contradiction in terms ) told us they would help in overcoming the effects of being violated ... baffles me ... don't get it ... someone came in .. took stuff .. left ....
No, still don't get the "violated " thing ......
Must be missing the gene, like i'm missing the "football" gene ..

Most people feel quite upset that some drugged up , dirty scumbag has rooted around their personal possessions, in their drawers etc. You're lucky he didn't defecate in your bedroom or some corner of the house like many used to..... you'd probably feel violated then.

ossie wrote:
Most people feel quite upset that some drugged up , dirty scumbag has

Have to say that my only experience of theft in a wider sense, related to a former colleague over booking mileage. Like myself, he was a senior offficer in a specialist civil service legal enforcement role (NB. He was caught out, as I'd booked the correct mileage )

gbnz wrote:

ossie wrote:
Most people feel quite upset that some drugged up , dirty scumbag has

Have to say that my only experience of theft in a wider sense, related to a former colleague over booking mileage. Like myself, he was a senior offficer in a specialist civil service legal enforcement role (NB. He was caught out, as I'd booked the correct mileage )

I dealt with victims of crime for a large part of my old career. People react in all sorts of ways. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone have a dig at Victim support in the way one poster has done on here....thats a first.

In reality they probably required a Crime prevention officer but I guess they got ditched in the last set of cuts.

Anyway back to camp sites.

When I leave batteries on charge overnight in the shower block I do it on the assumption they may be stolen. I need the recharge and wont leave my GPS/tablet/phone there unattended so my charger & battery pack take the risk. But I carry a solar panels it's not that regular.

But, at one campsite I had the solar panel out charging a battery pack on edge of pitch by road and I was reading, glancing at it occasionally and suddenly it was gone. I got up and looked around to see somebody putting it into their car and confronted them and got it back. Country & nationality of the person not relevant as it was one incident so the colour of their hair, etc. is just as significant.

Ian

Give your battery pack to the reception to charge overnight. It will be locked away securely, pick up in the morning. Trouble is a lot of campsites have very little in the way of security, and lots of coming and going. It's especially harder if you're on your own as no one to watch your stuff while you have a shower etc.

landsurfer wrote:I have a concept issue with this statement ... we have been burgled 3 times ... the sheds twice.
On 2 occasions the criminal entered our house ... Victim Support ( possibly a contradiction in terms ) told us they would help in overcoming the effects of being violated ... baffles me ... don't get it ... someone came in .. took stuff .. left ....
No, still don't get the "violated " thing ......
Must be missing the gene, like i'm missing the "football" gene ..

I was away with work when my house was burgled, my wife and two children under 4 were in the house asleep upstairs.
By heck I felt violated and insecure for a long while afterwards.