# first timer to Spain



## craigy (Aug 29, 2005)

We are going to Spain for 5/6 weeks in Jan/Feb and are crossing via the tunnel as we have dogs. Can any of you experienced travellers recommend a route? We are crossing on 28th December and need to be at La Manga for 31st, so guess we need to go on the motorways. Also can anyone recommend overnight stops? My husband wants to stay on motorway services but I have heard bad things about this and am not keen. Have tried to find aires on the way down but many seem to be closed. Any advice please.

Thanks Craigy


----------



## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

First thoughts are that you are trying to do a lot in a short time, bearing in mind that the daylight hours are short at that time of the year and you will probably have to start looking for an overnght before it gets dark.
You could also run into bad weather, fog or snow come to mind.
Be prepare to arrive in La Manga a day or two after the 31st if it makes your journey more comfortable, after all you have 5/6 weeks.

A few weeks ago via PM I gave RobMD some information with regard to a route to Spain but thought I would append it here for your use.
While it may not suit you totally it may make a basis for comment by others.

"Generators and bulk gas tanks I can give you no advice about as I have no experience. 
Snow chains, I wouldn't take as the Spanish coast route which I would use and the central route (Toulouse, Limoges, Vierzon) through France has little snow. You must make the decision based on the information you can glean. I was told when I was enquiring a few years ago that this route was best as there is the alternative of making for the French coast if the central route did have snow. Our own research suggests that the spring is more likely to have snow than the autumn. There's probably more risk of fog at this time of the year than there is of snow. Just a personal opinion.

Route. 
Calais, Boulogne, Rouen, Evreux, (Brezolles), Chartres, Orleans, Vierzon, (Mery sur Cher), Limoges, Toulouse, Carcasonne, Perpignan, Le Boulou, SPAIN. 
Arriving in Calais at 9.30 ish you will not need an overnight but will no doubt head south on the free autoroute A16. We divert and drop off at J31 and take N42 St Omer road east. The first slip road takes you into a Centre Commercial and a large Auchan to fill up with groceries and fuel. If you get fuel make sure you get into the second set of pumps off the roundabout as the first set is card only. We usually use the first pump of the second set as it is the easiest from there to the kiosk. The Auchan takes Uk credit cards. 
From the Auchan it's back to the A16 south (Rouen/Abbeville) and for only about a mile or so if you want to avoid the Peage autoroute.

From the autoroute it is down to the N1 south, a decent road to Abbeville where you should again pick up the A16 free autoroute to Rouen. The last aire on the A16 is Quincampoix if you want a break as there isn't another stopping point for quite a few miles.

There are various routes through Rouen. Our preferred is: 
Continue on the A16 and through the tunnel. About half a mile after the tunnel look for the sign off right to the N15 VERNON Evreux, Dreux. This brings you to a junction (do not turn right) at lights. Go across the dual carriage way turning left to get into the right hand lane of the 3? lanes. After the lights allow the traffic to move bearing right stay tight to your right and slip down the hill onto the N15. 
Follow the N15 the road signs for Evreux, Dreux and Chartres as the Vernon road. You may want to fuel up at a Super U hypermarket at Igoville. You continue through Pont de l'Arche and after a few miles the N15 becomes a good dual carriageway to a big roundabout the junction with the N12 at Nonancourt. 
Here you should think about overnighting as if you want a decent aire for the night you should aim for BREZOLLES ( about 200 miles from Calais which is a few miles SSW of Nonancourt. Its a good spot and we stop there regularly. The aire is situated on the western edge of Brezolles on the Verneuil road near a small lake. Its an area bounded by a wall. There are dumping facilities but no electricity. 
An alternative is a campsite a couple of miles east of the roundabout and north of the N16 in St Remy sur Avre. It is signed but is not open all year. My advice would be to use the aire and you will have sussed it for the return journey when the nights get darker earlier! There is a pic in the Aires album.

If you do not choose to stop the night in Brezolles then at Nonancourt follow the road to Dreux and Chartres taking the ring road for N154 Orleans. (If you come from Brezolles you will take the D939 through Chateauneuf en Thymerais onto the Chartres by-pass.)

The N154 continues until it joins the N20 which goes south through Orleans to Vierzon. 
You may like to consider using the Autoroute to bypass Orleans picking it up from the N154 at J12 and following the Toulouse signs. I would advise this if you have not already overnighted as you will be hitting the evening traffic. If you have overnighted then the traffic will not be so bad and you can use the ring road following the signs for Vierzon in GREEN (not BLUE which takes you onto the peage!) You'll see traffic crossing over the N20 by roadbridge at the entrance road for the ring road. There is a junction just as you get onto the ring road. 
Using the ring road it takes you to the river and east along it for a couple of miles when you should get into the LH lane for a LEFT turn away from the river for about 200yards when turn SHARP right and up onto the entry to the road bridge spanning the river Loire. 
Going south we fill up with fuel at a supermarket on the left just through Nouan le Fuselier. Another spot is a Super U in Salbris. Turn left at traffic lights just after crossing the river. 
If you want a campsite there is quite a nice one in Salbris about 300 yards from the N20. Turn left (E) off the N20 at, I think, the second set of lights after entering Salbris. It is not all-year.

For a decent aire to overnight we use Mery sur Cher 4km west of Vierzon. 
Taking the free A20 south (Limoges/Toulouse) just N of Vierzon, come off at J6, the first junction I think) following signs for N76 Tours and Mery s Cher. Follow the N76 for about 3 miles and on entering Mery sur Cher the aire is immediately on you left. Turn left and try to get the space at the far right rear as its the quietest. There is some road noise on this aire. (See pic in aires album) 
There is grey and black water dumping and fresh water is on the side of the little toilet block where you will also find electricity. 
Next morning it's back to the A20. I find the signs confusing so take care to get onto the south carriageway.

There is an all year campsite which we have used about 3 miles off the A20 at J23, La Souterraine. The campsite is best approached from the 3rd road into the town from the N145. Using the mappy link it is next to the lake on the eastern edge of the town. This quite a nice little town and worth a wander if you have the time. 
http://tinyurl.com/bv3lo 
Back to the A20 and south which is free until just south of Brive la Gaillarde at J53 when the N20 is available. 
There is an aire we have used at Sadroc west of the A20 and between J46 and J47 
Go into Sadroc, a small village and in the middle look for the little shop on the right if going south from J46. The aire is up a slope behind the shop. Not organised but there is electricity and dumping etc. It's quiet.

From here south I cannot really give you advice. 
We floundered a bit and not wanting to look for somewhere around Toulouse (remember for us it was January and short days) we headed east off the N20 to Cordes sur Ciel where we found the aire on a large car park to the north below the town walls (lit up at night) There were no facilites having been turned off for the winter. 
We then went via Albi (Lautrec Museum!), Castres Carcassonne, Narbonne and Perpignan to Le Boulou where we stayed overnight in an all year campsite. 
Le Boulou is just in France.

We were bound for La Manga and had an overnight in Spain on the way down BUT we didn't like the campsite and easily made the return jouney from La Manga to Le Boulou in the day using the motorway.

Do come back if all is not clear but be quick we leave for France tomorrow all being well.

I hope you enjoy your holiday.

Gillian"


----------



## 88789 (May 9, 2005)

Thanks Gillian i found this post to be very useful.regards Lou


----------



## 91929 (May 1, 2005)

Dont know about sites in France exept for those on the Camping Cheque system some of those are all year

www.campingcheque.co.uk

I have used one Nr Pottiers (Futureist) From there is an almost straight route to Tolluse We found an out of the way stop mid way between an exit and a entrance junction used by truckers

Then once in Spain there are several sites just off the Auotroute

C&CC have rallies on some of them due to start in the Jan: Alcosebre, Moncofa (difficult to find) from either of these you can do La Manga in one day


----------



## 94664 (May 1, 2005)

We visit Cartagena twice a year.From Calais,toll road through Reims,Lyon onto the boarder.Coast toll road all the way.Toll and fuel charges,allow £600 return.Expensive,but hassle free.Great if France is not on your wish list. It takes us 2 days. We also use the services for rest/sleep.Never had any problems.But thats another subject already well covered on this site.
Have a nice journey.


----------

