ON, OFF, ON….???

Time to make some decisions… my ferry booking to Santander has not been cancelled yet, although Brittany Ferries is not currently running passenger services and are cancelling sailings up to the 28th June, mine is still a possibility.  However, the restrictions around Covid-19 in various countries may be the final nail in the tyre!!

Spain is currently allowing people from the UK to enter the country but because the UK is imposing a 14 day quarantine for people entering the country, Spain is reciprocating so even if I do get the ferry I will have to self-quarantine in Spain for 14 days.  I’m not entirely sure how this would work as I am only planning to transit to Barcelona and catch a ferry from there to Sardinia so that bears more investigation.  Of course things are changing on a daily basis so I believe that if the UK drops the 14 day quarantine in the next week or so then it is likely that Spain will do the same.

If the sailing is cancelled the Eurotunnel is open so I could conceivably ride through France, but still may not be able to cross the border into Spain due to the 14 day self quarantine, again need to keep an eye on this.  To get to Barcelona by the 2nd July, the date of my pre-booked ferry, would be a race against time, but having said that it is doable.  Alternatively, I could cancel the ferry from Barcelona to Sardinia and take a ferry from Marseille, Toulon or Nice.

Sardinia and the rest of Italy are open and the pre-booked ferries are running, however Albania is closed and therefore the ferry from Italy to Albania isn’t running.  Looking at other options, a ferry to Greece is possible, however Greece is closed to UK travellers until the 30th June, but may open after that, Montenegro is also closed.  The only option may be a ferry to Split in Croatia, this is open as long as you have proof of an accommodation booking.

If I do manage to get to Croatia then…. well again the options are currently pretty limited, I could ride into Serbia, but beyond that Bulgaria is 14 days, Romania isn’t clear as there are currently no flights and not sure about land borders, Moldova is currently closed and Ukraine is 14 days quarantine.  Afer that, I could go to Georgia, which may open on 1st July, but all the ‘Stans’ are closed.

So still the decision remains in the balance.  If the ferry from UK to Spain is not cancelled then I will definitely take it.  I may be able to transit Spain to Barcelona and catch the ferry to Sardinia.  That is as far as my planning goes at the moment, it really will be a day by day process.  I may only stay in Sardinia and return via France or go to Italy and then ride up through Switzerland or Austria etc.  If the ferry is cancelled then I think realistically I won’t be going anywhere.

You may think, is she mad!!  I know this all seems a little unlikely however the way I look at it is; I don’t have much work so income is very restricted and if I don’t go now I may not be able to afford it for quite some time.  I am on a motorcycle so social distancing is easy, making sure when I stop for petrol etc. to ensure I am wearing a mask and gloves and keeping my distance.  I plan to take camping equipment and where possible will wild camp thereby reducing my contact with other people.

Therefore, I have my innoculations booked for next week and am keeping an eye on changes to restrictions on a daily basis.