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Original poster

Tourists in the UK?!

85 replies

pastaislife · 03/05/2021 09:31

Visited a popular beauty spot at the weekend in Wales, all allowed now of course. Was really shocked at the amount of overseas visitors there?! Loads of hire cars, overheard one family (maybe French/Spanish) talking about just arriving in the UK to a car park attendant. Just feels like all the restrictions still in place are pointless is travel is still happening? Has anyone else noticed this at typical touristy places?

OP posts:

Synthesiser · 03/05/2021 09:37

That's a bit worrying. Haven't the French recently started another lockdown due to cases being very high there?

nonaomi · 03/05/2021 09:39

Anyone can enter the country. They need to adhere to the quarantine / test rules, but aside from that, people are coming in.

OverTheRainbow88 · 03/05/2021 09:41

Both my parents sound foreign and have accents.

They’ve lived in England for years, my mum was asked last week in bath if she’s visiting from abroad!

EmpressWitchDoesntBurn · 03/05/2021 09:41

One of my colleagues came back from visiting his parents in Bulgaria recently. He said that during the quarantine period here, both he & his wife were getting multiple daily phone calls to make sure they were both staying at home. I would hope all recent visitors are under the same restrictions.

nonaomi · 03/05/2021 09:43

@EmpressWitchDoesntBurn

Yes definitely. I've had my parents over from abroad for over a month now and during the first 10 day period we had 3 phone calls, making sure they were isolating. They also had to do a covid test before coming in and a covid test on day 2 and 8. You can't get around it at all. It's pretty good. I don't think many people abuse it. Hopefully.

minniemomo · 03/05/2021 09:44

I have several French friends, German and Spanish too. They live in England! When out with their families they speak their native tongue to each other. Many people don't own cars especially in London so they may well have rented one and driven to Wales

Synthesiser · 03/05/2021 09:45

OP wrote "Loads of hire cars, overheard one family (maybe French/Spanish) talking about just arriving in the UK to a car park attendant" Not just that she heard someone with an accent

LizzieMacQueen · 03/05/2021 10:01

I'm in a picturesque spot in Central Scotland and I've also seen several foreign number plates on cars/camper-vans. Now, given I'm rarely out and I'm witnessing this, it must be in fairly large numbers.

HolmeH · 03/05/2021 10:08

You can come into the country 🤷🏼‍♀️ You just have to quarantine..

QuentininQuarantino · 03/05/2021 10:41

As somebody British living in Spain, the hoops and expense I’d have to jump through just to see my mum are insane. I can’t imagine, lovely as Wales is, anyone from Spain or France is going to go through all that for a holiday there. 400£ per person JUST on the pcr testing.

Having said that, there are LOADS of uk plated cars here. foreign travel is illegal from the uk at the moment and Brits aren’t allowed into Spain as a 3rd country, so I assume they’re all resident here (as I am).

LizzieMacQueen · 03/05/2021 10:54

What checks are there though at the ferry terminals? I'd heard of someone driving from Spain through France, final destination Scotland and they definitely did not quarantine.

QuentininQuarantino · 03/05/2021 11:01

The same as the airports, it’s all borderforce. In fact, they’re much stricter with foreign cars. Since swapping our up reg car for a Spanish one we get the full luggage search every time.

It sounds better checked now. Last summer Dh was wandering round Luton for 20 mins looking for someone interested in his passenger locator form. I came in three times last year and wasn’t called once. They asked if I had the form but never once asked to see it. Mum and dad though were called everyday of their quarantine this January!

nonaomi · 03/05/2021 11:04

@QuentininQuarantino yes definitely! They have tightened it so much. Last year no one cared. Now they check every passenger and will call you to check up on you during quarantine. You also have to take the two tests.

picturesandpickles · 03/05/2021 11:06

I live in a popular area for overseas visitors and the numbers are definitely up.

I am annoyed the government is doing so little on borders - they have shafted local businesses and then leave us all unprotected again. Only 1% of inbound travellers have to quarantine.

weewitch · 03/05/2021 11:48

I've lived in England for years now but still have my Belfast accent - got asked in a shop yesterday where I was from and when I'd arrived here. The shop assistant was very surprised when I told her I'd been here for over 20 years given how strong she said my accent was!

I'm not saying that people aren't travelling however I wouldn't jump to conclusions purely from over hearing other people speaking.

nonaomi · 03/05/2021 11:50

@picturesandpickles

I live in a popular area for overseas visitors and the numbers are definitely up.

I am annoyed the government is doing so little on borders - they have shafted local businesses and then leave us all unprotected again. Only 1% of inbound travellers have to quarantine.

Everyone has to quarantine.. either at home or in a hotel..

QuentininQuarantino · 03/05/2021 12:03

@picturesandpickles

I live in a popular area for overseas visitors and the numbers are definitely up.

I am annoyed the government is doing so little on borders - they have shafted local businesses and then leave us all unprotected again. Only 1% of inbound travellers have to quarantine.

What? Everyone has to quarantine! There are some very limited exceptions like funerals or if you are an offshore rig worker, but everyone is subject to a 10 day quarantine. It’s stricter than almost everywhere else apart from maybe NZ/Australia.

picturesandpickles · 03/05/2021 12:05

I don't think quarantine at home counts as loads of people don't bother.

LizzieMacQueen · 03/05/2021 12:05

I was just on a 30 minute dog walk and spotted another overseas license plate.

I know PP are saying all have to quarantine but are they stopping everyone entering at the ferry ports?

picturesandpickles · 03/05/2021 12:06

I should have added 'in hotel' to my first post.

UK borders are deliberately unsecured.

4PawsGood · 03/05/2021 12:06

There are two types of quarantine aren’t there? Everyone has to quarantine at home, those coming from red list countries have to hotel quarantine.

nonaomi · 03/05/2021 12:06

@picturesandpickles

I don't think quarantine at home counts as loads of people don't bother.

I'm not sure actually. Last year yes. This year it's very strict. Even home quarantine. The fines are huge and you have to do two tests during your quarantine. There's no way of getting around that at all.

picturesandpickles · 03/05/2021 12:06

@LizzieMacQueen

I was just on a 30 minute dog walk and spotted another overseas license plate.

I know PP are saying all have to quarantine but are they stopping everyone entering at the ferry ports?

No, they are doing basically fuck all.

EmpressWitchDoesntBurn · 03/05/2021 12:06

I'm not saying that people aren't travelling however I wouldn't jump to conclusions purely from over hearing other people speaking.

The OP isn’t, though - she heard them saying they’d arrived recently.

Bordois · 03/05/2021 12:07

I'm not saying that people aren't travelling however I wouldn't jump to conclusions purely from over hearing other people speaking

The OP was in earshot just at the right time to hear these tourists telling someone else they had just arrived in the UK...

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