# Spain/Portugal...How to get there, a dilemma



## blindwatchertrev (Nov 4, 2011)

Having spent the last couple of hours reading many of the previous posts on the ' Touring Spain and Portugal' forum, it's clear that a considerable number of members have substantial experience of all that is involved in doing so. With this in mind, there may be some of you who can suggest ideas that would help us around a couple of dilemmas.
Firstly, we have two possible periods when we could go. The first being the very end of October ( grandkids watching at half term) and return two weeks before Christmas so we can prepare for all the family visiting over the Xmas hols. Thus about 6 weeks in all. Given that we're on Tyneside, travelling days will eat into the 6 week slot quite a bit.
An alternative would be to go early in the new year when we could devote more time to see what's on offer. The drawback being of course the weather, specifically snow etc on the high routes( I've no experience of using snow chains and the like). My question is therefore, what's the best time to go?

Given our intention is to spend most of our time on the south coast of both Spain and Portugal, it is difficult to determine which method of travel is the best. The ferries from Portsmoth to Santander or Bilbao work out about £700 plus but do of course save a fair bit of driving and attendant costs. I have not done much driving in France so don't know what to expect if travelling the whole length of France to get to Spain. If anyone has done both the ferry versus road options I would be most interested to know their views.

Apologies for waffling on but would certainly appreciate any replies. Many thanks Trev.


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## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

We have done drive through France and on to Spain by various routes but earlier in the year.
Would not recommend driving through France in Jan. ( poor weather, short days sites shut )
Have alternate plan this year.
Leaving soon driving through France ( quickly if weather poor - slowly if good)
Arrive Costa del sol early Oct settle on site.
FLY HOME for childminding for half term. Fly back early November have another 4 weeks then drive to Santander/ Bilbao and sail bak early Decenber for Xmas.
Leaving Spring for another trip. ( possibly Italy/ Greece)


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## Jamsieboy (Jan 14, 2011)

Last year we travelled Portsmouth to Santander leaving the UK on 06 January.
We encountered a fair bit of rain in Northern Spain and as far down as Madrid.
From Madrid down to Alicante the weather improved and was 18C with sun as we arrived on the coast just South of Alicante.

We returned North in early March driving along the South to Gibraltar then North just East of Portugal. Weather was fine until about 200 miles South of Santander where we encountered some heavy rain and some snow. The rain kept the snow moist so other than on the mountains no snow on the roads.

One of our friends drove home via France about two weeks later and had deep snow on either side of the road crossing from Spain to France. The actual road was kept clear so no need for snow chains.

Personally 
I would not bother with snow chains. If it's that bad hold off for a day or so and the roads will be cleared.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

The cost of driving is fairly equitable to the cost of the ferry.... but the wear and tear on the ferry is much less, so from Tyneside I would drive to Plymouth and go from there to Santander.....

I also would maximise the time in Spain etc by going before half term, flying back and then returning if that is possible, 6 weeks is barely long enough IMO. Particularly f you drive the whole way as it will take several days in France and the conditions are not good as the days shorten......

BF deliberately match their price to that of driving IMO - they are not daft operators, but the qiickest way of driving then includes £100+ toll roads in each direction so the costs mount up if driving.....

Sorry, no real answer but hopefully some more things to think about....

Dave


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

We have done both. Don't have a real preference but now always use the tunnel because of the dog  Sailing the Bay of Biscay can also be a bit of an experience in bad weather 


As has been said the roads are always cleared of snow within a day at most. You always know when snow is expected because you see the snow ploughs parked up on the major routes waiting for the off!


Many sites in France and Northern Spain are closed in winter. In France you have the aires but many of them will also be closed. Having said that you can always find somewhere to overnight in France as they are very tolerant of discretely parked motorhomes. You just need to carry an extra toilet cassette and plenty of water. We have parked outside campsites, that we expected to be open, before now


Anyone looking to retire to live in France would do well to open a little, all year, campsite on the snowbirds route to Spain!


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

I have also done it both ways and my preference is to drive. Its true not many campsites are open but with careful planning you can stay on the ones that are open if that is your preference. Aires do not close totally, you can usually stay on them but the facilities might be closed so it is always best to take on water at every opportunity and don't let the level get too low. I would not worry about weather, if it is really bad you can always stop until the situation improves. The best route for avoiding the worst of the weather is to travel down the western side of France. To check out the weather for crossing the Pyrenees you can keep an eye on the situation at http://www.snow-forecast.com/maps/dynamic/pyrenees which you will need to do even if travelling via Santander.
peedee


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## wug (May 19, 2011)

My preference is the ferry to Santander/Bilbao from Portsmouth. We have also driven from St Malo down and back up to Caen. The first time because of rough seas so they took us to St Malo and the second because the ferry broke down when we were due to return. I don't particularly enjoy driving in France, even if the motorways aren't as busy as in England. Once you arrive in Spain you're quickly onto the motorways and although a bit busy at first they soon become unbelievably quiet. They often have plenty of rest areas to pull into, like big lay-bys but off the road. 

In the event of snow they seem very quick to get the motorways open again and unlike the UK they shut them off (there's huge stacking areas for trucks etc) before everyone grinds to a halt. I think I would go early January - the days are getting longer and warmer and you might see the almond blossom.


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

I'm with Peedee. Having covered this route many times I prefer to drive every time, preferring to risk a bit of bad road weather as opposed to bad sea weather in the Bay of Biscay, which can be ruddy awful and frequent. I would choose whichever time you really want to go as you will be very unlucky to be delayed for long by road. The worse time we can recall was being completely snowed in at Madrid (very high altitude) which only took a day to clear. There are enough campsites/aires open on the way for it not to be a problem. Again, do use the western route through France.


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## randonneur (Jan 25, 2007)

*France/Spain*



patp said:


> We have done both. Don't have a real preference but now always use the tunnel because of the dog  Sailing the Bay of Biscay can also be a bit of an experience in bad weather
> 
> Many sites in France and Northern Spain are closed in winter. In France you have the aires but many of them will also be closed. Having said that you can always find somewhere to overnight in France as they are very tolerant of discretely parked motorhomes. You just need to carry an extra toilet cassette and plenty of water. We have parked outside campsites, that we expected to be open, before now.


Having lived in France for 14 years we have never found any Aires closed in Winter, the water may be turned off on some but you can still park up and if it is just for one night it doesn't matter if there is no water provided.


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## holeshole (Mar 20, 2010)

We used to go mid-Feb to mid-April via tunnel and then west or east of Paris for variety. Have never found weather/snow to be a prolonged problem, as has been said before where snow is a regular occurrence then they are all geared up for it and roads are cleared in a few hours. Water on aires can be turned off in northern France but can often be turned on temporarily at an adjacent stopcock. Black-water emptying is normally OK. We carry a multi-headed tool like this (left over from a former employment) http://www.screwfix.com/p/services-...BJrTEY7Om9j4e1AGrRLg3JiMhKvsi-UQy-BoCf4rw_wcB and it has been useful a couple of times.

We now tend to go early-March to early-May, not due to any weather considerations but because tourist attractions very often don't open till after Easter and we like going to museums etc. In our 9 week trips we use aires mostly, wild-camp frequently and usually only use campsites twice when we need to do the washing. This year we got as far south as Malaga where we met some full-timing friends who said that the coast this year was 'stuffed full' of motorhomes so we turned inland and travelled across the central plateau of Spain passing to the east of Madrid towards Sans Sebastian, contrasting sharply with our usual coast/30-mile-inland meanderings.

We tend to prefer the mountain villages and inland areas rather than the coast, accepting that that early in the year we won't get as much sun as on the coast. We like to travel; sitting in the sun in a coastal campsite with a couple of hundred other motorhomes does not appeal. The longest we have stayed on a campsite was a week near Peniscola where we could cycle in to the old and new towns along the beachside cycle paths, similarly a few days near Benidorm (pleasantly surprised - but it was early in the year!). Would recommend going via Andorra (go over the top, not via the tunnel), fuel and booze very cheap (but bear in mind custom limits as Andorra is outside EU); also some fascinating little museums - try the Miniatures Museum http://www.hola-andorra.com/arinsal/english/museumsgb.html#miniature in Ordino.

Can't really advise on the Santander ferry option, never done it. We enjoy the trip through the bottom half of France as much as Spain. Never use motorways, D roads suit us fine.

These are our preferences - they may not be yours. Whatever you do, good travelling!

Alan


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## holeshole (Mar 20, 2010)

Further to the above, forgot to say we wouldn't dream of carrying a spare cassette. Firstly we have nowhere to put it and secondly black-water disposal is nearly always available at all aires. The dispensers (auto-relais etc) that normally take money/tokens can usually be used for black-water disposal without payment even if the water is turned off. Likewise locally designed facilities.

Alan


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## blindwatchertrev (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks very much for the replies, most illuminating. Having noted the comments re likely rough passage over the Bay of Biscay, wor lass is pretty sure we should go the road route so that's one thing settled. Special thanks to Alan ( holeshole......love the moniker) for the suggested itinerary. Never even considered the flying back for half term option. As ever on this site,always amazed how helpful you lot are! Trev


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## holeshole (Mar 20, 2010)

Thanks. As you may have guessed our surname is Hole, a good old west-country name. Hole's Hole is a village on the banks of the Tamar.

Alan


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## blindwatchertrev (Nov 4, 2011)

holeshole said:


> Thanks. As you may have guessed our surname is Hole, a good old west-country name. Hole's Hole is a village on the banks of the Tamar.
> 
> Alan


There's me thinking it was some form of self deprecating witticism! Must be the way my mind works. Trev


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

Great thread - thanks folks









The winter after next we will be joining the snowbirds and plan to drive down to SE Spain leaving Blighty in very early Jan. We will be taking the chunnel (as Mrs GMJ cant do ferries) and plan to travel down the west coast of France. We plan to take c.2 weeks to make the trip without using French peage wherever possible.

Its good to know that aires are (mostly) OK and after holidaying in France in a MH in March before I know that campsites can be sought out.

I'll certainly be on for more info nearer the time but this is a very useful thread - thanks folks.

Graham :smile2:

PS I'm sure the Simon (Campsitewriter) would let us use his car park for a night wouldn't he??


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## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

We hVe done the long crossing loads of times.
We too drive from the north. We take a good book and newspapers some sandwiches and snacks and settle in the very comfortable ensuite cabin for a long sleep / doze.
If we feel like it and sea is smooth we treat ourselves to a meal in restaurant, a snack , coffee and a wander around boat or on deck.
We do not attempt to party or watch entertainment but have watched an odd film.
If weather on rough side snuggle up and sleep.
Never had a problem.
We do same on our return in December after our drive across Spain and before the horrid uk motorways the rest is very welcome


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

holeshole said:


> Further to the above, forgot to say we wouldn't dream of carrying a spare cassette. Firstly we have nowhere to put it and secondly black-water disposal is nearly always available at all aires. The dispensers (auto-relais etc) that normally take money/tokens can usually be used for black-water disposal without payment even if the water is turned off. Likewise locally designed facilities.
> 
> Alan


Alan

Fair comments for those who use aires and also for the OP who is 'passage making' though France, but for those of us touring and using wild camping, where we want to stay more than 3 days, then a spare cassette allows the freedom of not being pressurised into moving just because of the cassette..

In Scotland the spare cassette proved its worth.

France is well-provided with facilities but not all countries are.

Obviously your lack of space restricts those freedoms.

Geoff


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## holeshole (Mar 20, 2010)

Yes, point taken Geoff. In our 'round the island' trip this summer, including a couple of weeks in Orkney, we generally did 3 nights wilding and one night on a CL to service the van. We only stayed a max of two nights in any one place though. We have sometimes used public loos for servicing the van, usually in early morning or late evening when all is quiet and preferably in a disabled loo where everything is contained in a separate room. And, I hasten to add, we often left the facilities cleaner than we found them.

Alan


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