With Italy opening up from 2nd June would you still go this year?
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Good to see these threads! We booked the tunnel on Saturday for 3 weeks time, and then we heard the news about quarantine for people returning from Spain!
Friends in Switzerland have agreed to put us up for one night on the way down, so apart from a little bit of motorway service stations we should be in our own bubble. It looks like I might get to be battered on the Blockhaus this summer after all...0 -
Eurotunnel wasn't very busy, although for the first time ever we stumped up the extra for the flexiplus option. Masks at services and I also used a disposable glove when handling petrol pump and things so any risk of exposure really is kept to a minimum. Saw quite a few cars with bikes on heading to the Alps.
Have a great trip and just remember to be a bit careful it's really not difficult. Saying all that I still feel it would be harder to mitigate any risk if flying.0 -
Yeah, I don't fancy flying at the moment! In my head, if we get there ok, and one of the governments in any of the 4 or 5 countries we drive through gets a bad increase, it will be easier to get back again driving instead of flying. Plus I don't want to spend hours and hours in an airport/plane/courtesy bus to the car park...veronese68 said:Eurotunnel wasn't very busy, although for the first time ever we stumped up the extra for the flexiplus option. Masks at services and I also used a disposable glove when handling petrol pump and things so any risk of exposure really is kept to a minimum. Saw quite a few cars with bikes on heading to the Alps.
Have a great trip and just remember to be a bit careful it's really not difficult. Saying all that I still feel it would be harder to mitigate any risk if flying.0 -
Things aren't looking good now... Getting to Italy isn't really a problem and we can come back via Germany as we'd in theory only transit through France and Belgium.
Self isolating on our return would be a right pain though.Advocate of disc brakes.0 -
We were thinking the same as you, except my work are playing hardball and anyone returning through a quarantined country won't be paid. We have quite a few Eastern Europeans who always go home at this time of year, they are screwed.
We managed to book flights with Ryanair this morning, £330 isn't bad for 10 days. I won't have my bike over there but will hopefully hire one and get some riding in. Fingers crossed the quarantine axe doesn't fall before we get back...0 -
There was talk of a quarantine from France as we drove back so we checked the situation before leaving Switzerland. Had there been a quarantine we would have driven up the German side of the Rhine and if you don't get out the car after leaving Germany you don't have to quarantine, unless Germany gets added to the list of course.0
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As said elsewhere, we're now flying so won't have any bikes with us. We've also got 4 days at the Cinque Terre to squeeze in so as well as gardening and house DIY there probably wouldn't be much free time anyway.Advocate of disc brakes.0
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We're here - Abruzzo - and it's lovely. The beaches aren't as busy as normal, less foreign registered cars by a long chalk. They're as frustrated as we are about the rules but seem to be doing the right thing. Watching the numbers on the news, Italy behind the UK but numbers all through Europe seem to be going up. Wish I had my bike, but hey how. Have been riding hard enough to probably benefit having 9-10 days off1
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I ended up spending a month in France at my house, ignoring the mad rush back to beat the quarantine, and am half way through a rather pointless 14 days indoors. Filled in the online form, but Border Force bloke wasn't interested, though I guess all my details are logged, so they could check if I'm at home.
I didn't realise that I could have done my quarantine in freedom in Italy, in effect, had I not set foot in in France for the return after twelve days there. But now I'm serving my time, with a turbo, and weights, and the internet, and views out of my windows.
Eurotunnel wasn't at all busy on the 25th, not surprisingly.
Anyway, I got 1578 miles in in the month, so I don't mind paying the price for this: https://unanglaisendiois.wordpress.com/
Rather hoping I can get back for two weeks at the end of October, but France is screwing this up at the moment, so I'm not holding my breath.0 -
I had heard last week the French still haven't got round to imposing a reciprocal arrangement on Brits arriving in France. Would have assumed they would be straight on it, but I guess it's put enough Brits off travelling they don't need to bother?
We did our online forms to get back from Italy. I managed to drop my phone and completely break it so wasn't looking forward to Passport Control but there was NO sign of anyone looking for the QR codes anywhere at Stansted. Maybe all the flights that had just come in were all from non-exempt countries, or maybe it's just in case you test positive later they need the info.
My son came back from France on the Newhaven ferry about 9 days ago, he had his QR code checked. I know some people who drove through Switzerland and France, used the tunnel, and they were told they didn't need to quarantine. Doesn't make sense to me.
I'm hoping to go back to Italy next month for the Giro. I have the outbound Eurotunnel journey in the bank, and tickets at the moment for the return trip are reasonable. This is assuming France comes off the quarantine list, but if it doesn't there are cheap flights at the moment. Would mean hiring a bike on arrival, and I think they might be scarce when the Giro is in town.0 -
davep1 said:
I had heard last week the French still haven't got round to imposing a reciprocal arrangement on Brits arriving in France. Would have assumed they would be straight on it, but I guess it's put enough Brits off travelling they don't need to bother?
We did our online forms to get back from Italy. I managed to drop my phone and completely break it so wasn't looking forward to Passport Control but there was NO sign of anyone looking for the QR codes anywhere at Stansted. Maybe all the flights that had just come in were all from non-exempt countries, or maybe it's just in case you test positive later they need the info.
My son came back from France on the Newhaven ferry about 9 days ago, he had his QR code checked. I know some people who drove through Switzerland and France, used the tunnel, and they were told they didn't need to quarantine. Doesn't make sense to me.
I'm hoping to go back to Italy next month for the Giro. I have the outbound Eurotunnel journey in the bank, and tickets at the moment for the return trip are reasonable. This is assuming France comes off the quarantine list, but if it doesn't there are cheap flights at the moment. Would mean hiring a bike on arrival, and I think they might be scarce when the Giro is in town.
Figures for France are still looking very poor - it's going to take quite a bit to turn it around, and there's no sign of that as of today - the opposite, in fact.0 -
Indeed, and Spain has been on the list since the end of July, so I can't see France coming off it anytime soon.briantrumpet said:davep1 said:I had heard last week the French still haven't got round to imposing a reciprocal arrangement on Brits arriving in France. Would have assumed they would be straight on it, but I guess it's put enough Brits off travelling they don't need to bother?
We did our online forms to get back from Italy. I managed to drop my phone and completely break it so wasn't looking forward to Passport Control but there was NO sign of anyone looking for the QR codes anywhere at Stansted. Maybe all the flights that had just come in were all from non-exempt countries, or maybe it's just in case you test positive later they need the info.
My son came back from France on the Newhaven ferry about 9 days ago, he had his QR code checked. I know some people who drove through Switzerland and France, used the tunnel, and they were told they didn't need to quarantine. Doesn't make sense to me.
I'm hoping to go back to Italy next month for the Giro. I have the outbound Eurotunnel journey in the bank, and tickets at the moment for the return trip are reasonable. This is assuming France comes off the quarantine list, but if it doesn't there are cheap flights at the moment. Would mean hiring a bike on arrival, and I think they might be scarce when the Giro is in town.
Figures for France are still looking very poor - it's going to take quite a bit to turn it around, and there's no sign of that as of today - the opposite, in fact.0 -
Italy seems to be coping quite well compared to some of its neighbors, flew back to Manchester on Saturday. We filled in our border force forms online and were never asked to present them. I can only assume that it's linked to your passport number and that once it's scanned the machine (or person) knows where you've been.Advocate of disc brakes.0
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I've just booked to go back to Abruzzo for the Giro, can't wait! Flights were 9.99 outbound, 25 return, still finished up at £200, thanks Ryanair!
My wife doesn't drive or ride a bike, so I think I will have to drive to both Giro days, which is a bit of a bummer, but beggars can't be choosers. Hoping to hire a bike for at least a few days if not a week, got a couple of big rides I would love to do.0
