Destination:- Royan camping car park site.
4 hours drive, 208 miles and €46 in toll road fees.
https://campingcarpark.com/en/shop/parking-areas/royan/
A nice steady days driving today with a couple of breaks we finally arrived at this nice big aire at 14:30 hrs. We filled up with water, parked up, had a snack before going out to explore.
Today we began our journey back to the UK.
We know there are some people that like to travel from the UK to Spain and back again in one go. Taking the occasional break or stopping to swap driver the journey can be done in 24 hours or under (depending on where in Spain you are heading). Although we have considered this we have never actually done it………one day maybe!
For us part of the fun is the drive down but if time is limited then I can understand why people do it. We certainly wouldn’t like to take the ferry across and have even stopped using the Dover-Calais ferry opting instead for the Eurotunnel.
The next few entries will show our 11 day journey starting today.
Destination:- Aire St Nicolas de-la grave
5 hour drive, 226 miles and €44 in toll roads.
The drive was fine and not far from the aire we turned off the main road onto the D15. We were a bit shocked when driving around a bend to be confronted with a narrow bridge that spanned the river Garonne. There were no warning signs. Our van is 2.3 meters wide and we managed to get through without pulling in the wing mirrors, but there wasn’t much room either side!
A couple of miles after the bridge we eventually found the small aire which had one other van on site. Angela didn’t like the feel of the place and we have always agreed that if it doesn’t feel right then move on.
We did notice what looked like another aire back towards the bridge so we turned around and went to see if it was any better.
There were two other, what looked like live in vans parked up and it seemed okay. It was getting dark by this time so we found a suitable spot and parked up for the night.
We had a meal, read for a while then had an early night ready for another days drive tomorrow. Beginning with the narrow bridge!
Today’s destination is Autocaravaning Park (https://autocaravaningparkroses.com/en) in The Bay of Roses. It is located in the northeast region of Spain on the Mediterranean Costa Brava.
We decided not to go on the toll roads but opt for a more scenic coastal drive. Even though according to our sat nav the distance was only forty miles it took us two hours. Hilly, winding roads and a few stops for pictures made it worthwhile.
When we arrived, there was a motorhome in front of us checking in. We had heard that it has a computerised (Passport security) check in system that is difficult to work out. Fortunately, there was a member of staff on duty who was more than happy to help. Angela read the instructions which were available in many languages and said they were easy to follow!
Be aware that you are only able to book for two nights at a time. You may extend but only in 48 hour periods. To use the water filling and emptying station, you need to purchase a ticket from the main check in system. Drive over to the station and then follow the instructions – very simple.
The site can accommodate large RVs too – the access in is easy and the site is very spacious so there is plenty of space to drive around – no low hanging trees or tight bends to navigate at all!
After we’d set up and had a brew I got our bikes off and put the panniers on. We went straight out and headed for the harbour along the lovely esplanade.
Once we had got our bearings we stopped off for a quick coffee before cycling to the Carrefour supermarket we passed on our way in. Mainly for cheese and wine for tonight.
We cycled back to site, locked the bikes away, had a nice shower then chilled out in the evening.
This gallery contains 12 photos.
Our journey today should only have taken an hour and a half but the trip did not start well. We headed for the A9 toll motorway, junction 34 only to find it closed due to damage caused by protestors. We … Continue reading
Well, today was interesting! We tend to use the motorways that have tolls as it just makes for an easier journey for us, but what a pain this time..
We’d aimed to stop at an aire at Bagnuls sur Ceze but the exit we needed was closed, so we thought no more of it and just re-routed to carry on a little further and stop at another aire. Then the next exit we needed had a concrete barrier between us so we couldn’t get off there either!
As the hours were rolling by, we pulled into the next place it was safe to do so and consulted our various books as to where to head for. We plumped for a place called Sete as Dean had heard it mentioned by other campers as a nice stopover place.
Five hours into the journey that should have taken us three, we then took a wrong turn and ended up having to go completely round the town in the one-way system as there were road works. Six and a half hours of driving (323 miles) and we finally found the aire (Sete Aire) where a number of other vans were so we were able to relax!
The aire itself is free at this time of year. We could not find the services but it was no bother as we were only there for one night. We took a couple of pictures of the sunset that night and in the morning we went to the beach that runs alongside the site and were treated to a lovely sunrise.
