Driving from UK to Spain

We have driven our van down to southern Spain with the kids for years. We do the journey in two days ( we do live in Kent though so we can be the other side of the channel tunnel by 8am with ease).
We've driven both ways ( day one to Irun - just over the border in Spain - day two remaining journey down to Moraira area. Or other times we have headed for Perpignan for the first night and headed down to southern Spain from there on day 2). It's basically which end of the Pyrenees foothills you want to head through. You can head right through the middle of them if you want to take a little longer over the journey. Andorra is beautiful as a detour.

We have done this a couple of times- from the midlands to Barcelona and then the ferry to Majorca.

We drove to Portsmouth for the overnight ferry, off the boat early, long day driving to Cahors, then the final leg to Barcelona the next day. Overnight ferry to Palma.

It's tiring- you do need to enjoy driving and a road trip. If you have kids- how will they be in the car for that long?

Don't forget to factor in the cost of motorway tolls.

We did it many years ago when we moved to the south of Spain. We drove there in one go. Left northern England early morning and got to southern Spain around 4am I think. We shared the driving. When we moved back we stayed in Salamanca got the boat from Bilbao which was a much more pleasant experience

I would take the ferry to Spain - Santander or Bilbao - one way. 24 hours on the boat vs. 3 days driving. I've done the boat trip once - at the start of a 3,300 mile road trip - and would definitely do it again.

That way you can then be more leisurely about the driving in the other direction - e.g. see something of the Picos de Europa or the Pyrenees while you drive. Both have some excellent driving roads and scenery. Or stop in the Loire or Bordeaux and visit some chateaux.

We were leaving from Andorra headed to San Sebastian but did most of the drive on the french side as it was a lot quicker

@Peccary So does that mean you drove from the Girona side across the Pyrenees to the north coast? How was that? If we ever do the journey I think we'd do that too.

There's a hotel (Canfranc) in a converted railway station that has a bit of a history right in the middle on the border that I want to stay at so it would be a good way of fitting that in.

Oohhh yes, we also visited the bridge centre and viewpoint before going over it, spectacular indeed.

We drove as far as the Costa Brava in the 1990s. I don't remember a huge amount about the journey except that we did drive fairly close to Paris on 'le perpanique' Paris equivalent of M25? We took a slightly longer route to avoid the tolls but I don't know how much money it saved or time it added. We were with PIL and their extended family and they always did it that way.

We stayed overnight in a cheap motel near Clermont Ferrand. This was before the days of the Millau bridge, so we had a lot of mountainous driving to do, but the bridge is spectacular and I'd love to see it - I think there's a viewpoint.

It's on the bucket list to do again, probably when we retire as we don't really do 2 week holidays at the moment for various reasons.

We did it this year from the north west. Stayed the night in Kent then got a very early Chunnel. Stayed a night in Bourges and a night in Carcassonne before heading to o Spain and Andorra.

Cost of tolls will mount up if you use the toll roads but it's much quicker, we have the automatic thing that saves having to faff at the booth every time .

It was fine but we have a newish car which has a lot of assisted driving features which made it easier (an EV which is very well catered for in France)

We did get the Santander boat back after a few days in the north of Spain

16hrs driving each way. So three days of steady driving down, a week in Valencia, and three hours of steady driving back. You could do in in two days, but 8hr driving days are not fun if it's not something you do regularly.

I would seriously consider doing it by train and maybe hiring a car at the other end - https://www.seat61.com/Spain.htm#london-to-alicante-and-valencia-by-train

Where do you live? If you are in the north that makes a difference. I recommend the eurotunnel.for a quick crossing.

If you are doing it, then I’d drive on the morning ferry over to Calais. Have lunch on the coast near Le Touquet. Drive across through/round Rouen and down to Le Mans. Visit the town, the motorsport if that’s of interest.

then I’d stay overnight near Tours, somewhere like Troo on the Loire. Then next day I’d head toward Biarritz/ Saint Sebastian on the coast.

So you want to spend a week in Valencia, and have a two week holiday window? So the driving there and back needs to take a week in total?

that’s a LOT. I don’t know how much you’d see because you’d have to drive constantly sure to make it down there in 3 days, a week there and back in 3 days?

i don’t think it’s a sensible plan personally, but…. If you want recommendations, what sort of things do you like?!