Transporting bushes?

We are due to move house in a few weeks and I will have to give up my beloved allotment as we are moving counties. I am hoping to get another allotment (although there are no council ones in existence so it will be private!) but we have a small garden with our new place.

My question is about my soft fruit bushes. It has taken me 4 years to get them to a good size and fruiting heavily. Would you go through the hassle of waiting until winter, digging up, transporting in husbands car for the 45 minute drive each way (and then having to clean his car) and replanting it would you just cut your losses and start again? They are not rare varieties or anything

I think that you have answered your own question. But, if it were me, and I was able to lift and transport them,I would take them with me. (and tell him to clean his own car,  , while I cooked his dinner ). If you wrapped them in damp sacking then plastic sheeting, there would be very little mess, do it when you move and the mileage vanishes. But that's me. Lots of luck with the move, take it easy, try not to get stressed, and it's not as bad as they say, done it 14+ times.

If you are actually selling your house, I wouldn't assume that you will have access to the plants in 6 months' time to dig them up. If you choose to take  them when you move, follow arh's advice after digging them up with the biggest rootball you can reasonably take; also (if you're selling up) make sure you've declared you're taking than on the sale documents.

The bushes are on the allotment and I haven't given notice on the allotment as I can manage the £13 annual fee of now haha! I also know that now is the absolute worst time to move them - in full fruit. I will also have to go back at some point to remove tools/netting etc I won't have time to do before we go

I might leave them until late summer/early autumn and make my decision then. Thanks

Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding; brain went off in that direction without enough thought!

If you're going to be able to keep on top of the plot from a distance until later in the year, or persuade a friend to do so in exchange for crops, then that would be better for the plants. Otherwise it's worth a try and potentially just sacrificing one Year's fruit.

The cling film tip is a good one thanks!