# Drive to Spain Christmas & New year - Best Route?



## mauramac (May 24, 2005)

I am trying to convince my husband to drive to Spain this year but he is really concerned that the weather & roads going through France and Northern Spain might be tricky during December/January.

I should explain (as some of you will already know) that we have yet to get our first MH and may have to hire one for this trip - have never driven one before and have never undertaken this type/length of journey before - so perhaps that might put his concerns into some perspective. :!: 

We will have about 18 days in total and the 'plan' is to drive to Alicante for Christmas (booked into hotel) and then back up to Barcelona for New Year and then home. We will only be using MH for long distance driving, food and toilet breaks - not living in. This type of usage is our main reason for purchasing a MH.

I think what worried him was reading somewhere that you must have snow chains in France/Spain and as this will be our first holiday in several years he just does not want to risk being stuck in - or driving in those sort of conditions.

Is he worrying too much - or am I expecting too much for this first trip?

I know it's impossible to predict the weather but roughly speaking what should we expect and are there any really dodgy mountainous roads we should avoid. Also if we do decide to embark on this trip is there anyone out there who could provide us with a really "safe, boring" route plan, which would be a great confidence builder for our first driving experience.

Type of 'van will probably be something like an A/S hightop or similar, may be a bit bigger if we have to hire one.

Thanks for any advice as always and look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers
Maura


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

We were given good advice from a regular winter traveller to southern France when we were due to drive down to La Manga for a C&CC Rally 3 years ago.

The first thing was not to take the Central France route via Clermont-Ferrand. If there is going to be bad weather then this is a route to avoid.
You don't say where you will be crossing the Channel.
His advice was to take the route down the Auturoute A20, Vierzon and south. We use Calais then Rouen, Evreux, Dreux, Chartres and Orleans for Vierzon because we know it well but others use Paris.
From the A20, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Narbonne, Perpignan and into Spain.

The view of our advisor was that using that route, if bad weather struck there was the option of going west to the coast and following it south into Spain.

In the event we saw no snow.
You don't say why you are not going to sleep in the motorhome but if you have an hotel on wheels why not use it. There are campsites open all year where you can overnight although there aren't as many as open in the summer.
There are even some aires!

HTH


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## mauramac (May 24, 2005)

Thanks Gillian, we would be using Dover to Calais crossing I expect (we live about an hour's drive from there). and it makes sense to use the route you suggest. As the days march on it is becoming increasingly difficult to organise as we have so much to do - most importantly acquiring a vehicle! I have looked at the other option of going by train as opposed to flying (which I am 8O ) and it looks good but is about £1,000 each to get down to Alicante and then there are the hotel bills so I feel a bit guilty about that as it's only me that hates flying - Richard would board anything with an engine and wings.

Well better get off this website pronto as I need to spend what little time I have to try and sort this out.

Thanks again for your reply, It really is appreciated.

May I be the First(?) person to wish everyone a Very Happy Christmas & an extremely Prosperous New Year Ha Ha - or should that be Ho Ho Ho.

:santa:


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## 88967 (May 11, 2005)

*Expected trip To Spain*

Hi Mauramac

Good luck on your trip. 
We are doing similar but our Van..
We are inetnding to use the suggeted route.

Maybe meet you. Thanks for the wishes 
Heres wishing you all you wish for yourselves in 2005

From Judith & Graham


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## mauramac (May 24, 2005)

Thanks Judith & Graham
hope you have a very pleasant journey - please will you e-mail me on your return and let me know how it went. Unfortuantely, due to lack of time (and a MH) I think we will be legging it down to Spain on a train - err not sure about mixed metaphor's there, but you know what I mean.

We did think about trying to hire a MH in France and then drive down the rest of the way to Spain but then it all got complicated and as it would be our first time we thought we should wait until we got our own 'van and do a few shorter journies to begin with.

Best wishes
Maura & Richard


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## 88967 (May 11, 2005)

*Christmas trip*

Hi Maura & Richard,

Thanks for the reply.
Will do as you ask but not till maybe March.

Good luck with the Van. Good friends are always helpful in here.

Seasons greetings and Good luck.

Bye & take care :- Judith & Graham


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