Larry Goes to Fuengirola. (22) Monday 30 May 2022: home at last!

 Set off from Les 3 Etangs about 8am .. the lake looked quite atmospheric in the early morning, it is a nice spot I would happily go back to. The dreaded transition of Rouen went very well too.. obviously early morning is the time to do it, while your faculties are sharp.

Then a steady 3hr purr up the N roads to Calais. I had planned to go around the coast road from Boulogne to Calais, but in the event I just headed straight for Auchan at Coquelles. There I filled up with stuff to bring home, and filled Larry up with cheap (relatively!) diesel as well.

Calais Port has completely changed. The old entrance is closed up and you have to go the other side, along with the freight now. First you get French passport control, then you get the bprder control. Then the same again for UK. Then, you can check in. It is a bit tedious with a motorhome, because absolutely everyone wants to look in the shower, to see how many immigrants you have secreted there.

The ferry left nearly on time, not crowded. A fair sprinkling of Liverpool supporters, who were rather more cheerful than I expected, given their team's performance and the other reported problems .. but they were not raucous, or a nuisance at all. Quite civilised, in fact. 

Then the last problem, getting through UK customs. I cheerfully admitted to having a few more bottles of wine than is allowed (a quick count made it just about 100 bottles) and I got a bit of a lecture, as if they thought I was trying to smuggle them or something. I wasn't, but on the other hand I did not want to say "I'm willing to pay the duty, so just shut up and let's get on with it." So instead I smiled and looked humble and innocent .. no stretch, as I'm sure all who know me would agree .. and after a little lecture and a free brochure pointing out what I should have had on board, they waved me away and off I went. 

The duty on wine is now about £3/l, a significant amount. On the 75l I had, that comes to about £225 or £2.25 per bottle. Note that if the allowance is 18l and you have 19l, you have to pay duty on all 19l, which seems very unfair to me. Having said that, paying £2.25 on a bottle of good French wine (Chateau Feely, say :-) is still cheaper than shipping it to the UK via UPS, or buying it at UK prices. So in summary, my advice is to definitely bring back more than your allowance - I would stress that so long as you declare the excess, it is perfectly legal - but not quite so much that they feel all the extra paperwork is worthwhile. Draw your own line ... and practice humble and innocent!

Not many photos today, but here is a welcome sight if you have been away for three weeks: