brian12

I'd cut back on the Dom Perignom and the caviar,lol. We live as far South as you can get and our expenses are about 700 quid.3 stopovers,only 15 Euro tolls in France,cheap LB fuel and 105quid chunnel.This time we are self catering in apartments so should be cheaper.Might all go titsup after Macrons speech tonight.

Plan B

True ! We do like to have a nice meal (with wine) after a day schlepping across Europe. Also the costs were for a return trip using Eurotunnel.

jiminalpago

All together now:
Le et's look on the bright si ide of life!
And your name's Brian, as well!
May the wind be at your back,
Jim

brian12

I'm not the Mesiah now piss off,lol.

Geordieborn

You must have got the French news then Brian... Calm down!

brian12

Might be stuck in Calabria for another month.Probably one of the safest places in Europe right now,cheers,Brian.

SanNico

I thought that was super expensive until I realised it was both ways. My last trip came in at 842 Euro 1 way, but it was from Troon. Had it been from Bedford it would have been around 620. I didn't keep track of coffee stops or the Troon to Dover snacks so it's way higher than my spreadsheet shows:

jiminalpago

Now you have decided to stay put, I can share a story; I didn't want to add to your angst.
On Sunday night, in heavy rain, I stopped in the "Autohof"* at Vipiteno, first exit south of the border.
In the morning there was a long queue of lorries to enter northbound and as I drove south I passed stationary lorries on the inside lane of the opposite carriageway as far as Bolzano, 78km from the border. It had started to snow at 3am and the police had halted commercial vehicles; the outer lane stayed open for non-commercial traffic.
And after all I had said about "Alps? No problem!"!
Which I don't retract. by the way!
Buona permanenza a Calabria.
Jim
*thoroughly recommended for campers, caravans and even for those choosing to sleep in the car.
The area sosta is adjacent a huge lorry park and shares the truckers facilites; modern, very clean, showers, toilets plenty of hot water. €13/night for camper.

brian12

Lol,cheers.I'm going to wait for the dust to settle and the French confirmation of new conditions tonight.Still keeping my fingers crossed of a route through.Brian.

jiminalpago

My contribution to the costs theme is:-
Christmas 2018 - Alpago -Glasgow: camper: Rotterdam to Hull out, Harwich to Hoek back ( ferry must have been cheaper): me out (and spartan), wife and me back.
€428 out, €523 back. Major differences: fuel €202 v €312, bed and forage: €36 v €108. Ferries €180 average. Total including tolls €951.
Christmas 2014 - Alpago -Glasgow via Dover; car: fuel €345; ferries €125 total; bed and forage (4 hotels) €343; total including Italian and Austrian tolls €858.
We are all in the same ballpark.

heritagestanley

We're planning to drive back to the UK through France next week. It looks as if there's no bar to doing so (provided we sign and carry the prescribed "attestation"); but it's not clear - to me at any rate - whether we are supposed to have a negative test result before entering France. The French Government website seems to be saying that you has to have had a test within 72 hours before entering French territory, except that people flying in can be tested at their arrival airport; but I don't know whether this is supposed to apply also to people just transiting through France without stopping. There may be a low probability of being stopped at the border and asked to show a test certificate; but it would be a confounded nuisance if this happened and we hadn't taken a test. Anyone know what the rules are supposed to be?

jiminalpago

I don't profess to know what the rules are meant to be for car travel but my interpretation of the experiences of Jake White, Seldom and myself is as follows: Macron is setting out the rules for French residents, permanent and temporary (e.g. tourists.). He cannot, for political, economic and practical reasons, seal the land border.
My queue of lorries indicates the volume of traffic that is crossing a border on the main trade routes by 10am on each and every day. So far as I am aware, no government has attempted a test and trace system for these thousands of lorry drivers; in that context the handful of Brits crossing France (or any of the other countries), sealed in their cars, cannot be influencing the spread of contagion and, so long as they explain themselves, will be allowed to transit.

Geordieborn

I would not trust any sensible view about getting home to the UK from Italy before Crimbo. All bets should be off regards what to expect and if you want/need to be back, do it sooner rather than later.

jiminalpago

I read today, in Expatforum.com, their France page, a statement by Diplomatie Francaise to the effect that travel to and through France is open to EU and EEA citizens and to others with visas appropriate to their status. Travellers will self-attest "on their honour" that they have not tested positive to Covid nor are they experiencing symptoms.

philat98

Ansa is saying that there will be restricted movement between regiions after 2nd November. Those self certification forms will be coming out soon.