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cros sing to Spain in winter


crosbiei

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Hi folks

I've ot some route recommendations and both are relatvely easy to understand and I know where I'm going (roughly) but thank the lord Garmin for guiding me ! !

 

anyway

what's your opinion about where to cross into spain. I'm looking for the least risk of rubbish weather in January but obviously there will be some which I'm prepared for but any experience you have will be welcoms.

 

is it San Sebastian side or Perpignan side of the iberian penninsula/ pyrenees

 

thanks

 

Iain

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crosbiei - 2009-11-20 1:29 PM

 

Hi folks

I've ot some route recommendations and both are relatvely easy to understand and I know where I'm going (roughly) but thank the lord Garmin for guiding me ! !

 

anyway

what's your opinion about where to cross into spain. I'm looking for the least risk of rubbish weather in January but obviously there will be some which I'm prepared for but any experience you have will be welcoms.

 

is it San Sebastian side or Perpignan side of the iberian penninsula/ pyrenees

 

thanks

 

Iain

Depends on where you are heading once in Spain. Either route is good, with no worries on the state of the roads. However if your are heading for the east coast (The Costas) then there is less chance of snow/cold weather if you cross over to the Med. coast before crossing the border. However, that said, you may well encounter bad weather in France. What is certain is that the Spanish plateau gets cold in January ( remember that Madrid is the highest capital city in Europe). However, as I say, the Spanish (main) roads are superbly maintained in the winter and should cause no problems, wherever your destination.

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Hi we went to Spain in January this year, we went through France to Bayonne from Calais. mainly using the N10 on the way down, there were plenty of Aires open, from Bayonne we headed to Madrid ,Granada and he coast at Motril, the weather was freezing all the way to Granada, Ice and snow, but the roads were clear and we had no problems, as previously said by another poster, it depends on where in Spain you are headed, we never use toll roads and can travel around 60 miles per hour generally so that's fast enough for us,enjoy your trip and stay safe. :-o :-o :-o
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Unless going to Catalonia, I would always go down the western side of France and then cross Spain on the national roads and free motorways.

 

The usual winter toll-free route I do is Dunkerque/Calais/Boulogne to Abbeville, Rouen, Chartres, Tours, Poitiers, Bordeaux, Biarritz.

 

From the Spanish border I cut across to Pamplona, then Zaragosa and the A23 to Sagunto just north of Valencia.

 

We do it in three days at about 90kph.

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crosbiei - 2009-11-20 1:29 PM ........... I'm looking for the least risk of rubbish weather in January ................thanks Iain

Then, Assuming you will cross Dover - Calais for similar reasons, head South to Perpignan as quickly as possible, avoiding the Massif Central.  Calais, Rouen, Le Mans, Tours, Poitiers, Limoges, Brive, Toulouse, Perpignan, and then along the Med coast via Barcelona and Valencia.  Via Bordeaux in lieu of via Limoges and Brive would reduce the bad weather (by which I assume you mean snow/ice) risk even more, but is a longer route.  This is all/nearly all toll autoroute, but it offers the greatest speed of travel A to B to reduce exposure.  The more direct route via Bordeaux and Madrid is shorter and potentially quicker, but carries the risk of bad weather right across the Meseta in bad years.  Rain and mist are to be expected anywhere, and nothing is guaranteed!  This will be January, after all.  :-)

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thanks folks.

really appreciate the time taken to answer me.

i'll have a look and see where works for me best

I'm coming off Cherbourg so following the west(ish) side of France to Bordeaux looks good then over to Toulouse and Perpignan before finally heading down the coast to our home in the southern costa Blanca.

 

Although we've been there for 7 years now this is the first time we're driving - looking forward to using the retirement present to myself (the Mondial) for real.

Me, wife Jacqueline and Shadow our mad labrador pup.

should be a laugh

all the best folks and thanks again

 

Iain

 

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