Funsters Rally Spain/Portugal.. ?

[ronboyracer]

Portugal visit

My sources tell me that investigations are being made for a possible meet in the sun again for March/April 2013.

If it ends up being nearer me than Marjal (and in a more interesting campsite) I might be interested.

I am definitely interested in meeting and greeting Funsters (subject to availability) who want to visit my area of Portugal (Ansiao, Figueiros de Vinhos, Pedrogao Grande) and QMJ would be a place you could park for a rest if your van is (and driving skills are) up to getting on and off and you like country side peace and quiet.

I still have plans to show people some "off-site" places around here and "hold their hands" if this type of motorhoming is new to them.

(See photos in the gallery of our recent Tour to get an idea of the sort of places I mean.)

JJ :Cool:

Found all the info very usefull, for a forthcoming trip to Portugal, basically a revisit I will be doing shortly, just need pointing in the right direction, I have already flagged up an interest with M/H Fun.Cheers ronboyracer.

 

[Southampton]

Bump.... Is this still of interest to people?

Having never done Spain in the Winter (Feb Mar Apr) but read many posts on it I get the impression that you have to book sites fairly well in advance. It would be great if there is an organised meet somewhere South Spain/Portugal where the weather is warm, but if an organised meet is not possible maybe an ad hoc meet is achievable.

Aud and I intend going to Spain/Portugal around that time and I have been looking at ferries/sites but loath to book anything yet in case a meet gets off the ground. For us we want a serviced site with good facilities.

I am happy to help on the admin side if a more experienced rally going Funster picks this up. How far in advance do you need to book up or is it not as crowded as I think.

I suppose the key question is.....are people still interested? Or shall we do our own thing.

 

[tonka]

Having never done Spain in the Winter (Feb Mar Apr) but read many posts on it I get the impression that you have to book sites fairly well in advance. It would be great if there is an organised meet somewhere South Spain/Portugal where the weather is warm, but if an organised meet is not possible maybe an ad hoc meet is achievable.

Aud and I intend going to Spain/Portugal around that time and I have been looking at ferries/sites but loath to book anything yet in case a meet gets off the ground. For us we want a serviced site with good facilities.

Southampton,,, Dont worry to much on the site bookings, in 12 years I have only ever been turned away once and that I suspect was because we arrived late and I only wanted a 1 night stop.. I bet if I said a week I would have been in with open arms..

With the Internet now, it's surprising how many member do arrange to meet up once they know other are around in an area... The Marjal rally last year was a real treat, the whole experience was something to remember ( and some bit's best forgotten.!)...

 

[Brisey]

We have a ferry booked for early December, we will be heading to Spain. No site bookings made as yet, our plan is to be at Benidorm for Xmas and New Year. We are hoping to meet up with a few other Funsters at Camping Villasol you will most welcome to join us. We have no other plans, we will just go where we please.
Brisey and Pamelaaar.

 

[bobandjanie]

Camping Villasol.... no dogs :Sad: Jane, Bob and Izzy
Link Removed

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[tonka]

Camping Villasol.... no dogs :Sad: Jane, Bob and Izzy
Link Removed

Villasol would be a good spot for a get together, they have the big bar / room as well..
But the no dog rule is a bummer for the dog owners in the group.. :Sad:

Brisey, not sure on our plans as yet but trying to convice the wife to go.. So may be down there in the van or at the apartment which is close by.. :thumb:

 

[Alan]

Benidorm

Villasol would be a good spot for a get together, they have the big bar / room as well..
But the no dog rule is a bummer for the dog owners in the group.. :Sad:

Brisey, not sure on our plans as yet but trying to convice the wife to go.. So may be down there in the van or at the apartment which is close by.. :thumb:

Camping Armanello is next to Villasol just up the lane at the side and they accept dogs and they're also an accsi site, also Raco and La Torretta are both only a short walk away both accepting dogs

Alan

 

[paddynsheena]

ferry

Coming from scotland which ferry line would you advice for trip to spain/portugal.
kind regards
Padynsheena

 

[Southampton]

Depends how long you want to take to get there. If it was me I would go for Portsmouth to Santander or Bilbao. That way you would have a long drive at the beginning, a good rest on the nearly 24 hour crossing and then a drive to wherever you are heading for in Spain/Portugal. You would also avoid the fuel costs and quite heavy Tolls in France. Unless of course you want to drive and take it slowly stopping off many times on route. I am not sure of the relative costs of ferry v fuel and tolls though.

 

[tonka]

"TOLLS !!!! " We dont do tolls... oh:


I am working on a plan for March 2013 and awaiting email reply.. !!!!
Nothing may come of it BUT you never know.....

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Alan]

Coming from scotland which ferry line would you advice for trip to spain/portugal.
kind regards
Padynsheena

We allways do the Dover Calais route and find it best for us as we travel with three pets,I quite enjoy the drive through France and if the weathers good we take our time and if its bad we race down to the med and Spain.
Alan

 

[smudger]

The original question seems to have gotten lost..

Have you had thoughts on this one Jim...?

would be interested mo, will already be down there i hope

 

[Brisey]

Villasol would be a good spot for a get together, they have the big bar / room as well..
But the no dog rule is a bummer for the dog owners in the group.. :Sad:

Brisey, not sure on our plans as yet but trying to convice the wife to go.. So may be down there in the van or at the apartment which is close by.. :thumb:

Sorry guys I did not know that Villasol is not pet friendly.

It would be good to meet up with Irene and yourself Steve, you will have to put your power of persuasion into overdrive.
We will be travelling down the west coast of France from Caen towards San Sebastián can you advise us on the best route and any stopovers.

Brisey.

 

[tonka]

We will be travelling down the west coast of France from Caen towards San Sebastián can you advise us on the best route and any stopovers.

Brisey.

I havent done from Caen as we always use Calais, however I would cut down to Tours and get on the N10, Lots of aires and stopovers along that route. N10 to Bordeaux, then continue on to Bayonne and the border. We like to cut off near Dax and go via the somport tunnel, Huesca, Zaragozza, Valencia and Costa blanca.. If the weather is bad at Somport or closed (rare) you can carry on to Irun and then choose a route to Pamplona and on to Zarragoza.

Stopovers in France.
There are many, if you have an aires book just look them up..
A good one to note is Roulette, just south of Angloueme. It has free water tap and is usually operating most of the time. Also, this one has free water tap but not worth a night stop.
http://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=47.290...id=4mP3TxmQKQDo3U6SiFWmnA&cbp=12,5.71,,0,9.07

Stopovers in Spain.
For the Zarragoza - valencia stretch.. There is a truckstop at Marlofa on the A68 about 10km NW of Zaragozza that has free motorhome parking bays, noisy but seemed pretty safe.
Camping Municipal in Zarragosa itself, if you want to pay the price. !
On the A23 30km ish south of Zarragosa is Carinene, another truck stop in the town on the old road. Free overnight parking there. Popular with many caravaners.
Then at Teruel, follow signs for "Dinoplis".. Dinoseaur museum, has huge car park and overnighting is ok there, nice and quiet.

 

[Brisey]

Thank you very much for the information Steve, it is very much appreciated.:thumb:

Brisey.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[middle east driver]

meet

morning all put me down for the meet iif it comes off like to spend some time in the heat and sun away from rain and more rain

 

[paddyd887]

Please add us to the list - got a pretty open diary for dates and not too fussed about the location - it will be our first adventure to Spain. Hope the meet takes place.
Colin and Liz

 

[Malcolm Bolt]

I am definitely interested in meeting and greeting Funsters (subject to availability) who want to visit my area of Portugal (Ansiao, Figueiros de Vinhos, Pedrogao Grande) and QMJ would be a place you could park for a rest if your van is (and driving skills are) up to getting on and off and you like country side peace and quiet.

I still have plans to show people some "off-site" places around here and "hold their hands" if this type of motorhoming is new to them.

(See photos in the gallery of our recent Tour to get an idea of the sort of places I mean.)

JJ :Cool:

We are setting off from Portsmouth tomorrow.
I thought about travelling via Salamanca to Portugal which I believe would bring me close to your area. It would be nice to meet if possible BUT a look at the route of the N112 on my atlas gives the impression that the land in your area is somewhat - er bumpy - and I am not sure how my 20 year old 2.5 Fiat/Hymer under 4400kg would cope. It don't exactly fly uphill.
What do you think?
Please don't be influenced by the fact that having taken advice, I am carrying FBs.

 

[PeteandJules]

Funsters Rally March/April

Hi All,
We are newbies as well, and will be in Denia for January. We were planning to roam in Feb. so would love to meet up with everyone if there is a rally anywhere in Spain or Portugal in Feb. Not sure if we can stay till March. It all sounds good though.:Cool:

 

[JJ]

We are setting off from Portsmouth tomorrow.
I thought about travelling via Salamanca to Portugal which I believe would bring me close to your area. It would be nice to meet if possible BUT a look at the route of the N112 on my atlas gives the impression that the land in your area is somewhat - er bumpy - and I am not sure how my 20 year old 2.5 Fiat/Hymer under 4400kg would cope. It don't exactly fly uphill.
What do you think?
Please don't be influenced by the fact that having taken advice, I am carrying FBs.

Hills yes... a few I suppose but not zig zaggy hairpins like some places... not sure where the N112 is though... (EDIT... just seen the N112 and it is not a road I am familiar with but looks windy on my map too!)

Your Hymer is a baby compared to mine...

If you need to lighten the load bury the pies... mark the spot with a Man City flag and PM me the GPS position...

JJ :Cool:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ukbill]

chickenrun looks a good site we will maybe visit it around mid january

 

[Ifor]

We have just booked Dover-Calais ferry on 3 Jan and intend heading south. Our first trip abroad and no real idea where we will be headed. Chicken Run sounds good but we would be interested in any kind of meet, anywhere in Spain or Portugal, anytime before end of March.

 

[ukbill]

we will be at marjal for around 12 days i reckon so maybe will spot you there if you head that way i will be the 1 being thrown bodily from the bar lol
have fun and safe travel

 

[jazz]

morning all put us down for the meet :thumb: if it comes off, we like to spend some time in the heat :Cool:

Al & Jean

 

[lesleyjean]

Hills yes... a few I suppose but not zig zaggy hairpins like some places... not sure where the N112 is though... (EDIT... just seen the N112 and it is not a road I am familiar with but looks [HI]windy[/HI] on my map too!)

Your Hymer is a baby compared to mine...

If you need to lighten the load bury the pies... mark the spot with a Man City flag and PM me the GPS position...

JJ :Cool:

Can you see wind JJ, now that is Magic

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Malcolm Bolt]

Your Hymer is a baby compared to mine...

If you need to lighten the load bury the pies...

JJ :Cool:

Met VWalan and purple Bob on Ferry.
Great chat. Overnighted at No 1 in All the aires - Lierganes - good stop. Now at Palencia - seems good too. Salamanca next -acsi site cos I need clean socks etc.

Ditch pies - naa

 

[motomike]

Something seems to have got lost somewhere along the line...

So, is this spring in the sun meet happening or not?
I'm keen to get away, but have never motorhomed abroad, so was hoping to go along with like minded folks who could give advice/help/alcohol.

Sure something will come up.

Cheers MM :thumb:

 

[tonka]

Something seems to have got lost somewhere along the line...

So, is this spring in the sun meet happening or not?
I'm keen to get away, but have never motorhomed abroad, so was hoping to go along with like minded folks who could give advice/help/alcohol.

Sure something will come up.

Cheers MM :thumb:

Think NOT... I looked at trying to organise something near Benidorm but dates and other things just did not fit in.. The meet at Marjal earlier this year was a bit special as it matched the opening of a brand new campsite.. Some of the "gang" are already away and doing their own meet up thing..

Dont be put off giving it a go across the water, France in particular is loads more Motorhome friendly and you dont have to travel far for great locations, better weather etc... They are enough of us on here to give you tips and pointers...


Just a thought if someone knows anywhere, how about a meet up not to far into France maybe in September. When the crowds have gone, weather is still good and could be a springboard for Funsters heading onwards to Spain etc..
Western france ? Loire valley ??

 

[hilldweller]

Something seems to have got lost somewhere along the line...

So, is this spring in the sun meet happening or not?

Seems to be happening earlier and better. Early spring in Morocco thanks to the heroic efforts of Snowbird.

It's not too late and you'll have a trip you'll never forget.

 

[JJ]

I am still harbouring thoughts about having a small, relaxed, not very organised meet at the end of March/early May but in Portugal... not necessarily in the Algarve.

However it seems to me that the vast majority of Funsters prefer the Costa Del Brits with it's English brekkies and warm beer over in Spain...

In the next couple of weeks I might know more...

JJ :Cool:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}