Planning a trip to Spain in winter - do I need to book? (1 Viewer)

[Chuns]

I'm hoping to tap into vast experience here.

I'm planning our first trip to Spain at the end of February - we must be the only people in the UK who have never been there on holiday.

The only thing that is fixed is the outbound ferry, which is booked. We will drive straight down to near Almeria, footle around a bit there, and then make our way back by way of Grenada, Gibraltar, Seville, Cordoba, Madrid, Logrono and into France.

I know southern Spain is very popular in winter, and I guess the coastal places will be most popular, but, broadly, will we find it difficult to find a place for the night at short notice? I'm not keen on being tied to a timetable because of bookings.

I have the ACSI and All the Aires books, are there other references I need?

Thanks to anybody who has the kindness to offer help and advice.

 

[funflair]

Given that you want to exercise a bit of freedom I would say that by the end of Feb you should be OK, we have been that time and not booked anything, If you find you want to be someplace specific for a week or two you could always email or ring them.

Martin

EDIT campercontact is handy.

 

[2657]

The more popular sites in places like Benidorm do get full in winter but we have never had a problem finding a site, by the middle of March sites start to quieten.

If going to Almeria we have stayed at Los Escullos many times in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, there is also a new camperstop nearby plus other sites at Cabo de Gata and Las Negras.

On the journey south there are many service areas which are safe enough to stay on, many with excellent bar/restaurants.

Campercontact is an excellent resource and can be accessed free on a laptop and a cheap app for a smartphone.

There are 3 aires that I know of in Seville, one is in easy walking distance of the centre, can't post links on this appliance but if you have difficulties there are many on this forum that will help.

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[Lenny HB]

End of Feb should be fine, we were in Portugal and Spain from mid Feb to Mid April last year, towards the end of Feb there where plenty of spaces at most places.

 

[Hagstrom]

We've been going to Spain for the winter for the last 12 years and in all that time have never booked a site and never been turned away because a site was full.

 

[The Nomad]

Don't forget that well as full feature campsites there are also hundreds of motorhome aires, plus many hundred more tolerated overnight parking spots. It's also legal throughout Spain (except right on beaches) to simply park up and then stay in your MH overnight, in any place where other vehicles can park.
Camperstop Europe is our resource of choice as we almost never use campsites when we tour around Spain and elsewhere across mainland Europe.
Camper contact is another excellent website/database of Aires and tolerated overnight locations.
We have never booked ahead and only once out of maybe 400 or more nights touring in Spain have we ever been unable to get a spot.... But even then we just parked up in a quiet street in the same village.

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[jumartoo]

We've been going to Spain for the winter for the last 12 years and in all that time have never booked a site and never been turned away because a site was full.

Not booked, hey??? Reserved maybe

 

[Chuns]

Thank you, all, for that helpful and reassuring advice.

Matamoros, los Escullos is where I was thinking of basing ourselves for a few days.

I agree about Campercontact, I find it fascinating how the three resources (Campercontact, Park4night, and All the Aires) I like to use differ, and overlap.

 

[EuroTrotters]

We've been going to Spain for the winter for the last 12 years and in all that time have never booked a site and never been turned away because a site was full.

12 years ago, things were differently in my opinion.

These days there are many more Motorhomers from all over Europe.

Many of the more popular sites are booked up.

If you are turning up ad hoc, you might be better earlier in the day and be prepared to ring around and travel.

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[BKen]

Here on the Costa Blanca its getting busy already .Seen lots more vans already this year than last year and last year was busy .But if you only plan a couple of days here and there you should not have to much of a problem sloting into spaces, lots of vans move on regularly anyway.

OH yes you should get the books and the app if possible.

 

[PhilandMena]

You may find the following helpful. Safe travels.

Firstly, routes and route maps for France and Spain. This first link is for an award winning database about France. It’s big and with a host of information on best routes to many locations. I have selected the famous N10 route from Calais to Irun which is used by many motorhomes when travelling to Spain. It’s almost Toll free (more on that a little later) and almost all duel carriageway from start to finish with the exception of about 100 K. The whole route is great for motorhomes small, medium and large.

https://about-france.com/tourism/no-tolls-routes.htm

Tolls: We avoid the toll road from Calais to Abbeville and save 12.50 Euros. The non-toll route is quite scenic and fairly straight forward, between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Abbeville.

At Abbeville, join the A28 and cross the river Sein at Rouen. We take the second exit immediately after crossing the bridge (about 50 m past the first exit at the end of the bridge), swing down and under the bridge you have just crossed and continue on this road and join the A13 motorway until the N154 which takes you down to Evreux (Note: there are a number of different options for getting through Rouen and no doubt other members will have their own preferences. We find this very straight forward on both outward and return legs). Approaching Tours on the D910 join the A10 toll road at Jct. 19 and exit at Jct. 23. This will take you through the city via the toll road, (about 2.50 euros). At Jct. 23 take the exit lane for Montbazon which returns you to the D910. (Reverse for the return leg). That’s the last toll to pay until you hit the bottom of the A63 after Bordeaux.

To save toll fares on the A63 south of Bordeaux please read the route recommendations in the above link. Do not come off the A63 near the bottom as all roads will be heavily congested and it’s worth paying the last few tolls. (Fuel costs approx. €126.72. (Based on 1056 K @10K per Ltr. @€1.20 per ltr. 3.5T motorhome)). This route is also recommended during winter, due to its proximity to the Atlantic ocean, which means little to no problems with ice and or snow, unlike using the A75 to cross the Massif Central. Although the A75 is quickly cleared, it is advisable to have winter tyres fitted and there may be some small delays due to snow ploughs clearing this route.

If heading to the Mediterranean side of Spain, it’s worth taking the N121-A to Pamplona after crossing the Spanish boarder on the A63 at Irun. It’s clearly sign posted (Large white sign) about 300 m after passing through the last tollbooth and crossing the river. You will find more details in this link for the N121-A and how to navigate Spain toll free.

https://about-spain.net/travel/no-tolls.htm

If you decide to pay Tolls in order to save time getting to Spain, your best route options are in this link.

https://about-france.com/tourism/routes-to-spain.htm

Should you choose to plan your own routes anywhere in Europe and also establish Toll costs, use this link. Under route options, select caravan then select toll roads. Toll costs for a class 2 motorhome will be calculated for the whole journey. You can also choose Non toll routes and other options. This is currently one of the best online free route planers.

https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/

As for stop overs on routes, you can’t go wrong using the App below which is free but I would recommend getting the paid version for about £6.00 which you can then use off line. You will find numerous places to stop along the above route and I have deliberately not made any recommendations so drivers can make their own choices. This app is also brilliant for finding other places too and highly rated by many users.

https://www.campercontact.com/en/content/app

There is another popular app/website that is used which you may also find useful if you’re doing a lot of wilding and looking for free overnight stops. It too is used by many motor homers in Europe. Get the paid version to use off line for around £9.00

https://www.park4night.com/

Finally, probably the best off line maps ‘App’ and used by many. It also includes a sat-nav function which is quite good and can also be used off line. Again many motor homers use this, especially in Morocco.

Broken Link Removed

 

[MitchandJenny]

If you want to get onto a campsite, its best to aim to be there by 1500 hrs latest , and you should be fine.
Enjoy, may see you there as we are going for Winter.
Mitch.

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[Lynne Roy]

The more popular sites in places like Benidorm do get full in winter but we have never had a problem finding a site, by the middle of March sites start to quieten.

If going to Almeria we have stayed at Los Escullos many times in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, there is also a new camperstop nearby plus other sites at Cabo de Gata and Las Negras.

On the journey south there are many service areas which are safe enough to stay on, many with excellent bar/restaurants.

Campercontact is an excellent resource and can be accessed free on a laptop and a cheap app for a smartphone.

There are 3 aires that I know of in Seville, one is in easy walking distance of the centre, can't post links on this appliance but if you have difficulties there are many on this forum that will help.

Could you please tell me where the new camper aire is in Cabo de Gato please

 

[jumartoo]

Could you please tell me where the new camper aire is in Cabo de Gato please

https://www.campercontact.com/en/sp...torhome-parking-camper-park-cabo-de-gata.aspx

 

[Chuns]

Thanks again, all.
The way it is looking now is that we expect to be in los Escullos around 23/24/25 February, pootling around there for a bit then heading for Gibraltar, Madrid and North, taking in experiences along the way.

Adria Coral, UK reg but LHD. I'll try and get hold of a Funster sticker before then.

Cheers

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[jumartoo]

If you pass Totana on your way down call in at the camperstop. The may be some Funsters around still in February.

 

[Chuns]

Looks like it is on my route! Thanks.

 

[MR. FUSION]

We started off in Spain in February last year for our mega trip, no problem at all with spaces, in Portugal particularly we were often the only van on the site or aire. The big problem is Spanish public holidays when everything gets rammed up with Spanish hire Moho's, so check their public holiday times on the net and get to any popular spots on a Thursday or early Friday or even book!!!!!

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[MR. FUSION]

If you want to get onto a campsite, its best to aim to be there by 1500 hrs latest , and you should be fine.
Enjoy, may see you there as we are going for Winter.
Mitch.

If you get there earlier you will avoid the Germans, who like to park up between 15:00-16:00......prompt!!!

 

[Scattycat]

We've been spending feb. March and April pottering around Spain and Portugal for the past 6 years
Sometimes it's busy other times not
and I think a lot depends on what you are looking for as to stopovers.
Many popular campsites will be very busy, but there are many aires and dedicated mh sites that are less so, mainly because they don't have the same amount of facilities that big sites have but are none the less, clean, tidy and safe.
We've rarely had a problem finding anywhere to stay and on the odd occasions that we have we've always found a supermarket carpark or something to spend the night

 

[jearing]

We've just got back from Spain from a ten night holiday on a check out camping sites in and around Benidorm and speaking to campsite owners they had waiting lists and said it get's booked up from october threw to march so I would book to be on the safe side.

Joe.

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[mr moo]

we visited spain & portugal in Jan & Feb this year, we didn't book in advance and had no problem finding a pitch on campsites as we only stayed for a few days. We also used to aires but found it worthwhile arriving / pitching up no later than mid-afternoon. Did exactly the same this September and again encountered no problems. We find that travelling this way gives us 'weather' flexibility.