Originally Posted by sykerocker
Most rural folk are incredibly helpful, kind and Christian (in the old sense, not the current political), as long they don't feel you're trying to take them for something.
As to kindness and Christian attitude of rural folk to hitchhikers or self-supported cycle tourists, I read an interesting travelogue.
An Ukrainian lady 60 years old made a bike tour of Poland - very religious Christian country. Once she was allowed to spend the night in the farmer’s backyard. Horrible thunderstorm happened that night. However, the home owner who was the same age lady didn’t offer the traveler to come into the house. Afterwards in the morning she *admired* by the traveler’s bravery…
There was another case. An elderly woman allowed the travelogue’s author to pitch one’s tent up near to the backyard. Her son, who came home later called the police… Strong young man was afraid of 60 years old woman.
IMO that is very strange behavior.
Originally Posted by sykerocker
Somehow, I get the feeling (which I can't prove, yet, as the term only came to light to me in the past few weeks) that most militant "stealth campers" are probably of urban background. That's the kind of stuff I'd expect from city folk (in best Foghorn Leghorn impression, "That's a joke, I say, that's a joke, son!").
You are absolutely right on “urban background”. I live in a large city. Weekend or vacation recreation in the countryside is an important part of our urban life. Someone likes to spend the time in one’s suburb summer house. Others, like me, love to camp out, despite I have a summer house too. Why do I do this? Because I did it always, my parents did it always, my wife’s parents did it always too. Self-supported touring is our urban subculture.
IMO official campgrounds looks like kind of reservation (for people). Townsfolk also want privacy, to listen to birds singing awaking in a forest in the morning.
I think the term “stealth camping” provokes negative feelings only because always relates to landowner rights offending. However, in general this should not be supposed, just as any abuse.
People live according to their custom everywhere. And if something looks strange for one like “the double barrels of a 20-gauge” treatment, for others this is norm. The best way is to respect people’s feelings, even if we can’t understand them. Custom is formed historically and sometimes we just don’t know what was its base.