Uk to Spain , Drive or Ferry ?

jeffmossy

jeffmossy

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In February we are going to Spain , we are weighing up the advantages also cost of driving through France or taking the ferry to Santander , baring in mind we have got a dog but we have also got all the time in the world . What do you normally do if you are doing this trip ? and why . Thanks regards Jeff & Lorraine
 
jagmanx said:
For us given that as you we have Time !
Drive Drive Drive
Just a matter of which Ferry you prefer to get to France..
We like the Tunnel and are happy to do so and enjoy the extra, extra time and miles in France
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We also like the tunnel as we find it so easy , I must say at the present it is swinging towards driving through France , but I also keep looking at the ferry as it sounds great just to drive off it and you are in Spain nice and refreshed
 
The Tunnel can be free if you shop at Tesco, so for us it is always the Tunnel.

As for the ferry, never forget that the Bay Of Biscay can be one of the roughest stretches of water in the World, added to which I know quite a few people who have travelled over it and have then taken several days to recover from it!

Tunnel every single time.
 
jeffmossy said:
In February we are going to Spain , we are weighing up the advantages also cost of driving through France or taking the ferry to Santander , baring in mind we have got a dog but we have also got all the time in the world . What do you normally do if you are doing this trip ? and why . Thanks regards Jeff & Lorraine
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Depends how long you want to stay in Spain if GB leaves the EU you will only be able to stay 90 days I think
 
Having done both the ferry and driving through France to Spain with our dogs, we don't have a preference for either. What I would say is France in Winter can be a bleak place a lot of aires have the water turned off, and the weather can be quite bad. What we have done is Ferry in the winter outbound to Spain, don't mind if it is Santander or Bilbao. Then for the return drive through France in the late spring and enjoy it all. But then if you find you like the ferry you could try and get a late booking home. We have only used the ferry with a pet friendly cabin, when we looked the kennels they weren't something we would put our dogs through.
 
In Feb I,d take the ferry unless you intend taking your time driving thru France which isn,t much fun in Feb. If you need a dog friendly cabin don,t leave it to late to book it
If you,ve more than one dog check that two are allowed in one cabin on
 
witzend said:
In Feb I,d take the ferry unless you intend taking your time driving thru France which isn,t much fun in Feb. If you need a dog friendly cabin don,t leave it to late to book it
If you,ve more than one dog check that two are allowed in one cabin on
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Ferry for me . Would get ferry to Spain but price has often been prohibitive . Never succeeded in getting a dog friendly cabin .
Lots of people cite the tunnel as being easier as there reason for using it ? Ferry seems easy enough , and half the price .
Need to go to Tesco
 
witzend said:
If you,ve more than one dog check that two are allowed in one cabin on
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We have had two dogs in a pet friendly cabin, a Labrador and a Labradoodle. They do ask the size of dogs when we book for two. You can only book one dog online. We call to book a cabin for two. I have heard of people booking a cabin for one pet online, then phoning up to modify the booking for two. Not tried that myself.
 
I took the tunnel last time, thought it would be easier but I hated it, next time I'd do Dover - Calais ferry instead, and drive down. I have heard that it's impossible to get a pet friendly cabin unless you book very early. I wouldn't use the kennels and couldn't leave the dog that long in the van - I don't think they allow that anyway on those long haul ferries, do they? He's fine for an hour or two on the shorter crossings.

France wasn't that grim in February, warmer than Spain at night 'cos Spain doesn't have any cloud cover and the temperature really drops as soon as the sun goes down.
 
For you, an easy drive to Portsmouth , 5 hour ferry to Caen. Relatively cheap, no need for a cabin. Avoiding Biscay ..
Mainly good toll free roads to Spain. Try and time it so you don't overnight in the high ground
Plenty of Aires and overnight stops available on POIs and Park4 night..
Take it easy ... And enjoy yourselves.
 
For the last 2 years in January and February, we have driven down taking the Newhaven - Dieppe ferry (20% discount if you are over 60). The drive down was fine, even getting stuck in the "beast from the East" snowstorm North of Narbonne was a bit of fun. This year, we came back in April on the ferry from Bilbao but it was boring so would prefer to drive back through France, it only takes 3 or 4 days at a gentle pace and we don't use the toll roads.
 
Have done most ways! In December I am booked on the long ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao. Leaves Portsmouth 23.30 on Sunday arrives Bilbao Tuesday am. My dog will be in the kennels, but you are able to go and take them for walks at any time. I have had a pet friendly cabin and that is better. One previous year I used the tunnel but would not do that again as the drive from Scotland to the tunnel is not as easy as the drive to Portsmouth. I have also driven through France in winter, but that can be a very cold and frostly journey in Jan / Feb. Coming back I drive through France to Zeebrugge and get the ferry to Hull.
 
Thanks for all your replies folks . We are still swaying to the tunnel then a nice peaceful drive with no rushing . we have got the diesel heater as well as gas heating and electric heating if we get some nice daytime sunshine on the solar panels so if it is cold it wont be a issue
 
We travel around France all year and although some aires have water turned off, if it’s not freezing, we have asked at the Marie if they can turn the water on for us, which they seem pleased to do.
You will see a lot of motorhomes travelling through France, the locals will be everywhere.
I drove down to the south in February and we had temperatures in the high 20’s around Carcassonne and Soustons Plage.
We are driving to southern Spain in a couple of days and are looking forward to the drive through France.
If you want to spend all your time in Spain though and can afford the ferry, then that may be your best option.
There are speed limits and roundabouts in Spain too!
 
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