Travelling back from Spain and France. My experience.

[Pugsy]

For those of you that have long drives home from a U.K. port? What are you all doing and how are you overnighting in the UK, remembering campsites being closed and the no overnight stay advice. We have to drive from Dover to Gwynedd and will need to overnight. I'm not a fan of roadside laybys and we normally find a park4night stop. How are you managing this...paying to use a motorway service station?

Hi i drove from Portsmouth last Sunday night to Glasgow , i took 2 x 30min breaks for a quick shut eye.This was enough to get me back at 06:30am, i used the motorway services and it was fine. A lot now have a 2 hour limit so if you plan to sleep longer an overnight stop on possibly a park4night spot or similar would be your best bet i think. Good luck and safe travel back.

Cheers Cris.

 

[Michaelcatdad]

Many thanks for your sincere and very helpful advice. Im trying to arrange a PCR test in Pamplona. Im travelling from Alentejo, Portugal back to Ireland after 10 years full time on the road, alone with 7 cats on board... A mad cat wagon for sure!

Hope we manage to get home somehow.

Im a responsible wildcamper, but sadly the recent law passed prohibiting wildcamping throughout Portugal is now being enforced. The local GNR with whom Ive had good relations with over the past 5 Winters told me that I could no longer stay in my much loved quiet rural spot.

Its the beginning of santo semane/Holy Week now, hope I manage to arrange a PCR test this week.

Wish me good luck!

Thank you again.

Wishing you good health.


Michael

 

[Carol]

Michaelcatdad Welcome to Motorhome Fun I really Hope you manage to get back all right. Be aware you will only have 5 Free posts so use them for your questions and the emoji for other comments, if you need /want for posting after that it's £15 a year and worth every penny.
Your information certainly opens our eyes to what is actually happening.

JJ Have you come across the tighter restrictions yet.

 

[JJ]

@JJ Have you come across the tighter restrictions yet.

Tighter restrictions?

I'm not sure.

At the weekend I am meant to stay in my local region but during the week I am free to go anywhere (I think). I believe there is also a curfew but I rarely leave QMJ anyway...

Don't go far from my comfortable, zero gravity garden chair!

Last week I travelled north from Silves to QMJ to get back to cut my grass.

I took a couple of days. I did not over night on sites... I stopped over in my usual places. I was passed by GNR several times. They didn't bat an eyelid.

JJ

 

[glastry]

Many thanks for your sincere and very helpful advice. Im trying to arrange a PCR test in Pamplona. Im travelling from Alentejo, Portugal back to Ireland after 10 years full time on the road, alone with 7 cats on board... A mad cat wagon for sure!

Hope we manage to get home somehow.

Im a responsible wildcamper, but sadly the recent law passed prohibiting wildcamping throughout Portugal is now being enforced. The local GNR with whom Ive had good relations with over the past 5 Winters told me that I could no longer stay in my much loved quiet rural spot.

Its the beginning of santo semane/Holy Week now, hope I manage to arrange a PCR test this week.

Wish me good luck!

Thank you again.

Wishing you good health.


Michael

Hi Michael, its been a long time since we saw you! - (singing in our van in Santa Lucia, - you brought your own stool).
There is very limited travel in Ireland at the moment, but it may ease up ,and you can probably argue that you are in "transit", to see the screamers!
Good luck with your journey.
John , Anne and Mary

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[EuroTrotters]

For those of you that have long drives home from a U.K. port? What are you all doing and how are you overnighting in the UK, remembering campsites being closed and the no overnight stay advice. We have to drive from Dover to Gwynedd and will need to overnight. I'm not a fan of roadside laybys and we normally find a park4night stop. How are you managing this...paying to use a motorway service station?

1000's of places to stop

 

[Madbird]

Hi Both,
Great you both made it back safe! We made a similar journey from southern Spain where we live, our friend was only there for the winter so we came back convoy! It was quite good fun most of the way, got a PCR test in Tarragona, struggled to get results but that was my fault (entered passport details instead of Residencia () into France and the weather was with us all the way! Went to a lovely village one morning and happened to come across the village nurse who came to our Motorhome a to do antigen tests! An absolute star! All good until Calais! Knowing we couldn’t stay at Carrafour we opted for the Calais Aire - this is lovely but during Covid we can’t use it! The lady came out and directed us to the adjacent place (€10 a night with no electric) or go to the Yacht basin where the parking is free and many other people stay! It seemed like a no brainer as two Motorhome me hubby and 2 labs and our female friend on her own in a bigger Motorhome. Initially it seemed fine, had a strange guy come up and ask friend to take him to England - I let the dogs out with a warning not to bite (soppy pair I hoped it worked) later another couple of dodgy looking guys came past!

we double checked our friend was fully locked up but we had a sensor problem on the side door of our camper and so it wouldn’t lock (or so we thought) we had an awful night -I’m as deaf as a post but sensed all sorts, one of the dogs barked and hubby took them out for a wander, I looked out and saw 4 shapes walking away in the distance.
In the morning we woke up and all doors had been slightly opened, but luckily for us nothing taken! My friend however, had had them on her roof, relaxing only for a moment when hubby took the dogs out but they later came back - not on the roof though but trying to gain access to somewhere they could stow away in/on her Motorhome! Shocked she didn’t phone us she said she pretended to phone the police!
Thankfully, the only issue she had was that they pulled pipe out from underneath but other than that and a crap night sleep we were fine!
So be warned! Keep an eye out for trouble in Calais! Which I am sure was why they closed Carrafour as it was their security that noticed the footprint on the back of her Motorhome!

 

[gus-lopez]

All good until Calais!

Normally they ask & if you have stayed within 50kms of Calais they'll take the van to bits.

Could I just ask how you , as a resident, have manged to leave the country? Do you work elsewhere?