Where are all the British?

I can understand people not wanting to get on planes and trains right now, but I think we've actually been safer being away this Xmas, 3 out of 5 grandchildren have definitely had the Chinese covid and so have at least 2 of the parents along with quite a few others we would have mixed with and because of UK weather it would have predominantly been indoors. Whereas here in Spain we have predominantly been outdoors.
 
minesapint said:
Booked the ferry to Bilbao at the weekend, it avoids spending any money in Macronville, so no Angles Mort stickers on the van. plus a day and a night on a mini cruise, to the sun.
Then down to Tarragona, and beyond.
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It won’t be Bilbao but Santander
 
We’re in peniscola, been here for 2 weeks on camping Eden and out of 200+ Pitches we’re the only British I’ve seen 3 other brits but they stayed for a few days most probably going further down. The weather is great and at only €18 a night including as much electric as you want I think it’s a no brainier
 
Junieric said:
We arrived in France in the 27th of January this year. Spent several days travelling through France and entered Spain on the 4th of February, down on the bottom of France near Perpignan. Been in Spain since and only seen 1 other Uk Motorhome. Where are you all, loads of French, German and Dutch motorhomes. All here is as usual, sunshine, cheap fuel, municipal parking places, friendly people, loads of space and quiet roads?
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It was the same in 2020 and 2021,,,2020 was great there was no one there hardly,,,BUSBY.
 
There's a small campsite in the village where i am in Southern Spain. Normally at this time it would be quite full with about 60% British. This winter its been pretty empty but for the Dutch and Germans. A friend who owns a nearby hotel says that British bookings have dropped off a cliff.
The two bar restaurants in the village now only open at weekends leaving the place deserted during the week.

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Brittany ferries cancelled our ferry to Santander so we were forced to drive through France in early December. The additional vets bills in Portsmouth, 2 lots of antigen tests plus 2 PCNs for breaching their clean air zone sent to our home address in our absence amount to £740.00 so far..............
Speaks for itself really! Any UK plates we see we greet as if our long lost friends.
 
Looking forward to this Tuesday, off to Santander and three months wandering around Spain and Portugal, had planned for travelling through France but macron put paid to that, It’s there loss,
Happy to prop up the Spanish economy for some of there sunshine,
 
Plenty of uk vans in the algarve, all on sites of course as wild camping is now forbidden.

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joeegg said:
There's a small campsite in the village where i am in Southern Spain. Normally at this time it would be quite full with about 60% British. This winter its been pretty empty but for the Dutch and Germans. A friend who owns a nearby hotel says that British bookings have dropped off a cliff.
The two bar restaurants in the village now only open at weekends leaving the place deserted during the week.
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The bars and restaurants are really feeling it. The Germans are so bad but I've never noticed before how tight the Dutch are.
 
Mikeco said:
You are not far enough South, most of us know where the warmth is and it’s not in France or Northern Spain.
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20 degrees in the sunshine yesterday in the Charente :) A little cooler in the shade but still shorts weather!! :)
 
This Brit can’t go abroad with his MH because his licence, which expired on his 70th birthday in December 2020, is still in Cardiff.
The only change to it is that I now need driving glasses for HGV, which I still keep up so I can move traction engines about, but that is it.
I think by the time it comes back it will need renewing again 🙄
 
Coming over to join the fun soon. Please keep the weather nice for us (y)(y).

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Junieric said:
We arrived in France in the 27th of January this year. Spent several days travelling through France and entered Spain on the 4th of February, down on the bottom of France near Perpignan. Been in Spain since and only seen 1 other Uk Motorhome. Where are you all, loads of French, German and Dutch motorhomes. All here is as usual, sunshine, cheap fuel, municipal parking places, friendly people, loads of space and quiet roads?
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Most of the seasoned Funsters will either be well south of you in Campsites with a minority wilding. The remaining majority will be waiting for A, warmer weather and B, a bit more certainty and clarity on the pandemic including entry and test requirements. This without doubt explains why the majority are here and not in Europe and/or Morocco.
 
We had to come back after 8 weeks because of work. On our travels December/January we only really saw a lot of brits around benalmadena. We stayed a month in a campsite in albir, which was nearly all brits last year and this year was pretty much all Dutch, Benidorm was like a ghost town.
We have a few friends who came out early and had to go back in December due to the 90 days as Morocco didn’t open like they hoped.
 
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Tim P said:
And the 90 day rule does not help. Now it's all about timing
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Agree, we went to Croatia for 9wks last sept. And I might say we really enjoyed it. I like lots of other people have used the Schengen calculator but on the rolling 180 it doesn’t drop the days off as it should an example is my 1st 180 started on the 19/5/21.I stayed 19/5 to 21/7 re-entered 31/8 to 5/9 and entered again on 1/11 on the 18/11/21 my new 180 started and effectively days should have started dropping off so we came back on the 29/11 using some of my new allowance but the calculator didn’t take this into account and said I’d used 29 of my new allowance up. So we’re now in Spain for another 45 days but I’m using my own spreadsheet to prove I’m following the rules. A bit long winded I know but we’ve gone through the Schengen border control 8 times now and not once have the counted the days or questioned the stamps
 
Just before December we were looking to travel down to friends in Mojacar and Alicante, however some French knowitall put paid to that, we then looked at all the recent bureaucratic reasons that would sour our European travels at the moment. Jabs/Paperwork, governments changing minds and rules on a almost daily basis, More paperwork, doggie vet fees, channel crossing, more paperwork, 90 day rule, we were thinking we wanted to enjoy a holiday not become unpaid admin staff for each country we travelled too, and besides I am at the age where others rules don't exist for me any more, if you get my drift.
So Mel made a corporate decision. She has booked us a two and a half month (and a bit more) tour, starting off in Wales and then on to the West country, routes and stops printed out, and logged, deposits paid, sites with local POIs and nearby transport, we both now feel so relaxed wallowing in the security that its all sorted, roll on May.

Born Free, Taxed to Death.
 
An 'OP' has mentioned this already, some longer term travellers may be worried about their 90/180 restrictions. it's a pretty obvious drawback, on top of all the other restricions. Those 90 days fly by when your enjoying yourself, and, maybe it's psychological, but we want to 'save them'. Hope somthing changes as I feel, just as me and the other half are able to travel extensively, thats been taken away from us with very little (read Nothing!) in return apart from a load of pointless hassle.

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Crystalmulti said:
An 'OP' has mentioned this already, some longer term travellers may be worried about their 90/180 restrictions. it's a pretty obvious drawback, on top of all the other restricions. Those 90 days fly by when your enjoying yourself, and, maybe it's psychological, but we want to 'save them'. Hope somthing changes as I feel, just as me and the other half are able to travel extensively, thats been taken away from us with very little (read Nothing!) in return apart from a load of pointless hassle.
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It really depends how you feel about UK winters. 2021 was the first full winter I 've had in Uk for about 15 years and I hated it. I was determined to go somewhere this winter, basically anywhere that would let us in, so Spain it was.
 
Didn’t really have any hassle did my antigen test 12hrs before filled in the french form and uploaded it, easily as that
 
Well, after posting 2 hours ago that my licence was still in Cardiff it has just arrived in the post 😂😂.
Whoopee. Free to roam again, and with what has just been announced on the news about easing restrictions in England next month things are looking up.
 
Junieric said:
We arrived in France in the 27th of January this year. Spent several days travelling through France and entered Spain on the 4th of February, down on the bottom of France near Perpignan. Been in Spain since and only seen 1 other Uk Motorhome. Where are you all, loads of French, German and Dutch motorhomes. All here is as usual, sunshine, cheap fuel, municipal parking places, friendly people, loads of space and quiet roads?
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Brexit means Brexit :(
 
Been to and fro to the Alps on business since 2018 none stop.
Much fewer UK cars than before 2015 /6
I believe the news(propaganda) has been very effective, Brits seem to be the most compliant and easily led of all nations.
It seems few do any research or true investigation, merely follow the herd and our totally honest politicians.
All countries have them of course, but few nations accept them.
You should see the demonstrations all over Europe not reported of course or rarely.
I must join the Demagogues club need easy money, that tax payer lovingly donate

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