February in Portugal

Hi Jim, just back from Knutsford. Saw your Mrs at the entertainment Saturday night so I guess it must have been too noisy for her down your end?! Sorry we didn't get the chance to come down an see you but we were kept busy working.

We would be interested in going to Portugal as we've only ventured to France in the van before and have been looking at venturing further afield so please add us to the possibles.

Thanks
Colyn and Jill
Ivory55
 
Hi

We are looking to make our first venture abroad, so can you please put us down as interested Jim ?
Tagging along with some old hands will be a good way to learn.

Thanks

John and Christine.
 
maybe you can tag along behind someone who is travelling the same time as you as well hopefully they will know the cheapest and best route
 
RX12 said:
Tagging along with some old hands will be a good way to learn. John and Christine.
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It really is very easy.

Just get a boat to Santander or Bilbao and you are only 630 miles on first class roads away. You choose, no stops, 1 or 2 stops.

In the winter Bilbao makes a whole lot of sense. Who wants to trudge all the way down France in winter ? The high ferry cost is more than offset by shorter distance and less overnight stops.

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hilldweller said:
It really is very easy.

Just get a boat to Santander or Bilbao and you are only 630 miles on first class roads away. You choose, no stops, 1 or 2 stops.

In the winter Bilbao makes a whole lot of sense. [HI]Who wants to trudge all the way down France in winter ? [/HI]The high ferry cost is more than offset by shorter distance and less overnight stops.
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Funsters who like motorhoming?

JJ :Cool:
 
i would rather the journey didnt buy a mh to have it freighted to everywhere i want to go
 
I was heading down to Spain in February this year but we hit some sunshine in southern France on the way down and I thought we'd stop for a few days and take advantage. Never did make it to Spain the weather was so lovely and the only bad weather we had was around Le Mans on the way back to the ferry 6 weeks later.

So France isn't all bad all winter :Cool:

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JJ said:
Funsters who like motorhoming?
JJ :Cool:
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Fair enough, if you want to drive another 700 miles in mid winter that is your choice.

Did that this Feb. Nearly didn't get past Pamplona due to snow.
 
Every year is different Brian, we drove down in Jan 08 and never saw a drop apart from a smidgen around Irun. Coming back via the Bielsa tunnel was the same although you could see it on the mountains there was nothing on the roads.

Ian
 
BwB said:
So France isn't all bad all winter :Cool:
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Agreed but we tend to plan ahead. What is next year going to be like ?

It's not just the weather, going via Calais adds 1400 miles to the holiday. So what does 1400 miles cost ? 50p a mile ? Quite a lot.

Then folk on holiday seem to think in terms of 200 miles a day, add a week's driving.

Many will only use campsites, add £300.

'er indoors is not keen to cook after a days travel, add £200.

Bilbao can be one serious bargain.
 
If your only intention is to get to a particular place I would agree with you, but we look upon the journey as part of the holiday, and stop of when and where we like, indeed we might never get to our original destination.:BigGrin:

The wife is keen to go back to Portugal, but the only date I would give Jim to expect us will be about 10 mins before we arrive.:Rofl1:

Ian
 
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hilldweller said:
Agreed but we tend to plan ahead. What is next year going to be like ?

It's not just the weather, going via Calais adds 1400 miles to the holiday. So what does 1400 miles cost ? 50p a mile ? Quite a lot.

Then folk on holiday seem to think in terms of 200 miles a day, add a week's driving.

Many will only use campsites, add £300.

'er indoors is not keen to cook after a days travel, add £200.

Bilbao can be one serious bargain.
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Thats the way I see it too.

We had a great week in Northern Spain two Easters ago that we could never have enjoyed had we driven it.

I must say though that some of the cost savings we made were rather offset by all the crap my wife and kids spent in the on board boutiques:Doh:

The biggest saving though was time. Travelling at I guess 30 knots while you eat, drink and sleep does it for me.

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hilldweller said:
Fair enough, if you want to drive another 700 miles in mid winter that is your choice.

Did that this Feb. Nearly didn't get past Pamplona due to snow.
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We did it also in Feb this year and last year and roads were clear and fine...not a problem Brian
 
Heyupluv said:
We did it also in Feb this year and last year and roads were clear and fine...not a problem Brian
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A good alternative for you would be the LD lines route from St. Nazaire to Gijon. We have used this route several times since its inception as we have a static caravan 15 min from St. Nazaire.Good prices especially if you book early, catering not up to Brittany Ferries standard but acceptable:thumb:
 
matamoros said:
A good alternative for you would be the LD lines route from St. Nazaire to Gijon. We have used this route several times since its inception as we have a static caravan 15 min from St. Nazaire.Good prices especially if you book early, catering not up to Brittany Ferries standard but acceptable:thumb:
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Why would I want to go by ferry...from...st Nazaire.???? when the road has always clear:Doh:..and if i had gone to st Nazaire like you had suggested.. i would have been well over half my down France:Doh:..it's was not me that was wanting to go by ferry...it was Brian hildweller.....I go straight down from Hesdin to Biarritz stopping twice on route and enjoying the trip...that's why I purchased a motorhome for touring not boating.......then into Spain and onto Algarve Portugal...:thumb:

Now if you are limited for time and only have a week or two weeks holiday allowance and time is the essence...well then do what Brian has mentioned ship your van most of the way.
 
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So in Summary

You pays yer money
And Takes Yer Choice:Rofl1::Rofl1:

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No I think what he's saying is to some 2" of snow is a drift, while to others its just a bit of frost.:BigGrin:

Ian
 
hilldweller said:
So basically I'm lying.
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I'm sure you're not Brian, but many of us do it on a regular basis and understand the risks and the costs and accept them as part of the experience of travelling.

It would bore me do the enth degree to sit on a ferry for many hours so I CHOOSE to go it ...... my way ..... what a good title for a song, but Frank did it better than I ever could.. :Rofl1:
 
Hi Jim

just 6 hours drive for us , so count us in .

Dickieo.

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hilldweller said:
So basically I'm lying.
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What I was saying Hildweller...we have been traveling back from Portugal or Spain the last two years in February and the weather has not been a problem, the roads and weather have been fine. ..I was giving my experiences, as you did yours
 
keith said:
It would bore me do the enth degree to sit on a ferry for many hours
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It does me. Sometimes there's a good film. It really annoys how much they rip us off for WiFi, so I've never bought that. Petty, £300+ each way then they want another tenner or more for WiFi.

This Feb we did a half way compromise, Portsmouth - Caen. Overnight, arrive fresh at 7 o'clock so day 1 got us just south of Bordeaux. There to Zaragoza then Benidorm.

There are many options.
 
matamoros said:
Sorry I spoke :Sad:
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Matamoros....what I was saying…(not having a go at you)..as you had replied on my post….. you were pointing the info of the ferries at the wrong person....as it was Hildweller who was talking ferries not me

The rest I was replying to you as it was my post you had raised.... For me..by the time I had veered off to the west to St Naziare, stopped at St Nazaire ferry terminal...booked in... Boarded the ferry.. Finally left the port arrived at the destination port disembarked the ferry.....I could have already been there by road.
Also by the time I had got to St Nazaire I would have travelled down over half of Frances !! weather....
Like I have said the weather and roads have been fine for us up to press....( I am not saying in the past years it has always been like this for other travellers,... as weather climates have changed and are changing )
As I mentioned.. I purchased a motorhome to tour /travel about in not to ship from place to place just live in it...and if you are on a limited holiday period,..Or driving a long distance is a problem...then shipping is another option like Brian has mentioned….
As Brian as said, as long as you get there ,and the trip/travel route either by road or boat is to your liking and suites you…fine…
But as… Keith, JJ, ukbill, myself have said and maybe many others….ferries are not what we are looking for…….Another point of view …nothing more
What I written is not meant to offend or criticise any funsters…it is just another motorhomers experience and opinion.
 
Heyupluv said:
Matamoros....what I was saying…(not having a go at you)..as you had replied on my post….. you were pointing the info of the ferries at the wrong person....as it was Hildweller who was talking ferries not me

The rest I was replying to you as it was my post you had raised.... For me..by the time I had veered off to the west to St Naziare, stopped at St Nazaire ferry terminal...booked in... Boarded the ferry.. Finally left the port arrived at the destination port disembarked the ferry.....I could have already been there by road.
Also by the time I had got to St Nazaire I would have travelled down over half of Frances !! weather....
Like I have said the weather and roads have been fine for us up to press....( I am not saying in the past years it has always been like this for other travellers,... as weather climates have changed and are changing )
As I mentioned.. I purchased a motorhome to tour /travel about in not to ship from place to place just live in it...and if you are on a limited holiday period,..Or driving a long distance is a problem...then shipping is another option like Brian has mentioned….
As Brian as said, as long as you get there ,and the trip/travel route either by road or boat is to your liking and suites you…fine…
But as… Keith, JJ, ukbill, myself have said and maybe many others….ferries are not what we are looking for…….Another point of view …nothing more
What I written is not meant to offend or criticise any funsters…it is just another motorhomers experience and opinion.
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One of the reasons I replied on this post was an old seasoned motorhomer said to me a long while ago, if you did not get over the mountains from France to Portugal before the last two weeks in November you would have lost your slot,:Doh: you would not get over and would have to wait till spring:Doh::Rofl1::Rofl1: what a load of wives tales ,,,rubbish..... Information like this can put a first time motorhomer off:Rofl1: :Rofl1:

Don't forget there are loads and loads of large articulated Lorries traveling these routes day after day after day so the roads need to be kept open....there are lots of snow ploughs just sat at the side in the mountain regions of the main routes / motorways from Portugal and Spain to France and other countries

If you decide to go off main routes / motorways...onto by –roads it may be a lot different

A piece of information taken from Hildweller previous post reply "It really is very easy".
Just travel the best way for you

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