Pikieys, Gypsie & Carnies on the t'eve
Discussion
Any one had any problems with the above fore mentioned @ Blue Nord.
We're staying until Monday and have heard that all security goes AWOL after midnight on the sunday.
We will obviously padlock the tents and leave all the loose gear in the cars when we aren't there but are we likely to find our tent has gone walkies.
We will of course offer our friendly petrol head neighbours the neighbourhood watch service and hope they return it but should we lay mines and bear traps to be sure??
We're staying until Monday and have heard that all security goes AWOL after midnight on the sunday.
We will obviously padlock the tents and leave all the loose gear in the cars when we aren't there but are we likely to find our tent has gone walkies.
We will of course offer our friendly petrol head neighbours the neighbourhood watch service and hope they return it but should we lay mines and bear traps to be sure??
Darkwater said:
Any one had any problems with the above fore mentioned @ Blue Nord.
We're staying until Monday and have heard that all security goes AWOL after midnight on the sunday.
We will obviously padlock the tents and leave all the loose gear in the cars when we aren't there but are we likely to find our tent has gone walkies.
We will of course offer our friendly petrol head neighbours the neighbourhood watch service and hope they return it but should we lay mines and bear traps to be sure??
I was on Blue Nord in 2008. where there was an awful lot of thieving going on by 2 Frenchman that had two tents, one they slept in the other was for all their stolen goods. they got nobbled by the brits around them and they got their car trashed and overturned, and then turned over to the police. They were doing all there thieving when everyone else were watching the qualifying/race.We're staying until Monday and have heard that all security goes AWOL after midnight on the sunday.
We will obviously padlock the tents and leave all the loose gear in the cars when we aren't there but are we likely to find our tent has gone walkies.
We will of course offer our friendly petrol head neighbours the neighbourhood watch service and hope they return it but should we lay mines and bear traps to be sure??
I think common sense when on any campsite, lock all valuables away, I have never heard of tents going missing, so you should be ok there.
Sunday after the race at 3pm the security and campsite attendants disappear and the pikey's start to appear, some campsites are worse than others, Blue Nord in 2008 was particularly bad, and there is an awful tension on the campsite. Definitely don't leave a thing lying about or it will walk.
Sadly, indyxe, that car was stolen too, so the owner lost out. I wouldn't leave anything lying around - ever - on the camp sites at Le Mans and if you are on your own the Sunday night it is possible your tent will disappear since they scavenge until dark usually. oh, and the best advice during the weekend is to keep all your valuables in your sleeping bag with you at night - they are well known to reach in and take your jeans.
they usually get there after the race has finished as security just pack up and go. When it get to monday morning you will be out numbered by the amount of them
As its been said put all stuff valuable in your car and make sure your tents are secure etc.
I remember in 2009 we did a spot of pikey baiting. Basically we had a fridge that we decided not to take home. So we set it up in a nice spot so all the pikeys came and had a look. Boy did they get a suprise when there was a nice little brown present in there for them. Didnt stop one guy trying to get it on his bike though lol.
As its been said put all stuff valuable in your car and make sure your tents are secure etc.
I remember in 2009 we did a spot of pikey baiting. Basically we had a fridge that we decided not to take home. So we set it up in a nice spot so all the pikeys came and had a look. Boy did they get a suprise when there was a nice little brown present in there for them. Didnt stop one guy trying to get it on his bike though lol.
Stayed at Houx Annexe last two years in a row,
Seems to be a pikey magnet come Monday morning but we've never had a single problem with them, there was some items near our tents that they came over and asked if were ours and if we wanted it or not
Wasnt ours so we just told them to crack on, spoke with a couple of them, speak limited english but are usually pretty polite and friendly
Saw two "youths" jump the concrete fence with two bag loads of gear which looked stolen, id say the worse time for pikeys is during the race, but they were the only two that i saw
Seems to be a pikey magnet come Monday morning but we've never had a single problem with them, there was some items near our tents that they came over and asked if were ours and if we wanted it or not
Wasnt ours so we just told them to crack on, spoke with a couple of them, speak limited english but are usually pretty polite and friendly
Saw two "youths" jump the concrete fence with two bag loads of gear which looked stolen, id say the worse time for pikeys is during the race, but they were the only two that i saw
i saw one in 2009, find a FULL portas
tter, open it, empty is on the spot where he was stood (it was definitely full!) and proceed to walk it to his citroen and plonk it on the back seat.
Needless to say, this chap had plenty of spectators and a fair amount of abuse thrown his way...
This was in Blue Sud. It does somewhat spoil the last night (if you are travelling monday A.M) a little bit, but never had any direct trouble, whereas they have tried to thieve from my party.
Ill be honest though, if they came anywhere near they would soon learn to forage elsewhere.
Assholes cant wait until everyone shipped out?!!
tter, open it, empty is on the spot where he was stood (it was definitely full!) and proceed to walk it to his citroen and plonk it on the back seat.Needless to say, this chap had plenty of spectators and a fair amount of abuse thrown his way...
This was in Blue Sud. It does somewhat spoil the last night (if you are travelling monday A.M) a little bit, but never had any direct trouble, whereas they have tried to thieve from my party.
Ill be honest though, if they came anywhere near they would soon learn to forage elsewhere.
Assholes cant wait until everyone shipped out?!!
I think common sense should prevail. I don't leave anything laying around outside anyway if I want to keep it.
Of the times I've been to Le Man the pikeys/local scavengers that turn up tend to take anything that's not nailed down (to coin a phrase).
They have also asked or rather pointed at stuff near to us just incase it's ours prior to taking it.
We've been fairly lucky every year and always had neighbours that have looked out for us while we pop down the road for a beer or three.
Have heard stories from neighbouring campers of thieves taking stuff from tents while they were sleeping so keeping valuables in sleeping bags is probably a good idea.
On a more positive note, one bunch of chaps left a box of beer for the pikeys one year. Only the bottles where not all filled with beer. They were warm though!
Of the times I've been to Le Man the pikeys/local scavengers that turn up tend to take anything that's not nailed down (to coin a phrase).
They have also asked or rather pointed at stuff near to us just incase it's ours prior to taking it.
We've been fairly lucky every year and always had neighbours that have looked out for us while we pop down the road for a beer or three.
Have heard stories from neighbouring campers of thieves taking stuff from tents while they were sleeping so keeping valuables in sleeping bags is probably a good idea.
On a more positive note, one bunch of chaps left a box of beer for the pikeys one year. Only the bottles where not all filled with beer. They were warm though!
Wow, there's a lot of talk of pikeys on this thread, but who are the real didicoys in this situation; the recycling French or the filthy scum who leave piles of rubbish, rotting detritus, camping gear that they just can't be arsed to carry home and stuff they deliberately smash and deface just so other people can't use it?
thanetspeedshop said:
Wow, there's a lot of talk of pikeys on this thread, but who are the real didicoys in this situation; the recycling French or the filthy scum who leave piles of rubbish, rotting detritus, camping gear that they just can't be arsed to carry home and stuff they deliberately smash and deface just so other people can't use it?
That's a fair challenge - we do try and at least leave our rubbish in or next to one of the bins on the site (they're usually over-flowing by Sunday evening) but some areas look like a war zone 
lowdrag said:
Sadly, indyxe, that car was stolen too, so the owner lost out. I wouldn't leave anything lying around - ever - on the camp sites at Le Mans and if you are on your own the Sunday night it is possible your tent will disappear since they scavenge until dark usually. oh, and the best advice during the weekend is to keep all your valuables in your sleeping bag with you at night - they are well known to reach in and take your jeans.
Sorry Lowdrag, not sure what you mean by "that car was stolen too". If you mean them two thieving scumbag Frenchman on blue nord 2008, Their car was taken away by the French Police on a low loader recovery truck, after it was trashed and overturned by some furious brits, rightly so IMHO. Mind you it wasn't exactly worth anything.I wouldn't leave your tent/gear unattended on Sunday/Monday after the race, or you may come back to nothing. The Pikey's will think it has been abandoned
lowdrag said:
What I meant was that the car that was trashed the pikies had stolen. It wasn't theirs, so the owner suffered, not them. I can't blame the Brits for reacting though, I understand that there were generators and goodness knows what in their second tent, all stolen.
That was stolen too, the thieving gits, that was the worst year I witnessed, IMHO I think it has improved since 2008. Last year I was on Pincenerdier and there was security around until Monday . There was the odd pikey around but nowhere near the amount of previous years. I cant speak for blue nord though.
thanetspeedshop said:
Wow, there's a lot of talk of pikeys on this thread, but who are the real didicoys in this situation; the recycling French or the filthy scum who leave piles of rubbish, rotting detritus, camping gear that they just can't be arsed to carry home and stuff they deliberately smash and deface just so other people can't use it?
Very good point, there is a distinction between the madmen that fill a van with cheap bbqs and camping chairs and the guys that reach into your tent and steal your kit. One year we made the mistake of staying on the sunday night at Houx, never again. No facilities, no security and we woke to find a few bags had been nicked, and I mean nicked not scavenged.
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