Anyone Driven To Spain

[View From The Top]

The Doris & I are toying with the idea of either Galicia or Costa De La Luz for a jolly with the kids but we'd drive as opposed to fly/car hire.

 

Have any of you chaps done the drive? Looking for routes & sleepover points.

[CB Saint]

Did empuriabrava one year (near barcelona)- two day drive door to door. We stayed in Bourges of the way down - beautiful city and in some chateau near Le Mans on the way back.

 

Down side - four days in the car with the kids, up side - room for all their carp and wine on the way back through - we stopped off in a few different wine regions on the way home.

 

It's probaly quicker now the Mileau Bridge has been finished

[Saint-scooby]

I did South of France a few years ago, the French motorways are very good, mostly tolled outside Brittany.

[dubai_phil]

I drove Via Plymouth & Santander.

 

That worked well, slept on the boat and an extra day each way on holiday.

 

No idea if they still run or how stupidly expensive they have become. It was so long ago my Born In the USA Tour T-Shirt was packed in the wrapping in my suitcase!

[Minsk]

My parents used to live in Benidorm, so did it a couple of times. Ferry to Cherbourg then drove drove down to 'Pamiers' (or Pam Ayres, as I always call it) just past Toulose in one day (about 10 hours driving) then across the Pyrenees near Andorra and on to Benidorm the next. In winter, when there is a likelihood of snow about, it was worth going a bit further to Perpignan, for the night stop-over.

 

My brother goes over almost every year. He usually catches the ferry to Bilbao, has a mini-cruise, and drives down through Spain.

 

The motorways in both countries are decent enough, but have many toll stops (a pain in the arse when on your own in a right hand drive!!)

[View From The Top]

Would be doing the tunnel. Driven down to La Rochelle before with the kids and thought we'd leave on the Thursday and trundle down over two days.

[Whitey Grandad]

You won't be doing the west coast of spain from Calais in two days unless you drive non-stop through the nights. We've been towing the caravan down to the Costa Brava or Perpignan for over twenty years and the travel time from Ouistreham/Le Havre has dropped from 17 to 12 hours for about 690 miles but you are looking at about the same time again, at least, I would say. Calais to Paris is three hours on the road. I would recommend choosing somewhere a bit nearer.

[so22saint]

Did Barcelona in 2 days - was a stretch but ok - roads through central spain dodgy so like Whitey Grandad says it's a 3 day trip I think. However, we stopped Paris day 1, day 2 Barcelona (and I'd probably look at day 2 Agde now I've been around there) then drive from there maybe

[View From The Top]

You won't be doing the west coast of spain from Calais in two days unless you drive non-stop through the nights. We've been towing the caravan down to the Costa Brava or Perpignan for over twenty years and the travel time from Ouistreham/Le Havre has dropped from 17 to 12 hours for about 690 miles but you are looking at about the same time again, at least, I would say. Calais to Paris is three hours on the road. I would recommend choosing somewhere a bit nearer.

 

Calais to La Rochelle I've done in 6.5hrs, twice and I thought Northern Spain would be about the same again??

[View From The Top]

Looks like the southern Spain option is slightly too far.

[fuente saint]

I drive down to Southern Spain at least twice a year, and take the Portsmouth To Bilbao route. The cost of the ferry is no more than the cost of fuel and extortionate tolls through France.

 

Arrival at Bilbao is normally 0745 in the morning. I drive for about 9 hours, including a couple of short refreshment stops, and arrive at Iznajar about 1700. Tired, but the ferry journey is reasonably relaxing, and a glass or several of Rioja on arrival at destination normally revives. No children but a howling cat so there is incentive to do the journey asap!

[John Boy Saint]

Have an annual pilgrimage to the Costa Brava each year, travel via the Tunnel (use your Tesco club card vouchers to cheapen the cost). Normally get into France around 9am Shop briefly for Wine, then having been stuck round Paris so many times, route via Rouen, Dreux, everaux, Chartres then on to the A10 in a directly southerly direction (gets a bit monotonous around 3pm flat and straight) go all the way to Issoire south of Clermont Ferrand (from here the A75 to the A9 is free Millau aside). Stop over at Issoire we got there at just before 6pm last year. I hasten to add that I drive 40k miles a year so drive consistently for hours at a time with ease.

Left the hotel at 07:15 stop for breakfast 30mins, we were getting off the AP7,which goes all the way to the very bottom of Spain, at Junction 6 just after Midday. It was raining so I put my Bosses villa at La Manga 800 junctions further south into the Sat-Nav just see what time we would get there as it was warmer, ETA was set at 8:30pm. Marbella must be another 4-5 hours further on!!

if you have less than 3 weeks I would fly to Southern Spain as the drive home would possibly negate the benefit of the Holiday.

[View From The Top]

I'll bow to the superior knowledge on this and look to northern Spain via France by car or the ferry into Bilbao/Santander.

[ART]

I should like to warn you of criminal gangs operating from the north of France down all the most popular routes down into Spain. British vehicles, caravans are their main targets. Take every precaution by not stopping off in lonely, quiet areas, motorway lay byes etc. Saying that, my cousin and family have done the trip a number of times with at least 2 being drivers and driving non stop with no major problems.

[tpbury]

I should like to warn you of criminal gangs operating from the north of France down all the most popular routes down into Spain. British vehicles, caravans are their main targets. Take every precaution by not stopping off in lonely, quiet areas, motorway lay byes etc. Saying that, my cousin and family have done the trip a number of times with at least 2 being drivers and driving non stop with no major problems.

 

And to give the other side, we once left our holiday cash at a restaurant on one of the main routes through France, to our amazement, the staff hadn't pocketed it and we picked it up the next morning.

[vince]

I had the pleasure of having to drive the entire length of Spain in a day with 2 kids under 8, when the ash cloud left us stranded in Faro and we needed to get back for my wifes nans funeral later in that week. The scenery was really great, albeit flashing by at a rate of knots, and I fully intend to go back and do that road trip again in a few years time (without ash cloud or kids) at a more leisurely pace.

 

Fell asleep on the ferry once we got to Santandar and missed seeing one of the rarest whales on the planet following the ferry, apparently.

[John Boy Saint]

I had the pleasure of having to drive the entire length of Spain in a day with 2 kids under 8, when the ash cloud left us stranded in Faro and we needed to get back for my wifes nans funeral later in that week. The scenery was really great, albeit flashing by at a rate of knots, and I fully intend to go back and do that road trip again in a few years time (without ash cloud or kids) at a more leisurely pace.

 

Fell asleep on the ferry once we got to Santandar and missed seeing one of the rarest whales on the planet following the ferry, apparently.

I would like to do that ferry route one day, just the cost in the summer ain't cheap, be nice if those loverly Tesco Clubcard people could get friendly with Brittany Ferries.

 

As for the comment by Art regarding the criminal gangs, they still exist however the French got a little embarrassed by the frequency a few years back and clamped down, so it is not a highway man behind every tree. On the Toll motorways as you are videoed in and out of the Peage sections and in and out of many Aires these criminals don't like that. Just as you would here be a little bit smart. Walk round your car if you have left it alone check the tyres etc.

In Spain use the service facilities in shifts. When you see massive signs advising you to stop no more than 7 minutes on the Motorway Laybys in 6 different languages including the local one you know you should just hang on a little longer for the full facility service area.