starvin marvin Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Has anyone recently driven along the A-121 & A-220 from Magallon to Carriena via La Almunia? The last time I drove this way approx 3 years ago the condition of the road surface was very broken up and rough. Has it been repaired?, I remember in better days, very popular with M/H and trucks as it misses out Zaragoza. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 sounds like the "short cut" my sat nav took last year and was probably the worse stretch of road we have ever experienced........Route home was via Zaragoza absolutely no problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted October 2, 2012 Author Share Posted October 2, 2012 JudgeMental - 2012-10-02 1:16 PM sounds like the "short cut" my sat nav took last year and was probably the worse stretch of road we have ever experienced........Route home was via Zaragoza absolutely no problem It is a well known and well used route....(by trucks) to avoid the extra mileage around Zaragoza. Sounds like its still off limits for M/Hs that don't want to get shaken apart. The last time we drove that route it almost shook my fillings loose! To my mind it was the worst road surface I've driven on since we drove around the Bucharest ring road, which believe me is saying something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 I concur it is truly awful! *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted October 6, 2012 Author Share Posted October 6, 2012 So thats it then? apart from my learned friend the Judge. Has nobody driven this route in the last two years? I'm really surprised that no one appears to have used this route either up or down from Pamplona to the Costa Blanca. The last time I used this route the surface was completley broken up, and it was still being used by truckers and m/hs, all travelling slowly I might add. I know Spain is skint, but highways are essential for their movement of freight up to us rich northern europeans. I was hoping that its been repaired, as its an excellent short cut to avoid Zaragoza, and must be on most sat navs as the route to take. Maybe I'll just drive a piece of it to see, and turnaround if its in the same or possibly worst condition. Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomad Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Hi, the last time I used that route was about 4 years ago and it had been resurfaced and was very good but I have since been driving via Mont de Marsan,Pau and Oleron St Marie (Aire here) and the Somport tunnel. No good whatever if you are using the ferries to Spain but if driving through France its a much nicer run linking with the A23 via Jaca and Huesca. I hope its of assistance. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilmac Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 From Pamplona we use the A21 Autovia to Huesca, you get diverted off a couple of times where it is still being built. Then from Huesca it's A23 Autovia all the way to Valencia. All good toll free driving :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 nomad - 2012-10-06 7:16 PM Hi, the last time I used that route was about 4 years ago and it had been resurfaced and was very good but I have since been driving via Mont de Marsan,Pau and Oleron St Marie (Aire here) and the Somport tunnel. No good whatever if you are using the ferries to Spain but if driving through France its a much nicer run linking with the A23 via Jaca and Huesca. I hope its of assistance. Colin Thanks for the reply. I drove back thro' the Somport earlier this year, however when driving down thro' France in the winter (whic is our next trip) I always use the "western route" down to Irun then the N121a to Pamplona. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 neilmac - 2012-10-06 8:43 PM From Pamplona we use the A21 Autovia to Huesca, you get diverted off a couple of times where it is still being built. Then from Huesca it's A23 Autovia all the way to Valencia. All good toll free driving :-) Thanks for the reply. I don't know the route from Pamplona to Huesca, never driven it. I'm looking at an old map at the moment, I'll have to get my best map out the van and check the mileages, but it looks like a longer trip with possibly tedious driving. If the road isn't all built at the moment I guess it will be a while before the Spanish get the cash to complete it. I've seen lots of uncompleted Spanish roads, with no sign of work going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojitoes Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 In January we stopped overnight at a campsite just outside Pamplona and then drove next day to Peniscola. Long drive bt we cold have stopped earlier if we had wanted. Our route was AP15 to pick up AP68 to the other side of Zaragossa, then N 232 all the way. It was a good road and there was hardly any traffic, mind you there were very few towns or villages either and no fuel stations bt some of the scenery was spectacular. It was 280 miles in total and the tolls on the AP roads were 25€ in total. There was no problem whatsoever at any stage of the route. Last year we came back via Huesca, Jaca and the Sominport tunnel which was a good route but I would not want to do it in the middle of winter as even in March there was a bit of snow abot and the road from Huesca to Jaca is through and over mountains with some steep climbs and a lot of hairpins. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 Bojitoes - 2012-10-07 3:57 PM In January we stopped overnight at a campsite just outside Pamplona and then drove next day to Peniscola. Long drive bt we cold have stopped earlier if we had wanted. Our route was AP15 to pick up AP68 to the other side of Zaragossa, then N 232 all the way. It was a good road and there was hardly any traffic, mind you there were very few towns or villages either and no fuel stations bt some of the scenery was spectacular. It was 280 miles in total and the tolls on the AP roads were 25€ in total. There was no problem whatsoever at any stage of the route. Last year we came back via Huesca, Jaca and the Sominport tunnel which was a good route but I would not want to do it in the middle of winter as even in March there was a bit of snow abot and the road from Huesca to Jaca is through and over mountains with some steep climbs and a lot of hairpins. Bob Once again thanks for the reply. With the exception of using the AP15, (I would use the N121 from Pamplona to almost Tudela). This is a route I'm considering but I would then use N232/A68 all the way to the coast. This would then include two stops at our preferred sites. We have driven from St Jean de Luz to Denia in a day (440miles) which was in our previous van a PVC, which we called the Silver Bullet, but we were still working then and time was important. However if the shortcut around Zaragoza is usable we would look to hit the coast further south than Peniscola/Vineros and keep heading South. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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