Towing from Spain to France - best route?
We are hoping to cross Spain > France this May with a Mitsubishi Outlander which, although not as powerful as our old Shogun, is within the Club's criteria for the size and weight of our caravan. However, we are not entirely sure how it will cope with the Pyrenees! My preferred route, on the grounds that it it the best fit for the places we want to go to, is Somport-Pau. What are your experiences? Comments would be much appreciated.
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Barcelona to Narbonne or San Sebastián to Bordeaux? Give us a clue!
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Done both in my time, but from the French side to the Spanish. We are landing at Bilbao, and the furthest east in Spain we really want to go to is Zaragoza, so taking the Barcelona/Narbonne route would take us out of our way. Have you tried the Somport route? I gather the Spanish side is OK but the French side is a bit hairy.
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Your uphill road to the Somport tunnel on the Spanish side is wider and gentler than the downhill road on the French side, which is steeper and narrower. Many people go that way with caravans and motorhomes, but so do HGVs . Whether you find it stressful depends on your nature! But if you travel on a Sunday you will find it lorry free. Take care.
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Eurotraveller's description of the Somport is correct regarding the spanish/french bits. With a caravan, it would be my recommended route.
We have been in the Pyrenees quite few times, and I have used the old Bielsa tunnel several times as we were in the area around Ainsa, but the approach on the Spanish side is steep for the last few miles, and the tunnel is old and one lane each way. I personally think the French decent is better on the Bielsa route, but the important climb up is a far better approach on the Somport.
If you get the chance to stay in the area, visit the renovated Canfranc Estacion station - fabulous looking building and massive
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Hi Finchdancer,
We have towed south to north across the Pyrenees on different occasions both through the Somport and the Bielsa tunnels, although the Bielsa trip was quite a few years ago. The characteristic of the Pyrenees mountain chain is that it generally has a steep northern face, with a more gentle southern aspect. This is reflected in the gradients of the approach roads to the tunnels where both have reasonably wide roads with gentle gradients on the Spanish side, but are steeper on the French side.
My recollection is that on the French side of the Bielsa tunnel the road fell immediately pretty steeply with a sequence of hairpins. After a few km of the descent I pulled in to allow the caravan brakes to cool!
On the Somport route the gradient is similarly steeper on the French side, but I do not recall it being as steep as the Bielsa route. It is mainly a road of reasonable width, but there were a few pinch points where you would need to take care if there were approaching trucks.
Thus both are ‘caravannable’, but the Somport is probably the easier of the two. If you do decide on the Somport and you want a site to stop in on the French side, then I can recommend highly Camping Beau Rivage at Navarrenx, a very pleasant terraced site located between the walls of this Bastide town and the river, well maintained and cared for by UK owners (see page 334 of the CMC Touring France 2017).
Cheers
Paul R T
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http://www.wheelgotravelling.info/Videos.html
Don't disagree with any of the above. The Somport is my usual and preferred route across the Pyrenees when heading to southern Spain. A little care is needed that's all. There are stopping places on the French side a nd a large picnic area a couple or so miles just before the tunnel on the Spanish side. If its any help there is a video of the ascent on the French side on my website at the above link.
peedee
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