Thursday 19th March

E-mail sent to family and friends several days after my return:-

Hi,
I thought I’d write down my ‘Retirement Run FROM the Sun’ story.  Before you read it, just know I am OK and glad to be home safe, but it was rather more of a nightmare than you know.

• Emily & Teddy were due to come and visit me for the weekend of Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd March; I was going to drive back to Barcelona, stay on my original site there and hire a car for three nights.
• We started a conversation the weekend before about it looking unlikely. Finally on 15th March the FO said no travel to Spain so Emily was able to cancel and EasyJet gave her all the money back very quickly. I was relieved.
• Husband was due to come out by train starting on the Thursday 19th March – Eurostar to Paris, overnight, TGV to Barcelona on Friday, hotel for 2 nights (meet with Em & Teddy and me on the Saturday), drive with me back to my main site on the Sunday for a few days and then take 10 days to get home arriving on Saturday 4th April.
• Initially it seemed that Husband would still be able to arrive by train into Spain.
• On Saturday 14th March all the restaurants, cafes etc. in Spain were closed.
• On the morning of Sunday 15th March the Guardia Civil came to the site and made an announcement over a loudspeaker; one of the two policeman spoke English so gave a translation – we were not allowed to leave the site except for food or medicine; if you did leave you had to go singly. This would initially be for 15 days.
• Most people on the site travel via the Santander/Bilbao ferry route which leaves just two days travel from the ferry to the site, so a better option for some rather than the ‘out of season’ drive down through France.
• All the Santander ferries were then stopped without notice.
• The news that over 70s may be asked to stay at home in Britain came through and people began to worry about their situation and their journey home. Others were happy to sit it out.
• There were rumours of all sorts, I can’t remember them all, but the situation was changing hourly.
• Eventually, it was agreed that British people could travel home if they had documentation showing a ferry / train booking and, later, a signed declaration.
• It became obvious that Husband couldn’t come to Spain but he could still get to France so we suggested meeting in Perpignan, just over the border.
• Then rumours began that the border between France and Spain was about to close – Husband even suggested that I pack up in the dark one night and try to get past the border before it closed at 11.00 a.m. the next day. I decided to stay put. I was safe where I was and there were friendly folk around me.
• France then went into lockdown and Husband couldn’t travel at all – you can imagine he was very anxious and frustrated at each and every turn.
• My neighbours on one side had a ferry booking and made a run for it up to Bilbao in one day and were able to stay at the port before their sailing the next morning; this turned out to be the last boat out from that coast!
• The next morning I decided to try to get a ferry booking from Bilbao; I rang the Camping & Caravanning Club – I was on hold for 3 hours and 15 minutes; a lovely lady answered me and explained there was no space on the Bilbao route until 11th April and she suggested I make my own way the 1,100 miles up through France. At this point I became very tearful and ‘batty’, I simply didn’t know what to do. Stay for what then looked like a further 5 weeks in lockdown or go on my own. She kindly suggested that she ask the Rally Steward if there was someone else I could travel with through France. Initially I thought this was a good idea but, on reflection, I decided I didn’t want to be held back by travelling with others. We agreed to change my Le Shuttle train to late afternoon on Saturday 21st March and that I would leave the next day, giving me 4 days to drive the 1,100 miles to Calais.
• The news about no more sailings from Bilbao came through later that afternoon, thank goodness I stuck to the train as now everyone on the site (and all over the Spanish and Portuguese coast) were trying to change their travel plans.
• Also that afternoon it was announced that all French campsites would close that day so there would be no sites available for the journey through France.
• Our campsite then closed to new arrivals; I thought it was only a matter of time before it closed completely and people would be asked to leave.
• Rumours circulated that tourists would not be allowed off the motorways and the continuous rumour that the Spanish/French border was closed/might close.
• The campsite printed my train booking and also a declaration that I had to sign to be shown to police explaining why I was out during the lockdown. If you didn’t have this paperwork and were stopped you would’ve been in serious trouble.
• I packed up that afternoon and the next day, Wednesday 18th at 9.00 a.m. I drove to the gate of the site. As I arrived the Guardia Civil pulled up and asked me to stop; they said I couldn’t travel in the lockdown. It was the same guy from Sunday, really nice and with excellent English. I told him the British Government had said I (and others) were allowed to travel with the right documentation; he rang control and came back with a very smiley face to say I could go! Phew.
• When I drove through the local town I only saw about 3 people and two cars – they really were in serious lockdown.
• Once I got on the motorway it was just lorries and Dutch and German motorhomes and caravans heading north.
• The first day was O.K., I drove without stopping until I got through the Spanish/French border; they were stopping people going into Spain but not coming out!
• I stopped for lunch at a French motorway aire with a beautiful view and got much further than I thought – 400+ miles.
• At 5.30 p.m. ish I pulled off at a motorway services (aire) a couple of hours south of Lyon and parked up in a dedicated motorhome/caravan area with a dozen or so other units from Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland. It was a pleasant aire and although we would never normally stay on the motorway overnight due to reported crime, it was my only option.
• And then ……….

FOR EASE, BELOW IS WHAT I’VE PUT ON MY INSURANCE CLAIM

• Date – Wednesday 18th / early hours of Thursday 19th March 2020
• Place – motorway service area – Aire de Mornas-les-Adrets on the A7 motorway 2 hours south of Lyon, France
• When I woke around 6.30 a.m. I couldn’t find my iPhone; it took several minutes for me to realise my Apple Watch was missing too and several more before I realised the laptop had gone and then the reality and vulgarity of what had happened began to dawn on me.
• I had been gassed making me unconscious and someone had broken into the motorhome while I slept and stolen my valuables.
• I went to the small Carrefour shop on the motorway service area which was closed to the public to enter due to the coronavirus pandemic, but one could make purchases through a night pay window. As soon as I spoke to the attendant she asked if I wanted the police; obviously not her first time.
• She explained the police would not come to the services, I would have to go to them in Montelimar – two junctions up the motorway and 25 miles away – to report the crime.
• I hung around for a while and managed to speak to two separate German caravan owners, they had had no problem. I was very surprised that the other motorhomers/caravanners – who were also rushing to get home – were not up and about (perhaps still sleeping from the gas?!). I left the services around 7.00 a.m. and made my way to the police station, not knowing if I would even be allowed to leave the motorway.
• Initially, I went to the Municipal Police in Montelimar in error; they were closed, I tried the bell and a policeman inside just put two arms up to show a cross. I then went to Le Gendarmerie, the correct place; this was also closed, although, according to the times on the gate, it should have been open. There was no-one in evidence in the building (now around 8.15 a.m.); there was a message in French about coronavirus on the gate with a number to call in an emergency. In the circumstances I didn’t think I could claim it was an emergency and I also would not have been able to explain my predicament in French and I didn’t have a phone.
• I was unable to contact my husband or my credit card company or the bank – no phone, no public phones – I tried to buy a pay-as-you go phone in a large Carrefour in Montelimar but only contract phones were available.
• I then decided the only thing I could do was to get home as soon as possible.

Back to my story

• I don’t know how I managed to keep it together; I didn’t let myself cry all day and I just drove and drove and drove – over 600 miles to Calais.
• I stopped twice for 5 mins for the loo and fuel but didn’t eat or drink, except for sweets and a cake.
• I did drive through several motorway service areas looking for a Brit who might let me borrow their phone so I could ring Husband; he watches me on Find My Friends so I knew he would know something was wrong. There were no British people, no British lorries and, basically, hardly any cars at all.
• I did follow a British motorhome for about an hour in the hope they would pull off but they were going slower than I wanted to and I lost them anyway at a peage gate.
• At one point on that rolling long stretch between Reims and Calais I was the only vehicle; it was end of the world type of moment, weird.
• I kept driving until about 4.00 p.m. when as I came over the top of a hill I could see a motorhome in a motorway service area so thought I’d give it one more go. Yes! They were British and not frightened to talk to me. They let me ring Husband and then try the Camping and Caravanning Club to try to change my train booking – they were not answering incoming calls; I rang Eurotunnel direct – also not answering.
• The people said they’d heard it was chaos at the Le Shuttle terminal and suggested I join them as they were staying at a nearby village aire that night and one at Dunkerque the day before their ferry. I was tempted but decided to continue to Calais and see for myself.
• As I got nearer Calais the overhead signs were saying something about Calais Ferry Port Traffic ‘difficule’, but I kept going; it was beginning to get dark.
• As I reached Le Shuttle junction the lorries were queued back on to the motorway; I remembered from an experience at Dover that they have to queue separately so I whizzed around them, drove over a flyover and down into a totally empty Le Shuttle terminal.
• My booking was for Saturday, this was Thursday evening but I drove to the automated gate and put in my booking reference and the computer said “would you like to travel on the 19.20?” train – I said, YES, YES, and THANK YOU, THANK YOU out loud!!
• I pulled into the loading queue and we were called forward straight away. I needed to find someone else who would let me use their phone, there were Polish people behind so I went through those heavy doors and asked a white van man if I could borrow his phone, which he was happy to do. I spoke to Husband saying what train I was on and asked if he might come down either that night or in the morning to Folkestone and that I would stay at the Caravan Club site there. He said he had booked the site for me and was already there waiting for me at the gate!! Still managed not to cry!
• The train only took about 25 minutes instead of 35 and I was at the site 15 minutes after that.
• Husband had managed to pause my two credit cards (they did try to use one but it was rejected) and he had also persuaded the people who track my motorhome to tell him where the motorhome was, which I’m surprised they did, but it was very kind and he could at least see the motorhome was going in the right direction which was of some comfort until I was able to speak to him later.

• The thief/thieves took my iPhone, Apple Watch, MacBook Pro, DVD Player, new motorhome TV and carry case; 3 credit/debit cards, around 150 Euros, my Lancome lipstick and my hand sanitiser!
• The upsides were they did not physically hurt me or damage the motorhome; they did not take my passport, my Le Shuttle documentation, or my SatNav and they left one debit card so I was able to buy fuel – all of this meant I could actually get home.  My understanding is that this is what they want for you to be able to carry on your journey rather than hang around reporting the crime.
• They also didn’t find an old iPad, Kindle, binoculars, Bose earphones, my jewellery and a separate small amount of Euros.
• For these things I feel I was lucky.  This type of theft is ‘known’ and, as I said above, I would never normally stay on a motorway here or abroad.  It does seem rather unfair that the one time I do it in the most unusual of circumstances, I was targeted.

I’ve put a claim in through the house insurance and am waiting to hear back. They were sympathetic on the phone considering I don’t have a crime number/it wasn’t reported to the police and I can’t get to some receipts (for my Mac mainly) which were filed in a folder on the Mac which isn’t viewable on line. In normal times Apple say you can get a duplicate receipt from the Apple store where you made the purchase but, they’re all closed. Anyway fingers crossed they’ll pay up. In the meantime my phone contract only had two months on it so I’ve got a brand new iPhone 11 from Tesco (still waiting for the number to PAC over) and I’ve found my old Mac in a dusty corner so I at least have a laptop to use, although it is a little cranky!
Anyway, that’s the short version of my story. It’s true I’m a bit fragile, quick to tears etc. but I love my motorhome and France and will definitely not let it put me off future adventures!!
Sorry for the very long story.
Love to all,
A-M.xxxx
PS – I am O.K.!! x

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Aire de Mornas-les-Adrets to C&MHC Blackhorse Farm site, Folkestone = 629 miles