Going to Spain how to find sites

You'll need to narrow it down a bit to get any meaningful advice. Spain is a very big (roughly) rectangle with coast on three sides. Calais to the Spanish border is 700 miles. It could be another 600 after that depending on where you choose.

Campsites take a bit of research to find what you are looking for.

Suggest the CAMC Overseas Holiday  Page above these are bookable , or in September you can use ACSI Sites these are low season priced sites. CAMC sells the ACSI Book which contains a card you present on arrival, these are not usually bookable in advance, there is an ACSI website on which you can also see the sites. For a further description of sites CAMC sell a directory`s of sites in Europe see Club Shop.

Its advisable to plan your trip with the aid of your Sat Nav, Google maps and the old faithfull paper map. Blindly following a Sat Nav can end up taking to places you to places you may wish you hadn't  ventured to especially in larger vehicles. Google maps will give you routes and you can frequently examine your intended route if you are uncertain of the road via the "street view" accessible via the yellow man in the bottom left of the screen..

In Spain you won't need to book for sites in September!  There are many more sites than the C&MC offer.  Take a look at www.eurocampings.co.uk for a wider choice, and then have a look at www.campingcard.co.uk for discounts available on some sites.

For a first time beachside side, not too far into Spain, and on the Mediterranean, try L'Amfora at Saint Pere Pescador - direct beach access, great shower and toilet facilties, bar, restaurant(s), and supermarket on site, but some lovely private hedged pitches.  You really won't need to book in September.

We holiday outside peak season (May/June and then late August/September) and haven't booked a site in twenty years (since our children stopped holidaying with us) nor have we ever not been able to get a pitch on a site we wanted.

Well there’s a thing.       We left home for Poole ferry on 15 Sep 18 and travelled thru France down to Spain.   No problems getting pitches in France but in Spain we headed for L’Amfora, as recommended by “Another David” on here, but L’Amfora was closed, by mid Sep.     So we popped down the road to Camping Salata in Roses and were very lucky to get the last pitch.    The reception said if we had come the day before we would have been turned away.     After a week there we headed for the D’Ebre Delta and found only the last 2/3 pitches left to choose from.    We ended up at the site recommended by BB, Bonterra Park and just got in there but for only 3 nights, as it was also full.   Probably because BB tells everybody to go there!,

We left home without bookings because so many people on here keep telling us you don’t have to book in Sep/Oct, but it must have changed. 

So, Buckos, be cautious.   Maybe ring ahead as you move down the Costas.    With regard to the climate, apart from 2 days of very heavy rain the weather was perfect down in Bonterra but windy up in Roses for 3 days, too windy to drive a MH.    But go for it and enjoy.

BillC

As you won't have any difficulty in finding a vacant spot in September without booking ahead I'd advise looking around once you get there. Just like you we wanted to stay at a campsite right on the beach but there were several that we didn't like when we got there despite rave reviews, so we just moved on until we found what we were looking for.

I wouldn't be so pessimistic about having to book ahead. We arrived in Spain in mid-October and had absolutely no difficulty in getting a pitch anywhere all along the Mediterranean coast although towards the end of November they were starting to fill up. In fact, when we arrived at our final destination, Aguilas, the site was less than half full, but there were still vacant pitches available when we left.

As they say, "one man's meat is another man's ......". The very thought of close to 1000 pitches at La Manga put us off completely. All the sites that we stayed at along the coast had less than 150 pitches and yet they were all most accommodating, even without a reservation. Our favourite was Bellavista - minutes walk from a very quiet beach and the town of Aguilas was also within easy walking distance, but such a quiet site may not be everybody's cup of tea. The only criticism I have of that campsite is the size of the pitches. With the awning in place we had to park the car a bit further down on the site.

Hello AD and Valda,

Sorry David, I was mistaken in saying you recommended L’amfora, actually, what I should have said was, you visited that piece of coastline and stayed at Camping Las Palmeras, which is next door to L’amfora.   Anyway, using your notes and photos on your web site of your visit to the Costa Dorada was what attracted us to going there this Autumn.  And we loved it!

BillC

For several trips we have used the Club booklet on overseas sites, the Club website, ACSI's comprehensive web site (small fee payable) and U.K. Campsites website (which despite its name has many European sites with reviews and website links). This has also been useful for the Algarve in Southern Portugal easily accessible from western and southern Spain. 

Be careful of the sites in Northern Spain, (Asturia etc.), we found some lovely beachside sites, (Noja), but experienced some very wet cool weather in June and September They don't call it the Costa Verde for nothing! 

You may also want to consider the direct ferries from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander and Bilbao. We almost always use them as they save us a long drive through France; others like to dawdle down through France, if they have the time and inclination. On one occasion we took Brittany Ferries to Caen, drove down through France and came back via Santander to Plymouth, which was a nice cruise back after our holiday. 

Best wishes,

Peter.