Snow Chains or Socks? (1 Viewer)

[jearing]

Hi Decided off to spain january for three months, can anyone advise do I require snow chains or maybe snow socks is it necessary? we are traveling from Santander down to la-manga.
Advise please.........

Thanks all Joe

 

[Tigertom]

Very, very unlikely to need them . Now I know someone is going to say ‘we could have done with a set last winter’ but it is still highly unlikely.

 

[Tigertom]

Forgot to say ....enjoy yourselves, away from the coastal strip Spain is amazing!

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[Peter & Elaine]

Chains would be my choice
socks are easy to fit but will rip with the axel weight and prolonged use

Don’t buy cheap as they are a real pain to fit
I bought these from amazon
Easy to fit about in about 10 minutes and yes they have been used twice last winter in UK and twice in Pyrenees a couple of years ago


KÖNIG XG-12 PRO 230 Snow chain

 

[Onemanandhisdog]

Never tried socks, but chains are easy enough when you know how. Finding out how is best done before you need them, i.e. when it's warm and dry and in a place of your choosing!

Of course, I ignored this advice when it was given to me and had to work it out kneeling on my dogs bed in the middle of the road!

 

[rosalan]

In France, when the winter weather is severe, I believe the French can insist that vehicles on use of snow chains.

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[Tigertom]

In France, when the winter weather is severe, I believe the French can insist that vehicles on use of snow chains.

Yes, but normally only in the mountains where you can go back down the hill if you choose to.
Lots of folk in snow prone areas use winter tyres which give awesome grip in snowy conditions.

 

[bladerunner]

I’d say socks are light weight, small to pack and good for an emergency 50m get me off this pitch.
Chains are heavy, bulky and last as long as you need.

If you are just heading though the tunnels to go south on the autoroute I’d be very surprised if you needed chains.

 

[Larrynwin]

I think socks, the chains might hurt yer feet

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[Burgo]

Socks are cheap, light and may get you out of a spot, on snow but don't last long.
Chains are a bit more money, heavier, work on ice as well as snow and can be used for prolonged periods.
We have a pair of chains for use up in Sierra Nevada which get squirted with WD 40 after use and stuck back in a bag until the next year. They're now 13 odd years old and still fine.

 

[PhilandMena]

I've been driving down to Spain via Calais for at least the last 10 years, in the winter and have never needed either.

 

[gus-lopez]

In France, when the winter weather is severe, I believe the French can insist that vehicles on use of snow chains.

So do the spanish.No chains ,park up.

Yes, but normally only in the mountains where you can go back down the hill if you choose to.

It is an offence not to be carrying them when they are required. Although rarely do they fine people.

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[Burgo]

Driving to La Manga I suspect you would never need them - we only need them as we often drive up to ski and the bottom station at Pradallona is 2028m alt which is why they are compulsory in bad conditions. If yiu haven't got chains and it's snowing heavily the Guardia Civil make you turn around and go back down before you get the lower station. The aire is a bit higher up above the village so you deffo need to be prepared if going up there.

 

[Tigertom]

In France if your pulled off the road in to the Aire de chainage by the gendarme and told to put chains on , if you haven’t got them you’re sent back down the mountain.
That’s my experience after five winters in the Haute Savoie ,Alps.
Don’t know about Spain, never been caught in the snow there.

 

[joka250]

Carried snow chains in winter European driving since mid 70s used a few times. Socks not worth it for more than few metres. I agree with others unlikely to need either but good winter tyres are a must.

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[Ivory55]

Does anybody ever use chains in the uk like in the highlands or is cleared before they need them.

 

[Paddywack]

Does anybody ever use chains in the uk like in the highlands or is cleared before they need them.

Before I had the Subaru, I've needed to use chains in North East England. Mostly for short sections but on a couple of occasions they've stayed on for a few days. In Scotland you'll need them at times.

 

[PhilandMena]

Carried snow chains in winter European driving since mid 70s used a few times. Socks not worth it for more than few metres. I agree with others unlikely to need either but good winter tyres are a must.

I have never used winter tyres either and that's because of the route I and many others use. Here it is below. sorry for it's length as I have it combined with other useful information.
Firstly, routes and route maps for France and Spain. This first link is an award winning database about France. It has 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. This route is great for motorhomes small, medium and large. Note: (HGV’s are not allowed on French roads, Sunday’s, so plan your journey over a weekend if possible).

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

Tolls: 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, (€1.80). 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. (From Jct 6 €8.90 in total) (Fuel costs approx. €147.84 (Based on 1056 K @10K per Ltr. @€1.40 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 toll booth and crossing the river. Also here are Repsol fuel stations and shopping opportunities. 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, (or toll free 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/

One of the best off line MAP ‘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.

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https://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/bundles-and-sims/sim-only-data-bundles/

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https://search.vodafone.co.uk/search?proxystylesheet=default_frontend&q=APN+settings&x=0&y=0

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