Winter Holiday to Spain

[Brian_374318203]

I'm thinking of spending two or three months in Spain this winter, travelling from Calais to the east coast of Spain. I'm struggling to find good overnight halts in France as most are closed during the winter. However I feel sure there are many on this forum who have done this trip before and know both the ideal route and the best overnight stops. I'm not in any particular hurry and therefore would prefer to travel about 200 miles per day, 250 max.

Any suggestions please?

Halli

 

[ValA.]

Try this website http://users.pandora.be/leo.huybrechts/camp1.htm

which lists all campsites within 15 kilometres of the major routes through France, and gives their opening dates, and brief details. It's always worth checking, though, that the 'Open all Year' still applies, by ringing the sites in advance.

The website was actually compiled by a Belgian, so all the routes originate there - but you can select a road number, and find all the sites along that particular road, listed from north to south, so easy to find locations.

 

[joeby]

doing that sought of mileage ,it will take about 4 days to get there , we stop at at calaise there are lots of sites there ,then we either stop at the services overnight ,or at a site in Clermont Ferrand , you wont find the driving so stressful on the french motorways ,sometimes we drove for miles with just us on the road , you dont get lots of coned of areas like here , in fact we only saw one lot of road works in whole journey , any way best of luck with your trip

 

[david_374366058]

Hi We have been travelling to spain in the winter for over 7 years. Get yourself the A.C.S.I. camping book available online.

It is done by a dutch camping club and covers the whole of europe.Or the caravan club sites book also gives all sites open in winter.We normally stop around Montreul then poitiers then urrunge nr st jean de luz on the french/spanish border then onto la cabrera north of madrid from there we journey down to Murcia then we travel back in march.Somepeople travel down the centre of france then the east coast of spain but we find the other way good as the roads are always kept clear as it is the main arterial road through spain.

Hope you enjoy your travels spain is great in the winter!!!

 

[Clive-Cardiff]

The problem finding French sites open in winter forced us to start using the Bilboa crossing. We stayed on a few of the aires last time we did it bu just didnt feal safe.

As Daveid said enjoy it, its a great way to beat the weather.

 

[RayS]

The Caravan Club Europe Volume 1 shows opea all year sites in France and Spain. Depending on where you plan to go on the east coast in Spain, and alternative route may be down the west coast of France - you could get down from Calais to somewhere round Niort - then St jean de Luz on the border, then Savinan (Sabinan) South of Zaragoza, Manzanera east of Teruel or Moncofa just north of Valencia. The down to Alicante or Murcia areas.

This route reduces the risk of bad weather and very cold nights in SE France and also the worst of the traffic on the coastal autovia by missing Barcelona area. There is four lane virtually all the way across (some of it toll) and not all that much traffic once you have cleared Pamplona until you get to Valencia.

We've used both routes to Murcia but mostly that described above.

 

[Graham_374228415]

We tend to get a late ferry and stop overnight in the Calais booking in area. First stop Poiters, then St Jean de Luz and this year towards Valencia. After Zaragoza on the new road there are not many garages, so fill up! More detail on my site. www.gandm.eu/winter2008.aspx

 

[Wayne_5133334]

Hi Brian,

Not sure why every one makes such hard work of it. The Camping & Caravaning Club offer many winter holidays with stop overs in FRance, Spain and Portugal whichever route you want they have the stops and all done for you, better than turning up and perhaps it does not happen.

Wayne

 

[Clubman1]

Hi Brian,

Not sure why every one makes such hard work of it. The Camping & Caravaning Club offer many winter holidays with stop overs in FRance, Spain and Portugal whichever route you want they have the stops and all done for you, better than turning up and perhaps it does not happen.

Wayne

Independence? Spirit of Adventure? Freedom of Choice?

 

[angela_5125767]

The Caravan Club Europe Volume 1 shows opea all year sites in France and Spain. Depending on where you plan to go on the east coast in Spain, and alternative route may be down the west coast of France - you could get down from Calais to somewhere round Niort - then St jean de Luz on the border, then Savinan (Sabinan) South of Zaragoza, Manzanera east of Teruel or Moncofa just north of Valencia. The down to Alicante or Murcia areas.

This route reduces the risk of bad weather and very cold nights in SE France and also the worst of the traffic on the coastal autovia by missing Barcelona area. There is four lane virtually all the way across (some of it toll) and not all that much traffic once you have cleared Pamplona until you get to Valencia.

We've used both routes to Murcia but mostly that described above.

Hi Ray,

Do you go down to La Manga for the winter?

 

[Kevin_374366423]

Hi Brian,

Not sure why every one makes such hard work of it. The Camping & Caravaning Club offer many winter holidays with stop overs in FRance, Spain and Portugal whichever route you want they have the stops and all done for you, better than turning up and perhaps it does not happen.

Wayne

Hi I am also thinking of visiting Southern Spain (Almeria/Malaga) hopefully in Jan/Feb/March,this will also be my first winter sun adventure . I obtained the Caravan Club Europe 1 handbook, which is very helpful giving sites open all year. My thoughts are Plymouth/Roscoff ferry, then travel down Western side of France with overnight stops yet to be decided, once in Spain still to decide best way down.

Any advice from other campers on anything would be greatly appreciated.

Kevin

 

[KeithJ]

The Camping Cheque and ACCI books are very useful (I would say essential), and the web site recommended by Val. As for the Camping and Caravan club - I agree with Clubman.

Keith

 

[hymerman1]

Hi Brian,

Not sure why every one makes such hard work of it. The Camping & Caravaning Club offer many winter holidays with stop overs in FRance, Spain and Portugal whichever route you want they have the stops and all done for you, better than turning up and perhaps it does not happen.

Wayne

Hi kevin

check out this site

http://uk.geocities.com/fincadelapiedra
run by a brit couple it is like a CL/CS only 5 units, they provide big dish sat tv and wifi (was 7 euro/week unlimited), washing machine 3E.

Big shops only 10-15 mins