UK to Roda

Hello,

We are planning on driving from Calais to Roda has anyone got any experience?? and any good places to stop halfway?? Thanks in anticipation!

From UK it is still approx 1200 miles so a good 24 hour drive in total, 2 overnight stops would be advisable.

depends if you have a preference of route, take a look at www.viamichelin.com for suggestions.

if you do the Paris Peripherque and straight down, take a look around Millau and the Gorges du Tarn, then towards Perpignan and down the Med coast.

if you prefer to miss Paris, head toward Rouen then down west coast towards Bordeaux and  Biarritz, look at Pamplona or San Sebastián in Northern Spain.

be very careful of the various scams that happen to UK reg cars in Europe, keep valuables safe and keep an eye on your car at all times.

lots of info on the Driving in Spain thread on the Discussion Boards.

Thank you very much for your reply - :-)

P - I pressed send beforee asking - what 'scams' do we need to look out for re driving our car  in Europe??

Most are well documented but UK reg cars can on some occasions be targeted by gangs both in service stations as well as drivers signalling you to stop because of problems with your car when driving on Major routes.

The object always being to relieve you of cash, cards, passports, sat navs or anything easy to remove and use.

please dont over worry but worth being on your guard.

i think UK Gov website also gives drivers advice when driving abroad.

dont forget up to date

EHIC cards

roadside assistance

European insurance cover.

Warning triangles x2

Hi Vis vests, 1 for each passenger.

Spare glasses if needed for driving.

Worth reading

http://www.eyeonspain.com/forums/posts-long-17366.aspx

We stopped for 2 nights too - once at Millau and again just outside outside Girona - otherwise it is a very long 2 days.

Legal requirements when travelling are:

France you must
a) carry your own breathalyser kits (I think you need 2) - available from Halfords. Although at the end of the summer they may be out of stock.
b) In-car radar detectors and satellite navigation systems warning of the presence of speed cameras or radars are illegal whether in use or not

Spain you must have
a) spare specs if these are required for driving
b) high viz jackets which must be accessible without getting out of the car (also required in France)
c) full set of spare light bulbs and tools required to change them
d) originals of car reg documents, insurance, both parts of UK driving licence, NIE registration (if you have one)
e) 2 red warning triangles (also required in France)
f) children under 12 must travel in rear seats on appropriate booster if required
g) Illegal to drive in open toed or thick soled shoes in Spain

As Hugh_man said - check the Government website for full details - although there were some items not mentioned.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice and look on the Safety & Security pages

Oh and remember that if you are coming for more than 3 months in a UK registered car you will need to make sure that your "green card" for European travel is extended - as these are nly normally valid for 90 days is one stretch.

Thank you all for your advice - sending Husband to Halfords tom morning!! - just one more thing I would like to ask............ - we are going to do a long term rental on an apartment in Roda Golf - do Roda have their own TV/WI-FI system or should I look for a provider, if the latter is the cae, who do you recmmend?? - Thanks again :-)

There are 5 UK channels on the TV. BBC 1 & 2, ITV 1 & 2 plus Sky News.

If you want more UK TV then the only sensible option is Teleast. They have a shop at Plaza 525 near Mercadona labelled Internet Mar Menor. €50 installation plus €22 per month will give you loads of UK channels.

If the apartment you rent has Wi-Fi then drop me a PM and I will tell you how to watch live TV on your PC for free