Weather in NW Spain

[Brum1]

Hi everyone.
We are off to Spain in August and looking at the current weather on Google Desktop I am amazed at the diffrerence between Santander at a cloudy 20 and Girona at a sunny 30.
Anyone there at the moment and what's the sky doing?

Gracias Amigos

 

[KeithJ]

Hi Brum
Nobody seems to be answering you, so I thought I would jump in.
The North coast of Spain, facing the Atlantic, paticularly around Santander and Bilbao has a much different climate to the rest of Spain. I have passed by there about a dozen times in recent years and it is frequently less than 20 degrees C. and often raining, when it is sunny and in the thirties inland. Sometimes the temperature can drop from 37deg to 18deg within about 200 miles.
When driving down to Portugal from Dunkerque we have always noticed it is cooler in that area of Northern Spain and I can remember in the past when we have travelled on the Bilbao ferry and driven across to the Mediterranean that the weather in the Med is well worth the extra drive. One year we met people on the return ferry who we had met on the outward journey, and they had had a rainy holiday on the Atlantic side when we had had blue sky and sunshine on the Med.

 

[loadsadogs]

You beat me to it by 6 secs, Keith! I was going to say much the same, but not based on experience, only on reading a book (which I can't find atm, but it was one of those where somebody travels around, eating the local cuisine and writing humorous tales about it all). Anyway, he quite put us off going there, what with the wild bears and such like

, so we kept to the other side of the Pyrenees in the end, which was lovely (Esquieze-Sere). We did have a day or two of rain before we could even spot a mountain, but after that we ventured onto the little winding Tour de France roads (Col d'Aubisque and Tourmalet, I think they were called) and frightened ourselves to death because we could see way too much, most of it dropping away from us!

Jenny

 

[KeithJ]

I don't want to put anyone off going to the Santander coastal area. On two occasions we have stayed there for a week on the way back from Portugal - once at Zarautz and once at Comillas - and it was very pleasant. The coastal scenery and the mountains are superb and the cooler weather can be welcome after the intense heat further south, particularly in central Spain and Portugal.
However, if you want a hot, sunny, Mediterranean style holiday it is well worth the journey across to the other coast.

 

[Brum1]

Thank for the answers folks.
We are going again to Playa Jowel in Noja. Last time there in Aug 2006 in rained most mornings and was very hot and sunny during the afternoons. I was just not expecting to see the temperature as low as 18C.
We are travelling across to the Med coast after 10 nights (via France, unless anyone recommends a route trrough Spain) and staying at our old favorite El Delfin Verde for the next 14 hot and sunny days.
I can taste that cold San Miquel as I sit here right now.

 

[KeithJ]

Hi Brum
The motorway routes through France or through Spain are both about 500 miles, so it's a matter of choice. Personally I would take the Spanish route - A8 then AP68 to Zaragoza (233 miles), AP2 then A2 to Barcelona area, then AP7 north (267 miles); total 500. They are mainly toll roads, but very good and quick, and the tolls are much cheaper in Spain than in France - and they don't charge for caravans. There is a new municipal site in Zaragoza (Camping Zaragoza - see web site), which opened in 2008 and is very good for an overnight. I stayed there a few weeks ago. France is quite expensive at the moment - reminds me of when I was young (and poor!!) in the 60s, when we used to rush through it to avoid the cost. Spain is much cheaper. Basic things like a coffee will be €1.30 in Spain and about €2.60 in France. A small beer is similar prices.
Unless you particularly want to go to El Delphin Verde it is about 180 miles less to go to Cambrils,same route, but turn right instead of left onto the Med coast. It is further south, with probably slightly better weather and some excellent campsites.
Hope I have been of some help.