Very little to report that's not similar to what we do in everyday life in the UK. Really.
At Portsmouth check in was as simple as ever. There was a verbal check on how much cash we were carrying and that we had no controlled drugs with us etc, then a physical check of the car both inside and under the bonnet by French customs and immigration staff and that was it. Onboard the ferry everything was normal apart from having to wear face coverings inside the ferry unless sat at a table to eat.
French border control took moments longer than usual, but in truth felt no different, just we handed over proof of vaccine and sworn statements with passports.
EVERYWHERE we have been very warmly welcomed back to France (museums/restaurants/hotels/local people) and been told 'We've missed you!'...and I mean a
genuine warmth of welcome.
Le Mans itself feels quieter than usual, but I put that down to many of the locals, and local businesses, being away on their holidays. But apart from presenting the QR code on the TAC app at the door of restaurants, and wearing a face covering indoors, everything feels perfectly normal, just quieter.
Regular NHS covid tests, for me, are a good idea for peace of mind knowing I haven't brought it from the UK and risk passing it to people we come into contact with on our travels, or contracted it ourselves locally.
The only slight hiccup we have had was on check in at our first hotel in Bayeux, where the reception lady scanned our vaccine QR codes and they came back not valid. She refused to recognise any potential error/issue on her part, forced us to have breakfast in our rooms and not downstairs with the other guests, and claimed her verif app was the latest version (but she declined to prove it). The following morning I spoke with a different lady on reception and explained that our QR code was accepted everywhere apart from at their hotel, and she checked properly and found the verif app version on the mobile the hotel were using was not the latest version, 1.7, but the previous version, 1.6. All good for us from then on.
So, overall I would say apart from the health protocols we need to observe, it's very much business as usual in Le Mans, there's nothing to be concerned about.
We'll find out how different things are at the circuit tomorrow, but I'm not anticipating any issues whatsoever, the only 'nuisance' I foresee is having to wear a mask at all times, even outdoors with nobody close by, but I can live with that.
So far, we are having a truly fantastic Le Mans 2021!
Safe journeys all, and see many of you over the next few days!
