Which way through France to Spain
A regular question that we see asked and indeed is asked of us also, is which way should we travel through France (Calais) to Spain for the winter. We have been travelling both in Car and Caravan and Motorhome to Spain for the winter each year since 2017 , ( with the exception of the years limited by Covid travel restrictions). Of course there is no right or wrong answer and I suspect the enquirer is not looking for specifics but for rationale that will allow for a considered choice on their part.
As we are about to set off for Spain via France for the second time this year and just agreed our route as of today, I thought it might be helpful to set out a few of our considerations. These are the questions we ask ourselves before we set off.
What is the weather forecast , whilst the west coast can be wet , the central routes are higher in altitude and therefore can attract snow and ice in winter . (We do have snow chains and winter tyre regulations are covered but even so winter driving at height may not be for everyone.)
What time do we have ?, do we want a slow steady mooch through France on the way down or do we want to get there quickly.
Are there any locations we especially want to visit on the way down
What is our attitude to Tolls ? . Will we save money and set our Sat Nav to avoid tolls or will we just take the fastest route and avoid the junctions and roundabouts that the non toll roads will ultimate deliver. Or will we take a middle road, now that diesel is so expensive and use a combination of tolls and non toll roads with the factor of economy in mind.
Do we wish to avoid Paris - a bigger consideration than at first glance, it can be a traffic nightmare , but the shortest routes from Calais will all plot the route through Paris. We have done this a number of times , but would always choose non peak hours and preferably on a Sunday when there are less lorries.
Another factor given the post Brexit restrictions on carrying food both for humans and animals into the EU , early visits to the supermarket need to be factored in. *
A consideration for others would be are you travelling in a motorhome or a car and Caravan , the latter needs more consideration and many sites close for the winter in France. The picture below dates back to 2017 when we took our caravan to Spain , when we did find a campsite the water was frozen.
Are there any special circumstances such as industrial disputes etc - often there is, in 2018 we travelled during the now infamous Yellow Jackets dispute and this year there are petrol shortages due to refinery disputes. These may effect the route chosen.
So we apply these considerations to each trip and this year our answers are as follows, but hold specifically only to this trip.
The weather forecast is for rain , so we don’t intend to hang about. We set an approx 400 kms limit for daily travel , with two drivers that is very comfortable and avoids fatigue. We also like to arrive to an Aire by mid afternoon , firstly so we can explore the area and walk Poppy and secondly to avoid aires being full and having to hunt for an alternative.
We have a week before we need to be at a specific location in Spain so limited time for transit
We don’t have any specific locations we want to visit in France this time
We intend to use the best roads and cover the shortest distance to conserve fuel and staying close to where the French Government App says there is fuel available . Whether or not that will involve tolls is inconsequential as we feel it will be balanced against time and distance covered and diesel costs and availability being maximised.
We will need a supermarket and will look to shop at the end of the first day , preferably one with a fuel station.
We have downloaded Apps that allow us to track fuel availability in addition to the apps we use to find stop overs in our motorhome. This is in the context of the fuel dispute
So all considerations made we have selected route 2 below ( in blue). Which in theory is 20 minutes slower but in practice from our experience it won’t be. There are more non toll options without losing time or increasing distance on this route also. It avoids Paris (albeit it there are ways around the City and still going over the Central Massif.
Hope that helps folks Helen and Martin
