1st trip with van on Continent

[Carole_374312871]

Hi there

I,m new to the forum and have a few questions I hope someone can help with..We are going for 3 months or so this Winter,Spain first and down to Portugal. Which ferry do you recommend, is there only Portsmouth to Bilbau? We live in N Scotland but it would be no problem to go down South first.We were thinking of setting off just after Christmas, will there be many sites open at that time of year without booking as we want to be flexible. Vouchers or not, what do you reckon?

Thanks in advance Carole

 

[BeemerMal]

Carole....If you want a ferry direct to Spain in January the only route open is the P&O ferry between Portsmouth and Bilbao. The Plymouth/Santander ferry does not start running until March.

However, for two years running we had this ferry cancelled by P&O in February due to bad weather in the Bay of Biscay. So I believe, from personal experience, it is totally unreliable in the winter months. We travel down through France to Spain in Late February using the Dover/Calais route and we return in May/June via Bilboa.

As far a sites in Spain are concerned I suggest you have a confirmed booking because where we go (Cost Blanca) very few sites have pitches available until early/mid March when the Winter caravanners start to get ready to go home. "Winterers" are caravanners from all other northern Europe who go down to Spain in October for 6 months to get away from the cold weather.

Also many sites are seasonal and don't usually open before Easter.

There are not many sites open in France as well during the winter months so you need to check on these before you go. The ACSI website is good for route planning and shows sites and when they are open:

http://www.eurocampings.co.uk/en/europe/
hope all this helps, takes a bit of planning but it is worth it.

Mal

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

My father went through the Bay of Biscay numerous times during his time in the forces, he refused to use the Portsmouth - Bilbao ferry but relented under pressure from my mother.

Docking nearly a day late due to the bad weather they crawled to the nearest camp site and spent some time recovering. They drove back to Calais forfeiting the fare after meeting others two months later who'd had similar experiences.

Ria