France and Germany at the moment.. My findings

[SteveR]

I travelled through a lot of countries in late August, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Germany. I found them all to be more vigilant and observant of the rules than the British and I felt a lot safer there. That is hardly surprising given our government’s lack of planning and inconsistent messages. I think Bojo still underestimates the impact his defence of DC’s breaking of the rules has had. Recently we have had the government admit that they are breaking international law, albeit ‘in a specific and limited way’ that is hardly the message that they should be sending at this time. For them not to predict that they would be a rise in cases after they had encouraged schools to return and people to go back to the office was just crass stupidity.
These are the clowns who are leading our country off a cliff edge with Brexit. If it was not for the uncertainty that expats in the E.U. face I think there would be millions more joining them.
Cheers

Very good summing of the situation Jak. Put Ireland into that list too...

I would be be looking long and hard at moving out of the UK if the whole mess of citizenship was not going to be hanging over me... Ireland or Portugal, maybe both!

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

"We arrive back Sunday from Germany back to work Monday " No self isolating Tramp? I take it it was a work trip? At least you get to go abroad.

I can't think of a better way to self-isolate than live in the cab of a lorry for a week.

'The loneliness of the long-distance driver' That's got a ring to it.

[Bart1]

I'm really not surprised cases are rising as many do not even follow the basics.

I recently had a few days camping in N Wales, the camp site owners where doing everything they could to help protect everyone such as cleaning the shower block every hour and placing sanitizer on the entrance and by every tap dotted around the campsite. However in four days I only saw two people use the sanitizer.
On the way home I called into Crossgates cafe where right in the middle of the entrance was a huge notice with sanitizer available, I sat outside opposite the entrance for about an hour and saw no one use it.....this seemed very odd to me as lots of the bikers going through were male, old and over weight so in a higher risk group.
While in a filling station a youngish bloke got out of his campervan, did two huge sneezes into his hands and then filled up.

Rant over

[Tonibe63]

I'm really not surprised cases are rising as many do not even follow the basics.

I recently had a few days camping in N Wales, the camp site owners where doing everything they could to help protect everyone such as cleaning the shower block every hour and placing sanitizer on the entrance and by every tap dotted around the campsite. However in four days I only saw two people use the sanitizer.
On the way home I called into Crossgates cafe where right in the middle of the entrance was a huge notice with sanitizer available, I sat outside opposite the entrance for about an hour and saw no one use it.....this seemed very odd to me as lots of the bikers going through were male, old and over weight so in a higher risk group.
While in a filling station a youngish bloke got out of his campervan, did two huge sneezes into his hands and then filled up.

Rant over

That is a real life example of how I think about everyday life now, you just cannot trust or rely on anybody else to do the right thing so therefore you must double your own efforts.
Some people are using rules to either justify their own selfish behaviour or to blame the authorities for giving out the wrong rules, both cases give the journalists something to report which is what we're fed at every opportunity.

[daveuprite]

Just to add some up-to-date experience of camping in Catalunya, Spain...

We just spent a week camping in Sort. Campsite was almost empty. About 4 or 5 other campers/camper van users spread widely at distance across the site. Alcohol hand gel as you enter/leave the shower block. Masks worn widely away from each camping 'bubble'.

Restaurants and bars all open in town. People wearing masks to walk around, most but not all of the time. Once seated, you remove the mask and masked waiters bring your food/drink.

All off-road trails were open, no problems. Spoke to camp-site owner, who has had a pretty bad year but determined to stay open as long as he is allowed.

In many ways, a week of outdoor camping with days spent riding in remote mountain areas and 90% of eating and drinking in the campsite is the perfect holiday right now and probably less covid risky than regular attendance at workplaces or supermarket shopping trips back home.

We're just glad that we took this last chance before the weather and maybe fresh lockdowns prevent any opportunity to get away on the bikes. After a week of pretty much perfect biking weather, we got back across the Bonaigua pass into France just as the snow closed in last night.

[Tramp]

Exactly Dave..... Away from the cess pit large city's in europe the countryside is as safe as. Money in the bank... And campsites etc are all want our money... Never mind back to blighty tomorrow.... For 10 weeks anyway...

Glad you managed to get and enjoy rural Spain again...

[DavidS]

We’ve just had a week (by car) in Northumberland that was booked waaay back in January. Our rented cottage was on a hill farm so as remote as you like.
Irrespective of the fantastic scenery and roads, everyone we met were pleased to see us and probably 95% were sanitizing, wearing masks indoors and gloves in filling stations.
The only ones that let it down were blatantly larger mixed groups than 6, particularly at the weekend and a few people who can’t work out what 2m is in a queue.

Looking at the Covid map, it has been creeping inexorably north and west of Newcastle over the last week of figures. Down here in Sussex, there has been barely a case - we were barely affected in the original round either.

[daveuprite]

Exactly Dave..... Away from the cess pit large city's in europe the countryside is as safe as. Money in the bank... And campsites etc are all want our money... Never mind back to blighty tomorrow.... For 10 weeks anyway...

Glad you managed to get and enjoy rural Spain again...

Cheers Russ. Given that I was camping with Matt, Will, Graham and Steve ChunkyButt, there was a strong possibility that I would have caught some kind of disease anyway, regardless of covid. We usually go home with various strains of syphilis and gonorrhea after nights of brokeback mountain tent-swapping - but we promised to leave each other alone this year.

Perhaps the best filthy comedy moment was when Matt placed his rear knobbly in a huge cow-pat up in the hills and spread it all over Will with all the power that a KTM EXC500 can muster. We dined off cow shit puns for the rest of the week.

We'll try to put up some pics in a separate thread sometime.

[garyboy]

Exactly Dave..... Away from the cess pit large city's in europe the countryside is as safe as. Money in the bank... And campsites etc are all want our money... Never mind back to blighty tomorrow.... For 10 weeks anyway...

Glad you managed to get and enjoy rural Spain again...

Cheers Russ. Given that I was camping with Matt, Will, Graham and Steve ChunkyButt, there was a strong possibility that I would have caught some kind of disease anyway, regardless of covid. We usually go home with various strains of syphilis and gonorrhea after nights of brokeback mountain tent-swapping - but we promised to leave each other alone this year.

Perhaps the best filthy comedy moment was when Matt placed his rear knobbly in a huge cow-pat up in the hills and spread it all over Will with all the power that a KTM EXC500 can muster. We dined off cow shit puns for the rest of the week.

We'll try to put up some pics in a separate thread sometime.

.. er ... no need, actually ... but thanks

[WillS]

Exactly Dave..... Away from the cess pit large city's in europe the countryside is as safe as. Money in the bank... And campsites etc are all want our money... Never mind back to blighty tomorrow.... For 10 weeks anyway...

Glad you managed to get and enjoy rural Spain again...

Perhaps the best filthy comedy moment was when Matt placed his rear knobbly in a huge cow-pat up in the hills and spread it all over Will with all the power that a KTM EXC500 can muster. We dined off cow shit puns for the rest of the week.

We'll try to put up some pics in a separate thread sometime.

Not funny at all, plastered in cow shit all week. Thanks not so Matt.
The jokes really lasted all week.
After that never parked near Matt or Dave!!
Great week on the trails though.