ChrisD Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Hello Some advice please. We are considering the Portsmouth/Bilbao ferry just before Christmas and onward travel towards Gibraltar. Is the ferry generally a smooth crossing at that time of the year and are the road conditions in northern Spain treacherous or relatively straightforward? All advice greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairweather camper Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Hi, This a hard one as we have been a few times and its been different every time, we have had it like a mill pond and once it was so rough we stayed in bed the whole time, you are travelling through the Bay of Biscay where anything goes, it's pot luck I'm afraid. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Have to agree The weather is unpredictable , any time of year, as this year has shown. AS you are considering, Have you checked there are places left on the ferry? The winter ones do get filled up quickly PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisD Posted August 20, 2018 Author Share Posted August 20, 2018 Thank you both of you. I guessed this might be the case. Yes Pjay there are still spaces and I know i must decide soon. Do you know if there is generally much snow in Northern Spain at that time of the year. Many thanks Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMac46 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 We've done the crossing 4 times, Dec/Feb. Only 1 was a bit rough, no real problem. Last December we drove A8 towards Santander, then A67 South, as we don't like getting lost in Bilbao! Some snow on roadside on A67 but the roadway was clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMac46 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 BTW, this website is very good for road conditions: http://infocar.dgt.es/etraffic/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 If there is snow, I would imagine the roads will be kept clear. It is a good road across Spain , and using ACSI sites as stop over , you should be OK. Not sure about snow chains in Spain, (Others may be able to say) We have traveled across Spain many times, but not that late in the year. October being our latest. Dave Pelmet Man may have some experience of this journey . PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikefitz Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 From south Portugal I have been driving the route through north Spain to either to the Bilbao/Santander ferries or continuing through France in mid to late December for the last 15 years. Only once was there snow from Burgos northwards. The Spanish snow clearing was very effective and there was no delay. The crossing can vary from flat calm to very uncomfortable to cancelled. My return trip in late January has seen more snow, perhaps three occasions, even then the roads had been cleared. I would not think snow chains would be necessary, there is no legal requirement on the major routes. From Burgos or Palencia southwards the toll free dual carriageway has little traffic and allows rapid progress south. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 The problem with Spain and snow is it’s apparently the 2nd most mountainous country in Europe, don’t know how they measure that! If you’re driving across to the med you will climb over some high ground, just stick to the autopista or autovia routes. The Spanish are surprisingly quicker at clearing roads than the French or the Brits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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