derek500 Posted November 2, 2010 Share Posted November 2, 2010 Tomo3090 - 2010-11-01 9:45 PM 6 days easy travelling should get you to Kiko Park, and that's staying off the toll roads. If you are going into Spain from France use the coast road from Narbonne rather than the inland road that takes you through Jonquera. It is a bit bendy in places but you should have no problem in the van. Plus being on the coast you will be protected from any really bad weather. From Brittany I would go down the west side of France to Biarritz and then cut across to Valencia, via Pamplona and Zaragoza. Draw a straight line on a map from Brittany to Oliva, it's so logical!! The non-toll roads in south east France and the Catalan/Valencia coastal route in Spain can be tiresome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted November 2, 2010 Share Posted November 2, 2010 Vicki - I agree with other posters: You really want to be heading to Costa Blanca (south of Valencia) to get decent, Med-type winter sun. We live a tad inland from Denia, which is itself an hour South of Valencia, and we DO NOT like going North from here in the January-April period! We've just come back from a couple of weeks in South West France, and already we noticed a distinct temperature drop when going up there, and significant improvement when getting back south again. STRONGLY support the idea of getting a 2011 ACSI discount card and sites guide. We use it all the time, and it's great in Spain/Portugal....as these countries are NOT peppered with free Aires like France is, so unless wild-camping you generally have to stay on "proper" sites, and non-Acsi sites can be pricey! Remember it runs by the Calendar year (ie the 2011 Guide/card runs from 1.1.11 to 31.12.11.) But you'll save the cost of buying it the first night you use it! Also agree with coming down via the Zaragoza route.......there's a fab new stretch of free motorway from there down via Cuenca area to Valancia (can't remember exactly but it may be the "A22"?). We came home that way last week. Lovely; far more interesting and less crowded than the boring (and pricey) "A7" run down the coast from France! Very good Municipal campsite in Zaragoza, which takes the Acsi card and is open all year round.....a very good overnight stopover. Just head into the city and you'll see signposts to it at all major junctions. Masses of spaces, good facilities, no need to book at all, just turn up. My choice to aim to spend the bulk of your time down this way would be the campsite in Calpe at that time of year (about 40 mins drive further south down the N332 cost road from Oliva). Calpe is a very nice coastal town that's open all year round, and the site is just out of the town centre, so an easy 5 mins level walk to the town centre and to the (excellent) beaches too. From memory the site is called "Calpe Mar". Gravel pitches, first class showers etc; very pro-Brit; and it takes Acsi card out of high season. Ring ahead to book/check there are spaces though, as it is very popular. From there, if you really feel you have to, it's just a bus ride/train ride to the "delights" of Benidorm, about 20 kms south......... Oh, and some nutter called THE NOMAD plays Live Music concerts in Calpe from time to time too! :D www.nomadshow.piczo.com Cheers, Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Hi BGD I was always disapointed with Calpe, what is there in Calpe for someone to want to spend a fortnight there. Far better go to a camp site in Benidorm where there is always something going on and where it is definately the cheapest place in Spain to eat out and to drink, there is something that will suit EVERYONE in Benidorn no matter what your tastes are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Derek and Bruce, if we go "your way" do we have to cross the Picos? I only ask because we met someone last year in Spain who crossed them in January and he said it was the scariest ride he'd ever had! They came down the mountains in snow and ice and found he couldn't use his brakes because he lost control, so he, and three other vans, came down in 1st gear. If not we mat use it ourselves for a change of scenery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Tomo3090 - 2010-11-03 2:08 PM Derek and Bruce, if we go "your way" do we have to cross the Picos? No. From the French border at Hendaye there is the newly upgraded road (N121A) that goes to Pamplona (most of the bends have been bypassed with tunnels and viaducts). The Picos are much further west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazdog6007 Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 kiko park stayed there two winters running four years ago. all the good pitches are booked year on year by the germans. the others can be a bit untidy and small,but a good beach and a nice bike/car ride to town,aldi is the first s/mkt so handy.temp -6 at night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixter Posted November 6, 2010 Author Share Posted November 6, 2010 Thanks again boys & girls. So good to have the benefit of your experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 tazdog6007 - 2010-11-03 5:34 PM kiko park stayed there two winters running four years ago. ! Hi we often stay at Kiko for May and/or September but now thinking of a Winter on the site. Do you know if the small restaurants on the other side of the harbour are open in the winter months or is it dead like Lyme Regis in winter? (sorry to any old school friends in Lyme but you know what I mean) Many thanks Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 Average temperatures, hours of sun and rainfall etc. can be found on the Spanish Met site www.inm.es Along the top of the home page you will find "welcome" in a variety of languages, click on the English version and the site will come up in English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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