Team Basil had another discussion this morning about the Corona Virus and after much soul searching decided to make an early return to Britain. I’m pretty sure we are over reacting, certainly on the basis of the current spread, but a few factors weighed on our minds. Firstly we were, this morning, four or five days away from Britain and the situation is changing fast. Secondly I have suffered from Asthma from childhood and apparently that puts me in a higher risk group. Thirdly Sarah is concerned about what we would do with the dogs if we were both taken ill. Finally, as I said in a previous post, we would both rather be ill, especially seriously ill, at home.

Making the decision this morning was made easier by the first cold and rainy day we have seen for weeks and the forecast is not looking good for the next few days.

I feel like we are wimping out a bit, but the bottom line we both felt it better to act now rather than let the situation overtake us and possibly remove or reduce our options.

So we have set a course towards Calais which will probably take us four or five days to reach and then we will need another day to get the dogs compulsory worming undertaken before we can cross back to Britain.

This evening, having spent the day driving through wind and rain we have reached Salamanca in Spain and will spend the night on the aire here before another day of travelling (40.939064, -5.654471). The aire is free but noisy. There are filling and emptying facilities, but not very good.

I will not post again until we reach the French coast, because I will be busy driving, unless anything noteworthy happens.

*For non British readers and for younger British readers, Run Rabbit Run Rabbit, was a comic song performed by Flanagan and Allen in 1939 as a defiant dig and the alleged ineffectiveness of the German Lufwaffe’s first air raid against Britain where apparently only two rabbits were killed. Britain was not laughing at the Luftwaffe later in the war, but the song apparently remained Winston Churchill’s favourite of the war and he could ofter be heard singing it!