Any advice on going to Portugal in Dec!!!!!

Patrick · 03-10-2008, 05:47 PM

I am planning to tour down to Portugal then on to Spain on my own, poor Adel has to work! Aww! I will be starting of in December in a 32ft RV.

It would be great to travel with others doing the same thing.

I’m looking for any advice from the funsters who have done it before. I have driven in Europe lots of times before but this was in a HGV and not for pleasure so would like advice on the following:

Stop-over’s on the way to the port 32 ft RV

The best port to sail from

Best route down to Portugal

Best places to stay when in Portugal

Thank’s to Motor home fun and all the great people we have met so far for making this year a great memory so far!

Patrick

david price · 03-10-2008, 07:45 PM

Hi,patrick,we met at the fishing weekend.We did the barbie cooking.
I have a bessie 769 on a tag axle so only slightly smaller than your rig.We do dover/calais as other crossings work out very expensive.
We just follow tom tom down to algarve and avoid tolls.You should have no problems with parking etc.I may even travel down with you depending on work committments.Either way enjoy.
Dave.
Ps.camping albufuira and some good wild camping on the beach at quarteira.

Geo · 03-10-2008, 07:48 PM

Patrick
if you get no joy on here, PM The F Man (Mark) he been and done it a few times, he's back to day or Saturday I believe and he will have a few sites to look at i'm sure
The route we took through Spain was quite close to Portugal at times
Geo

olley · 03-10-2008, 11:20 PM

Hi Patrick been down there a couple of times in the last 12 months, always via Dover-Calais, I did consider Porstmouth-Bilbao/Santander which if you add up all the fuel you will burn getting to there from Calais is no more expensive than driving, but the wifes not keen on boats.

Don't know if there is a "best" route, we went once through Rouen and once through Paris, the Rouen route is longer but Paris is more congested, then down to bordeaux either via Le-mans-Tours-Poitier or Orleans-Tours

We did go Orleans-Limoges and stopped of at Parc Verger an RV site owned by an English couple. About 400miles from Calais so doable in a day. There's also Twin Lakes near Bordeaux, another English owned site but at 500 miles from Calais that's to far for me, but probable a doddle to a youngster like you.

The other time we stopped at a Motorway aire somewhere around Niort, both times we then stopped at St-Jean-de-Luz for the second night, there's a nice car park close to the Railway Station that you can park after about 18.00, but you need to be on your way by about 08.00

You will find very few sites open at this time of year on the West coast of France or Spain, Their is one at Burgos in Spain where we spent our third night, getting up early and driving directly to Camping Lisbon in Portugal, and then a few days later down to Quarteira, their are many sites open down there on the coast around Faro, most filled with snowbirds.

Olley

Patrick · 04-10-2008, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david price

Hi,patrick,we met at the fishing weekend.We did the barbie cooking.
I have a bessie 769 on a tag axle so only slightly smaller than your rig.We do dover/calais as other crossings work out very expensive.
We just follow tom tom down to algarve and avoid tolls.You should have no problems with parking etc.I may even travel down with you depending on work committments.Either way enjoy.
Dave.
Ps.camping albufuira and some good wild camping on the beach at quarteira.

Hi dave, thank's for that mate, hope you get the time to come down, might get enough for a meet in potugal then!

Would be nice to meet up mate!

patrick

Patrick · 04-10-2008, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olley

Hi Patrick been down there a couple of times in the last 12 months, always via Dover-Calais, I did consider Porstmouth-Bilbao/Santander which if you add up all the fuel you will burn getting to there from Calais is no more expensive than driving, but the wifes not keen on boats.

Don't know if there is a "best" route, we went once through Rouen and once through Paris, the Rouen route is longer but Paris is more congested, then down to bordeaux either via Le-mans-Tours-Poitier or Orleans-Tours

We did go Orleans-Limoges and stopped of at Parc Verger an RV site owned by an English couple. About 400miles from Calais so doable in a day. There's also Twin Lakes near Bordeaux, another English owned site but at 500 miles from Calais that's to far for me, but probable a doddle to a youngster like you.

The other time we stopped at a Motorway aire somewhere around Niort, both times we then stopped at St-Jean-de-Luz for the second night, there's a nice car park close to the Railway Station that you can park after about 18.00, but you need to be on your way by about 08.00

You will find very few sites open at this time of year on the West coast of France or Spain, Their is one at Burgos in Spain where we spent our third night, getting up early and driving directly to Camping Lisbon in Portugal, and then a few days later down to Quarteira, their are many sites open down there on the coast around Faro, most filled with snowbirds.

Olley

Hi Olley, thank's for you input i have made notes and will look at the differance in the ferry prices!

patrick

Patrick · 04-10-2008, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geo

Patrick
if you get no joy on here, PM The F Man (Mark) he been and done it a few times, he's back to day or Saturday I believe and he will have a few sites to look at i'm sure
The route we took through Spain was quite close to Portugal at times
Geo

Cheers G, i will PM him tomorrow. Ive got my window stickers so as to fly the funsters flag, must get two pennants of jim at the birthday bash to put on my arial's.

patrick

Parcverger · 04-10-2008, 06:32 AM

Hi - we have family in the Bristol area, and usually travel south on the Portsmouth-St Malo ferry as we reckon it is the best crossing. Sailing is at 8.30pm UK time, with time for a meal, good night's sleep and breakfast before docking at 8.15am French time. We can give you a Britanny Ferries discount code if you PM us.

Whether you go down the west coast or come in our direction (Limousin) for a day or two's stopover, it is a much shorter drive than going Dover/Calais, so you'll need to calculate the fuel costs of one way compared with the other to reaally compare costs.

Whatever route yoou take enjoy your drive through France - it is a beautiful country.

Bob and Di

keith · 04-10-2008, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick

I am planning to tour down to Portugal then on to Spain on my own, poor Adel has to work! Aww! I will be starting of in December in a 32ft RV.

It would be great to travel with others doing the same thing.

I’m looking for any advice from the funsters who have done it before. I have driven in Europe lots of times before but this was in a HGV and not for pleasure so would like advice on the following:

Stop-over’s on the way to the port 32 ft RV

The best port to sail from

Best route down to Portugal

Best places to stay when in Portugal

Thank’s to Motor home fun and all the great people we have met so far for making this year a great memory so far!

Patrick

Hi Patrick

Done this trip for the past 5 winters, though finished up in different places, we like a change.

As you will have gathered we all have our own routes. We will be heading to Southern Spain at the beginning of December, crossing via Dover. We were hoping to 'tunnel' be not sure of the situation after the fire.

Did the trip in 06/07 in a 32' RV & Toad without toooooo much trouble but watch out for the village centres & narrow roads.

Places to stay in Protugal open in winter:
Camping Val Vaede, Luz in the SW near Lagos. RV OK
Puebla de Sanabria good place to stop on route near Portugese/ Spanish border RV OK
Camping Makadia near Odivelas, Beja. Next to a lake, great spot. RV OK

If you want more info let me know.

Keith

Patrick · 04-10-2008, 03:40 PM

Thanks for all the advice so far!