A novice. How does this sound to you? (1 Viewer)

[Cliffdale]

Firstly, any tips to go to Santander via Plymouth around 18 September next year. We can go via the tunnel if necessary.

Allow 3 days to Aquarias (north of Barcelona) arrive and book for 22 Sept. Book and stay for 2 weeks. Spending time visiting local areas. prefer train and bus service, not travelling in motorhome. Then to Valanova around 6 oct to 21 october. After this head towards Gib and stopping on the way, no bookings and hoping for the best! (Any not to be missed places en route appreciated.

Likes, hot weather, swimming pool and local restaurants to eat at. End date is unlimited as long as we are enjoying the trip.

Think about booking via Camping and Caravanning Club.

Down side for us and being hesitant, usually we dont like booking in advance and prefer to turn up where we get to. Reading reviews, looks like its best to book a long way in advance.



Any thoughts from more experienced motorhomers!

 

[rosalan]

Not quite sure what you are going to do. Are you taking your Motorhome to Spain, then travelling around? Alternatively are you leaving the MH at home and travelling as a foot passenger on the boat and then using public transport.

 

[Cliffdale]

The plan is to take the motorhome to Spain for a month or 2 . Motor home is 7.5m so its not that good for going into town. Looking for sites with good public transport near by. Love swimming and local restaurants! Pool essential. The motorhome will be the base where we live.

Booking for a stress free break, not wondering where we are staying next.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[mitzimad]

Wyou don't really need to book that time of year

 

[Augusta08]

Firstly, any tips to go to Santander via Plymouth around 18 September next year. We can go via the tunnel if necessary.

Allow 3 days to Aquarias (north of Barcelona) arrive and book for 22 Sept. Book and stay for 2 weeks. Spending time visiting local areas. prefer train and bus service, not travelling in motorhome. Then to Valanova around 6 oct to 21 october. After this head towards Gib and stopping on the way, no bookings and hoping for the best! (Any not to be missed places en route appreciated.

Likes, hot weather, swimming pool and local restaurants to eat at. End date is unlimited as long as we are enjoying the trip.

Think about booking via Camping and Caravanning Club.

Down side for us and being hesitant, usually we dont like booking in advance and prefer to turn up where we get to. Reading reviews, looks like its best to book a long way in advance.



Any thoughts from more experienced motorhomers!

Sounds like a super holiday, CCC saves quite a bit on site fees, but no need to book in advance, you'll still get the discount phone in the day before you go.

 

[Cliffdale]

Thanks for suggestion. Motorhome club says these sites get fully booked at this time of year so book early. But if we can tour with out worry of staying somewhere, i prefer to do this

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[rosalan]

ACSI, ACSI, ACSI! At this time of year the discounts from ACSI and the detailed book provided on campsites, not only in Spain, is perhaps one of the best routes for you to take.
The books(2) and voucher cost from around £15 and is available online. For the saving of one nights stay, you can pay for the lot. The pictures and camping details should more than answer your questions. Once you are travelling off-season, you should not be without this book and card (included). However, on some sites, it may be possible if you stay long enough, to get a similar reduction. I would still buy the books just to help me decide where to go.

 

[peterc10]

You really will not need to book at that time of year. We made that mistake first time out. Most of the sites will be nearly empty. It is the gap between the summer crowds and the snow birds staying for the winter. With an ACSI discount card and book and and the campercontact app on your mobile phone you will be covered for any eventuality.

Much more relaxing to just following your nose and stop wherever you like. Last autumn we were heading for Spain and Portugal but ended up taking over two weeks to get through France. The weather was good and we bumped into some reprobate funsters on the Ile to Re, like you do! We only got into Spain once the weather started deteriorating.

 

[Cliffdale]

Thanks, I have ACSI but not managed to use it in this country! I'll have to check when it expires. Do you get an renewal reminder with ACSI?

Also thanks to the pm's I have received.

Putting my thoughts here and without applying discount codes, ferry Plymouth to Santander is £474 plus £85 cabin and trip takes 20 hours. Date to travel around 23 Sept. Plymouth is only 40 miles from where I live so quite convenient.

We have also looked at the Euro Tunnel. One way is only £86, but then applied St Austell to Santander via Folkstone is 1157 miles (or around 53 gallons of fuel). For easy reckoning, say at £7 per gallon is £386 in fuel, its not worth it for very little saving.

Most favoured option is Plymouth to Rosoff. Its a 7 hr ferry trip costing £170 plus £55 for a cabin. This allows us to tootle along using Aires, so well reported here. I take the advice no need to book this time of year, (late September) and will have no pressure to get somewhere. I think we will just follow the coast and head South stopping off at places of interest.

Next, I need to compile 'not to be missed places to visit@ en route!

Sounds like I have a plan!

Anyone else thinking the same and heading that way in September?

Cliff

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[magicsurfbus]

Central Barcelona kept us amused for about 3 days, and you need to like Gaudi architecture for it to keep your attention, unless you're mad keen on shopping. I'd say the Sagrada Familia is the must visit site there - utterly unique. The city's not especially pedestrian friendly so there's traffic everywhere, which can get a bit wearing in the heat. We used a campsite at Sitges and took the bus into the city. Three days from N France to Barcelona isn't unreasonable but you'll be in the MH cab a lot. If you don't mind that (we don't) it's no bother.

 

[Cliffdale]

@magicsurfbus
Sitges is definitely a place I would like to stay for a while, good public transport to Barcelona. Whats the name of the site you stayed at?

I have on my list Vilanova park (a CCC site) but it is not as near to Sitges as I would like to be.

Edit,

I am also thinking of visiting Aquarias which is north of Barcelona

Cliff

 

[carolyn]

If you book overseas sites via CCC there is a £75 booking fee which is waved if you book the crossing with them.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[magicsurfbus]

Whats the name of the site you stayed at?

Camping El Garrofer - the pitches were a bit compact and you need to mind low branches but that's often the case in Spain. Bus stop outside the front gate. It did the job for Barcelona, and Sitges is quite pleasant as Med resorts go.

Another place we visited in Barcelona was Poble Espanyol which has examples of traditional historic Spanish buildings all grouped together in a single place - a sort of architectural museum. That was a bit different.

At some point on the trip we stopped at the beachside campsite called Camping Nautic Almata which is in a designated park/reserve and is unusually green for Spain. Not cheap but well set up for a restful few days by the sea.

If you're looking at stops on the way down, there's a huge aire at Gruissan-plage SE of Narbonne, and another just off the D914 above Collioure, which is a picturesque Med village with a free shuttle bus service from the aire.

I think most people on MHF would say go down the A75 through France (which is largely toll-free) but try to find a way round Paris that doesn't involve the Boulevard Peripherique. The Autoroute is quite high up in places on the southern bit so there's some impressive scenery, plus the modern civil engineering marvel that is the Millau Bridge.

 

[westhamman]

Stayed in a hotel at sitges for a week, now i am not homophobic, but sitges is apparently the gay capital of spain, felt like a piece of meat walking up the high street, men looking at me, i think wolf whistling at me, my darling wife told me not to be so paranoid, that they are gay, not blind desperate and stupid, she had a point.
Not keen on sitges but I was a english man abroad and could not understand why things were not interpreted into english for my convinience, it was very spanish but why wouldn't it be it is in spain after àll. Just not like other spanish towns I had been too.

 

[peterc10]

Thanks, I have ACSI but not managed to use it in this country! I'll have to check when it expires. Do you get an renewal reminder with ACSI?

There are two types of ACSI card available. One is just a membership. The other is a off-season discount card, which is more useful for you. It comes with two books showing those sites that offer discount. Costs about £12 and you normally save that by staying for more than 3 nights! Vicarious books sell it.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[peterc10]

Not keen on sitges but I was a english man abroad and could not understand why things were not interpreted into english for my convinience, it was very spanish but why wouldn't it be it is in spain after àll. Just not like other spanish towns I had been too.

The last thing I want when I am in Spain (or any other country) is to stay at a place that panders to us Brits ........

 

[magicsurfbus]

..sitges is apparently the gay capital of spain, felt like a piece of meat walking up the high street, men looking at me, i think wolf whistling at me..

You should be so lucky - I had no such attention from either sex, or gender, or whatever it's called these days.

It's fair to say there's more than one type of camping in Sitges.

 

[magicsurfbus]

[double post]

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[rosalan]

You may find that in France, Aires are your best bet as many Campsites close in September (ACSI book will show you).
As I love warm weather and a touch of history, Cordoba and Merida are two centres not to be missed, both have Aires and Hotels close to attractions. For a 'holiday' place, we love Torre del Mar, where a campsite (2) is beside the town and all vacation interests are catered for without being 'glitzy'.
There are too many easy to stay at campsites, payed Aires and free Aires in Spain to list but if it is a relaxing holiday you want, I am not sure that I can tell the difference between parking up and using public transport or using your van and staying as long as you wish when you find somewhere you like, unless you do not like driving. Driving in Spain is generally a far nicer experience than anywhere else in Europe, with quiet excellent roads once you leave the 'Costas'.

 

[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.


Wyn

 

[cruiser]

It looks like you have things planed. We will be going over early sept. So watch out you may see us around .

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}