stops on the way to Portugal

[P-Med]

Hi, can anyone recommend any good stop-over campsites on the way to Portugal, or some 'must-see' places of interest? I'm catching a midnight ferry from Dover to Dunkirk, and hoping to make it most of the way to Biarritz the next day. Then I'll probably have to stop halfway across Spain before blasting over to the Portuguese coast.

[turbodave]

Hi, West coast of France...Hourtin Plage down to just above Biarritz...loads of great forest and sea(surf)...and flat land...and also stayed in an extremely cute town in Spain called Alfaro...and possibly on your route. Dave

[Velocette]

Hi, can anyone recommend any good stop-over campsites on the way to Portugal, or some 'must-see' places of interest? I'm catching a midnight ferry from Dover to Dunkirk, and hoping to make it most of the way to Biarritz the next day. Then I'll probably have to stop halfway across Spain before blasting over to the Portuguese coast.

We stopped at this site in the Medoc and absolutely loved it. We were on our way from Portugal to St Malo
http://www.laguneaussan.com/index-gb.html

There is a Leclerc supermarket nearby if you need to stock up. Unless it is the height of the season you won't need to book.

The showerblock is basic and unisex but it is immaculate with great showers.

all pitches have electric (Blue sockets) and almost every other pitch has a tap

Highly reccomended.

In Portugal you may need a local domestic plug for the hook up, not all sites have the blue ones although ours lent us an adaptor.

We stayed at a lovely site in Spain the previous night, I will try and find the details.

[turbodave]

Hi Velocette, I notice your link is for a site in Lesparre, have you spent much time in this area....we love it and will be there this Summer..sorry for ever so slight hi-jack. Dave

[briwy]

Just be careful on the road down from Bordeaux to Biarritz once you are off the autoroute.

It's currently being upgraded with a lot of roadworks and the gendarmes are very active with speed cameras. Personally I think its the road from hell, travel it regularly, so boring and lots of HGVs, but at least it's free, for now anyway.

BTW, we nearly always take the N10 down from Poitiers to Angouleme and then down to join the free motorway round Bordeaux. This is nearly all dual carriageway and will save some money on tolls.

Get off the autoroutes to tank up as well. Good cheap supermarket garage at Chateraullt just north of Poiters. Come off at the north Chatellerault junction, the garage is on the estate on the left a couple of miles from the autoroute.

The motorway down into Spain from Hendaye is not so good, bendy and a crap surface last time we went down a couple of years ago.

Can recommend Futureoscope near Poiters if you fancy a stop there. Its a days outing though but there are a few sites nearby or plenty of cheap hotels.

I agree with turbodave, great beaches all the way down from Archachon below Bordeaux to Biarritz. Very, very busy in holiday season though.

The Guggenheim museum in Bilbao is worth a look as well, even if you don't go in, magic building.

Incidentally, don't go via Paris unless you really want to. Go via Rouen, much quicker. Quick detour at Le Mans as well and have a blast down the Mulsanne straight.

[helen&tony]

Hi
Can I be nosey and ask if you've weighed up the cost of ferries as opposed to road travel?...what with the cost of fuel these days, i expect the price-gap might be less??? I must say, though, the road journey across Europe is fun for any destination!
Cheers
Helen

[P-Med]

The right dates weren't easy to find for the crossings to Bilbao or Santander, and anyway, they cost about £800 - at least 3 times the cost of fuel for the return trip.

[helen&tony]

Hi
Quite a pricey ferry trip then...but i suppose it would be a nice little break in its own right!...
Cheers
Helen

[Velocette]

Hi
Quite a pricey ferry trip then...but i suppose it would be a nice little break in its own right!...
Cheers
Helen

What I have done a couple of times is Santander out St Malo back. That way you get to your main destination without being knackered from driving and by the time you pootle home you are enjoying the journey and can find some nice stops on the way back.

I have to say the Brittany Ferries ships on those long crossings are streets ahead of the ones that just hop the channel, we love using them but it is a luxury.

[Velocette]

Hi Velocette, I notice your link is for a site in Lesparre, have you spent much time in this area....we love it and will be there this Summer..sorry for ever so slight hi-jack. Dave

No worries. We will quite likely be in that part of France this summer too. I went on the Gironde Estuary ferry due to no Satnav warning but that was an experience anyway.

[helen&tony]

Hi Velocette...
Sounds like a nice trip....i was looking at ferry prices Greece to Venice....might fancy a wee trip-ette soon, and the Greek ferries are VERY nice...and if you fancy ,you can camp on board in summer...in your camper ...but for us, the BIIIIG bonus is that you have an outside cabin , and dogs go in the cabin with you...in fact , our dogs were pampered by everyone, and there's a dog exercise area, with a "wee" place, and a "tree" for them to cock a leg!...it's so relaxing to think that the furry family aren't a problem for others....and they say that the UK is for pet lovers????....We also found no trouble booking dogs in a hotel in Europe!
Might take a sniff round France for the next move!
Cheers
Helen

[turbodave]

Hi Velocette, I notice your link is for a site in Lesparre, have you spent much time in this area....we love it and will be there this Summer..sorry for ever so slight hi-jack. Dave

No worries. We will quite likely be in that part of France this summer too. I went on the Gironde Estuary ferry due to no Satnav warning but that was an experience anyway.

I have made that mistake before re. Gironde ferry...quicker to drive around! Anyway, maybe hook up over a bottle of decent Medoc? Dave