Hello friends and my apologies if this is a overly discussed subject. I just want to make sure I have any updates on potential legal camping options on the Primitivo. I have a super lightweight set up and am comfortable in inclement weather. It sounds like I won’t have much trouble finding a place to settle in the for the night during a later Sept Primitivo, but, frankly, I LIKE camping and would look for the occasional opportunity.
Thx for weighing in!,
Willow
I had researched this issue about three years ago, and it is hard to sort the myths from the speculations, from the facts. One cite that I found seemed to be a better summation of what the legal statutes say, then a lot of information that is bounding around.
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Wild camping in Spain is complicated. There is a “mother law” Article 46.1 of the order for July 28th which states that:
“Apart from tourist camp sites no more than three tents of caravans may be placed at the same location, nor should there be more then 10 campers, nor may the camp be in place for more than three days. Tents and (caravans) within 500 meters of each other are considered to be part of the same group.”
The law also states that it is prohibited to free camp within 200 meters of the sea, within a few kilometers of military installations, within a few kilometers of a regular camp site, and in protected areas like national parks, natural parks, bird sanctuaries called ‘ZEPA’s, (Zona Excepcional de Protección de Avifauna), etc.
However, there is the new law under the Spanish Constitution of 1978, which created seventeen ‘autonomous regions’ each with considerable, though varying, powers to make their own legal codes with their own territory.
Under these new laws, wild camping in Spain is COMPLETELY PROHIBITED in: Andalucía, Aragón, Asturias, Extremadura, Galicia, Navarra, Valencia. These areas have their own laws/permit requirements for wild camping: Cantabria, Murcia, La Rioja.
These areas fall under national rules and wild camping IS permitted: Basque Country, Cataluña, Madrid, Castilla y León, Castilla la Mancha. But in these areas you still can’t camp near the beach, in national parks, protected areas, etc. Also, a lot of the land is privately owned, so you’d have a hard time finding anywhere that would even fall into the permitted wild camping areas.
You can read more about wild camping in Spain
here. In the linked article, it says that the fine for illegal camping is 30 euros per square meter of space used, per day. However,
this link says that the fine is up to 5000 euros!
If you are just looking for a place to camp for
free but not necessarily
wild, this article has recommendations.
I’d avoid making a fire while wild camping in Spain. The locals might turn a blind eye to wild campers in some areas, but the risk of forest fire is very real and the fire will likely quickly attract police!"