Leaving the UK
Removals from Devon to Europe.
Moving abroad from the South West means a long domestic leg before you even reach the crossing. We are straight about that, and about what customs now involves, because the moves that go wrong are the ones where nobody mentioned either.
Removals from Devon to France
The shortest crossing and the widest range of destinations — Brittany and Normandy for the ferry-friendly moves, the south-west for the long ones.
How the route runs →Removals from Devon to Spain
The biggest single destination for British moves. Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, the islands, and increasingly the inland north.
How the route runs →Removals from Devon to Italy
Longer overland and more paperwork, but a steady flow — Tuscany, the lakes, Puglia, and city moves to Milan and Rome.
How the route runs →Removals from Devon to Portugal
The far end of the peninsula and the longest drive of the four. The Algarve, Lisbon, Porto and the Silver Coast.
How the route runs →The Devon problem, stated plainly
Moving from Exeter to France is not the same job as moving from Kent to France. From EX, PL or TQ you are looking at the length of the M5, then the M4 or the A303 across to the M25, then down through the M20 to Dover or the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone — and that is all before the load has left the country. From Plymouth or Barnstaple, add more again.
It is entirely doable. It just has to be planned as two distinct legs rather than one optimistic run, and it is a large part of why groupage suits most Devon moves: the domestic leg gets combined with other collections instead of a lorry driving the length of England half empty.
Collections beyond Devon
Because that domestic leg passes most of the country anyway, we are not limited to Devon pickups. Loads heading for the Channel regularly pick up in Bristol and London on the way through, and we handle collections from Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh as part of consolidated European runs. If you are moving abroad and your things are split between a Devon house and a flat somewhere else, say so — it is a common enough arrangement that we plan for it.
Groupage, dedicated, and which you want
Most household moves to Europe travel as groupage: your consignment shares space with others going the same way. It is the sensible default for a normal house because the alternative is paying for air. A dedicated vehicle makes sense when the volume is large, when the access at the far end needs a specific size of van, or when the date genuinely cannot move.
We will tell you which your move is. Transit windows depend on the route, the crossing, consolidation scheduling and customs clearance, so the estimate comes with your written quote rather than as a promise on a web page.
Customs, honestly
Since the UK left the EU, household goods crossing into Europe need a formal export declaration and a proper inventory, and if you are moving your home rather than sending furniture you will usually be claiming transfer-of-residence relief. That has conditions and it has to be applied for. We prepare the declarations and the inventory with you.
The part that catches people out is the inventory itself. "Various household items" is not an inventory, and a vague one is what causes a load to sit at a border. We would rather spend an extra hour with you getting it right.
Before you go
If the move is really within the UK, long-distance removals is the page you want. If you are still househunting and only some of it is going abroad, we can store the rest in Devon — see services. Either way, start with a quote and we will work out which shape it is.
European move questions
Do you only collect in Devon?
Devon is where we are based and where most collections start, but a European load does not care much where the first pickup is. We regularly collect from London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh on the way to a crossing, and part-loads from those cities often travel with a Devon move.
What is groupage?
Your goods share a vehicle with other consignments going the same way. It is how most household moves to Europe travel, because almost nobody fills a lorry on their own. The trade-off is scheduling — the load goes when the vehicle is ready rather than the moment you are packed.
When is a dedicated vehicle worth it?
When the volume is large enough to justify it, or when the dates are genuinely immovable. A dedicated van or lorry goes when you say and arrives without waiting on other consignments. We will tell you honestly which one your move suits.
What changed with customs after Brexit?
Household goods moving from the UK to the EU now need a formal customs declaration and an inventory, and transfer-of-residence relief has to be applied for rather than assumed. It is paperwork, not a barrier — we prepare it. What it does mean is that a vague inventory causes real delays.
Can you take a car or a motorbike too?
Sometimes, depending on the route and the vehicle. It has its own paperwork and its own rules at the far end, so ask at enquiry rather than adding it later.
What cannot travel?
The usual list — aerosols, paint, gas bottles, fuel, anything flammable — plus some plant and food restrictions into the EU. We send the list before you pack rather than finding a tin of thinners at the point of loading.
Moving abroad from Devon?
Tell us where you're going, roughly what's coming and when you need to be there. We'll come back with the route, the method and a written figure.