Dammit's holidays in the Scottish Borders, featuring mountain bikes

I'm based about an hour from the Swiss side of PdS, so I'm going to express my interest in joining, but won't need accommodation or transport.

Be great to see you - I'd love to get over to Morgins to have another go at the runs I did last year for a day.

I'm debating just booking this one "APARTMENT DU BOURG / SLEMISH " for the two weeks 19th - 3rd and if people want to come out for some or all of that time then great.

I'm debating just booking this one "APARTMENT DU BOURG / SLEMISH " for the two weeks 19th - 3rd and if people want to come out for some or all of that time then great.

I think I could do something like Tuesday-Tuesday in this date range, so that would be great from my perspective.

Information on lifts seems inconsistent, though I presume there's plenty of non assisted riding to be had?

though I presume there's plenty of non assisted riding to be had?

It's a huge area, with thousands of trails - I'm sure therefore that you'll find stuff, I just don't know where it is. Trailforks would likely be able to tell you.

I'd far prefer to book the Chalet Darbon, but it's too rich for me to pay on my own (£3,300), so to make it work I'd need some commitment from people that would cover some of that.

The big one sounds delightful, but then so does the other one to me, given I'm more often in a tent.

I’m being pushed to make a booking- politely, but the person is making the point that things are starting to get booked up.

Anyone else interested or should I go for the Slemish place?

I doubt I'll be double vaxxed by then.

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/france-to-open-borders-for-vaccinated-tourists-in-may-including-americans-britons/

sounds a great idea and would normally be up for this but already got a week booked 3rd to 10th July

Might mean I'm out unless the vaccine program looks like it's going to shuffle along a bit faster

My reading of that article is that a negative PCR test is acceptable (within 36 hours of travel).

The sticking point for me currently is trying to second guess what the FCO advice will be in late June- if it's that travel is ok then my insurance is valid, if the advice is that travel is not advised then I'm into YOLO territory with regards to paying to be helicoptered to hospital.

The t's and c's of the apartment don't count negative FCO advice as being a valid cancellation reason.

I get my first vaccination tomorrow, second on the 14th of July, so I’d be partial for the proposed period, but I guess we could move it to a little later in the year.

More of an issue I think is insurance- if the FCO advises against travel to France then all but specialist insurance is invalid.

I’ve booked a place for a couple of weeks, but that I can cancel - lets see what happens I guess.

There's a great loop from Morzine along to the col du Coup, down to Champery and back. Some of it was a bit sketchy but it's a really good back-country style ride. Bit of gnar but mostly just good alpine riding (and a little hike-a-bike)

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/66350999

If you can be bothered, the passportes du soleil loop is really good too. In fact, my avatar is from the PdS ride.

I have until May 19th to cancel the apartment, given the news today my impression is that we can go, with either full vaccination or a negative test in the last 72 hours, but that France is likely to be amber so 10 days of quarantine at home when we return?

Which week did you choose?

19th June- 3rd July

Going to call it a no unless anything changes, can't afford the quarantine time.

Yes, I think the quarantine upon return (even for the fully vaccinated) for 10 days means (if it doesn’t change before the 19th) that I will, with regret, cancel this and do something else.

There are some lovely trails in Portugal...

But how to drive there? Are we allowed to transit through France as we were last year, if we don’t stop and “mingle”?

I can’t find anything specific but I’d say no, as that’s the safest assumption. Also looks like the next time the green list will be reviewed is the 28th of May- sometime after I could cancel the accommodation.

If it helps, Luxembourg doesn’t care unless you arrive by plane so you could arguably get a ferry to Belgium and go thru lux (cheap booze, fuel, tobacco too) and then roll down from there. Obviously UK 3rd nation status doesn’t help if you get pulled by the gendarmes when you cross the border.

I have, possibly unwisely, already purchased my Chunnel tickets. I did get both as Flexi-Plus so I can move them around.

I really hope this is what happens

1 Attachment