best route to spain

[trickydicky]

hi, last year we went on our maiden trip to spain via le mans, biarittz,pamplona,valencia into benidorm.we left england around 5th jan and by the time we hit france the roads were in chaos.it was snowing heavily and our journey was an absolute nightmare until we reached pamplona in spain. it hasn't put us off,we are booked on the ferry for 11th jan, but are wondering whether it would be better to go straight through france,via toulouse into barcelona. i suppose its the luck of the draw weather wise.

[Travelling Tyke]

Hello Tricky, We were advised by a "regular" to go through the western side of France as quick as possible at this time of the year to at least Bordeaux to dodge any bad weather. It worked ok, we entered Spain at Perpignan. We did get caught by snow on the way back north of Salamanca and into France in March.......We did choose to go the old route rather than the coastal route, the road was clear but plenty of snow either side.......

[Vernon B]

Having tried most of the obvious routes around the time of the year you'll be off Tricky I would say you just happened to be very unlucky last year.

 

I'd say you need to check weather forecasts before leaving and make the call then. At present the cold stuff appears to be coming from the East so your Atlantic route might be best but things can change.

 

My own theory is that when they finally cobbled together the Copenhagen accord someone accidently put a minus sign against the global target and we've suffered sub-zero temperatures since.

 

One thing you can be sure of is you'll certainly do better weather-wise going south young man, so go for it and enjoy your trip

 

 

V

[Guest Tracker]

This time of year there is no best route - it's the luck of the draw when and where bad weather strikes.

 

Nearer the Atlantic coast on lower ground should be less icy - but not always - but it is more liable to be wetter and windier.

 

The higher the ground the more likely snow is and it is difficult to get into Spain without crossing high ground.

 

On the other hand the Spanish and French snow ploughs and gritters are very efficient because they do it so often and it is sometimes safer to just sit in a convoy behind a snowplough on a motorway when blizzards strike.

 

All you can do is take it as it comes and be prepared to either sit it out for a day or two or to reroute further South if needs be - although that is no guarantee.

 

Whatever happens its all part of the fun and all good experience that you can pass on to others on the forum!

 

 

[mondo]

We took this route (ish) from what I remember we never encountered any snow....Calais..Abbeyville..Rouen..Evreaux..Dreux..Chatres..Orleans..Vierzon..Chateroux..Limoges..Brive la Gallard..Cahors..Toulouse..Carcassonne..Narbonne..Perpignan.. and crossed the border at La Jonqera...that route took us 3 days of steady driving on the N routes not on Peage and driving at a steady 60/65 MPH no rush

 

As others have said the western side of France may not have as much snow as elsewhere I think we were very lucky as all the places we stopped on the way the brits asked us about the snow on the way the only snow we saw was on the tops of the mountains coming down to the border

 

Happy Trails mate

[johnsandywhite]

B-) We did the following last January around the 8th:-

 

Le Havre, Rouen..Evreaux..Dreux..Chatres..Orleans, Clermont Ferrand A75 to Beziers, Narbonne, Le Boulou, La Junquerra. No problems apart from our 5 days stay in Clermont Ferrand for repairs.

[starvin marvin]

If you want to stand the best chance of avoiding snow, you need to go Calais to Rouen to Le Man to Tours to Poitiers to Bordeaux to St Jean de Luz. Cross at Hendaye then take the N121a to Pamplona, this is high ground and can e a bit risky,then onto Zaragoza to Teruel, to Valencia and then south on the Costa Blanca, to wherever, piece of cake and you can generally avoid the toll roads in France, however the N10 is all toll free. The Sapnish route is also toll free

 

Safe travelling

[Peter42]

starvin marvin - 2009-12-25 4:57 PM

 

If you want to stand the best chance of avoiding snow, you need to go Calais to Rouen to Le Man to Tours to Poitiers to Bordeaux to St Jean de Luz. Cross at Hendaye then take the N121a to Pamplona, this is high ground and can e a bit risky,then onto Zaragoza to Teruel, to Valencia and then south on the Costa Blanca, to wherever, piece of cake and you can generally avoid the toll roads in France, however the N10 is all toll free. The Sapnish route is also toll free

 

Safe travelling

I did that route (almost - Le Havre to Le Mans, the rest the same) at about the same time as TrickyDicky last year and had snow all the way to Salamanca. Other years there has been no evidence of snow on that route that early in the year, so yer pays yer money and takes yer chances, I'm afraid. At least the continentals prepare for snow in good time, unlike my local council over here!

[trickydicky]

thank you all for your replies.i knew i could rely on you.marvin, the route you advise is exactly the route we took.....it was a complete nightmare, especially le mans.it took us 2hours to do 2 miles.becuse of the snow and ice.i do think we must have just been so unlucky,but because it was our first ever trip through france we didn't know what to expect.

mondo, the route your suggesting is the exact one we are thinking of taking this time round.we are thinking of stopping off in barcelona for a day or two,although i've heard horror stories about the place, but thats another thread isn't it.

[Peter42]

trickydicky - 2009-12-27 1:21 PM

 

thank you all for your replies.i knew i could rely on you.marvin, the route you advise is exactly the route we took.....it was a complete nightmare, especially le mans.it took us 2hours to do 2 miles.becuse of the snow and ice.i do think we must have just been so unlucky,but because it was our first ever trip through france we didn't know what to expect.

mondo, the route your suggesting is the exact one we are thinking of taking this time round.we are thinking of stopping off in barcelona for a day or two,although i've heard horror stories about the place, but thats another thread isn't it.[/quote

I think you must have been exceptionally unlucky, as I came through Le Mans the following day (the 6th January) and found the roads OK despite the snow. I camped outside Poitiers that night and the following morning the snow was fairly thick and the roads a bit slippery until I reached the N10. From thereon I found the roads clear, although it continued to snow all day.