Jeremy Clarkson: Clarkson's Farm star refuses to go on holiday in Europe after 'nuisance' trip to Madrid

Jeremy Clarkson has said he will not be travelling to Europe for his summer holiday, claiming he would rather stay in the UK. The Clarkson’s Farm star shared that he and his girlfriend Lisa Hogan, flew to Madrid last weekend in a bid to escape the dreary UK temperatures.

In his column for The Sun, he revealed the ordeal was a “nuisance”, with long check-in queues, even longer walks in the terminal and electric passport gates “only for people who live in the EU”.

Writing in his column for The Sun, Clarkson penned: “At Madrid airport, you leave the plane, which has parked at the very end of the furthest terminal from baggage reclaim. So you walk, uphill, in a superheated tunnel for about an hour and then you’re in a terminal, which is bigger than most deserts.” Adding: “You walk. And then you walk some more. And then you walk until every old injury starts to flare up.”

He continued: “There was a time when this sort of thing was easy. But now, thanks to government bureaucracy, Border Force paranoia and a general sense at airports that passengers are a damn nuisance, it isn’t any more.

“So you check in and stand in a queue full of old ladies and toddlers who don’t realise that they can’t travel with liquids, that they need to take laptops out of their hand luggage and that they can’t go through the X-ray machine with six frying pans and an ingot in their backpack.

“Then you walk through a shopping centre that sells perfume, and suitcases, for those who’ve arrived at the airport with all their holiday clothes in a carrier bag. And then you’re in a lift. And then you’re in a train and then you’re in another lift, and then they say your flight is boarding.”

He also talked about the long queues for electronic passport control, explaining: “After three hours, your back is really starting to hurt and you are scanning the queue for people who look like they might have voted for Brexit, because you want to peel them.” Clarkson added: “I’ll be staying in the UK this summer and not going abroad.”

The former Top Gear star continued the conversation on social media, asking his followers on X: “Let’s have a group chat. What’s the stupidest airport in the world? I’ll go first. Madrid.” He concluded the discussion adding: “Anyway, to conclude the survey. Madrid is the stupidest airport in the world. By miles.”

When can I watch Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime?

All episodes of Clarkson’s Farm season three are available to watch on Amazon Prime now, with the final four episodes in the series dropping on May 10.

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.