I,ll be honest take lots of breaks and a power nap!last time i did it in a car from notts i was knakered and in one hit stopping only for fuel.Did that route last week in the truck down to valencia took me 21hrs driving but that was at a limited 87kph,its not easy to do but 2 drivers will make it easier for you,best of all you will only get traffic around bordeaux.
Good tip here try to start from calais 7ish in the evening then that way you,l get the night driving done while youre still fresh,good luck!

They must be mad...All of this talk about how quick to do a route and not speeding, but no one seems to take a break, which is a big cause of death.

Hi Fred,

Many thanks for the info. I was a little fearful of going down the East side of Spain as Google showed it would take 2 hours longer. We are desperate to make it in under 24 hours (closer to 20 would be our target). Got a lot of Golf to cram in during our break.

I'm off to the Cash-n-Carry at 9:00am to stock up on Mars Bars for the trip.

I will watch out for the boys in blue in France - Only hope it does not rain - As that may curtail our speed somewhat.

Again, many thanks for your advice.

Simple!

Hi bbeau,
The suggested start time is exactly what we were planning.
We are not so much mad - but daft! We know what we are doing and plan to Sleep overload prior to the journey. Oh and consume lots of Red-Bull!
By the time we arrive we will be completely zinged up ready to play golf!
Can't wait.
No point working hard, unless you can play hard as well! Rest is for the co-driver!
Cheers.
SS

Just to Fred's point, which again can't really be countered on common sense, merely answered, my friends - like I suspect many - drive long distances on turn & turn about, one resting one driving. Not perfect, but does mean neither driver is doing the whole thing nor either having to stay awake.
Not sure about the Mars bars though, I'd have thought all that stodge wouldn't do the response times any good.... crudites, apple juice, black coffee sound more sensible!

I can`t believe you are rushing down to play a game.
All that speed, danger and hastle just to spoil a good walk by playing golf at the same time.
You really did pick a sensible user name.

PS; did you know it`s Gota Fria season ?

I agree, they "dont have a choice" becuase they dont want to miss a game of golf

I just hope they dont kill any poor souls on the way down due to their selfishness

Im sorry Si, I dont want to be overly negative but you want to drive that distance in 24 hours with no sleep (you dont really sleep sitting in the passenger seat of a van) and then play a game of golf. Now I KNOW you are mad. After we did our run we were fit to drop. I was incapable of doing anything, let alone play a round of golf. And yes, we took Red Bull with us and loads of chocolate bars ....... but eventually it catches up with you.

You wont be zinged up Simon, you will be ****ed up!

Provided there are no J-Walkers on the toll-roads we won't be killing anyone. Our intention is not to crash into any other cars either, as we are both incredibly responsible and careful drivers.

We have to do the journey in one go for a number of reasons, and have no other choice. Minimising our journey time will mean we can have great periods of recovery and sleep at either end.

As I said, we're not mad - just daft - but sensibly daft.

Did more or less the same journey last year across to the other side of Ireland and it was pouring most of the way - Again we were sensible and considerate of other peoples lives, as well as our own.

We will also have Elbow, John Legend, The Script and Michael Jackson playing full blast to keep us awake. The sleeping co-pilot will be wearing Bose Noise Reduction Headphones.

Your advice and concern is greatly appreciated.

SS

Would be interesting to see if they are in such a hurry to rush back to the UK. Having played golf or if it will be a leisurely return at a sensible speed and break stops.

If they are in such a rush to play golf they could fly to Malaga and hire a car, just do not go by ryanair, your golf cubs will cost you more than your ticket. cheaper to buy the clubs a seat in the cabin than let them rough it in the hold.

It took you 24 hours non stop driving to get to the other side of Ireland?
No, as I said, its your risk. As I told you it took me 24 hours to get to just South of Valencia, so unless to break the speed limit hugely, I'd be suprised if you get to where you are going in 24.

Good luck. But if you can, please stay well away from the Oliva area as you will be dropping off by the time you get there

Have good game

EDIT: I ought to add, it takes me 7 hours in a car to get to the other side of Gibraltar from here. Granted, you will be going through the centre of Spain, but it gives you an idea. It takes me 4.5 hours on motorway to get from here to Barcelona, and 9 hours or so to get from here to Valences Nord (well short of Lyon), again on motorway

Absolute Nutter!

Well it seems that the bloke aint gonna listen to anyones good advice so why are you bothering

Weve done it twice now and will be doing it again twice next year - we love the drive down but we aint stupid enough not to do it without having proper breaks and rests - dont be a fool man - just take an extra day off work

I see a few of you guys commenting on the pros and cons of redbull and mars bars etc to keep you on the ball when driving.
I think I've tried them all, from redbull and other energy drinks and cocacola down to mars bars.
I find I have to drink redbull by the gallon to get any reasonable effect.
Its very expensive for what it is,and the caffeine content is no different from the others, including cocacola, which I prefer tastewise.
The energy content,glucose,dextrose,sugar,marsbars or whatever makes little or no difference regarding driving, if you are on a decent diet and had a good breckie.
The main thing is to keep your brain and reactions sharp.
Two pots of strong black coffee before you hit the road are a big help, but on the other hand, the sort of stuff you get ripped off for in the services is not much good really.
My own solution, which works fine for me, is to stuff about three spoons of coffee (straight out the jar),straight down my neck, before starting out and same again at mid-day if needs be.
To do this I follow each spoonful with a big spoon or slurp of yoghurt, which not only helps it down easily, but stops any harsh stomach reactions to the caffeine, which then takes a more gradual effect.
This works wonders for me, and even after what would normally be a long tiring day on the road, I still feel sharp,not in the least fatigued, until the caffeine effect wears off much later.

We have done this drive twice recently ending in Malaga - we do it in two 12 hours stints with breaks and do not break the speed limit- take a car fridge stocked up with nice food.
Best way round Madrid is on the new M50 - takes about 25 mins from getting on to getting off at the Cordoba sign. (do not get off before or you will get lost)