johnsue Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 We are proud owners of a Swift Bolero 680FB motor home which we have had for a year now. This is our first motor home, having progressed over the years from tents, touring caravans to a static van. We have only used the motor home in England so far, lots of weekends & a couple of separate weeks & feel reasonably confident that we now know how it all works. We both retire at the end of this year & intend to get the ferry in February / March from Plymouth to Santander & travel down through Spain to the south for the warmer weather perhaps via the Madrid area & then back up along the Spanish Costas & through France & we hope to be away for about 3 months. We have an inverter & battery to battery charger so can be self sufficient for a while. We are going to get the ACSI card & note there are a couple of Aires directories which we also aim to get. From speaking to relatives & reading the MMM we understand that the sites abroad tend to have a shorter season so we need to be clued up on the ones that are open all year, do a bit of wild camping & make use of the Aires. If you have any suggestions, hints, tips to make our trip even more enjoyable we would welcome your comments. *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 welcome to the forum! :-D Make sure your security is adequate. dead locks on cab doors, extra locks on lockers, habitation doors. and a cat 1 alarm system that can be armed whilst you sleep. you need to be vigilant, especially on coastal routes in Span particularly near major citys like Barcelona. do not stop for anyone! Personally I think the long sea crossing a waste of money and its better to drive through France. CC camping guide books 1&2 are good as they show which sites are open out of season. a sat nav with all the Aires and sites on is a godsend, nothing worse then in the middle of the night struggling to find somewhere. Also a refillable gas setup is useful for long tours... make the most of it and enjoy the freedom that motorhoming can offer :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Northern Spain and the Madrid area can be quite cold in the winter. I think you should perhaps consider getting to the Med coast asap, but not much further north than Valencia and then you may get some reasonable weather. By all means venture inland away from the more populated areas if you wish, but remember Spain is a large and mountainous country and the higher the colder, and the ground rises quite rapidly as soon as you get away from the coast. Safe travelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Yes Madrid 17 deg C today Alicante 25 deg C get to the med coast asap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Highe Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Hi The ACSI book will tell you which campsites are open and might even save you the cost the first time you use it! It is just about possible to survive on Aires alone but you need the Aires book for Spain and Portugal from Vicarious books. Wild camping is easier in Portugal than Spain and is easier in Spain away from the costas, but away from the costas Spain can get very cold as it is high up, the plains of La Mancha are 3000 ft or so above sea level (as is Madrid) and you can Ski not far North of Marbella. If you are going to use Aires or wild camp (especially), think about gas supplies. You will either need to acquire Spanish gas bottles and connectors or invest in refillable (Gaslow?) bottles or a tank. If the latter you will need to plan where to fill up as suppliers are few and far between. Again the Aires book will tell you where to go. Finally, do it and enjoy! Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trooper Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Hi Judgemental, I think you mean Caravan club Europe 1 and 2,yes these are very good, we use the all the time on the continent. Even if not a member these can be bought from the club, obviously a bit more money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithR Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 lots of good info there, but as long as you are sensible with your seccurity, motorhomes are no more targets than cars, houses and tourists. gaslow/spanish bottles can be a boon, but again, dont get alarmed, my 2 13kg english bottles are usually quite adequate for 2-3 months in spain. so many people go south for winter, so campsites are usually open and easy to find. it often pays to visit the tourist info officce at each town/area you visit, they will tell you all the sites that are open, where you will be able to overnight, get gas and anything else you wish to know. i agree with many of the above and prefer to go via france and then along the coast. as already said, inland spain can get coldd, and campsites are definately thinner on the ground! a bit of care, aa bit of thought and ddont worry, its not the third world and you'll meet hundreds of m/homers of all nationalities who will be on the spot to give help and advice if you need it. have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 KeithR - 2009-11-13 11:38 PM i agree with many of the above and prefer to go via france and then along the coast. In winter, we do Biarritz to Valencia in a day's drive (about seven hours), free motorways and no need for overnight stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsue Posted November 14, 2009 Author Share Posted November 14, 2009 Hi All Thanks for your replies, lots of good info for us to take on board. Re security we do have the Thatcher Strikeback 800 which includes inside security when inhabited & also a gas detector. Re gas we will set off with 4 of the light weight 6kg propane bottles ( 2 on the van & 2 for the BBQ) We only intend to visit Madrid on our way down from Santander & then make our way quickly down to the warmer climate. Come end April / May we intend to take a leisurely drive up via the Costas & make our way back up through France to Calais starting at Perpignan. This way we will have done more or less a round trip on our first Winter European break. B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkc Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Hi john &sue, We came Portsmouth to Bilbao in September, dead calm, great onboard entertainment. Meals reasonably priced but you may want to bring your own drinks and nibbles, very expensive on board. If you sail in Jan /Feb be warned the bay of Biscay can be very rough,best to start taking sea sickness tablets before you sail if you are a sufferer,(check with your G P first if you are on other medication.) If you stay away from motorway Aires and large cities you should have no problems, good luck. Regards PKC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Don't worry about your gas detector as a security item! People being gassed and robbed is an urban myth! Oh! unless you mean a Carbon Monoxide detector than that's a good safety tip! You will be amazed by the interior of Spain. It is like 4 different countries as you drive through it. I would agree with the comments about the sea crossing. Try Dover to Calais, it is cheaper and you won't be spending hours crossing the Bay of Biscay in January, it's worth it just for that. Have a safe trip and just use your common sense and you'll be fine. If either of you feel unsure about a stopping point, aire, free camp or site, then just move on down the road. Bon Voyage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Expat Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 We have done winter trips in Spain on several occasions. It's a wonderful country, and although big, is very easy thanks to the network of free dual carriageways designed for long distance lorries. "Servicios" are provided every few miles, and while they may vary, most provide decent clean toilets [showers even] a small shop a decent cup of Coffee and frequently a Retaurant. More importantly they also provide reasonably safe overnight parking. It's "Horses for Courses" of course, but we have thoroughly enjoyed the North Coast and Galithia, and the Atlantic Coast down to and through Portugal to the Algarve. We spent 3 weeks on this route in January a couple of years ago, mostly wild-camping, peacefully, and with no problems. Our only wet day was in Santago de Compostella! There is also a very interesting N/S route, roughly following the Ebro. The places we have NOT enjoyed are Madrid.....heavy traffic, no parking, and The area behind Malaga and Alicante......slightly threatening behavour from a car load of young men. In France, the route North from Beziers to Claremont Ferrand along the [free] A75 is brilliant, and the view of, and from the Viaduct at Millau well worth the 8 Euros toll. Hope you have a wonderful time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hymer1942 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 8Eurs toll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, I crossed this year in my S Class 650 Hymer 7mts and the cost was 21 euros?????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithR Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 i never go over the bridge, you get a better view from the hills, and i find millau makes an ideal overnight stop, with its decent aire and lovely quaint town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hymer1942 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 KeithR - 2009-11-16 5:15 PM i never go over the bridge, you get a better view from the hills, and i find millau makes an ideal overnight stop, with its decent aire and lovely quaint town. The next time I go that way, maybe February on the way to Mojaca I will do exactly that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.