BobD

It may not have been as heroic as Snake Plissken (google him), but we managed to get back to the UK late last week. I am not advocating that people should return (in fact we would have preferred to sit out the lockdown in the sun as we had for the previous eight weeks), but changed circumstance made it imperative that we got back. If others find themselves in a similar situation, this is how we did it.

1. Book the daily Ryanair flight from Lisbon to London Stansted
2. Return hire Car to Faro
3. Collect next hire car for drive from Faro to Lisbon (different company)
4. Book overnight hotel in Lisbon
5. Flight back to Stansted
6. Taxi from Stansted to Sheffield

Be aware of the following Gotchas.

1. You are only allowed into Portugal within 24 hours of your flight
2. You are not allowed into Lisbon Airport more than 2 hours before the flight departure.

Ask me how I know on both counts.

So it is possible to get back to the UK from CE in these strange times, but I would not recommend it unless absolutely necessary.

EsuriJohn

Well done Bob hope you are well and your journey bears fruit.

Jon-Bxl

Great info here. I hope that as well as a mask, you got a fetching eye-patch

On point 3, is it a one way car rental, please? And
is it important that you use another rental co please?

I shudder to think how much the taxi cost to Sheffield !! But not my business.

Obviously there was an important reason to head back and I hope that all gets sorted fully for you. It proves the old adage " where there's a will......"

Jon

BobD

Jon, it was a one way rental to Lisbon, surprisingly reasonable at less than 70 Euro before extras. Some car rental companies may let you return the car to a different airport. MasterKing's wouldn't. The taxi from EMA to Sheffield usually costs £60. This time from Stansted, it cost £180. Ouch!

Jon-Bxl

Thanks Bob, I get it now. I thought there may be a 'cunning plan' there.

Wow Ive never spent that much a taxi. But you are in the UK now so won't be spending hard earned money 💰 on restos or bars I suppose.

BTW Well done (also) on getting an hotel in Lisbon.

Hope all is well, after a very long journey.
Jon

Teed Up

well done Bob,

if at 1st you don’t succeed??.

hope all goes well now you have returned 🙏.

having done the trip the opposite way the week before , I like you was really surprised how uneventful it was to get through both airports and the Portuguese/ Spanish border.

Considering none of us have Spanish residency.

and like you I’m glad to be home, after what seemed an age?. look after yourselves and catch up later in the year. 😎😎

Ken.

Jon-Bxl

Wow that's really interesting, Ken. We've been told that international travel is essential travel only.

Air travel is significantly cut, anyway, with all the grounding.

Air travel may well have 14 day quarantine in many countries on arriving passengers. (Though I dont know how that can be enforced.)

We cant drive to Spain as it means crossing several closed borders.

Until the weekend (for sure, I dont know the current situation) e.g Spanish citizens in Madrid couldn't go to their homes in Ayamonte.( Similarly within the UK. )

Fantastic that you 'sailed through' even as non-resident (pun intended )

But do you think you were lucky, and were you expecting to be turned around at the checkin /border etc. Perhaps you had some paperwork to show.

We'd love to go back, but are under the impression that we can't. And we have no provable reason for this travel being essential.

Dreaming of a beach resto, with friends, socially distancing ... With a glass of vino in hand . Aaaah what a dream💭💭

If we can do that within the rules, its worth looking at, especially as Spain is further ahead re lockdown... And the Ayamonte region is so low re contamination levels Vs UK or Belgium ( and Spain in total)

Well done! You and Bob 'sussed it out' 👍👍
Jon

Teed Up

Hi Jon,

I had several flights booked to get back to Spain, and as each week passed they were cancelled one by one??.

Was contemplating driving over, checked the Chunnel was still open and would have needed a French border certificate ( you get online and fill in before travelling) but was still worried I might get so far then turned back, which would have been a blow.

Then someone mentioned that Ryanair we’re flying Stansted-Lisbon most days?, so I checked they were departing and landing at Lisbon, is seemed they were, so booked a flight ✈️ on the Friday night 1st May, to fly Monday 4th May.


Checked in Saturday afternoon, then checked Sunday night and all seemed fine flight ✈️ was still on 👍, friend of mine picked me up 6.30 am Monday morning and drove me to the airport, was weird seeing it so quiet and empty, checked in as normal it was the only flight ✈️ leaving on the day, and were about 185 onboard, no service of any sort onboard, landed at Lisbon walked straight through( they use a heat sensor as you walk through to check each passenger).

Then got a taxi 🚖 back to Ayamonte, stopped at the border in VRSA, then waved through, didn’t know I would get through but took the chance, had my passport and NIE documents with me just in case?.

Ken.

Jon-Bxl

Thanks Ken for the detail.

We left Spain a few weeks ago, after our airline was grounded, in the isolation period, and were stopped by the police, as was Bob. We had to prove why we were crossing. They were really polite and nice.

I think being in a taxi, helped you. And if you were stopped you had a good reason to cross. A taxi driver told us that 2 months ago.

I dont think we can do the same, because you have a good reason to be there. We couldn't prove any reason....

We can't risk that so we will wait to head back. 😭

Drat!!

Have fun,

Jon


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