Gerrard8

Hi all,

As the thread suggests, my parents-in-law have a place near Malaga which they hope to retire to in the next few months. Therefore we're driving down on Saturday for our annual summer holiday (rather than flying) so we can help them move some stuff out there.

We're doing the full drive i.e. Dover - Calais then all the way through France and Spain over 3 days (stopping in nothern France sat night and northern Spain Sunday night). So I was just wondering if anyone had any hints, tips or advice for the drive and also are there any sights which we really should not miss (despite the fact that we're going to be on the motorway for most of it).

We wanted to go over the Millau bridge in france but it would have resulted in a massive detour so we've scrapped that idea but we still fancy making the trip as memorable as possible.

Thanks in advance.

kevinbeddow

Gerrard8
You would be better going to poole-cherburg on a day crossing fast ferry then down to Bordeaux, Bilbao,burgos then on the A1 to Madrid Joining A4 Jaen then malaga.not sure if you want to deviate for bridge as it's not good to get at from west france?(been there done that).
west side have a very good toll system.......not many?

palomablanca21

I have done that drive countless times and one of my two favorite places to stop are both near the Spanish/French border but it does involve a slight detour perhaps. Biarritz in France is near the Spanish border and is a gorgeous little french seaside resort on the atlantic coast. From there it's around an hour or so drive to San Sebastian which is a stunning city in Spain. I call it Paris by the sea, definitely worth visiting! A little closer to Malaga you have Granada and the fabulous Alhambra which is a fascinating castle (but you usually need to book to get in - especially at this time of year).

Have a good road trip!

jurdyr

Gerrard8 could you hold all you fuel bills please so we can let people know the new cost off it
thanks ha few photos and vidos aswell .... , love to hear the songs and are we here yet are we here yet are we here yet

entrepinos

Would another possible option to be to drive down to Plymouth and catch the ferry to northern Spain?

palomablanca21

I took the ferry from the UK to the north of Spain and it's a two night trip. I wouldn't recommend it. It's quite expensive and it's much more pleasant to drive and be able to stop along the way. Just an opinion though....

john1979

Me and Ballin of the forum did this in Febuary in 2 vehicles. Calais to Bordeaux and then over the French/Spanish border and drove down to Jaen and on the third day reached Malaga. Stayed in a Campanile in France and a plusher hotel in Jaen, only found by a local taxi driver escorting us there in my party, while Rich ( Ballin ) and Rach were there some time before us in there trusty tranny van

Was a pleasant enough drive apert from entering the Paris ring road by mistake at 8 am

Good luck

John

Gerrard8

Hi guys, thanks for all the responses.

Unfortunately, the ferry is booked (Dover to Boulogne) and so are the hotels – Alencon (France) on Saturday night and Lerma (Spain) on Sunday night. Therefore we don’t have a lot of room for manoeuvre with regards to schedule etc. I was thinking more of scenery / roads which should not be missed along with the odd stop off point of course.

We’re going to visit friends in northern France on the way back so our schedule is a little bit more flexible so might fancy a trip to San Sebastian.

At the moment, the plan is set off from Blackpool around 4am, we’re not sailing until 2pm, but as it’s the first Saturday of the summer holidays we’re setting off early as we don’t want to risk getting stuck in traffic and missing the boat! Get to hotel in Alencon for 7ish. Then on Sunday drive down through France and in to northern Spain, hopefully arriving in Lerma around 7 – 8pm. Then on Monday, drive through Spain and hopefully arrive on the CDS around tea time.

With regards to the fuel – of course I will keep all bills etc and let people know how much fuel is with road tolls etc. We’re in a Diesel people carrier with 4 passengers so I imagine it will be a fair bit more than a normal car.

Not sure if people want to see my ugly mug but might post a few piccy’s to keep everyone entertained!

Cheers,
Mark

redchad

Hi im gonna be doing a similar trip in August, Manchester - Murcia via Dover/Calais. Ive been advised to get a satnav so i bought the Garmin 250w, its got Spain and France street maps and seems pretty good so far. Ive had a play with it and found everywhere i want to visit on route and programmed them in the favorites. Im spending the night in Calais then camping a night in Limoges before travelling down to L'Estartit northern Spain near Girona for 2 days scuba diving then down to Costa Blanca. Not decided on the route back yet so any advice appreciated

El Capitan

The Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry is a 2 night trip yes but the Plymouth to Santander is only 19 hours or so and is much better. I would recommend that route to anyone and if you do your costing for the whole trip, the high ferry price balances at least one night hotel and a lot of fuel. It also leaves you refreshed for the rest of the journey. Coming south through Biscay you dont get much chance to see much but going north you get plenty of light to see dolphins and whales in the summer. The fin whales in biscay are the second largest animal in the world and a great sight to behold as the sun sinks.

poshnbucks

Just to remind you of what you will be missing Seaside humour

betris

why would you take a detour to bilbao.

TheArmChairDetective

what ever happened to john1979, anyone know?

ballin

He's still about fella, just not online that much at the moment

wobbly

See my post on other Thread, nice to see someone else on here who knows Estartit! (spend almost 6 months a year there, moving there for good in 4 years)

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=566905