We got robbed! After reading about this happening to various people over the years it happened to us while attending a motorsport event in Belgium and staying at local 'impromptu' campsite behind someone houses rather than one of the formal campsites. It's the same place I've stayed at for the last 8 years and despite hearing about tent robberies at night I thought no one could open our tent zip, then open three inner tent zips without me hearing something. Well they did and got away with my mobile phone and cash out of my wallet (leaving the wallet and debit/cards behind).
I post this incident not for sympathy as I blame myself for getting too complacent thinking I could hear a zip being opened and it was safe to leave valuables in the tent when in all previous years everything got locked in the car overnight. This time I decided it was a safe idea to charge my phone in the tent from the car through an inverter (nice orange cable coming from the car into the tent might indicate something worth nicking!) whereas before I would lock the phone in the car and cover it while being charged. Also, put my shorts containing wallet on the end of the bed in sleeping compartment instead of putting the wallet in the glove box of the car. So a bit of inconvenience at losing the phone and some money but mostly annoyed at myself.
Steve
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Steve - I sympathise! My post in this earlier thread tells my story of what happened this weekend.
The annoying this is, like you, we'd become complacent and dropped our guard. The caravan had been safe there for three weeks with us staying in it, so it would be safe if we left it empty for just one night! It wasn't.
The thieves took a very strange mix of things and day by day it becomes stranger! The list is now:
Hook up cable, awning canvas but not poles, Isabella loungers, a cafetiere, the caravan steps, the body of the hoover but not the tools, my hairdryer and tongs, the clothes peg bag and pegs, the fly swatter, all our towels, a clear glass salad bowl, two wooden spatulas and a wooden spoon, an outside awning light and a selection of toiletries (spare toothpaste, face cream, shampoo etc). Day by day, as we go to use something, we find it missing! Make of that what you will - obviously not professional thieves - and perhaps travelling caravanners who were short of a few things!
The only valuable things were the loungers, which I didn't like anyway - but it's still annoying and it puts you on your guard about just how insecure camping actually is.
I hope you do manage to track your phone - though I doubt it. As I said in my post on another forum, it does seem that there are more and more people who are desperate for money (or electric fly swats) who are more than willing to break into property to get what they want!
We're near Dijon now and reinstated the old rules - everything locked in the car at night! Even though this site is very quiet and I could relax the rules (how stupid would I be!) but you just never know. So it's one set of rules regardless wherever we stay - everything of value or importance gets locked in the car.
Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 29/8/2015
Steve - I sympathise! My post in this earlier thread tells my story of what happened this weekend.
The annoying this is, like you, we'd become complacent and dropped our guard. The caravan had been safe there for three weeks with us staying in it, so it would be safe if we left it empty for just one night! It wasn't.
The thieves took a very strange mix of things and day by day it becomes stranger! The list is now:
Hook up cable, awning canvas but not poles, Isabella loungers, a cafetiere, the caravan steps, the body of the hoover but not the tools, my hairdryer and tongs, the clothes peg bag and pegs, the fly swatter, all our towels, a clear glass salad bowl, two wooden spatulas and a wooden spoon, an outside awning light and a selection of toiletries (spare toothpaste, face cream, shampoo etc). Day by day, as we go to use something, we find it missing! Make of that what you will - obviously not professional thieves - and perhaps travelling caravanners who were short of a few things!
The only valuable things were the loungers, which I didn't like anyway - but it's still annoying and it puts you on your guard about just how insecure camping actually is.
I hope you do manage to track your phone - though I doubt it. As I said in my post on another forum, it does seem that there are more and more people who are desperate for money (or electric fly swats) who are more than willing to break into property to get what they want!
Sorry to hear that Val. What a strange combination of items to thieve indeed.
Steve
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
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Topic: Yes, it happened to us as well...
