Exodus to the UK, Seeking a Safe Haven to Ride Out the COVID-19 Storm
Zagan the motorhome is back on UK soil and we’ve just woken in the aire at Canterbury having had a decent night’s sleep, our hearts not pounding quite as hard as they have these past four days. We’re very relieved to be back in our native land, although we’re under no illusions we’ve avoided the storm that is COVID-19, we’ve just found what we hope will be a safer harbour for us. This is roughly the route we took to get from Barbate near Tarifa in southern Spain up to the UK. It took us four days and three nights, stopping at Salamanca west of Madrid, Capbreton near the Spanish/French border and Chateaudun, south-west of Paris. We’ve heard from other motorhome travellers they did it in two days, driving in shifts in 15-hour stints.
Sheesh, right, OK, calm, calm. I’m going to have to really think about this one and get help from Ju, it’s been a fairly intense few days. I know truckers do this kind of driving every day, and others Brit motorhomers did it in half the time we did, so that’s nothing special. Our worlds changed as we drove though, as they did for millions, maybe even billions of us, and we did the drive under mounting anxiety and stress. I’m proud of the two of us for working together as a team, and it’s at times like this I really get to see what a wonderful woman my wife really is. This COVID-19 thing is affecting each of us in different ways, and while Ju and I are in a privileged position compared to a great many, we’re far from immune to its effects. Our two main fears these past few days were for our personal safety (probably me more than Ju to be honest) and to not be prevented from getting back to our families for months while they’re living in isolation.
The former was almost certainly over-egged. There will still be thousands of motorhome and caravan travellers who opted to stay in Portugal, Spain, Morocco, France and so on or who can’t now travel due to border closures, and I’m sure they’ll be safe in their host countries. We were very, very nearly among you guys and we’d have made the best of it too. The latter, not being able to get back to our families, was perhaps also over-egged as although driving across many of Europe’s borders is not currently possible (you can still drive across France and get the tunnel or a ferry home as I understand it), we could probably have left the van and flown home, perhaps. All this stuff is easy to sit and tap out in retrospect.
Let’s go back over what happened. We’d chosen to leave Barbate near Tarifa on Sunday morning. At that point Spain wasn’t in lock-down, although the Spanish borders in Morocco at Cueta and Melila had already closed, we’d seen some panic buying in supermarkets and one campsite we visited was turning away new people trying to check-in, despite having space inside. Folks were wearing gloves and a sense of fear was starting to develop, at least in me, and especially after some thugs hit our van during the previous night. We drove to an aire near Salamanca, locked ourselves in the van and slept the best we could. Anxiety was building about the French border closing, which fellow travellers had warned us might happen several days before but we couldn’t quite believe it. They closed it at noon yesterday, so we were right to finally get a move on, crossing the border and resting for the night at the aire at Capbreton on Monday. At that point France was in a kind of optional lock-down.
France felt markedly more normal than Spain had. Ensuring I didn’t get within several metres of anyone I did a 10 mile run up the beach and back (my the last run for at least 2 weeks), seeing a few families out and about, a paraglider and couples walking the sands. Someone had written messages in the sand: “COVID-19, We Are the Virus” and “Coronovirus, Courage to Us All”. Beaches on the Costa del Sol had (I think) been closed by this point. On the aire a few folks were knocking about, apparently unperturbed, although heavy rain started to fall in the evening so everyone was locked inside later on. We got a message from friends who live in France advising us to use the toll roads and to fuel up before we were empty, as stocks could run low.
We left Capbreton at 8:43am, a relatively late start, perhaps a reflection of a lull in anxiety having made it to France. Although there was a flood of information, we couldn’t guess whether the UK border would stay open, or if it closed whether we’d be allowed back into the UK. I was still in half a mind to try and drive right across France in a day though, so relaxed we weren’t. Zagan’s fuel gauge has had my eye half glued to it these past few days, ticking up and down like a metronome as diesel’s poured through his engine and out the exhaust, having me permanently in mild fear of not being able to buy more. As the gauge got down to about 1/4 for the first time in France, we found a Super U (a French supermarket, where fuel is often cheaper, like in the UK). Ju tried to buy food but the queues were huge. We tried then to buy diesel but just as I removed the fuel cap an attendant came over and apologised that they’d sold out, and started taping signs to the pumps. We changed tack from that point and deliberately went to the more expensive, non-supermarket stations. The next one we went to also had signs taped to the pumps, these saying you had to pre-pay inside as too many were driving off without paying. My sense that the world was going into free-fall was gnawing away at me.
After 585km we were getting tired and opted to head to an aire we know (mini safe havens, where we could remember ‘normal’ times) at Chateaudun, set beneath the walls of a huge castle and besides a river, a wonderful spot. Word was out that Boris was starting a daily televised speech and being so far north our satellite TV would work again, so we sat and watched as he announced the UK going into social isolation, although he stopped short of closing any businesses and schools. Later that evening Macron announced all France’s borders would close the following day at noon, and a mandatory lock-down would come into play. We didn’t sleep well that night.
Given the fact we might be challenged by the police for driving after noon we got up in the dark and left Chateaudun just after 6am. There were about 8 other motorhomes in the aire, presumably all heading for the UK, we didn’t speak to anyone, as much as we wanted to. All the aires we used were open, although we’ve since heard the one at Wissant not too far from Calais has closed. Our guess is these decisions to close aires are taken locally, not at a national level, so hopefully many will remain open for those who opt to stay in France or other countries in Europe. Five hours later we arrived in Calais at 11:15am, before the noon deadline and tried to check-in at the Eurotunnel. Our train wasn’t until 4:50pm and the lady’s voice spoken through the check-in machine told us she was sorry but we had to come back after 2:50pm. Ju asked whether trains would still be running to the UK. “Yes, they are still operating after noon”. She then asked if we could drive on French roads after noon “Arrr, I will ask my colleague… I am sorry, we don’t know that”. And with that she directed us out of the terminal.
We needed somewhere close to the terminal to stay, and spotted lots of motorhomes through a fence which we thought were in the nearby Cite Europe but they were actually in the pet check-in at terminal. Unable to get to them (of course) we gave up and went to the Auchan supermarket. Ju legged it over to get some supplies, knowing we’d be locked in the house for 14 days when we get home (there is no official guidance on how long we should self-isolate as we have no symptoms, but this feels right). As she shopped I sat and grew increasingly concerned at the small groups of migrants wandering around the parking area. One chap found a British transit van with open rear doors and climbed in, then back out again. The next thing I knew the van had driven off but was parked up across the car park with, presumably the driver having to stand across the open rear doors stopping a migrant chap from getting in. There was no fighting or violence, but a little bit of pushing, and my fear levels started to go through the roof as the noon deadline ticked past and the parking area started to clear of cars, leaving us with a group of maybe 15 migrants. Were they any threat to us? I doubt it, but the whole world seems to be imploding at the moment and I was in no mood to find out.
I sent a text to Ju, asking her to be quick and when she returned (with a packet of loo roll among other useful things, and stories of how the shopping experience has changed, with a briefing before being allowed in, metre separation at check-outs queues, plastic screens in front of the operators and so on) we drove past the group and over to the aire at Sangatte, of all places, which was devoid of migrants other than us and a clutch of other British motorhomes, all presumably waiting for the tunnel or a ferry. Ju told me to go for a walk, as I’ve gone into social isolation already, avoiding all contact with anyone but Ju, and I probably needed the air. I stood on the beach and watched the ferries, staring at the scene which would have bored me five days ago, and now I already missed it like air, the sensation of standing outside on a beach under a cloud-blue sky, with only my few petty cares to worry about.
Sat in the van we got a message from Eurotunnel telling us the French police were now asking for a signed form saying why anyone was driving anywhere. We had no forms, no way to print them off, and I’d already seen one police car patrolling the streets which were now almost completely traffic-free. Come 2:40 we were off, driving to the terminal on empty roads which weirdly feels normal now, and feeling a small sense of relief when the check-in machine printed a hanger for us and raised the barrier.
Inside the terminal everything was as normal, although Ju reported all the shops were closed and for some reason a message was playing on the screens asking us to use the loo before boarding the trains. At this point we didn’t quite believe the word CANCELLED wouldn’t suddenly pop up against all the subsequent trains. It didn’t. We both walked a few metres in the car park for air. I looked up at the windows of a coach, seeing everyone sat inside close to each other, one of them wearing a face mask, thankful we’re able to travel in almost complete isolation in the van. Every time we get out and do something we wash our hands when we get back in. It’s very probable we’ll get the virus, we know, but it seems essential that as few of us get it in the coming weeks as possible, so that’s our small personal aim.
After a short delay our train was called and we went through the motions to board. Parked inside, the slight lurch as the train departed pushed a small wave of relief through us, we were heading for British soil and have never been more pleased, while at the same time not really being relieved at all. The talk in the media is of 250,000 deaths if the UK hadn’t gone into social isolation. It’s terrible, gut-wrenching stuff for all of us. My parents both have significant health issues which means they have to literally avoid COVID-19 like the plague. They’ve been locked in their home for 7 days now, and are ready to be there for months if needs be. My sister’s family are delivering food and we’re talking to them daily. If there is one good thing from this pandemic it’s surely the fact many of us will realise how much we love one another.
With the train on UK soil we rolled off with everyone else, aiming for the aire here at Canterbury, which we’d seen that some other motorhomers will still using so we assumed it remained open. The traffic threw me. The UK at this point *should* be in social isolation with only essential journeys but the cars, vans and lorries didn’t seem much fewer than they usually do. It gave us both a strange sense of calm while being unsettling at the same time. The same thing seemed to happen in Spain and then France: a request for social distancing by the government which was ignored, followed by mandatory lock-downs with law enforcement. We have to wonder how long it will be before the UK is forced down the same path. It could be within a day or two, so we’re heading for home in an hour or so, back up the M25 and the M1 to Nottingham, where we’ll unload and place the van in storage and start our isolation. Many friends have already offered to deliver food, and one kind soul is dropping off a ‘turbo trainer’ tonight so we can use one of our bikes as a stationary exercise bike. The 50 mile run I’ve been training for is in early May but hasn’t cancelled yet (it will, I’m certain) but I’ve already decided I’m not doing it, by then we’ll be well into the spread of the virus and my head won’t be in the right place for it.
We’ll keep blogging in the coming days so say how we’re getting on in isolation, and what is happening around us. If anyone reading this has opted to stay outside the UK, we’d be very pleased to hear from you too, let us know what’s happening where you are?
Strength and love to you all. Jay
Good to read that you are okay. Take care.
Welcome home, I can imagine that was not a remotely pleasant journey. You will be glad to get home, shut the doors and be able to decompress for a few hours. If it were me, I’d expect a few tears as the stress/shock wears off. 😢
Thanks for bothering to do this update, I have been wondering how you both were 👏
How brave and honest of you to publish this. In the future you’ll look back on such a stupendous journey with pride, a major part of your life story.
We all have to change our lives for a while or for ever, maybe it’s the best we take as many positives from the changes as we can.
Toodle pip
Glad to hear that you are back on UK soil.
Well done in travelling that long distance and making it before the border closure, it is such a fast moving situation!
The sense of relief you will feel when you get back home will be worth all the lost sleep!
It’s a good job you have bought food in France, the UK supermarkets are just as bad with excessive stockpiling.
I have just been out to get milk as I am running low – my local ASDA has been wiped out, they currently have fresh milk and bread which they seem to be replenishing well. But no toilet roll, cleaning products (only bleach), flour, sugar, long life milk, pasta, tinned anything! No soap, fresh meats such as chicken, it’s all gone. I walked passed completely empty aisles as people clear everything. Everyone in there looked fearful and stressed.
The announcement from Boris yesterday is hitting as I passed loads of local shops with closed signs up. People are preparing for a complete close down of all but essential shops so interesting times ahead.
Keep Safe!
What a rollercoaster of events and emotions. I am so glad that you have made it home safely. We are still in Thailand, waiting for our flight on Saturday and hoping that it will not be cancelled. We are both anxious about getting home and just like yourselves to isolate and stay away from others. The rate of change is astounding and we are all feeling quite bewildered. Keep well guys.
Glad you are back on home soil. Take care and hope you both keep well. I really enjoy reading your blog. Thanks for all the hard work you both put in.
Hi Guys,
Welcome back to the UK.
Youve had quite an adventure these last four days on your travels through Spain and France! Plus you have had a foretaste (practice run?) of what a lockdown is like. Unfortunately it will/has to be the same here in a few days, once the relevant laws have passed through Parliament giving the government the authority to order a lockdown here. Self isolation is the only way to slow this thing down and give oldies like me a fighting chance lol.
Anyway, I’m glad you’re home safe and I look forward to reading your blog, letting us know how you are getting on with isolation..
Best wishes to you both and as you said – keep washing your hands!!
Cliff
Wow – serious respect for doing that journey in that time. We got the fidgets in late February when the virus thing all started and got a hurry on to get back. It still took us over two weeks from Braganca to get to the UK and a further week to get home to Moray. We arrived in Canterbury on the 5th. I hope we will be able to get away again one day but I worry that things may never be the same again. Keep safe.
Cheers Tim, sounds like you guys have your heads screwed on right good move. None of us know how this will pan out but it will certainly pass and we will get to ride again my friend. ✊ Take care, thanks for writing, Jay
Glad to read you guys are safe and made it back. It is testing, fast moving times. We’re currently on the aire in Úbeda in Spain with four other motorhomes. We had intended to isolate ourselves here for two weeks and to see what unfolds but the latest on the gov.uk website gave this info today ‘The Spanish government has now ordered that hotels and short-stay accommodation (such as short-stay campsites or caravan parks) must close by Tuesday 24 March. British travellers who are currently in Spain and who wish to return to the UK are advised to make travel plans to do so as soon as possible’. So, we are currently considering our options! I have to say that all is calm here. We went shopping yesterday at Lidl and, whilst we couldn’t go in together, all the shelves were well stocked. We went to the police yesterday to ask about the possibility of hooking up to some electric as some don’t have solar panels and an electrician came today and has sorted that for us. I’m not sure how long we’ll be able to stay though or whether they will close the aire. We’ll see. Anyway, take care and keep safe 🌻
Hi Jane, many thanks for the update. It’s wonderful they came and sorted some electricity for you and that the supermarkets have stock. Sounds pretty calm. Our drive north was made far more stressful through lack of information and our own mild panic and it sounds like you’ll avoid that at least as things should have settled down by the time you need to decide what to do next. Please let us know how you get on? You keep safe too, thanks also for introducing us to the sunflower emoji! 👍 Jay
Dear JJ,I am glad , that you have arrived safely at your home.Thank you for telling your thoughts.If there might be one good thing about Corona: we all have to think about the main important things for our lives & get into 1 or 2 gears lower.for the rest and get/stay ”humble”.(dictionary).Because it will definetly lead us for at least more 3 months.
All the best Heide from Germany
PS .Perhaps there will be a list in the end of 2020, which nation supplied the biggest amount of toilet paper in %.
Sounds like you guys have been through the ringer a bit.
Great blog though, always like to read your stuff, pleased you got back safely.
We’re still in France we’ve just booked the tunnel for Friday. I’ve been keeping an eye on prices and yesterday (Tuesday) if thought we’d book it for sat or sun depending on our progress through France. But checking prices this evening it looks as though they’ve cancelled all the weekend slots, they’re all showing sold out for sat and Sunday.
We were just north of Barcelona when we heard rumours of camp sites being closed in Andalucía. At that point we decided to start making our way home. I read on an internet news site that the Spanish government said there were only 8 reasons for you to be on the road and one of them was to return to your place of ‘natural habitation’ (I think that’s how they phased it) I took from that that we could take our time getting back. I know it’s a very serious issue but we were going to go back home at end of April and I was feeling slightly perturbed!
Anyway we’ve tootled up through France on the non toll roads and not had any problems. There were queues at the supermarkets yesterday to manage the number of people in the store but no empty shelves (Lidl in Beziers south France) and fuel hasn’t been a problem. Fingers crossed, touch wood etc.
We’re at Orléans now so we’ve got Thursday and Friday am to get to the tunnel, about 400k Finger crossed that it all goes smoothly.
Great to hear you’re able to travel more slowly than us and that the basics are all available. We found lots of tunnel slots were quickly filling up ahead of us as British vehicles made their way to the Terminal at Calais. We’ve heard on the radio that Eurostar services are reduced but nothing about the Eurotunnel – the weekend services might just be all full. Thanks for sending us an update from out there, safe journey home and we’ll hopefully bump into you one day once we’re back out enjoying the road. Cheers, Jay
Hi Guys,
We are currently on an abandoned campsite in Tomar, Portugal with around 20 motorhomes including about 5 other English vans.
If it wasn’t for the short queues to get into the supermarkets, small number of people wearing masks and signs on the odd shop/restaurants/tourist attractions saying closed because of the virus you would think everything was normal.
We are still undecided whether to stay here for a few more weeks and start the scary journey back home. We know things are only going to get worse everywhere including Portugal but we feel safe here.
Hi Lindsey, good to hear from you guys. We’re trying to work out what’s happening with borders etc, and as far as I can tell this is the situation if you choose to drive (rather than fly) to the UK (apologies if you already have all this info):
1. It looks like you’re able to cross the Portugal-Spain and Spain-Portugal borders now, according to the info on this post: https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/coronavirus-funsters-in-portugal.214818/page-4. It seems there are 9 border posts this is possible at, and it says something about being until 15 April. I don’t know how accurate this info is as there is no link to the source.
2. Travelling across France you’ll need a form printed and completed for each traveller to give to the police if you’re stopped. As we understand it you need one of these per traveller. There is a link to the form on this forum post: https://forums.motorhomefacts.com/37-continental-touring-info/238375-french-borders-closing-21.html. You need to write that you’re returning back to your place of residence, on each form. Printing these forms might be a challenge, perhaps you can write them out long-hand, I’m not sure.
3. Brittany Ferries services from Spain to the UK are cancelled until mid April and I imagine will be rammed if they re-open. Driving across France was much faster for us (we took two days), so we opted to do that. Latest ferry info here: https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ferry-routes/planning/sailing-updates
4. We drove hard across the continent, 6 to 8 hours a day, which probably increased our level of risk of crashing or being hit by someone more than anything the virus could do to us. That said, we mostly stuck to toll roads in Spain and France and they were, unsurprisingly, very clear of traffic. Take care on the roads if you opt to return guys. x
If we can help in any way (from the house, we’re in isolation for 14 days), please let us know. Cheers and the best of luck, Jay
We were parked along the rank of motorhomes at chateaudun aire. We had also made the decision to leave Saturday from our site in Aguilas, Spain. At first we thought it would be safer to stay, after our site closed on Friday afternoon to any new visitors. But by Saturday we decided we would rather be home as this awful dilemma unfolded. We literally threw everything in the motorhome and left, basically like everyone else not knowing what lay ahead. We decided to try and make it to Teruel that day. Then onto Zaragoza/Pamplona and the border at Irun. On our approach to Teruel we decided if we shared the driving we could possibly get over the border. Change of plan we thought the Somport Tunnel was nearer so at around 10pm we drove through, stopping at the French side joining other motorhomes parked up. We left Sunday continuing through France following a huge amount of motorhomes on the road. Monday on route we were trying to change our Eurotunnel booking, we also have two dogs that had to be checked at a vets. We lost time finding a vet. One refused to see us, at last we found one at Poitiers , so helpful. Once they were done we could change our crossing to Wednesday. We saw you join the vans Tuesday noticing your blog on the vehicle. I saw you leave as I was out walking dogs. We left a little later making the decision also to drive to Wissant and stay on the aire that night, so we were near for our Wednesday morning booking. The aire was closed so drove along and joined motorhomes parked at Herbert Latham, Sangatte. That was the first time we actually felt the pressure was off. I understand your drive (race) and everyone else in the same position to get home. Huge relief when loading onto the carriage train at the tunnel.
Mike and Rosemary
Hi Mike and Rosemary. That was a few days we won’t forget in a hurry eh? Thanks for sending us your story, we really wanted to talk to the people in the vans around us, to get some comfort we weren’t alone in feeling a tad hunted! It was a small blessing for us that our own pooch isn’t with us any more as it removed one obstacle, although thinking about it I’d rather have the wee man back and we’d have tackled it like you guys did. Now that the escape’s over we’re into the next phase, the real start of the long road I think. Time to get some reflecting done on what’s important in life, to help those around us as best we can and to start drawing up plans for the future. Cheers, Jay
Hi
I joined your blog only a month ago and have looked forward to your updates . We have ‘ done Spain ‘ several times first in an old Elnaugh and more recently a newer Dethleff with a posh garage for our motor scooter . We love all of it . Our plans this year are now on hold , we were leaving on May 5 th for the tunnel visiting South Eastern Europe Hungary , Romania , Bulgaria and Greece and back through Italy and France before we leave the eu !
We have now sorn the van as we are self isolating due to health conditions and age, hoping we might do it all later in the year 🤞.
It occurred to us when you wrote about Cadiz only last week that it was all about to implode on you and when I opened your blog this morning I was pleased to read you had safely made it home even though your journey sounded harrowing .
Stay safe and let’s hope if you have got the virus it is only mild . Looking forward to when we all return to normality and your new blogs .
Kind Regards and good wishes to you both .
Thanks Sally. Yep, hopefully we’ll be able to travel again later in 2020 but whatever happens things will eventually return to normal(ish)! Take care, Jay