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a year in europe


aray

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Hi as stated in a previous message we intend to travel around europe for at least a year , we are new to the motorhome way of life and are a little nervous. we intend to start of in February and travel through france to spain but we wondered if anyone could advise us on the best places to stay on route. we intend to get camping cheques , but free sites would help. I realise that we will have to work this out for ourselves . after all its part of the experience. but any recomendations will be gratefully received. I am also concerned about LPG , I have a perminant tank fitted to my motor home this is to supply heating and cooking only. I have been told that it is difficult to find garages in europe that will enable me to fill up .and it would be advisable to use bottled gas instead is this true.
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Hi aray - envious of your plans - I have driven extensively in europe with an LPG powered dual fuel car and had no problem in France Holland Belgium Germany etc. and whilst not driven in Italy I understand that LPG is very popular there. As long as your filling nozzle is standard EU I doubt you will have a problem as many cars are dual fuel in the EU. Only country that I know to be problamatic is Spain where LPG is/was remarkably cheap because no tax is levied on it at all. But this does mean that members of the public are not suppossed to use it - only "municipal vehicles" such as local authority/police/ambulance etc. However I have heard that this has all changed recently with the move to greener fuels for all - so you may want to check this. I was last in Spain about 3 years ago - LPG was just 18p a Litre where you could get it and petrol the same price as I paid for LPG in the UK. But as I say - I think it has changed a great deal.
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Aray I might be stating the obvious but, if you are taking your time in getting to Spain in February you are going to face very cold weather and lack of open sites in France and Northern/Middle Spain. We've twice been snowed in over recent years in Madrid. You will also find that the local authorities will turn off the water in Aires if necessary to stop the pipework from freezing up. With this sort of time at your disposal could you not delay the trip a couple of months and enjoy travelling in good weather? Have fun
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Ron, Aray... G'day!

We tour on the continent every Christmas/New Year, including Northern Spain and Portugal 2 years ago, and bits of France every winter.  We use the CC's Europe book mainly and except for one occasion in Spain where 2 sites advertised "All year round" but were closed, we have never had a problem finding a site and certainly never planned more than 24 hours ahead. 

The sites will often open only one toilet block to be shared by men and women, and due to the much shortened day, you really have to be prepared to arrive early evening at the latest, and wait for the warden to get out of bed in the morning if you want your CCI card back!  There is often mud and slush, the electricity bollard usually needs to be switched on and you may be the only van there. 

However, for my wife and I this is perfect!  We have candlelit dinners, a few wines and an extra tog doona.  And we enjoy travelling at winter almost as much as our summer adventures.  The crowds are non-existent, the roads are empty, the weather often isn't as bad as you might imagine... last winter in Italy we had a perfect week of blue sky and sun every day!

Thoughts for winter travelling on the continent, especially the mountanous areas of Northern Spain...
1. Towels will be hard to dry on a daily basis.  Clothes will freeze on your line and only the occasional site will have a washer.  We use a sports towel when winter travelling... a kind of chamois for humans!  And you may find the only way to dry clothes is hanging them inside.
2. Choose your next site from the CC Europe book the night before and phone ahead mid morning.  They "may" be closed, or may be thinking about it.
3. Be prepared for mud and slush, and driving in the dark.
4. If you use Butane or campingaz for heating and cooking, the gas will be less efficient in the cold, and depending on the dynamics of your van, may stop working altogether (though it sounds like you'll be ok for this one)
5. Don't rely on filling up the fuel tank on Sundays.
6. Depending where you are going, snowchains may be a useful item to have.
7. Services of all kinds are reduced in the winter, but things are much better than they used to be and my Wife and I have very few problems doing everything we want.
8. I am in two minds re camping aires.  Apparently the south of France and Northern Spain are the most dangerous, but then other anecdotes suggest it is all a load of hooey!

Hope some of this helps?

We'll be spending some of this winter in La Cinque Terra in Liguria, Italy.  Arguably one of the most wonderful regions on this earth!

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This is all very unfair you know! About 4 years ago we had a week in November in a small village just outside Potes in the Picos de Europa Norther Spain. We had all sorts of weather from great sunshine to pouring rain. The scenery was stunning and the coastline magnificent - and the food! - superb. I want to go again but cannot as yet due to work commitments. So all you guys talking about overwintering in such regions - have a heart!!!!!!!
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Isn't Potes great!  The home of Orujo, that heart warming Spanish Grappa!  And the montains of the Picos de Europa... magnifique!  We have been there a couple of times now.  And as you hug the coast heading further north west, well, it's pretty special.  And we have toured there both times in the winter. 

I'm making myself jealous now!  I can't wait till the Christmas/New year break!

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  • 4 weeks later...
Its only a load of hooey Mom if it hasn't happened to you, it has us - twice. Incidentally, Iv'e always fancied trying the Picos but always seem to be there at the wrong time of the year. Interlaken, Switzerland is my idea of heaven on earth. Any more choices?, it could prove interesting as well as providing food for thought.
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Hi, I suggest that you either get somebody to visit youir home to check your mail FREQUENTLY, or pay the PO to redirect it for the full year. Its amazing what demands drop thru your letter box while you are away, and they can cost you money if you don't deal with them. Yeah, French conveniences. Often little huts with no outer door. Man stand facing the "scattercan" while lady walks past him to the "Cubicle Turque" which doesn't have a lock on the door. You get used to it. 602
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