Driving from southern Spain to the UK, on your own... Anyone done it? • Non-Gaming • Travel • Eurogamer.net

eleven63 20 Aug 2016 17:51:58 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

Looks like I'm going have to drive back to the UK from southern Spain on my own. My partner had to fly back as, well, basically her mother is dying

I don't mind the driving bit, was a white van man way back - driving isn't the issue...

But the dozen + toll booths between here and Calais do...

Any tips, ideas?

Just apologise to the car behind as you scramble out of the car fucking about with tickets, change, cards etc?

Or adopt an air of nontulance?

Thank you, as always, the the great hive that is Eurogamer.

Saul_Iscariot 20 Aug 2016 17:56:14 4,399 posts
Seen 8 hours ago
Registered 9 years ago

I haven't but I can ask my brother if he has. He holidays a lot in France, near the Pyrenees. I also work with a lot of drivers who have worked in Europe, they might have advise on where to stay for rests and shizzle. Whereabouts in Spain are you?

elstoof 20 Aug 2016 17:57:16 28,125 posts
Seen 7 minutes ago
Registered 16 years ago

Either get one of those Liber-T tags sorted, or just don't give a fuck as you stroll round to the booth. It's their fault for not having dual sided tolls.

elstoof 20 Aug 2016 17:58:02 28,125 posts
Seen 7 minutes ago
Registered 16 years ago

Or you can drive to Santander and get the ferry to Pompy

THFourteen 20 Aug 2016 17:58:05 54,987 posts
Seen 8 minutes ago
Registered 16 years ago

Get a good lock on the back of your van too.

eleven63 20 Aug 2016 18:22:19 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

Saul_Iscariot wrote:
I haven't but I can ask my brother if he has. He holidays a lot in France, near the Pyrenees. I also work with a lot of drivers who have worked in Europe, they might have advise on where to stay for rests and shizzle. Whereabouts in Spain are you?

Izbor, about 40 kilometres south of Granada - there are no back roots in Spain, but France?

eleven63 20 Aug 2016 18:23:17 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

elstoof wrote:
Either get one of those Liber-T tags sorted, or just don't give a fuck as you stroll round to the booth. It's their fault for not having dual sided tolls.

That is a good idea!

I'm tending towards the 'don't give a fuck' root.

Cheers.

eleven63 20 Aug 2016 18:24:48 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

THFourteen wrote:
Get a good lock on the back of your van too.

No van, an Insignia with all the gadgets and gizmos, the driving part is the easy bit!

eleven63 20 Aug 2016 18:26:14 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

@elstoof looked at that, but it's 24 hours on a fucking ferry with the cream of British society....

Edited by eleven63 at 18:26:38 20-08-2016

Saul_Iscariot 20 Aug 2016 18:42:35 4,399 posts
Seen 8 hours ago
Registered 9 years ago

It is a twenty four hour drive, which isn't recommended under any circumstances. Still waiting to hear from my brother.

elstoof 20 Aug 2016 18:56:46 28,125 posts
Seen 7 minutes ago
Registered 16 years ago

The ferry wouldn't be too bad I don't think, I've done overnight ferries to France and the passengers are mainly older moneyed up folks going to their holiday homes or European students. The cream of British society are all on their Thompson packages to Majorca rather than slumming it on a ferry with restaurants, bars and cinemas.

Edited by elstoof at 18:58:33 20-08-2016

mal 20 Aug 2016 19:17:13 29,326 posts
Seen 3 years ago
Registered 20 years ago

eleven63 wrote:

Or adopt an air of flatulence?

Works for me

eleven63 20 Aug 2016 19:23:19 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

@Saul_Iscariot yes, planning on stop over in Burgos, a little bit north of Madrid, then onto Tours, then blighty - roughly breaks up as 8 hour driving days, even one stop over I think is too dangerous!

eleven63 20 Aug 2016 19:23:40 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

@elstoof true lol!

Armoured_Bear 21 Aug 2016 08:16:38 31,233 posts
Seen 3 days ago
Registered 10 years ago

eleven63 wrote:
@Saul_Iscariot yes, planning on stop over in Burgos, a little bit north of Madrid, then onto Tours, then blighty - roughly breaks up as 8 hour driving days, even one stop over I think is too dangerous!

Burgos is lovely , amazing cathedral , pretty centre and fantastic Morcilla (Black pudding )

elstoof 21 Aug 2016 08:36:29 28,125 posts
Seen 7 minutes ago
Registered 16 years ago

Street Black Pudding

Armoured_Bear 21 Aug 2016 10:58:01 31,233 posts
Seen 3 days ago
Registered 10 years ago

elstoof wrote:
Street Black Pudding

Edited by Armoured_Bear at 10:58:48 21-08-2016

eleven63 21 Aug 2016 15:29:02 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

@Armoured_Bear yes, stayed there a few times now, it is lovely! Apparently it gets very cold in winter, when we go it's always about 30�!

eleven63 24 Aug 2016 21:36:30 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

Anyhow...

1st leg done, Izbor-Burgos and zero fucking around with toll booths, as there aren't any!

That fun is to come.

Burgos? Pigs ears as tapas? Yep, all worth it so far, but I could murder a Big Mac.

elstoof 24 Aug 2016 21:54:54 28,125 posts
Seen 7 minutes ago
Registered 16 years ago

You can get a nice* Quick Burger soon

*ymmv

Dirtbox 24 Aug 2016 22:33:26 92,595 posts
Seen 21 hours ago
Registered 19 years ago

Post deleted

Armoured_Bear 25 Aug 2016 07:24:48 31,233 posts
Seen 3 days ago
Registered 10 years ago

Dirtbox wrote:
Don't drive through Switzerland, the toll is literally a year of road tax.

It's 30 quid, is that what road tax costs?

elstoof 25 Aug 2016 07:41:01 28,125 posts
Seen 7 minutes ago
Registered 16 years ago

Quite a substantial detour on a Spain to UK trip

Dirtbox 25 Aug 2016 08:17:58 92,595 posts
Seen 21 hours ago
Registered 19 years ago

Post deleted

Dirtbox 25 Aug 2016 08:19:33 92,595 posts
Seen 21 hours ago
Registered 19 years ago

Post deleted

eleven63 25 Aug 2016 19:33:01 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

@Dirtbox cheers buddy, her mum passed away this morning

she was 88 and had a severe stroke 10 years ago, she wasn't meant to last a couple of years! Game old bird as they say...

eleven63 25 Aug 2016 20:14:52 3,052 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 17 years ago

@Dirtbox lol! Anyways the trick is to ALWAYS avoid the clusterfuck that is driving through Paris, driving through Madrid is a breeze compared to the Parisian mess presented to a driver.

To Calais, via Le Man / Rouen is your friend, if driving from Tours.

mal 25 Aug 2016 22:44:12 29,326 posts
Seen 3 years ago
Registered 20 years ago

News tonight is to avoid going through Cal after midnight apparently, FWIW.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-37186868

Edited by mal at 22:45:22 25-08-2016

Dirtbox 25 Aug 2016 23:32:18 92,595 posts
Seen 21 hours ago
Registered 19 years ago

Post deleted

spindizzy 26 Aug 2016 06:39:17 7,755 posts
Seen 4 weeks ago
Registered 17 years ago

Dirtbox wrote:

Armoured_Bear wrote:

Dirtbox wrote:
Don't drive through Switzerland, the toll is literally a year of road tax.
It's 30 quid, is that what road tax costs?
I'm not sure, it's tax and it's to do with roads is about as accurate as I can be. And that it lasts a year.

It was about 40� for a half hour drive through Geneva last time I got one.

ed: Just realised I'm mixing a drive up from italy with a drive up from spain. You'd be going waaay out of your way if you went anywhere near. Ignore me.

You've got a straight shot through france, there's sod all to worry about. This is handy http://about-france.com/tourism/no-tolls-routes.htm

Yeah, definitely don't go via Switzerland as it's way out of your way. But as a point of correction, you don't need to pay the toll if you stick to back roads - it's a motorway toll, not road tax, and so 40 CHF (37 euros) is incredibly cheap compared to France. I had friends visiting me in Geneva a month or so back, and they didn't get it. You just need to be very careful with your routes.