First Time Spain

I'll be getting on the AP-68 and leaving on the A-1 , does that matter ? i suppose a computer system will track where i've come from when the ticket was issued ?

Anyway thanks very much for that , takes a lot of uncertainty out of it .

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Waz, I see that the sailing to Spain this Sunday (21 December 2019) has been cancelled because of the weather, and as there is no spare capacity before Christmas travellers are having to drive to Spain from one of the French ports. 

You might be wise to map out a driving route across France just in case the weather is equally nasty when you are due to sail to Spain on 8 January , or be prepared to wait in the UK for a later vacancy to be available. 

Good luck with your first trip. 

Only had one problem at a toll booth in France never in Spain. Used the help button and problem was resolved quickly. My wife gets out with the ticket and a credit card to pay. We have a card with no fees for this.

Good advice from Eurortraveller to have a fall back route through France. Plenty of routes discussed on here previously. Will cost around £120 in tolls through France. 

Ferry to Bilbao Sunday 22nd cancelled and return on 26th. Hope your's is ok

What's the procedure if Brittanny cancel the sailing ? do they offer ship on later date ? or full refund ? if so how long does this take to arrange , do i then have to book myself thru tunnel ? 

I'm thinking if i have to drive from Calais to Almeria , given the french tolls , time and diesel , the cost could be more than sailing to Bilbao ?

Do i have grounds to cancel and get refund or is this "act of god" , i might just wrap up and stay home !!!

Waz51 search discussions for "brittany ferries cancelled sailing" and find my post there is some good information there. I understand you would be refunded and may also receive some compensation to cover the extra mileage you have to do the reach Bilbao. They will contact you by text and email if there is any change to your sailing including any delays. There will be a phone number to ring and they may be able to get you on a sailing to France on the same day of the original sailing. You can also check for sailing updates on their website and could live chat them through the week with your concerns. I also check the BBC weather for La Rochelle and Roscoff to see if there are any strong winds forecast around the date of travel. Hopefully the weather will be kind and you will get to Bilbao without any problems.

ok thanks i'll find and follow that discussion , wife is telling me not to panic as there's over a week to go yet and the weather may change....

However , Michelin is giving me 2 options (in for a penny in for a pound) 1 route Calais (might as well go thru tunnel) via Paris to Narbonne , then along coaast into spain , and 2 route Calais via Rouen down to N Spain then down thru Zaragoza etc 

both these routes covered in this discussion suggested by you guys , so i will study them (just in case) , costs and mileages are similar so it will be the stopovers to decide on - No to Aires in france i'm told , but if i di this then might as well get card to auto charge tolls and get the fuel discount that comes with it ?

Did you book travel directly with Brittany Ferries  or via the Club?

 If your ferry booking was made by the Club you should talk to the Club Travel Desk a few days before sailing if it looks as though the weather might be bad. They are the ones who can make alternative travel arrangements for you, and can alter your site bookings too if they were made that way. 

Don't worry. The weather is improving. 

Hi Waz51,

FWIW & await critic ...

We're towing a Caravan on the overland France route, Tunnel 2/1/20, down to Almeria (year 3) - Class 2 peage. It's about the same cost overall and similar timescale to the Biscay Cruises we find.

Here's our repeat route (subject to weather checks) for this year  ...

Day 1. Depart Leeds, mid afternoon tunnel crossing, onwards to Camping Fontaine 62170 Montreuil. 360 grey miles.

Day 2. Rouen, Chartres, onto Peage above Orleans then E9/A20 past Limoges to Camp Montreal at St German des belles. Long day of 405 grey miles. Weather & snow check prior !

Day 3 Toulouse, Narbonne, over Border, Camp L'Albera Capmany Spain. c.316 improving miles & the blue med ! We prefer Med Coast route rather than the central upland Spain option via Biscay border.

Day 4. AP7 down the Med Costas to Benicassim. choice of three sites in town, diesel & shopping etc. c. 252 busy peage miles.

Day 5 Almeria. AP7 Coastal route South down to site c.340 quieter & usually dry miles.

We may stop extra nights en-route (in Spain) subject to mood & weather. We just ring ahead lunchtime to check & confirm next site.

ACSI books or App essential for savings & extra options.

Similar routing for return depending on dates.

Hope this assists any worries & perhaps be seeing you soon in Almeria !

M