Driving back to Spain
 

In the UK ferry has been cancelled today and are now due to return on Sunday's but seem forecast for then and looks bad again. Thinking we may have to drive what is best way to drive via tunnel to south west Spain and any tips.

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

We too have an eye on the weather. We drive back to Spain on the 20th, hoping the weather improves enough for the ferry to be operating as normal by then, although this does not help you at all.

Several routes you could use but I'd make my way up to the Logrono/Pamplona area and cross into France at Pau rather than using the crossing at Figures near to Girona/Barcelona. That way you can travel up by Bordeaux and Poiters and avoid Paris.

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

Hi, you could also post on the France forum! Plenty of expats here drive from Calais to the SW of France and can give tips.
I can't speak for the north of France, but the Autoroute A75 is free from Clermont Ferrand to Béziers, after which you'd have the A9 down to Barcelona and beyond.
Good luck!:)

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

We've always crossed at San Sebastian - as far north as you can do it.

I would do Calais, Rouen, Le Mans, Bordeaux, cross to Spain, Valladoloid, Sevilla.

Here's a map.

https://goo.gl/maps/gbLw3

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

We are very nervous so want to avoid cities if at all possible.

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

Well in France you don't actually go through many cities- they are bypassed. Rouen is an exception but I think that's the only one. I've never done the western route in Spain - I've always come via Madrid - but I expect you know that route.

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

This is a good run, we've done it before
If you want to avoid any built up areas then go via the east of France down to Lyon, over to Perpignon etc ... but you will have to pay the tolls of around €140 as its all motorway

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

140 euros is horrendous do they reduce the tolls in.the winter?,

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

Not as far as I know. The reason we originally did it was because it was fast and avoided Paris. We used to night out at Valence Nord and did it in two days. I just checked on viamichelin and the tolls are €120, but that includes tolls all the way from Calais and through Spain. 1082 miles to Valencia with 1070 of those on motorway

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

"Gale force winds in all areas" according to shipping forecast; safer to take the land route this time of year.
*Use Portsmouth-Le Havre, St Malo or Caen if possible. Anything else means a lot more kms.
*Caen-Laval-Chateau Gontier-Saumur in about 3hrs. Saumur is a nice place for a coffee break. Caen-Saumur is about 190mls. Avoid Tours; horrible bottleneck.
*Saumur-Poitiers-Angouleme, about 200km
*Next, head for St Emilion. I'd use the N10 & then turn off at the D670 towards Libourne, otherwise, from Angouleme to St Emilion will seem like ages on the twisty D roads. St Emilion would be a good place to stay overnight if you think you can make it that far in a day, which is do-able.
*Head back towards Bordeaux & then to get round it, head for the airport, signed Merignac as it takes you on the Western side of Bordeaux.
Bear in mind now that the dual carriageway (N10/A63) south of Bordeaux has 2 new toll booths along its 175 km route from Bordeaux to north of Bayonne, amounting to around €30 when before it was free. You can avoid the tolls by driving south of Bordeaux along A62 to Langon & Mont de Marsan on the National road or else the A63 but turn off around exit 21 near Belin Beliet to get to Mont de Marsan. From there, Dax & Bayonne & then motorway to 'San Sebastien'.

*When you start to see the Pyrennees, if you fancy a last stop in France, avoid Biarritz & go to St Jean de Luz (Nord). Only 2-3 kms from motorway & a lovely little town.
*Back onto the A63, head for St Sebastien (Spain) & you'll meet 2 tolls, one costing about €2,the other €1.50 or so.
*Once in Spain San Sebstian (Donostia in Basque) is a lovely resort. Good parking.
*If you want Pamplona, fine. It's called Iruña in Basque!
*If you want Bilbao & the Guggenheim, fine. The motorway will get you there in about an hour & cost around €7.
*From Donosti (San Sebastian) take the autoroute direction Vitoria, then Burgos; then either Vallodolid or Madrid on N1, but by then you're perhaps on familiar ground!

If you wish to stop in la Rioja, try Laguardia for a hilltop wine town; arrange a visit to either Marques de Riscal vineyard with its Frank Gehry designed Guggenheim lookalike hotel, which is very expensive. From the town take a look at Domecq's bodega, Ysios, which I reckon has a better style of building.
*If you head south via Zaragoza, try to stop at Belchite, about 35km south. It's been left as a monument, totally in ruins from the Civil War.
*You may want to then head south west, via Madrid to be in the Benidorm direction. Zaragoza is a bit on the east side.
*Alternatively, try Vitoria-Burgos-Valladolid, all dual carriageway & non-toll. Then look for a castle or two, such as Peñafiel, Medina del Campo, Coca.
*Segovia worth a stop to see the Roman aqueduct & sample suckling pig.

PS: they never reduce tolls!!

Pleasant journey.

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

That's exactly the route we always took until we started using the ferry to Santander.

It is motorway right from leaving the tunnel until you get home in Chiclana and easy driving with lots of pull-offs for wee, petrol and food along the various motorways.

We have travelled in summer and winter and we have never been weathered in. However crossing the Pyrenees we have seen a white out which slowed progress but the Spanish have it covered with snow plough gritters about every 2 miles in the center of the road.

But! The cost in tolls in France and a few in Spain together with an overnight in France around Poiters is about the same as one way on the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander.

The only city you will go through on the entire route would Rouen because the motorway by pass in not yet completed but it is not too bad. If your Sat Nav has up to date mapping the whole route should be on there.

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

Agree with all of that. We are going to UK in Spring and will use Santander.

We've done Calais twice now in both directions to try to save costs and you don't. Also, the driving time is about 24 hours from southern Spain to somewhere in the south of England (Bristol in our case) so with one stop you have two X 12 hour drives and with two stops you have three X 8 hour drives - not exactly relaxing. We once did it with no stops in 24 hours mid-day to mid-day - not recommended on safety grounds.

Far better if you can take a week or so to do it and see some sights on the way.

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

San Sebastian is a doddle now since they put the new by-pass in.
The stretch from Bordeaux to Bayonne is now much improved also.
Only drawback is the increased number of tolls in the border region, though they don't amount to much cost-wise.

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

We do this route for a direct trip. We avoid tolls as far as the border then pay toll to cross Pyrenees its worth the cost then a good free road all the way.

Re: Driving back to Spain
 

We stop at St Jean de Luz before/after crossing Pyrenees. Plenty of hotels and Chambre d'haute places to stay.