advice please (1 Viewer)

[townhouse104]

Hi, we are leaving the Uk by ferry in mid February to Santander & plan to follow the coast of Spain to Portugal & down the coast to the med. Because its our first trip I wondered if anyone could help with a recommendation for a 1st nights stop to pre book a sensible distance from the ferry port. I imagine we will feel less stressed if we know we have a stop to head for. We will be in an RV with car trailer. Any other recommendations for suitable stops on the trip would be gratefully received, it would be nice to think we don't have to use formal sites all the time.

 

[wigster]

With an rv and a car trailer dont blame you for asking

When parked up though you can enjoy the luxury

Fair play to you .

 

[andy63]

Hi, we are leaving the Uk by ferry in mid February to Santander & plan to follow the coast of Spain to Portugal & down the coast to the med. Because its our first trip I wondered if anyone could help with a recommendation for a 1st nights stop to pre book a sensible distance from the ferry port. I imagine we will feel less stressed if we know we have a stop to head for. We will be in an RV with car trailer. Any other recommendations for suitable stops on the trip would be gratefully received, it would be nice to think we don't have to use formal sites all the time.

I can't recommend a stop over but can offer some advice which was given to me and turned out to be spot on...
Don't make too rigid a plan and always have a plan B..
At that time of year ferries can be delayed and disrupted so you never know ...
Can understand the need for a bit more planing given your size but it's worth bearing the above in mind..
I was due to arrive morning and thought I would have a days drive...eventually got in at tea time with not a lot of daylight left.. so had to find a different stop over..
Andy..

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[PhilandMena]

Please find attached a link that may help you with your route planning.
http://about-spain.net/travel/map.htm

Whilst the toll fares are a lot cheaper than France, Like France you can travel to your destination on excellent toll free roads or minimal toll free roads (mostly motorways and/or duel carriageways).
You mention going down to the Med and I'm guessing your planning to overwinter down there and if this is the case I would advise you to make a change to your plan. Portugal in Feb & March is going to be very wet because of it's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Many people who overwinter outside of the UK head to the Murcia region of Spain as it is drier and warmer than Portugal. (This is one of the reasons why Benidorm is such a popular resort in the winter). Whilst April can still be wet in Portugal it is a much better time to visit and I would suggest doing a month or so in Spain, working your way gradually down the med before crossing into Portugal.
You have a big rig, so parking and stopping places will be a little restricted compared to others but still plenty to choose from and I would recommend you get the paid version of Camper contact (about £6.00) which you can use off line and will give you stop over and campsites, Aires etc for the whole of Europe.
http://www.campercontact.com/en/

Safe Travels

 

[Geejay]

The Area Por Autocaravanas at Cabarceno - the Elephant park - is often recommended. There's plenty of room (usually) and I've seen some big vans there, but the last few miles are on fairly narrow roads. What size is your RV? Maybe someone with a similar outfit can advise.

And I can reiterate Andy63's advice. Be prepared for cancellation/delays etc. Keep your mobile phone on as you travel to Portsmouth and Brittany Ferries will text you if there's a problem. Their Twitter feed is very helpful and you can ask them for a weather outlook a few days in advance and they'll reply very quickly.

 

[funflair]

Michael @sallylillian has done a fair bit of this with a similar rig I think.

Martin

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[townhouse104]

Thanks to you all for your help, I have downloaded the Campercontact app & it looks to be a great help, our plan is to be in France by mid summer but spend the time up to then exploring northern Spain, Portugal & the med coast of Spain but imagine the Spanish med coast will be very busy by the time we get there so it may be a short visit!
I'll have a good look at the Elephant Park thank you, the RV is 36' plus the car trailers & I will take your advice with regard to weather & possible delays on the ferry.
Martin, thanks for the suggestion of contacting Michael, is that best done via e mail or is there a way via the forum?
Richard