Can we drive to Europe now?

[StevenZhang]

Hi everyone, it seems that France, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal have opened borders to uk people. I would like to ask, can we drive to Europe now?
Many thanks.

 

[BerndRos]

I am in Portugal....border here opens July 1st & Spain on 21st June but may be 14 days quarantine for arrivals from U.K.

I have Brittany Ferries booked on 1st July to get home to UK, Santander to Plymouth, hopefully third time lucky after previous cancellations.

Then I have to run the gauntlet of entering Wales to my UK home.

 

[StevenZhang]

I am in Portugal....border here opens July 1st & Spain on 21st June but may be 14 days quarantine for arrivals from U.K.

I have Brittany Ferries booked on 1st July to get home to UK, Santander to Plymouth, hopefully third time lucky after previous cancellations.

Then I have to run the gauntlet of entering Wales to my UK home.

Hi, you must have had a very difficult time.
You can't back home but we can't get out.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi everyone, it seems that France, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal have opened borders to uk people. I would like to ask, can we drive to Europe now?
Many thanks.

Re-open EU

reopen.europa.eu

 

[BerndRos]

Hi, you must have had a very difficult time.
You can't back home but we can't get out.

Apart from missing my family & being away from my business in very difficult times, it’s been the perfect place to be stranded here at Alcoutim. Not a single case of the Virus in either this municipal area or the bordering ones. Portuguese are such generally placid people & sensible souls that it’s been a pleasure to be amongst them, although in truth I do regard this village as my home from home.

Memories of lockdown, quite, masks obligatory where ever you enter, had a hair cut a month ago, no security or Marshall’s, bars & restaurants open, respect for each other, long walks allowed even in the depths of a serious lockdown, no drama or petty arguments or point scoring, oh and MH & Camper Vans with stranded people welcomed into the village rather than being shunned.

Bliss.

 

[StevenZhang]

Apart from missing my family & being away from my business in very difficult times, it’s been the perfect place to be stranded here at Alcoutim. Not a single case of the Virus in either this municipal area or the bordering ones. Portuguese are such generally placid people & sensible souls that it’s been a pleasure to be amongst them, although in truth I do regard this village as my home from home.

Memories of lockdown, quite, masks obligatory where ever you enter, had a hair cut a month ago, no security or Marshall’s, bars & restaurants open, respect for each other, long walks allowed even in the depths of a serious lockdown, no drama or petty arguments or point scoring, oh and MH & Camper Vans with stranded people welcomed into the village rather than being shunned.

Bliss.

 

[StevenZhang]

Re-open EU

reopen.europa.eu

Thank you so much!

 

[babble]

Apart from missing my family & being away from my business in very difficult times, it’s been the perfect place to be stranded here at Alcoutim. Not a single case of the Virus in either this municipal area or the bordering ones. Portuguese are such generally placid people & sensible souls that it’s been a pleasure to be amongst them, although in truth I do regard this village as my home from home.

Memories of lockdown, quite, masks obligatory where ever you enter, had a hair cut a month ago, no security or Marshall’s, bars & restaurants open, respect for each other, long walks allowed even in the depths of a serious lockdown, no drama or petty arguments or point scoring, oh and MH & Camper Vans with stranded people welcomed into the village rather than being shunned.

Bliss.

Wow, i know Alcoutim well (one of my friends voluntarily locked down there for about twenty years and i used to visit every year) what a wonderful place to be stuck! (although i guess crossing/travelling up and down the river wasn't so easy?)

Interestingly my home-from-home is near Abergavenny (up at White Castle). I'm 'planning' on going there at the beginning of August...assuming everything will be fine by then.

 

[BerndRos]

Wow, i know Alcoutim well (one of my friends voluntarily locked down there for about twenty years and i used to visit every year) what a wonderful place to be stuck! (although i guess crossing/travelling up and down the river wasn't so easy?)

Interestingly my home-from-home is near Abergavenny (up at White Castle). I'm 'planning' on going there at the beginning of August...assuming everything will be fine by then.

We have been able to travel about on the River ok during the lockdown but if coming from the Portugal side could not land in Spain & vice versa. Guadiana Glue, you may have heard that saying, people do tend to get stuck here as it’s such a great place with great people.

I first came here as country number 1 in a 23 country, 15 month trip in my Cali in 2011, slept down on the quay, remembered the place and asap after the trip, sailed my boat out here & bought a house. Abergavenny is my UK base.

Is your friend still here ?

 

[babble]

My friend and is family (bob and kate) left last year and moved to the Lake District. (Mainly because their kids needed a better education as they got older) He bought a bit of land on the St Luca side, having sailed there many years ago, and he built a house, got married and had four children there! They all went to school in St Luca. They later bought a place on the Alcoutim side to rent out. I remember arriving on the river for the first time and boating up to see his little strip of wild riverside land and thinking he was crazy, but he turned it into a paradise. I spent many a happy holiday canoeing up and down that river and exploring the side rivers.

My heart lies in the Black Mountains though! Can't wait to get back there.



Sugarloaf carpark, my new next to an older version....

 

[TwoDogs]

Hi everyone, it seems that France, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal have opened borders to uk people. I would like to ask, can we drive to Europe now?
Many thanks.

I saw Raab on telly this morning saying that the official government advice is not to travel - does that impact your insurance?

 

[StevenZhang]

I saw Raab on telly this morning saying that the official government advice is not to travel - does that impact your insurance?

I thought about it. For the first trip this year, let’s go to Scotland. I heard that all camps in England will be open on July 4th, and camps in Scotland will be open on July 15. The Europe trip should be later in this year.

 

[Duxdeluxe]

I saw Raab on telly this morning saying that the official government advice is not to travel - does that impact your insurance?

Yes, while F&CO advice is only if necessary, your holiday travel insurance will not cover you

 

[BerndRos]

My friend and is family (bob and kate) left last year and moved to the Lake District. (Mainly because their kids needed a better education as they got older) He bought a bit of land on the St Luca side, having sailed there many years ago, and he built a house, got married and had four children there! They all went to school in St Luca. They later bought a place on the Alcoutim side to rent out. I remember arriving on the river for the first time and boating up to see his little strip of wild riverside land and thinking he was crazy, but he turned it into a paradise. I spent many a happy holiday canoeing up and down that river and exploring the side rivers.

My heart lies in the Black Mountains though! Can't wait to get back there.

View attachment 61040

Sugarloaf carpark, my new next to an older version....

Yes, I know Bob & Kate, they sold the holiday let on the Portugal side but I think have kept the house on the Spanish side. After they went to the Lake District, other friends of mine from here, Roger & Sally were quite by chance in a Library at I think Keswick, and ran into them. Small world.

 

[Barbara]

I am in Portugal....border here opens July 1st & Spain on 21st June but may be 14 days quarantine for arrivals from U.K.

I have Brittany Ferries booked on 1st July to get home to UK, Santander to Plymouth, hopefully third time lucky after previous cancellations.

Then I have to run the gauntlet of entering Wales to my UK home.

Good luck with the ferry this time.
We had our ferry cancelled from Santander for the end of May so gave up waiting and went home via France. It worked very well. Accor were helpful in finding hotels and Eurotunnel went well. Maybe a bit more expensive than the ferry as £107 in tolls but we got home. We had all the correct paper work for France but we were just waved though at the Somport tunnel. We have booked our return to Spain for later in the year. Fingers crossed the ferries will be running

 

[v-tec]

I see now that spain is not making us from the UK quarantine for 14 days (thank you) but it’s still a problem getting travel insurance, ones no good without the other , we are booked on P&O for the 30th June , I’m not bothered if I have to quarantine when I come back to the UK , (Boris is reviewing this on the 29th) Also I read that non essential travel is only a recommendation and not illegal, But the travel insurance dose concern me a little, 9 days before we go so things could change,

So
1)Borders are open
2)spain don’t require us to quarantine
3)ferries are running
4)can’t get travel insurance

 

[Bobthebus]

Yes, I know Bob & Kate, they sold the holiday let on the Portugal side but I think have kept the house on the Spanish side. After they went to the Lake District, other friends of mine from here, Roger & Sally were quite by chance in a Library at I think Keswick, and ran into them. Small world.

Such a small world, we knew Bob and Kate from the start of that adventure. When they left the UK to set up in Spain we rented their beautiful flat in Bassett, Southampton for a number of years and became good friends... Some years later when we were on holiday in Portugal we visited their idyllic home in Spain, I remember then their discussions about the future education for their children, who must all be nearly grown up now. We've lost touch but interesting to hear they are now in lakes. Bizarrely we were only talking about them last night!

 

[Karlos]

Apart from missing my family & being away from my business in very difficult times, it’s been the perfect place to be stranded here at Alcoutim. Not a single case of the Virus in either this municipal area or the bordering ones. Portuguese are such generally placid people & sensible souls that it’s been a pleasure to be amongst them, although in truth I do regard this village as my home from home.

Memories of lockdown, quite, masks obligatory where ever you enter, had a hair cut a month ago, no security or Marshall’s, bars & restaurants open, respect for each other, long walks allowed even in the depths of a serious lockdown, no drama or petty arguments or point scoring, oh and MH & Camper Vans with stranded people welcomed into the village rather than being shunned.

Bliss.

Seems we could learn a thing or 2 from the Portuguese, sounds a wonderful area your in.

Best of luck with the ferry home.

 

[westfalia]

Can confirm that France is still there, baguettes aplenty, everyone
happy.
Although there were long queues for ice cream, it looked a long queue but with
the 1,5m distance was probably normal, although the elderly lady behind me
kept wanting to step into my personal space, a couple of prods with my measuring
stick kept her in line.
People wearing masks and distancing was the order.

 

[Karlos]

Can confirm that France is still there, baguettes aplenty, everyone
happy.
Although there were long queues for ice cream, it looked a long queue but with
the 1,5m distance was probably normal, although the elderly lady behind me
kept wanting to step into my personal space, a couple of prods with my measuring
stick kept her in line.
People wearing masks and distancing was the order.

View attachment 61300

And you found the one sign that actually shows the newish lower speed limit of 80 down from 90.

 

[westfalia]

And you found the one sign that actually shows the newish lower speed limit of 80 down from 90.

i don't take much notice of speed signs, only where the cameras are
but well spotted

 

[westfalia]

And you found the one sign that actually shows the newish lower speed limit of 80 down from 90.

130 is miles per hour innit

 

[B J G]

I see now that spain is not making us from the UK quarantine for 14 days (thank you) but it’s still a problem getting travel insurance, ones no good without the other , we are booked on P&O for the 30th June , I’m not bothered if I have to quarantine when I come back to the UK , (Boris is reviewing this on the 29th) Also I read that non essential travel is only a recommendation and not illegal, But the travel insurance dose concern me a little, 9 days before we go so things could change,

So
1)Borders are open
2)spain don’t require us to quarantine
3)ferries are running
4)can’t get travel insurance

Ref Ferries, this from Brittany Ferries + 20.45 21/6/20

We are now in the process of cancelling all passenger sailings between the UK and Ireland to France and Spain until 28 June 2020. Limited freight-only services are operating between the UK, Ireland, France and Spain.

 

[Velma's Dad]

We're planning to head off to the continent touring for a couple of weeks. Mrs VD has tasked me to find out which campsite app (covering at least France and Italy, maybe Switz) is "the best" these days. I said the ACSI app, but apparently some reviews say its "filtering is poor" (I didn't even know it made coffee).

If I don't come up with a justified and detailed set of app recommendations by end of this week, I'm Toastville-sur-Mer.

Help!

 

[GSX1300R]

And you found the one sign that actually shows the newish lower speed limit of 80 down from 90.

But everyone should really know by now that France and Spain dropped The limits from 90 kph to 80 kph Just set the speed to 80 and everything is cushty..