Advice/Info for those stuck away

[olive]

I thought it might be handy for people to share info/experiences of getting home or indeed to attend a family situation ( Spain or UK).

I know that there are actually quite a few of us in weird situations and making the best of it. I recently bumped into someone stuck here in Yorkshire from the Costa del Sol and they were quite sanguine about it.

My situation is that I won't be in a position to leave to head back to Spain until early June, at the earliest. My fallback plan is to buy a very cheap RHD car and scrap it on arrival. I will have to be a named driver on someone elses policy. Failing that I might buy a LHD arial atom (or perhaps more practically an MX5) to keep after the journey. Not desperately keen on flying if indeed such an option was available unless there was social distancing. Someone stuck on Mallorca declined their £1600 repatriation flight(s). That seems like a lot of money to pay unless there is serious social distancing meaning the plane was only a quarter full.

Has anyone experience of repatriation flights in the direction of ones habitual residence in Spain? Anyone had help from the British Embassy in regards to getting to their country of choice? I am here because of family issues and would have still wanted to be here if the circumstances had arisen yesterday lockdown or no lockdown.

Has anyone any recent experience of border crossing , ferry travel? Anyone got a view on when borders might reopen (obviously open now for freight)?

[katy]

If planning to drive through France you will have to fill in various forms. They are quite strict at the border. You may be stopped a few times in a brit registered car.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france

Re. repatriation, if you are a resident in Spain then you would need to contact the Spanish embassy.

Just to add. Eurotunnel timetable is much reduced and on Eurostar was 200 euro one way last week|

[Gardenofengland]

After 3 cancelled Brittany Ferry sailings we decided to drive back to UK. Got stopped twice in Spain the first leaving Almunecar. Stopped overnight in Burgos. Crossed into France at Irun no problems and again got stopped twice coming through the tolls. Motorway was empty so we skipped our booked overnight stop in France and drove up to Calais. Caught the 10.30 ferry back to Dover and home by midnight. Not sure it would be so easy the other way. Now looking forward to the extra freedom of UK lockdown after isolation for a couple of weeks.

[Wicksey]

When did you do that journey Gardenofengland? I thought all hotels were shut now? A friend drove back to the UK in his camper van but that was in the first week of lockdown and he didn't have too many problems.

[elusive]

There is or was a list of x amount of hotels that have been kept open on the border routes to help people driving home

[gerryh]

The hotels that are open are listed here:-
https://www.andalucia.com/health/corona ... otels-open
Cheers
Gerry

[Wicksey]

The hotels are open for essential workers and those having to attend elderly relatives etc or special circumstances. Not sure that it covers people just driving back to their home countries.

[Gardenofengland]

When did you do that journey Gardenofengland? I thought all hotels were shut now? A friend drove back to the UK in his camper van but that was in the first week of lockdown and he didn't have too many problems.

We left Almunecar Friday 17th April. There is a list of hotels open for people in transit Boletin Official estados it was downloadable it was produced towards the end of March but is way out of date as we found in Valladolid. I think most stranded drivers who don't want to wait it out for Brittany Ferries have mostly made the journey back through France. I will try to find the link.

[Gardenofengland]

The hotels are open for essential workers and those having to attend elderly relatives etc or special circumstances. Not sure that it covers people just driving back to their home countries.

It did cover people in transit as well. But many of them are gradual closing maybe lack of custom and we did have to fill an official form for the reason of staying and travel.

[Gardenofengland]

The hotels that are open are listed here:-
https://www.andalucia.com/health/corona ... otels-open
Cheers
Gerry

This is the link to all Spain hotels from the British embassy Madrid

https://t.co/H2uHCUhIu2?amp=1

[Wicksey]

Thanks for the information. I have friends stuck in the UK that would like to return home to Spain but I'm not sure it's so easy to back come into the country at the moment.

[olive]

Garden of England. Thanks for the official blurb and list for Spain. That could be useful. We tried a number of the ones in Andalucia but quite a few were actually closed. Lack of demand. We decided airbnb might be better although that has its plusses and minusses

Wicksey. If your friends stuck in the UK are habitually resident in Spain and have residencia etc, I can see no reason why they should not be allowed back into Spain.I am in the same position and planning on a late June return.

There may well be hoops to jump through, for example it maybe that someone spots the sense in self isolating on entry to the country if after testing on arrival you are positive. That may involve paying for a basic hotel stay of up to a fortnight. Or you can just do what everyone seems to have done - just arrive . I know China was implementing the above until they closed their borders a few weeks ago.

Additionally there is the small obstacle of physically getting back. There are flights with seats for people trying to get back to the habitual residence. Brits in Spain - a British Embassy facebook group has details of transport and I am sure could help if asked. I would prefer driving and if necessary sleeping in the car. There are the usual stupid obstacles to overcome . You cannot buy a car and insure it in UK for the journey if you live in Spain and have a Spanish driving licence (which by now surely everyone has). They could of course be a named driver on a vehicle owned by someone else.

Ferries are operating (for freight) over the Bay of Biscay. They are taking bookings for cars BUT they then get cancelled. My view is they are walking a tightrope between not having full ferries( when eventually they are permitted to carry private vehicles as well as lorries) and having disgruntled customers. Presumably the cancelling of ferries for private vehicles is a government led initiative between the two countries. It would be nice to know. The downside is you cannot make plans.

[Wicksey]

My friends are elderly and their son (a UK resident) said he would drive them back. For health reasons they don't want to fly. I think they'll have to see what is happening in the next few weeks, perhaps after 9 May. There is so much conflicting news it's difficult to know what is happening except I'm fairly sure it won't all end any time soon. It's a journey they'll need to plan very well before they consider it. I did say to them that there's not a lot to come back for at the moment! At least they have a house to live in England and family close by.