am i being silly for first time......

[ed1]

hello,
we have decided to try spain next year...we have never been across the water before with the van, we will be going through the tunnel as we will have 2 dogs with us....where do i start to find info on sites, if dogs are welcomed,can dogs go on beaches.... the best time to go, (dont like over busy), how long to get there, where to stop off......please can someone start me off in the right direction...we will be starting our journey from west yorks..thankyou regards edwina......

 

[RayS]

Phew, where to start. Unless you like it very hot and to risk crowded sites I would suggest Spring or autumn with a bias towards the former. Next, get a copy of caravan Club Europe volume 1 site guide (France Spain Portugal) and study - lots of good general advice as well as site reports. From you home and using the tunnel you basically have a choice of routes depending where you choose to enter Spain. Best to stick to the 'ends' and avoid the 'middle' i.e. Biarritz or Perpignan (near French border). The eastern route give you easy acress to the eastern coast of Spain, but if you want to go to the far south east or the south coast then the Western crossing gives you good routes either via Zaragoza to Murcia and South or to Madrid and south from there. I live in somerset and use the western channel crossings and then the west coast of France, but this is at New Year when it can be very cold in SE France. The central part of Spain is on a plateau and can be very cold at times, so you need to be prepared for a few days of this if going in early Spring.
As for 'how long' it depends on how many miles a day you are comfortable with given need for rest breaks. Generally driving in France and Spain is less stressful than say M1 and M25, particularly if you plan carefully and use non-toll autoroutes and dual carriageways as much as possible (and avoid Paris). Rember this is going to be a holiday and not a contest and there are no prizes for arriving quickly but exhausted. Try your routes on www.viamichelin.com - you will find you can select towing a caravan in the options.
Sites in Spain and France frequently have lower amperage EHUs than we are accustomed to, so don't bother with domestic toasters and other high wattage appliances. Pitches can be smaller and sometimes more difficult to access, so a motor mover would be a good investment if you don't have one. Credit cards are widely accepted but it's worth having at least two in case one gets blocked. Many Spanish sites have a sliding scale of charges depending on length of stay - the first 3 nights can be quite expensive - say 25+ euro/night but this could decrease to an overall 14 euro/night for a stay of say 30 days.
Read the back threads on this website - should now be easier to find.

Finally - the old advice - take half as many clothes and twice as much money as you first thought !

 

[DavidKlyne]

Given that its your first trip to Europe with the van do you need to go as fars as Spain? There is so much to see and do in France.
David

 

[ed1]

thankyou so much ray.....a very informative and welcomed reply...we probably would do spring-ish....the only reason being the dogs need their passports doing..i will check out the cc info...i just thought it was quite daunting to know where to start...thankyou again......david we have been to france about 10 times but not with the van or the dogs, so hense wanting to go a bit further...

 

[DianneT]

In 2004 when we made our first trip ever to Europe with the Caravan we went for a couple of months in March 4th-May 4th and did over 6,000 miles. We had a wonderful time and you can read about it on my web site with the other 6 yearly trips we have made. We have been to Spain once and France twice, neither of which we now do not hanka to return to and stick to Germany, Austria and Italy. The reason being we feel more secure in those 3 countries and find the people far more friendly and Caravan Sites far superior. This year we visited Holland and Switzerland and will definitely go back to them. One year we ventured into Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic and enjoyed them too and the sites were excellent with good facilities and cheap.
We found ACSI Camping Card when it was introduced in 2004 and have joined every year since as the sites are about half price, out of season. Some of the sites are 3, 4, and 5 star and this year were either 11, 13,or 15 euros per night for 2 person,car and caravan, electricity, water and showers included. Also included are 1 dog at most sites. A good deal really and we have never found a bad one yet.

 

[ed1]

thankyou dianne, the web site looks amazing, im going to have a better look later,( i only looked at the pictures) we were thinking about holland also...do you know if its dog friendly....thankyou for taking the time to give the info....im going back to your web site now...

 

[DianneT]

Yes Holland is dog friendly so are all the other countries we visited we know this because we travelled over Germany and Austria and the Eastern countries with friends who had a Westie and she went everwhere. Of course Dogs are allowed in Restaurants and Shops in most of Europe and are catered for with water. Some of the Service areas in Germany have water and food in bowls in the fouyer. Glad you liked the site and found some info.