Trip to UK 2019 (with a dog)

Flying out of the UK with your dog is less of a problem. I once ferried 2 labrador retriever pubs from Midland Airport to Rotterdam in a Twin.

We appreciate and are grateful if there are anyone who has great tips on attractive and friendly airfields we can visit on the road. Possible lodging and dining options at airfield?

Some suggestions for the origianl question:

EGLS Old Sarum airfield. Visit on a weekday, so that you can hire a car locally. Then you can visit Stonehenge, Avesbury (also a stone circle, but less touristy, and more athmospheric) and Sailsbury town.

I note that you’re going to the east coast of Scotland. But from a scenery from the air, point of view, the west coast is really worth a visit. Routing from Colonsay (EGEY) up to Coll (EGEL) up to Skye Isle and then the town of Fort William, back to Oban (EGEO) will give you spectacular scenery.

Colonsay & Coll are both nice places to walk around, if you like the peace and quite and a ramble in the country side. Just don’t expect lots of entertainment. The hotel on Coll is quite nice. I’ve not stayed on the one on Colonsay, but eaten in it, and it seems nice (but I’ve not seen the bedrooms). Colonsay airfield to Colonsay hotel is about a 45 minute walk. Coll airport to Coll hotel requires a taxi.

Glenforsa airfield (grass-no ICAO identifer) is also nice, in that it’s in a scenic location and the hotel, which does nice food, is adjacent to the airfield.

EGCK Caernarfon has a castle in the town that’s well worth seeing. The town is about £20 in a taxi from the airfield.

I hope that gives you some ideas

Colm

“US residents from third countries may have restrictions depending on the visa they hold”

Which ones are GA related? I doubt that many crosses the atlantic and the only complaint I heard from a US citizen after landing in the UK was his lack of familiarity with PPR ;)

Yes, GA as means of travel have more limitations: you have to land on specific places and have an FP :) but I doubt someone with a stamped shengen visa on his passport (not exempt from one by a country) will have any issues flying internally around Shengen counties? or externally via port of entries?

But I heard one can’t go to the US on GA under the ESTA waiver program and will needs a stamped US visa? Maybe the same applies to Shengen, you just need a “stamped visa”…

schengen info

For US citizens Schengen should effectively be “one country/region” where they enter and can roam freely.

US residents from third countries may have restrictions depending on the visa they hold. Even within Schengen, because individual member states still have slightly differing national list of restricted countries.
These third countries are mostly ahem, usual suspects…
So, you would probably know, if your friends/passengers belong to this group…

For everyone else, means of travel only has the oft-discussed limitations (e.g. emergency rules after terrorist attacks)

Markuus wrote:

I was quite surprised when I had my first foreign buddy telling me he cannot go on our PA28 because he was not allowed to travel this way by visa restrictions. As I am not a lawyer I don’t know the exact wording, but when I interpret correctly visa do allow certain kind of travel and crossing borders in Europe has to be done over agreed routes, points and procedures – GA is not on the list of the ordinary travel methods and there are some subtle differences between EU, Schengen and all that other scrub paragraphs. We do have American friends still insisting on land at EDXF, take a 7 miles trip by car to EKPB and re-board there, when crossing the German-Danish border.

I have Googled for this in every manner I can think of and can find absolutely no reference to it. Can you provide some reference or official source? I have flown, and plan to fly again in future, through Europe with friends who are present on a Schengen visa, but have never heard of this.

Flypiper wrote:

Thanks for your valuable information. I didn’t think there was a difference between using a car or GA regarding pets

You are pointing to an issue we often discuss in our club on training cross border flights. Many, if not most, in Europe believe GA is similar to traveling by car, but it is not. The free travel treaties almost never address private GA flights and the traps are manifold. Carrying a pet is quite difficult already, so we usually advice to let all pets at home when flying GA, but carrying passengers can be much more dangerous. Do you ever check the passports (and consequently under which treaty they travel and what limitations that has) of your friends when flying GA? I was quite surprised when I had my first foreign buddy telling me he cannot go on our PA28 because he was not allowed to travel this way by visa restrictions. As I am not a lawyer I don’t know the exact wording, but when I interpret correctly visa do allow certain kind of travel and crossing borders in Europe has to be done over agreed routes, points and procedures – GA is not on the list of the ordinary travel methods and there are some subtle differences between EU, Schengen and all that other scrub paragraphs. We do have American friends still insisting on land at EDXF, take a 7 miles trip by car to EKPB and re-board there, when crossing the German-Danish border.

In order to bring an animal into the U.K. you must be an “approved carrier” . The channel Tunnel, some but not all Ferry companies, and some airlines are “approved carriers” as are some small AOC holders the likes of which operate out of Biggin Hill, Lydd, Southampton, Oxford, Cambridge etc.
All but one Ferry company insist that the dog stays in the car.
Channel Tunnel doesn’t take foot passengers.
You could get a taxi (or a friend) to come from Folkstone to Calais and bring one of you and the dog to the nearest airfield to Folkstone whilst you fly across the Channel.
Then there is the Ireland route.
If you PM me there might be one other way.

Emir wrote:

Or fly first to Ireland and then to UK from there. It seems to be allowed according to links provided above.

Yes, I was surprised in the links it is applicable to UK but you exempt if inbound from Ireland & CI & IoM
So, I was expecting similar rule in Ireland, CI, IoM legislations (Irish gov websites of course), but it is not the case

https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/pets/bringingyourpetcatdogorferretintoireland/