Overnight France / Spain

NutsyH
NutsyH Forum Participant Posts: 534
edited June 2018 in Overseas Campsites & Touring #1

Hi All

Can anyone please recommend sites that are open all year and suitable for an overnight stop near the autoroute:

1. Poitiers area

2. Valencia area

Travelling down 10/11/12 February and returning 6/7/8 March 2019.

 

Secodnly - anyone on here been to Cabo De Gata site and any views on it please for a 3 week stay?

 

Thanks in advance

Paul

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited June 2018 #2
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  • NutsyH
    NutsyH Forum Participant Posts: 534
    edited June 2018 #3

    Thanks Way2 go. Very helpful

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #4

    don't know which crossing (or timings) you're on but Calais to Poitiers is at least 7 hrs towing even on the tolls...

    ...and Poitiers to Valencia is 11 hrs on the tolls..... 

    i 'do' Valencia from Cherbourg in three chunks....

    ferry arrives around 2 pm so first stop Nantes...4 hrs..

    next stop Irun on Spanish border.....around 7 hrs

    then Valencia (Benicassim) ....another 7-8 hrs...

    and this is in a fast, lightweight MH ....

    ...and, for you,there's still another 5 hrs towing to the campsite nr Almeria....

    thats 23 hrs of toll driving.....depending on your crossing time, I would be looking at at least 3 stops...

    even from Caen its 19 hrs on the tolls...

     

  • NutsyH
    NutsyH Forum Participant Posts: 534
    edited June 2018 #5

    Hi BB

    Pompey to Caen. Overnihht at Caen.

    Caen to Poitiers, an easy 5 to 6 hours.

    Poitiers to Urrugne, another easy 5 to 6 hours.

    Longest leg is then Urrugne to Valencia, but I have done this several times, around 8 hours.

    All on tolls, and those roads from Henday over the top, past Zaragoza and then on to Valencia are always pretty empty of traffic.

    Thanks for the advice though, much appreciated.

    Nutsy

     

     

     

  • montesa
    montesa Forum Participant Posts: 168
    edited June 2018 #6

    Hi,

    For what its worth ........

    Route. We overland towed from Calais to Valencia & beyond in January 18. Dont know your exact schedule or ports etc but we stayed at 

    https://www.campingdemontreal.com/en/

     just south of Limoges, nice convenient site for a winter stop over. 

    There are a few sites open in dreary grey winter France and we ended up planning our journey for easy driving days and sites that suited. ACSI or this link will help your route planning :-

    https://www.frenchcampsites.co/french-regions/region-information-open-all-year.html

    Our route & return trip was :-  from Folkstone/Calais, stops at Dreux /  Chartres, Limoges as above, Perpignan area or Capmany Spain, Benicassim (Tauro), & onwards. Never booked anywhere. Only caught once with a site still closed (wrong opening date on website) but just rang every day at lunchtime when en-route & on time to check next site open. Shuffled stops, durations and days a few times to suit weather & mood !

     Cabo. We have done a drive in visit to the Camping Cabo De Gata site and have toured the region quite extensively.

    We have met quite a few people who really like that site and do return. That specific area is generally very dry, even in Winter, intensively greenhoused and therefore does take a bit of adapting to.

    If it's the driest area of Europe you seek -  that's it !!

    3 Reviews on CMC,, link here :-

    https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/overseas/spain/cabo-de-gata/

     

    As short fly drive trip before a winter long stay is advisable before a very long distance travel towing to an un-known region.

     

    NB : Sort out a Spanish Gas Bottle (12kg Repsol propane best) in advance in the UK prior ! Take a full/ part Repsol propane for the journey and a full 6kgs Calor just for emergency use. High gas use in Spain is normal but cheap & easy to exchange.

     

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited June 2018 #7
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  • Unknown
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    edited June 2018 #8
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  • Unknown
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    edited June 2018 #9
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  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #10

    Nutsy, after arriving at Valencia, aren't you going onto your site CAbo de Gato nr Almeria? that's another 5 hrs, the following day...

    if so, that makes 3 stops (Poitier, urrugne, Valencia) as I suggested..around 23 hrs...or 25 of the first two legs take 6 hrs...

    ive done the trip many times so I agree with you about the slight traffic volumes...and great roads...but it's still a long way....especially towing a van with lower speed limits.

  • Philnffc
    Philnffc Forum Participant Posts: 317
    edited June 2018 #11

    Completely agree with Deleted User User about Cabo de Gato  site we stayed there last week for one night on the way home from Andalucía, The pitches are enormous in fact the biggest we have ever stayed on and really is a well kept site. If you won’t a peaceful site in the middle of nowhere then I would recommend this site, the environment a bit desert like surrounding the site leaves a bit to be desired with miles of plastic poly tunnels full of Tomatoes. Maybe three weeks would be a bit too much for me but there are other options in the area.

    Regarding Valencia staying for one night we always use Betera camper park (acsi) on the way home although a camper van park it does take Caravans and 12e a night and quite close to the A7 with a tram close by if you want to visit the beautiful city of Valencia.#

     

    Phil

  • Jaydug
    Jaydug Forum Participant Posts: 52
    edited June 2018 #12

    My itinerary for this route was to arrive in Calais in the late evening then drive 60 miles to Baie du Somme services and stop in one of the caravan bays.   Next day I drove 300 miles to Poitiers for the first night.  Next day I drove 260 to the border for the second night.   Details of the route and sites can be seen in my blog.   That particular route continued through Madrid however, a route to Valencia I wrote about in 2017.

    Normally I wouldn't advise stopping overnight in service areas but at Baie du Somme, the traffic police make frequent visits.during the night.

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