First trip abroad with van!

[Grahamh]

Well we had a great week in Cornwall and then another in the Peak District so have been and booked the tickets for Portsmouth-Santander on the 1st June to return (provisionally) Caen-Portsmouth 13thJuly. Not too worried about France as we have been there loads of times(without our own van- Avondale dart 525) but haven't a clue about Spain. shmbo would like to see Barcelona but mostly we are seaside people and like to be near the coast and away from hustle and bustle. Can anyone advise about sites for the first couple of days/week within reach of Santander? Have ordered Alan Rogers Spain and Portugal and have the caravan club sites etc. I read another thread about there not being so many sites in Spain, should I book in advance? I also read(and intend to take) advice about Nationwide flex and cc. Just got rid of Abbey zero as they were so useless. We have lists (to-do and not-to-do)coming out of our ears; have the van booked in for service, and have lists of breakdown and hol insurance suppliers.

At the mo it seems a daunting task preparing for so long away; the most we have ever done before is 3 weeks.

thanks

 

[Liz_374549849]

Camping Igueldo near San Sebastian is very good - on top of a hill outside the town but a regular bus service from right outside the site. We stayed there in December 2006. Camping Sopelana near Bilbao is a NO NO!

 

[Woody3]

Look where you are going very carefully. Santander is on the north coast, Barcelona is on the SE coast, and there is a very BIG lump called the Pyrenees in the way. You may find it easier - if she must go to Barcelona - to drive into France and across towads the med coast, then do a day trip or overnighter by train.

 

[emmerson2]

Graham, as woody has said, check your distances. These are BIG countries, and take a long time to cross, especially with big lumps in the way. But, its all great experience, and first and foremost, enjoy!

 

[Lutz]

Woody, I think you've got your geography wrong. First of all, Barcelona is not on the SE coast of Spain, but the NE coast. Secondly the Pyrenees are not in the way on the direct route between Santander and Barcelona - it's motorway all the way via Bilbao, Logro

 

[DeliDave_]

w e have driven through france to Cypsela not far from Gerona.You can easily drive to Barcelona,we visited Portaventura Cypsela is on the coast near palafrugel i think it is spelled.We rented a static but there are loads of tourers and a great pool

 

[SteveW77]

Sorry Lutz, but unless it has changed since I went to School, the Northern coast of Spain runs from Irun to Castropol on the Bay of Biscay. Barcelona is on the mediteranean coast, so it must be south of the Bay of Biscay.

Steve W

 

[Lutz]

Surely, the south coast of Spain extends only from the Portuguese border to about Alicante. From there to the French border the Mediterranean coast is facing more or less in an easterly direction and Barcelona is roughly in the north of that, hence my understanding of Barcelona being in the NE. Barcelona is north of Madrid and that's right in the middle, so it can hardly count as being on the south coast.

 

[Grahamh]

sorry, didn't mean to cause an argument(rather, discussion)but just looked at the map on the wall. Barcelona is more or less SE from Santander.(what's Valencia like?) I realise that Spain is BIG(years ago when I lived in usa for a couple of years I thought I'd pop over from Florida to California towing a pop-top. Got as far as New Mexico before I got fed up and turned north.

Seriously we thought we'd see a LITTLE bit of Spain before we went up through France seeing some old friends near Beziers and then back over to the Atlantic coast and on up to Caen (about6 weeks or so)

My real question was whether we needed to book in advance after the first couple of days to settle in. Thanks Lutz for the pointer of Camping Igueldo, San sebastian. Are they in the book?

Re the Pyrenees, quite like the thought of travelling through those but will look at the map first.

Been looking at breakdown cover and insurance this afternoon. Anyone used Vehicle Rescue Direct?

 

[Grahamh]

apologies, meant thanks Liz not Lutz re campsite.=:0

 

[Liz_374549849]

apologies, meant thanks Liz not Lutz re campsite.=:0

I found Camping Igueldo by internet search and using ACSI site finder.

 

[RayS]

The route Santandar to the Med coast is very easy and nothing like as busy as the north south coastal route via Barcalona. There are some reasonable sites at Mendigorria, Sabinan, Manzanera and Navajas and apart from stretches round Pamplona and Zaragoza are toll-free - and these stages can be avoided with a little basic mapreading.