Belgium to UK Removals: Our Return Journey from Menorca via Brussels

With our Menorca removal successfully delivered, and after enjoying four very pleasant days on the island, it was time to begin the journey back to Liverpool.

My wife wasn’t exactly looking forward to the ferry from Menorca to Barcelona after the rather questionable boat we had endured on the outbound journey. Thankfully, we were travelling with a different ferry company on the way back, and the ship was a marked improvement. The driver facilities were better, the accommodation was more comfortable, and it even had a swimming pool. Result!

Arranging a Brussels Backload While in Menorca

During our break in Menorca, we continued discussing a potential collection from Brussels with a customer who was moving back to Bristol. Fortunately, the customer had flexible collection dates, which meant we could arrange the move as a backload on our return journey.

 

Because the van would already be travelling back towards the UK, we were able to provide a dedicated vehicle for £1,200. The usual price for a dedicated van on this route would have been approximately £1,695.

This is always worth remembering when requesting Removals from Belgium to the UK. When customers can give us some flexibility with their dates, we may be able to match the move with one of our existing European journeys. This allows us to use our vehicles more efficiently while also saving the customer a considerable amount of money.

The collection was only around five cubic metres, so it appeared to be a nice, straightforward load for the journey home.

Or at least, that was the theory.

Barcelona to Nancy in One Long Day

Our ferry arrived in Barcelona on 22 June. Despite the continuing heatwave, we decided to put in a long driving day, travelling through Spain, across the south of France and north past Lyon.

We eventually reached Nancy, where we found an excellent little hotel conveniently located just off the motorway. Even better, it had a large screen showing the France World Cup match, so we were able to watch France play while sitting with French supporters in France.

You can’t really get much more French than that. Result!

The Plan for Brussels

I had a plan.

We would get up early on 23 June, drive to Brussels, load the customer’s belongings and make it back across to England in time to watch the England World Cup match somewhere along the route.

We did manage the early start, and we arrived in Brussels at approximately 11am, ready to load what we believed would be an easy five-cubic-metre collection.

It quickly became clear that “easy” might not have been the right word.

When Five Cubic Metres Feels Like Fifteen

The load was extremely heavy, with several boxes requiring a two-person lift. It included large suitcases packed tightly with old car manuals and books, with some individual boxes and bags weighing more than 45kg.

Thankfully, the van was empty when we arrived, so we had enough available payload. Once everything was loaded, the shipment came close to the vehicle’s maximum carrying capacity of 1,000kg.

Despite the weight, we were very happy to help this lovely family relocate to the UK after they had lived in Belgium since the early 1970s.

There is a useful lesson here for anyone planning Removals to Spain, Removals to Belgium or a move anywhere else in Europe: when packing books, records, tools or other dense items, use more boxes of a smaller size.

Large boxes and suitcases can become dangerously heavy very quickly. Wherever possible, try to keep each package below 20kg. If you struggle to lift a box yourself, there is a good chance that it is too heavy.

Fortunately, all the goods were stored in the garage and the access was excellent. Despite the unexpected weight, we had everything safely loaded within 45 minutes of arriving.

Belgium to UK Removals, Transfer of Residence and UK Customs

As the customer was moving their permanent residence back to the UK, they had applied to HMRC in advance for Transfer of Residence relief, commonly known as ToR.

Once approved, ToR can allow qualifying used household belongings to be imported into the UK without the customer having to pay import duty or VAT. You can read the official HMRC guidance on Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief if you would like more information.

For qualifying removals from Belgium to the UK, we generally need the customer’s ToR approval letter, a copy of their passport, a packing list and proof of their new UK residence. We can then arrange and manage the UK import clearance on their behalf.

Secure Overnight Parking Is Essential

Fully loaded and ready to leave Brussels, we planned the next part of the route. We regularly complete Removals to Belgium and return journeys back to the UK, so the route was very familiar. The aim was to travel through Belgium and France, take LeShuttle from Calais and then drive past London to a hotel approximately one hour from Bristol. This would leave us perfectly positioned to unload the following morning.

Whenever one of our European removal journeys requires an overnight stop, we have two particularly important requirements.

The first is secure private parking. We will never knowingly leave a loaded removal van overnight in an unsecured random car park.

The second is sufficient height clearance. Our removal vans can be close to three metres high, and this is something that is easily overlooked. Many hotels advertise secure parking, only for us to discover that the parking is underground and has a height restriction designed for cars rather than high-top removal vans.

On this occasion, I also had a third requirement: England were playing Ghana in the World Cup that evening, so the hotel needed somewhere decent to watch the match.

The hotel didn’t let us down and had a massive screen. Unfortunately, the screen was considerably better than the game, which finished 0–0.

A Routine Customs Inspection in Calais

Before boarding the train in Calais, our van was selected for a routine customs inspection. This caused a delay of around 20 minutes, but everything was in order and it had no significant effect on our journey.

Checks such as these are a normal part of international removals. Having the correct customs documents prepared in advance helps ensure that any inspection can be completed as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Delivery in Bristol and the Final Drive to Liverpool

The following morning, we arrived at the customer’s new home in Bristol and completed the delivery. The family couldn’t believe how quickly their belongings had travelled from Brussels to the UK.

Once the van was finally empty, it was time to begin the last part of our journey home to Liverpool.

The hot weather had followed us throughout Spain, France, Belgium and the UK, and our van’s complete lack of air conditioning continued to taunt us right until the end.

By the time we arrived back in Liverpool, I was more than happy to get behind my desk again.

It had been a demanding journey at times, but it was also one I will look back on fondly. We had completed a successful removal to Menorca, enjoyed a few days on a beautiful island, collected a perfectly timed backload in Brussels and helped a family return to the UK after more than 50 years in Belgium.

Not a bad way to spend ten days out of the office.

Planning a Removal Between the UK and Europe?

If you are planning Belgium to UK removals, Removals to Belgium, Removals to Menorca, mainland Spain or anywhere else in Europe, it is always helpful to tell us your preferred dates and whether you have any flexibility.

Even when you want a dedicated vehicle, flexible dates may allow us to match your move with an existing journey or return route. This can reduce unnecessary mileage and may significantly lower the cost of your removal.

European Removal Services can help with Belgium to UK removals, dedicated vehicles to Europe, part loads, backloads, customs paperwork and door-to-door removals between the UK and destinations throughout Europe.