John H
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Well, we have finally arrived back in sunny Derbyshire after a very enjoyable last extended winter in Spain. You might be interested in how we survived the red tape to get home, so here goes. The Spanish were excellent with their end of the bargain. The clinic which did our Covid tests before departure was very efficient, helpful and speedy; the campsites were very accommodating at printing off the necessary paperwork; and the port authorities at Santander were fast and efficient - we barely queued at all. Briittany Ferries were also vey good at providing advanced information and the boarding process and rules on board well worked out. It is a pity that the passengers (over 90% Brits) weren't always willing to follow those rules carefully enough. The only problems we had, apart from other passengers, were with the UK part of the bargain. The Passenger Locator Form was far too long, asking for information they either already had or didn't need; and it was unclear in places (for example, asking when you left when you had to fill in the form before leaving!) and bizarre in others (it seems you are allowed to "isolate" in several different locations and with several different people!). When we arrived at Portsmouth, the disembarkation from the ferry worked well but when the local staff took over, the directions at the port were chaotic. It took over 90 minutes to get from the ship to the exit and the official who checked our papers and examined the motorhome refused to wear a mask because she had been vaccinated, so she was ok! I told her that I had just tested negative and still had to isolate and insisted she put on her mask to see inside our van (which she did). The one bright side to the UK side of things was that the company that provided the day2 and day 8 tests were efficient (it wasn't their fault that the government in effect imposed an almost £600 levy on us for enjoying a winter in the sun and safety of Los Escullos.).
As an after thought, I now see why there was never any possibility of putting Spain on the red list. Our ferry was packed, as were several before us - and the next one is also sold out. Nearly all the passengers were Brits returning before the 90 day rule kicked in and many of them in motorhomes and caravans. I knew there were a lot of us out there but didn't realise just how many until I saw a chunk of them all in one place. There simply would not have been enough hotel space to accommodate us all - especially since they would also have had to cope with hundreds of large vehicles, many of which contained pets.
On the positive side, it looks like the next few days will be Spanish-style weather. I shall have to get my shorts out again!
As an after thought, I now see why there was never any possibility of putting Spain on the red list. Our ferry was packed, as were several before us - and the next one is also sold out. Nearly all the passengers were Brits returning before the 90 day rule kicked in and many of them in motorhomes and caravans. I knew there were a lot of us out there but didn't realise just how many until I saw a chunk of them all in one place. There simply would not have been enough hotel space to accommodate us all - especially since they would also have had to cope with hundreds of large vehicles, many of which contained pets.
On the positive side, it looks like the next few days will be Spanish-style weather. I shall have to get my shorts out again!
