France/ Spain trip with possibly Portugal.

We have just pulled into a service area on the A63 just past Bordeaux, the roads are getting very bad with snow, traffic is at crawling pace on the Motorway, is there a time limit you can stay at service areas like in the UK, I would prefer to sit it out.
 
Mobilvetta said:
We have just pulled into a service area on the A63 just past Bordeaux, the roads are getting very bad with snow, traffic is at crawling pace on the Motorway, is there a time limit you can stay at service areas like in the UK, I would prefer to sit it out.
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Difficult to find anything about this, but https://www.leprogres.fr/magazine-a...souhaitez faire une,de dormir dans votre auto. indicates that one can sleep overnight in a French motorway service area (and I'm sure that I've seen posts as to the advisability or not of doing so), so if there is a time limit it is probably relatively long.
 
We've overnighted on French service areas with no charge but I can't confirm whether it is down to each individual service area manager. Obviously a lot of HGV's park up late on Saturdays and stay for 24 hours, so it is only whether there is a charge after a certain time period. Knowing the french passion for long lunches it will be a decent period if there is one 😄
 
Thanks everyone for your replies there is two other motorhomes here, I've asked them, but they are unsure how long you can stay.
 
when we were caught in the snow coming home one april the gendarmes sent us into the services think you would probably be alright for a while couple of years ago we were in the same services and friends were snowed in nr bilboa we turned left went across to perpignan & the med weather was fine after toulouse, by the by did you manage to find your way into the service area i’ve stopped there 3 times & only once got in without having to go wrong way down a road ,

just had a look at the forecasts looks pretty rough for the next week ten days heading south that’s the situation we were in 4 years ago when we plumped to go to the med longer way round but plenty to see & definetley better weather
 
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I think the Autoroute ticket is valid for 24 hours, so there may be an additional fee to pay. Might also vary from 1 Autoroute Operator to another ...

Steve
 
Thanks everyone, we have made it to Anglet now, just at ELeclerc while the wife picks a few bits up. The police soon got the accident cleared and it eventually stopped snowing, within 10 miles you wouldn't had known it had snowed. Going to stop here tonight and then tomorrow head for Pamplona.

Yesterday we visited Cognac, we stayed at the Aire by the river, there was us and a converted horse box only, come 2.30am the idiots from the horse wagon arrived back with a few mates and had a party, wife claims she could see them snorting coke as they never bothered closing there curtains, they were making a right racket, it was our cue to leave, luckily I hadn't had any alcohol, so we found a lovely peaceful Aire about 11kms away that had full services and even free electric. Provided by the village. I bet the residents in that area aren't happy with the racket, they were even blowing some sort of air horn, proper of there heads.
 
rugbyken said:
when we were caught in the snow coming home one april the gendarmes sent us into the services think you would probably be alright for a while couple of years ago we were in the same services and friends were snowed in nr bilboa we turned left went across to perpignan & the med weather was fine after toulouse, by the by did you manage to find your way into the service area i’ve stopped there 3 times & only once got in without having to go wrong way down a road ,

just had a look at the forecasts looks pretty rough for the next week ten days heading south that’s the situation we were in 4 years ago when we plumped to go to the med longer way round but plenty to see & definetley better weather
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Toying with the idea of going to the Costa Blanc's region instead from Zaragoza to see my sister who has moved to Elche, but we have to be in Mijas from the 10th February to meet my kids and grandkids. Looks like the weather is better on that coast to start with although my sister has said the temperature has dropped.
 
we’re at mijas at the moment though as you may see in my other posts we got cleared of this am there is official ? parking for about 40 vans but must have been 200 overnight so no great surprise that when the market started the cars couldn’t get in but telling 150 motorhomes they’ve got to go with 10 minutes warning was a recipe for chaos as about 300 car# were coming in to visit the market , weather a comfortable 20 degrees my knees got an airing lol
 
rugbyken said:
we’re at mijas at the moment though as you may see in my other posts we got cleared of this am there is official ? parking for about 40 vans but must have been 200 overnight so no great surprise that when the market started the cars couldn’t get in but telling 150 motorhomes they’ve got to go with 10 minutes warning was a recipe for chaos as about 300 car# were coming in to visit the market , weather a comfortable 20 degrees my knees got an airing lol
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Wow that sounds like eventually we will all end up getting kicked off there, I was hoping to spend 3 nights from the 10th February before heading to Sierra Nevada to do some skiing. I also like the carpark by Fuengirola castle for €5 a night and usually use Mijas to empty and refill with water.
 
Mobilvetta said:
Thanks everyone, we have made it to Anglet now, just at ELeclerc while the wife picks a few bits up. The police soon got the accident cleared and it eventually stopped snowing, within 10 miles you wouldn't had known it had snowed. Going to stop here tonight and then tomorrow
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Light snow tonight in Pamplona (Ansoain), 1 inch last night but soon cleared...Alec
 
Livotlout said:
Light snow tonight in Pamplona (Ansoain), 1 inch last night but soon cleared...Alec
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We are planning on stopping at the Aire that is close to the old town that also has electric and behind a petrol station, hopefully we can explore if the weather is kind and then the following day head to Zaragoza.
 
we are just above the market place waste ground almost at lidl , walked into town fir a meal tonight three rows of vans all ensconced on the market police just being seen to have a response i quess
 
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