costs down to spain ? (1 Viewer)

[greyman1]

can anybody give me an idea of the costs involved in driving down to benidorm from the tunnel ? i would like to avoid tolls wherever possible but as i will be going in jan /feb i know i might have to compromise on that idea ! my van is a 1996 A class hymer 2.5 tdi so i am presuming it will do about 25/30 mpg driving steady on such a run ! by the way what sort of weather should i expect when i actually get down there at that time of year ?

 

[Snowbird]

I always recon on around 4 tanks of fuel from the Midlands to Benidorm. I don't use toll roads so have no idea on that one.

 

[peter marshall]

Hi
You are likely to get bad weather in France that early, we go Satander dearer but a lot nearer the other end and usually better weather, I have never done a figure on the two ways down, but friends of mine from Aberdeen only save about £200 coming down from Calie, that's Calie to la manga ,la manga to Bennicassim, then back to Calie. A lot of extra driving for £200 saving. Pete

Ps they have a 2.2 van.

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[vwalan]

i agree with the above . i use santander . far cheaper for me i live not far from plymouth so in winter 600quid ferry is the cheapest .
my mate from fort william also finds he hardly saves anything doing the santander trip .but saves the drive up and back through france .so saves on wear and tear. he finds going to plymouth is only about an extra 100mls than going to dover.
for me dover is 350 miles away . we are in trucks averaging 16-18 to the gallon .
but wear n tear as to be considered .
we travel early november . france isnt bad then but not good for driving through.

 

[hilldweller]

Mr Google says 1150 miles, /25, 46 gals, 210l.

Do you want to guess the price of diesel ?

210 * 1.5 = £300 (ish) each way of course.

 

[Reallyretired]

We hope to be going down the same way about the same time. My understanding is that the mildest weather in France is likely to be down the Atlantic coast so would go that way rather than down the middle which is likely to be very cold. A lot of the ferries direct to Spain don't seem to run in the winter and as we have a dog we don't fancy the long sea crossing anyway.
The saving on mileage is not so great for us as we are quite near Folkestone for the tunnel and it is 300miles to Plymouth, 600miles from us would see us in Spain so the ferry is much more expensive.
Perhaps someone whose done it a few times could comment on whether the Atlantic coast route is best.

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[Xabia]

I have a house in Javea and do this trip twice a year. Never had a problem with weather either in France or Spain on the Calais, Bordeaux, Zaragoza, Valencia route. Experienced snow near Teruel in November but the Spanish are well organised with snow ploughs in the North and keep the roads clear (main road from Zaragoza to Sagunto is motorway standard but free).

Weather in Benidorm - January is usually quite warm, February is the coldest month and can get cold at night but you will be snug enough in a motorhome, just take warm weather clothes for late afternoon/evening.

 

[vwalan]

hi well certainly i used to use rennes, angers,saumer,poitiers ,
angouleme,perigueux,drop down and across to saralat la caneda.then cahopuirs ,montauban,toulouse,foix,
possibly andorra or skirt it and drop to barcelona .or through andorra and work my way down to tarragona .

another way is angouleme,bordeaux, pau,tarbes, then drop down and through the tunnel de bielsa or across to the border and through the tunel de viella then both drop down to the spanish coast . all very scenic and an adventure.



you can get snow in benidorm ,very often right down to the town but usually it stops on the benidorm hills north of the motorway that separates the town from the rest of the world.definately warm clothes needed . its too far north .really.

 

[pappajohn]

I believe jan and feb, and other winter months, can be very difficult through the Massif Central due to the altitude.

roads can be closed very frequently, at very short notice and for long periods.

the french road authorities dont appear to clear snow from motorways like they do here....they just leave it melt .

we did the run a few years ago, in a 2.5ltr kontiki, down to Castellon...around 100 miles east of Benidorm....from dunkirk and used around £400 of diesel.

no toll roads at all until we hit Spain, then just got waved straight through the booths.

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[tonka]

Summing up and agreeing on some of the above as I have done the route several times and usually in Jan/feb....
The Western route is better But even then it can be cold, this Year last week of Jan was -8 as we came down. The days are short and so you dont get as much driving in as you may think. You can do the whole way without a single toll.
Calais - Rouen - Chartes - N10 to Bordeaux - If the weather is mild we use the somport tunnel if not go via Irun into Spain - Zarragossa - Valencia - Benidorm.
25/30 mpg sound very good fuel economy but maybe base your figures on a lower mpg so at least you dont get any shocks.. As stated no one can predict the cost of fuel and the exchange rate...
Until the time comes you wont know what your facing weather wise..
Good luck, it's a great trip. I came down last week and it was a real change to be doing it in summer..

ps.. 30 degrees here in Benidorm, Diesel €1.42ish ltr.. Lager € 1.20 a pint :thumb::thumb:

 

[vwalan]

hi, from bordeaux down it can be bitter even right by the sea. it gets cold winds coming off the pyrenees mountains . i mean really cold . have seen women crying as its cold night and day.
strangely you cross to spain on the north coast and it immediately gets warmer , amazing .
really different on the other side of the hills . but drive safe ,give yourself plenty of time . i reckon 2-3 days .
it can be lovely as well .warm sunny and not at all like we have said .hard to believe it from one year to the next.

 

[PhilandMena]

Using the 'N10 route' the via Zarragossa it cost me no more than £260.00 each way, including toll fares (2011).

http://about-france.com/travel.htm

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[scrapjack]

Calais v Santander

Hi, We've used most of the routes down and the saving via Calais is considerable. The distance travelling via Rouen/Chartres/N10/Poitier/N10/Angouleme/Bordeaux/Irun is c.1350 miles return and if you calculate the fuel used to be about £260 add £110 for the ferry (return with a dog) and compare the best ferry rate to Santander of £900 then the difference is significant. One of the reasons I shall be going that way again is that I returned on the Santander boat earlier this year I was worried my little dog was going to get blown away when I took him out of the kennels for a walk. Add to that and we tend to spend a bit on food while aboard and so the saving gets even greater.
There will be some tolls you are better not avoiding but to get down to the Spanish border isn't a great expense and the route is virtually dual carriageway all the way.
When we left Benidorm in February the weather was still reasonable. In fact the two months we spent in the area was almost all sunny - chilly evenings and a day or two with some rain but stll worth the effort.
It now suits us to go the longer route but it won't suit everybody.
Trust this helps.
Regards Scrapjack

 

[greyman1]

many thanks for the helpfull replies guys and like you scrapjack we have a dog so the tunnel is the preferred crossing . regards garry

 

[vwalan]

hi ,in winter i dont pay 900quid.i payed 583quid last time including a kennel for the dog.
i go as a car and caravan. dont have a cabin only a seat .thats plymouth to santander in november come back end of april. the price as hardly moved for years . in winter. in 2004 it was 541quid.
can be expensive in summer but in winter it can be beneficial. as said i only do 16-18 mpg ,i cant drive to and fro for that price . some will gain if having a better mpg.
i understand about the dog .i pay for a kennel but leave the dog in my trailer and get permission to giver her a walk at certain times of the trip .it suits her best .always ysed to before the new boats with kennels came out.

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