Driving down to Spain

Hi all,

I am driving a Hired Transit down to Calpe this weekend (via Dover Boulogne).

Any seasoned travellers out there got any nuggets of advice for a newbie white van driver through France/Spain?

I understand the tolls are gong to work out very expensive!!!  Any hints for good, but cheaper routes?

Doing a Google search I gather fuel is more expensive in France than either the UK or Spain.  As I have always been led to believe the UK is the most expensive place for fuel is this correct?

We are planning on doing this journey not stop apart from regular meal/rest breaks.. Do you think this is realistic?

Thank you for any advice you can give

We travel in an Audi A6 which is very comfortable. Our journey is 32 hours from Scotland to Murcia. We usually do it in 3 nights staying at Accor group of hotels (Etap is cheap/self service breakfasts worth having and children and dog friendly).

Last Summer we tried it in 2 nights and even sharing the driving -never again!

Milton Keynes to Calpe may be manageable non stop as the roads are good and empty in some areas-memory not good enough for price of tolls but worth using (all take cards).

Two routes we have used are Calais/Paris/Clermont ferrand via Milau Bridge or Reims/Lyon more used by long haulage.

I would advise a half way stop and look up AA route planner.

Happy driving 

We regularly do Nottingham to Girona non-stop but I admit Calpe is far enough further south to really require a night in a cosy bed. Yes petrol/diesel in France is dearer than in UK at the moment and as for the route, forget the route de soleil and do the central way down Orleans, Clermont Ferrand, Millau etc as it is good roads and from C.F TO Beziers you have 100's of km of toll free road except for the bridge itself which is about 8 Euros.  Don't kill yourself (or others) for the sake of 60 Euro's in an Etap or Ibis.

TP1 we also live in milton keynes and regularly drive down every summer the latest tom toms don't take you via the millau bridge the last tolls I had were from last summer and were

if i remember correctly around 90 euros

Thank you all for your valuable input.

We have decided to stop on route now as, based on your advice, we appreciate that it would be an extremely long haul in one go!

I was suprised how dear the tolls are. 

Maybe with the tolls and an over night stop going the Dover-Calais/Boulogne route it makes the Portsmouth-Bilbao route not so expensive after all? 

Oh well hopefully it will only be the once or twice that i travel down ... i will leave it to the Professionals when I finally move for good (flog-it I may be giving you a call hopefully in the not to distant future :-)

We have a chrysler grand voyager 2.8 diesel and fuel and tolls is around 500 - 600 pounds round trip depending on the exchange rate we use the channel tunnel purely because we do enough shopping at tesco's to get free travel on the tunnel

Hope to hear from you soon TP1. As for the tolls remember you are in a van and in France that makes it dearer than a car. Here in Spain you are a twin axle like a car and are charged the same but in France it is dearer and I would say the eastern route will cost you about 150 Euros (including the Spanish part) as it is toll pretty much from Calais all the way south. If you go Millau and the A71 / A75 you should do it under 100 Euro. Just for reference we now have a 7500kg truck (6000cc engine) and in France we pay over twice what a car pays but here in Spain we still pay the same as a car - Total cost of a return trip in the truck with fuel, tolls and ferries and travelling via Millau with an over night stop in a cheap hotel, 1300 Euros.

Just relax & enjoy the drive, the Massif last weekend was thick snow - Be careful.
Rex.

I tried working out which was the best bet - Bilbao - Portsmouth, or France and the Channel. Ended up booking easyJet and hire car. I hate air travel these days, but damn, it's expensive to go by road.

To save fuel costs, how about driving to Luxembourg, filling some jerry cans, then continuing on your way?

Hi TP

Just read your opening post, 'you are driving a hired Transit van', wot you got in it?

If you have got lots of lovely new electrical goods, and furniture plus personal effects it will be worth it for a few hundred euros.

I've just got back to the uk from our new home and am thinking I will need to do the same, if you have any room left fill it with tins of paint,both interior and external, its so expensive in Spain.

My friends on the CDS do the trip with two overnight stops, it really is a long way drive, about 1220 miles for me. You can get free route maps from the RAC and others online.

I have just got a quote to take my car to Calahonda by transporter, door to door 450e, this seems amazing value.

Do you have to take the Transit back to the UK? if so megga costs, be cheaper by courier.

Steve

We travel from Dover to Almeria every year by car. 1300miles. We used to do it non stop and providing we caught an early ferry or train and were on the road in France by about 6.30am we would beover the boarder in Spain by early evening. Now we stay overnight in France at one the the hotels mentioned Ibis or B&B hotels are good aswell and very clean.These places get full quickly and reception closes at 9pm although you can still get a room via automated reception with your credit card but don't leave it to late to stop as they do get FULL especially peak periods

One thing I would recommend is to avoid Paris at all costs,it's a nightmare whatever time of day or night !!!!

We really enjoy our drive down and have been doing it for about 15 years now, we have tried most routes Boulogne the easiest and most direct. We use the tolls when we have to if we want to get a move on ,as the A roads can sometimes be packed with lorries and this slow you down.

I hope you have an enjoyable and safe journey.

I am shocked that anyone would recommend filling jerry cans and traveling, an act which is dangerous and illegal. The savings would be minimal

Malvina

Many thanks .. you have all been so helpful

Thanks for the suggestion of taking paint etc ... was thinking about getting some whitewash but thought this sort of thing must be cheaper in Spain!  lol .. how things have changes when paint and electrical gooods etc are more expensive in Spain .. never thought i would see the day!!  Off to B & Q then ....

Looking forward to journey now (apart from the cost!!!!) ... but "thick snow in Massif " !!!     Never even heard of the place ... what an adventure i shall have !!!  and i thought i was off to the sun .. lol

The Massif Central is the mountain range down the middle of France & if you go via C.F. & Millau you will be in the thick of it.  If your van is heavy expect long slow climbs up to 1200m and back down again a few times.  In the truck last time we had one 200km stretch that took 6 hours, and that was without the snow.

Lots of people carry jerry cans despite the risk but luxembourg is quite a way off and throws you over to the east and the major expensive toll route so you will miss any advantages.  However if you have a Senseo coffee machine, coffee bags for it are 6 Euro for 100 in Luxembourg & I wouldn't refuse a thousand!!

Rex.

Car/driving  related blogposts:

http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/costaluz/1406/legal-tip-63-things-to-bring-with-me-in-my-car.aspx

http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/costaluz/1373/legal-tip-59-motor-vehicle-tax-in-spain.aspx

http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/costaluz/1277/legal-tip-48-alcohol-and-jail-in-spain.aspx

I am shocked that anyone would recommend filling jerry cans and traveling, an act which is dangerous and illegal. The savings would be minimal

Malvina

Errr............I'm shocked at some people's lack of a sense of humour.

Hi

If you want a toll free route, then the west coast route is quite good. Lots of the roads are dual carriageway,  You would definately need a stop over, and motels are plentiful from around 35€ upwards is not out of the way.

Route as follows.Rouen Chartres, Bordeaux, Pamplona, Zaragosa.Sagunt, Valencia

The road from Zaragosa to Sagunt is a new dual carrigeway all the way.

We find this way about the best of routes as there is not a high level mountain route. Its not the quickest, but then it's toll free.

I could give you more details if required.

Steve 

Hi Jencoo,

I'd be interested is seeing that route if you don't mind please as I am yet to find a decent route west of Limoges and don't drive that way often enough to get to experiment.

Rex.

Thank you Jencoo,

That looks like a good route too.

Damm, printed out all my maps and  was about to book the hotels in Prepignan (going) and Millau (on way back) ... rethinking now ... lol

Yes more details please

Hi

I was wondering if any one knows how much it would cost to take a 4 meter sprinter van LWB that is, from manchester to Murcia spain. through  toll roads so i can get there quicker. I am trying to work out what would be cheaper to furnish my apartment either take it from UK or buy it in spain and I already know that it is cheaper buy from UK but trying to work out if it is worth the saveing depending on the transportation costs.

Thanks

Hi All,

I agree with Jencoo, the West coast route is good one , we go via cleament ferraud (excuse the bad spelling)  Montpellier then turn right so to speak.