France A71 and A75 route to Spain

[ianp]

Driving the car to Spain on the weekend of the 11th. Usually go via Irun but thought we would have a change this time as must have done it 8-9 times in the last three years so;
What will the above roads be like in mid December. We are travelling on 3 peak / M&S tyres but should we expect significant snow etc? Would the slightly longer A16 route via Toulouse be warmer and less potentially problematic?
We're heading for Jerez so looking to do the med coast road all the way as part of the change!
Any tips appreciated!

 

[peterc10]

We tried it in March a few years ago and got caught in snow in the Massif Central part. Dual carriage way was down to single track on our side with nothing clearing it. Drove in the wheel tracks of the vehicle in front, which happened to be a German registered Hymer.

Passed a couple of motorhomes on the other side stuck on a hill. After that no traffic coming the other way. A few miles further on we came across a horrific looking accident on the other carriageway with a long queue behind.

A few miles later the snow disappeared and we eventually pulled into the Aire we decided to stop at and so did the German Hymer.

Fraught journey and glad to relax for the night.

 

[Barti Ddu]

We did this route (opposite direction) 3 days ago. Sunny, but cold, down to zero degrees above 1000 metres, and some surrounding snow, but the road itself was completely clear and obviously heavily salted. All mountain tops e.g. Puy de Dome heavily covered in snow as you would expect.

 

[mikebeaches]

I think it is probably a case of watching the weather forecast to try to determine what conditions to expect. The likelyhood is it will be fine, but just to say we encountered heavy snow in late May one year - so it's a case of checking before finalising which way to go.

Good luck with your trip.