# Around Iberia in 6 weeks



## peedee (May 10, 2005)

*Summary* Our plan for June/July 2009 or rather mine, the better half takes little interest in plans, was to travel through central France, cross the Pyrenees to the Costa Dorada, travel down the Mediterranean coast as far as Marbella before turning west to the Algarve via Ronda, then up through central Portugal to Oporto before following the coast into Northern Spain and on to Santiago del Compostella and Coruna. At Coruna we would turn east along the north coast of Spain back into France and up the west side to meet our outward route near Tours to travel back home. In so doing we had ticked off places we wanted to visit which we had not been to before or visited very little. North of Oporto in Portugal and north western Spain were totally new to us.

In essence we stuck to this plan with one or two detours and travelled a total of 4021 miles and used 22 campsites or aires, 734.6 litres of fuel at an average consumption of 24.85 miles per gallon. The minimum we paid for fuel was Eu0.92 per litre near Girona and the maximum was Eu1.06 per litre in central France.

Our favourite place of the trip - Ronda, Spain.
Best value night stop - the aire at Forges les Eaux, France
Best value campsite - Camping Municipal Plantanes, Montignac, France
Worst moment - didn't have any really
Best saving - an ACSI card, 3 to 5 Euros per night at selected sites.

*Some General Comments* We were increasingly asked to produce our passports even though I had an ACSI and a CCI card. On questioning this at one site, I was advised the police had requested this and IDs are increasingly now passed to centralised police computers and your whereabouts can be tracked. 
I worked on Eu1.1 to the pound and it is now increasingly expensive to tour the continent and in my view I don't think there is much to choose between the costs of visiting Spain or France. Site fees including cost of aires have increased appreciably and the difference between the cost of fuel on the continent to that of UK is narrowing. The cost of groceries, my biggest expense and which included dinning out was about 25 percent higher than the UK and this is with mostly buying local. If you don't buy local expect a 50 percent increase!

We economised by eating out much less than we normally would, using sites which offered an ACSI discount and where this was not possible seeking out cheaper sites to stay, the latter option being much more practical in France.

If you want to read the nitty gritty the blog is>here<

peedee


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## Ian_n_Suzy (Feb 15, 2009)

Hi,

I have just read your Blog - Superb reading MANY THANKS for taking so much time to share it with us.

REGARDS
Ian


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

It doesn't involve much time if you type up the blog every evening or at least every other evening on the trip. It is also an aide memoir for ourselves to consult at a future date. I have included what I think are useful facts and hope this is the case. 

I also kept a record of costs which I can analyse and compare with UK costs/other type of holidays using Microsoft Money. 

While it is still all fresh in my mind, if anyone wants more information PM me. 

peedee


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## C7KEN (May 27, 2005)

I too have read your blog with interest. We have been to many of the locations in Spain but to wild camp rather than sites. Interestingly we have parked on the car park opp the entrance to Torre Del Mar site and can pick up all UK channels with ease on our Kathrein Cap 900 system. Infact they are all available anywhere west of cabo de Gata incl C de G. So I am surprised you had difficulty.I noted that you travelled thro Soullac in France, here is one of my often visited aires when on my way to England.


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

No trees on car parks! Got the south beam ok by pointing through a gap but that was all, certainly could not get BBC1 etc until I got back into western France. Maybe I did not try hard enough  

Was the Soulliac aire the one down by the river or have I got confused with somewhere else.? I remember considering it but didn't go and look at it and decided on a campsite. I was glad I did because there was a severe storm warning in force for the area. It did come but did not amount to that much! We had a worse thunder storm here two days ago, set a house on fire just up the road from us.

I very rarely wild.

peedee


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

Excellent Blog (even if going to the MHF page is just a teaser)


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

Thanks, I originally posted it on MHF Frank when on the journey but moved it to my web site when I finished it. That way I can link it to other things and a photo gallery.

I read the first bits of yours but haven't looked at it for a while, must do so. At the moment I cannot see me going on the continent next year, certainly not to Spain or Portugal, getting a bit tired of them for the distance involved so your blog could be very useful.

peedee


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

I have now added a photo gallery to this blog.

peedee


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