Whilst on holiday with my family this August near Bayonne we visited the La Rhune mountain and had a lovely day, BUT we got back to find four very flat tyres only to discover that they had been slashed! As I had breakdown cover, eventually we were recovered and the tyres arranged to be replaced, but it certainly made us all really paranoid about leaving the car. (Camping and Caravan Club cover - they were brilliant, highly recommended)
Why were they slashed? Because we were British, poor parking or no reason at all?
Apparently from what I have heard it is a bit of common 'punishment' down that way if you have upset someone or they do not like how you have parked or some other inexplicable reason!
So a word of warning if you intend to visit that area, be aware and careful how you park your car!
One thing to note is whilst we were waiting for the breakdown truck, many locals (French & Spanish) slowed or stopped to see if we were ok or if we needed some help and all were shocked at what had happened.
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May 18, Delftse Hout, Delft
Aug 18, Le Logis du Breuil, Royan
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What an unhappy experience.
Many of us have probably squeezed parking, or 'found' parking, from time to time ... it'll certainly make me think twice next time I'm in a 'full' area in that part of France.
I find it difficult to believe that it could be bad parking - the French are, by far, the worst parkers I have ever seen .
By 'worst', I actually mean they are technically very good because they will squeeze into any space that vaguely resembles a parking spot - how they must laugh at our quaint system of yellow lines
------------- 'In later life, you will be more disappointed with the things you didn't do than with the things you did.' - Mark Twain
Hi what a terrible thing to happpen,Hope it did not spoil yourholiday too much.As previous poster stated I too have seen lots of Creative Parking in France and not seen any let alone 4 slashed tyres
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Sorry to hear of what happened, when you say you have caravan and camping club cover, is that the arrival cover?
We too have it, and were n fortunate enough to need to call on it at Folkestone on the way to our holiday. They told us that because our breakup down was in the uk that they would not be able to transfer us to our site in France. We specifically took out this arrival cover and the European cover to ensure our holidays would never be affected by any such incident, other than delaying us.
I have since contacted RAC and am awaiting a call back!
Good to hear your experience was a positive one with them.
I live in this area and also own a British registered car as do many of my friends. Never had any problems with break-ins or slashings. Seems like you were just unlucky with some particularly offensive people.
------------- Biarritz Airport Transfers - airport transfers to the whole Aquitaine region and northern Spain.
That's not nice, hope it didn't spoil your holiday.
I don't think it's a British thing. I've been visiting the area for years due to family, I can see La Rhune from their kitchen balcony :) and never had a problem. It's not something my family have ever mentioned.
No, we had to park a good 10 minute walk further up the road towards the village of Sare. IMO the allocated car parking is woefully inadequate for the popularity of the attraction.
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May 18, Delftse Hout, Delft
Aug 18, Le Logis du Breuil, Royan
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
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Topic: Slashed tyres - A warning
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