We planned to leave the UK on the 31st May however Covid ruled again. The Indian variant of the virus (now known as Delta) caused concern in Europe and subsequently the French border was due to close for non-essential travel as of the 31st May. We rebooked our Eurotunnel for the 29th May and made for the French border. PCR result rules changed to France 36 hrs validity and Italy 48hr validity making our journey time critical. PCR tests were done on the 28th May and were supposed to be same day results however changed a few days prior to our test to 24 hrs return of results.
We arrived at the Eurotunnel and sat patiently for our results! Missing the 10:20 train, we caught the 11:20 and arrived safety in France.
We could not fault the Eurotunnel. Excellent service throughout our journey. The Pets check-in and exercise area was everything you could ask for. The check-in was smooth and efficient, and the exercise area had agility equipment and was immaculate. We purchased flexi tickets, allowing for our schedule slippage due to the delay in receiving our results and provided facilities including complimentary food and drink.
We drove 430 miles and used a French Aires in the Cote D’Or region, South of Dijon in a small rural village called Heuilley Sur Saone, next to the canal and the river Saone very quiet beautiful location. A tranquil walk along the canal edge and then cooked a lovely meal with the view of the boats and water.
Day 2
We needed to be across the Italian border by 1 o’clock due to the validity of our PCR covid test. Heading to the Monte Blanc tunnel, 210 miles, we arrived at the border by 12:00. We had pre-submitted our ‘Reporting an entry into Italy’ forms which are needed primarily for Covid. Entry through the Monte Blanc tunnel was seamless with no border security check.
Travel adventures 