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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

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Original poster

Driving to Spain from Uk camping on way

15 replies

Captainladder · 07/08/2017 17:07

Any one done this? We have a place to stay in South West Spain, 2 kids and a Dog. Were considering driving down and camping along the way so we had a car there (will need one in spain as very rural where we are going.) If you have... best route? Rough cost? Good places to stay along the way?

TIA

OP posts:

SummerSazz · 07/08/2017 17:09

We've driven to Northern Spain from Calais and it's a long way - I would suggest one of the longer ferry routes down to spain and then drive.

thereallochnessmonster · 07/08/2017 17:11

SW Spain?? That'll take you at least 2 days each way - without traffic issues. Could you take the train, and hire a car?

Find out how far it is by googling. Are your DC good travellers? I really wouldn't fancy that.

Original poster

Captainladder · 07/08/2017 17:15

Google says around 22 hours but obviously that is without the obilgatory "i need a wee / poo / whatever" stops... hence the idea to drive down and camp along the way. We would take 2 weeks in total, so I thought a week there and a week (split in half) there and back.

DC are good travellers.

OP posts:

eddiemairswife · 07/08/2017 17:23

We used to do it. Camped for a couple of nights each way. We didn't use the motorways. Found the Routes Nationales fast and much more interesting to travel along.

geogteach · 07/08/2017 17:28

In North of Spain atm. We drove from Calais, about 6 hours first day ( had also driven to Dover) and 4 hours second. That was enough for me to be honest. Our kids are teens. Spent night in cheap
Hotel, did use toll roads so quite expensive but no hold ups

BonApp · 07/08/2017 17:32

We always add at least 1/3 on again to googlemaps timings to allow for wee stops.

I would fly.

mirage937 · 07/08/2017 17:35

We tow our caravan so a lot longer for us but we usually go to Spain near Valencia and we travel from north of UK and take the channel tunnel, one day is from home to a campsite near Paris, then that site to site southern France/north Spain them to Valencia site. You could do it much quicker in a car and if two people are driving and you can sleep in the car while the other person drives it makes it easier. We tend to just stop for fuel and sometimes a break while we eat.we meet a lot of people in Spain who are pushed for time and drive in and one bit but think we would need a extra day to recover when we arrived or got home so would rather take it steady and break it up

mirage937 · 07/08/2017 17:38

Depending on how long it takes you to get back to ferry port may be worth looking into where it would be easier to see a vet before you bring your dog back to the UK, as we know the area it's easier for us to go in Spain, but as long as you know where you plan to stop in France or Spain for the camping it's easy enough to find a vet before you travel and book in. I know it's probably easy enough to do when you arrive but I always feel better if an appointment is guaranteed before we travel

mirage937 · 07/08/2017 17:42

I would recommend a toll tag if you plan to use toll roads so much easier and saves hassle of queuing. If you are camping I would recommend the decathlon pop up tents very easy to put up and after the first attempt simple to take down.

youarenotkiddingme · 07/08/2017 17:44

We use to do south of France but we drove from Cherbourg as love right by UK ferry port!

Firstly we had a trailer tent that we'd pitch just the trailer but up and take 3 days to get there.
Then we switched to doing ready erected tents and would take overnight tent or do formula 1 hotels on route.

We drove up central France past Pons, Narbonne and on to near Bezier where we stayed.

That was with my parents when I was a child though.

Nowadays as it's just ds and I it's cheaper to fly and get a hotel!

thenightsky · 07/08/2017 17:46

We did it a lot when the DC were younger. We used t use the Campanile chain of hotels. They have nice secure car parks normally.

Home (Lincolnshire) to Dijon in one day via channel tunnel. Then the next day was Dijon to Playa de Pals (in Northern Spain). We used a campsite there called Cypsella and used to arrive by about 6pm.

Original poster

Captainladder · 07/08/2017 17:50

Thanks everyone, thats loads of info to go on!

OP posts:

Badgerbird · 09/08/2017 00:46

Off top of my head We're doing Honfleur, La Rochelle, Biarritz, Pamplona but then going to Eastern Spain. We are using UK campsites website to find places to stay.

Have a brilliant time :)

Stillwaitingforsummer · 09/08/2017 13:16

Of its a tent I'd stop at campanile type place on the way down. We went from Calais, stopped at orleans then issoire then into Spain. Took longer as towing a caravan.

On the way back we stopped at issoire then north of Paris.
Ferries to Spain are extortionate!

mirage937 · 09/08/2017 17:39

As well as costs of ferry, I don't know anyone who has had a good experience on the Spainish crossing, it's a long one and if you don't abode by ferries your journey the other side might suffer. Friends were all badly sea sick, DC didn't like ferry and all found hard to sleep in cabin.
No idea what the dog situation is on those crossing these days it used to be a kennel thing but I have no idea how mine would of coped and would be worrying about him the entire trip !

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