Winter break in Spain Jan - Mar next year?

David and Sally

David and Sally

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Bailey Adamo 75-4t
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March 2018
Given the long dreary winter we had in the UK this year we are looking at about 6 weeks in Spain (or Portugal if that is better).

Not having done this before we need some pointers. The CMC do hosted winter breaks. Are they to be recommended.?

Or, try out independent sites but do these get rammed in winter?

I have read of bad weather there this year (?) so would like to aim for the most likely dry & warm places.

I guess the two travel options are Bilbao/Santander or one of the channel ports and drive down? If doing that are French sites and or aires likely to be open.?

I appreciate this is a very broad post to kick off with and if there is a ' done it - here's how you do it' thread anywhere please can you point me in that direction?

I am sure any helpful hints and advice would be much appreciated by other Spain in Winter virgins as well.

Thanks
 
The first time that we went to Spain in the Winter was 15 years ago and we went down the route of booking a week or so at four different sites through the Camping Club.
Now we book a site for at least two months and stay there, next January and February we will be at Camping Imperium at Villajoyosa, we booked our pitch last March when we left.
The weather in January and February can be a bit iffy, there will be some pleasant days of sun but there will be rainy days . Last year was cold and on a couple of days it was only 12 degrees.
If you intend to move around then expect to find that most of the popular coastal sites to be full.
We have travelled down through France a few times but have also used the Portsmouth to Santander route .
 
I have done this for many years and I have found anywhere from Gibraltar up to the Ebro delta will get you some decent weather, there are some hotspots like Almeria, Aguilas and Benidorm, around these areas are favourable.. I find Portugal a few degrees cooler and can be wetter. The last few years has been very busy and booking would be best. January and possibly February will be the most changeable weather wise but still possible of shorts t-shirt during the day IN THE SUN, get in the shade and it’ll be cold and cold at night possible minus degrees… I would look at going for longer then 6 weeks.

Taking the western route down through France is best but depending on when you go or come back the weather driving across Spain can be very snowy but it’s cleared quickly. The Aires will be open but the water may not be on due to freezing…

There is obviously a fair amount of brits on the sites in Benidorm if you like it lively and a lot of funsters…

Incidentally the longer you stay on sites the cheaper per day it becomes….😎
 
Water may be off in many French aires but Camping Carparks aires should have water (not free of course)

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We spent three months in Spain, December 21-January 22 and took the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander. The crossing was excellent and we had a couple of overnight stops on our way to Benicassim and three on our return. The weather was great during the day, 17-19 most days but it does get very cold during the night, we even had a couple of frosty mornings. We would recommend taking thick quilts.

Can’t comment on any rallies but you will be sure to find other Funsters on many of the sites.
 
Mikeco said:
The first time that we went to Spain in the Winter was 15 years ago and we went down the route of booking a week or so at four different sites through the Camping Club.
Now we book a site for at least two months and stay there, next January and February we will be at Camping Imperium at Villajoyosa, we booked our pitch last March when we left.
The weather in January and February can be a bit iffy, there will be some pleasant days of sun but there will be rainy days . Last year was cold and on a couple of days it was only 12 degrees.
If you intend to move around then expect to find that most of the popular coastal sites to be full.
We have travelled down through France a few times but have also used the Portsmouth to Santander route .
Click to expand...
Might see you at Villajoyosa 🥰
 
don't book on weather.

I have spent close on 30 years travelling Europe in Winter and you just cannot guarantee the weather.

Here are some examples

June 1999 Med Spain 16c, Glasgow 28c
Late May 2023, Spain, heavy rain and the heating is on. Manchester 23c
March 2022, Costa Blanca has 2 weeks of rain, Manchester , bright and sunny.
March 2023, Costa Blanca sees Blue Skies and 20c plus
December 2004, Snow on the Ap7 Med motorway.
December 2006, Snow Cannons in Operation in Norwegian Ski Resorts
February 2017, Grimentz Switzerland 25c, Benidorm 19c both sunny

Costa Blanca had a very dry and warm Winter/Spring this 2022/2023

And on the whole Spain is brighter and warmer
 
Anyone planning La Manga rally Jan to March?

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Yes, saw that. It's one option. They do one nearer Barcelona too but I'm not sure if the weather would be any good that far north?

Thanks
 
David and Sally said:
Anyone planning La Manga rally Jan to March?
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Used to do the camping Club rally at La Manga and did so for several years, usually for 6 months from October through to March. Enjoyed them very much but you do need transport to get the best out of the area. Prefer Villajoyosa now though and manage without any transport.
 
David and Sally said:
CMC are not doing a winter break this year there. Did you go privately?
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If you are asking me the question then we used to go on the Camping Club rally which stopped a few years ago and we booked direct with the site for 3 years before covid came around. We never booked with the Caravan and Motorhome club.

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CMC are running a winter stay at Vilanova just south of Barcelona. Question is, is that too far north for the better weather?
 
We go to the Costa Blanca rally. This will be our third year on a CAMC run event and one before in 2020 when it was run by CCC. The site is big, but not packed. There are 200 pitches reserved for CAMC. The mix onvtge site is Frence, German, Belgian, Dutch and some Scandies. Resturant and cafe bar on site and a small supermarket. One of the advantages of booking through CAMC is the lowers pitch rates which go down to 14.50 a night if you book over 61 nights. You also have to book at least one crossing through them. The site has a rally room which takes 150 people which has events in, quizzes, indoor curling, bridge etc. Also boule and pitch and put competitions. You can join in as much or as little as you want.
The weather has been covered above. It does rain but it does not get as cold as the UK. Sometimes a little frost on the windscreen. The busy time is mid February to mid March.
 
Did Villanova a good few years ago...site was reasonable..bus to the town stops bang outside the site..market in the town is on a Monday...we had 3 weeks there...then moved on to Camping El Eden in Peniscola..which is a great site..200 yards from the beach next to the Police station...weather was decent during the day...a tad nippy at night..we did 7 weeks there...we ended up with 50% discount for our length of stay..

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OK you winter holiday experts, here is a plan drawn up with the help of the CMC. Being totally new to winter holidays I would appreciate any comments (clean ones!!) Dates are flexible at this time.

Depart Portsmouth 16th January for 2 night sailing to Santander

2 x nights travel through Spain

20th Jan arrive Allania winter hosted site for 21 nights

11th Feb arrive La Manga winter hosted site for 21 nights.

Leaves 10 days to travel up Spain to catch ferry back on 13th March. Could catch an earlier one but maybe spend that time doing some touring?

Total cost inc two sites& ferries about £1975 - insurance, added nights and fuels extra.

One site charge 40 cents for electric, the other allows 6kw a day before extra. (do we get conned on this ?)

They suggest (they would) the Club Red Pennant travel insurance

Thanks in advance
 
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Hola
We have CCC Arival Insurance which is covered by RAC. Cover at home and abroad in the same package not like CAMC with Green Flag and Red Pennant. The Arival one covers you in any vehicle the policy holder is in including hire cars etc.

See you at Alannia. I should be runn8ng the curling competition at some point.
 
We are doing a similar thing from mid Feb to mid April. Two rallies, two other booked stay campsites and a few overnight transit sites.

After shopping around for European breakdown and travel insurance, Red Penant offered the best deal. When we needed Red Pennant's help during a trip a few years ago they were excellent. My experience with the RAC wasn't so good so I'll not use them again but others may have had better luck.
 
We did our first Motorhome trip to Spain this year with the help and encouragement of Ditcha and other experienced funster‘s,
we went to Benidorm and upon turning into the site thought my god it’s bargain brits on holiday🤣
and thought we had made a big mistake.
Move on 24hours and settled down to find a great bunch of friendly helpful people,
and that long journey through France was worth it (not a fan of France)
The weather was much better than here in England in fact we enjoyed it so much we’re going back in January 👍

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David and Sally said:
OK you winter holiday experts, here is a plan drawn up with the help of the CMC. Being totally new to winter holidays I would appreciate any comments (clean ones!!) Dates are flexible at this time.

Depart Portsmouth 16th January for 2 night sailing to Santander

2 x nights travel through Spain

20th Jan arrive Allania winter hosted site for 21 nights

11th Feb arrive La Manga winter hosted site for 21 nights.

Leaves 10 days to travel up Spain to catch ferry back on 13th March. Could catch an earlier one but maybe spend that time doing some touring?

Total cost inc two sites& ferries about £1975 - insurance, added nights and fuels extra.

One site charge 40 cents for electric, the other allows 6kw a day before extra. (do we get conned on this ?)

They suggest (they would) the Club Red Pennant travel insurance

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Sounds good but have you ever stayed at La Manga before? Some like it but we lasted one night!
You can get back to Santander in two nights from La Manga if you change your plans. :giggle:
 
Kups said:
Sounds good but have you ever stayed at La Manga before? Some like it but we lasted one night!
You can get back to Santander in two nights from La Manga if you change your plans. :giggle:
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I have seen mixed reviews. Some say shanty town but some are quite happy with it.
CMC seem quite sure that we will enjoy it. Guess they would not run a rally there if it was so bad.
What was your issue with the site please?
 
David and Sally said:
I have seen mixed reviews. Some say shanty town but some are quite happy with it.
CMC seem quite sure that we will enjoy it. Guess they would not run a rally there if it was so bad.
What was your issue with the site please?
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Our only visit was as part of a rally. We liked the location but each of the rally pitches had very high hedges to protect from the wind (which they didn't), there were many permanent caravans which had all kinds of adaptations, it's a long narrow site so a reasonable walk to the bar/restaurant which was fully booked for several days. It's a bus ride or long walk to anywhere from the site. Hope that helps.
 
One more question please

I have plotted two routes from Santander to Alicante. One almost straight down and one heading for the coast and then down.

Does either give any issues with needing chains or snow tyres please. Jan/Feb time.

Thanks

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