# Our first trip to Europe



## luv2travel (Jan 22, 2019)

Hi all,

We are setting off in 2 days on Thursday 24th for our very first trip to Europe in our MH. I'm a bit apprehensive as we have not driven there from the UK before, but hubby is :cool1: about it and he's the one driving. I'm sure we are going to get a few hiccups. Hopefully we will find a good route with no tolls and no snow. We are heading down to Spain and the algarve Portugal, not sure which to go to first, we will be doing Aires if possible, but again this is our first experience with our MH in Europe and we would appreciate any advice anyone can give us on routes, aires or anything else we need to know.  We are crossing from Poole to Cherbourg on the 8.30 am ferry and arrive in Cherbourg 4 hours later or thereabouts. Would love to meet up with anyone too if possible. 

We have been RVing for 30 years in Canada and the USA, so we are not new to travelling, just not used to it in the UK or Europe and Motorhomes here are definitely an eye opener, compared to an RV. :scared: I have done a lot of research and a lot of reading on here and members all seem very helpful.

Thanks in advance for your replies and help.

Best wishes,

Marilyn


----------



## Robmac (Jan 22, 2019)

I haven't travelled an awful lot on the continent in my van, however this thread was excellently written and may help for the French part of your trip;

A Few Tips For Your First French Trip


----------



## Robmac (Jan 22, 2019)

...do bear in mind though, it's an old thread and some things may have changed.

I'm sure some more knowledgeable than I will advise.


----------



## Pauljenny (Jan 22, 2019)

What are you planning for gas ?
You can't get Calor abroad.
Look on a thread on the European travels forum.. " Spain /Portugal  Where are you?..
Loads of information and experience. Current travellers are there if you need contacts or a meet up.
We're based in the East Algarve, if you need help.


----------



## Compo (Jan 22, 2019)

*europe*

hi im heading off to spain/portugal might catch you up im leaving uk on 5th feb ive been before so know one or two places to moor up


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 23, 2019)

Robmac said:


> ...do bear in mind though, it's an old thread and some things may have changed.
> 
> I'm sure some more knowledgeable than I will advise.



Thanks Rob, I have read the whole thread and gleaned some useful information from it. :dance:


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 23, 2019)

Pauljenny said:


> What are you planning for gas ?
> You can't get Calor abroad.
> Look on a thread on the European travels forum.. " Spain /Portugal  Where are you?..
> Loads of information and experience. Current travellers are there if you need contacts or a meet up.
> We're based in the East Algarve, if you need help.



Hi Pauljenny,

Thank you for your reply. We had an LPG System installed along with Solar and an Inverter when we bought the van. I have read all 76 pages of the thread you mentioned, and I am subscribed to it because I found it incredibly interesting, thanks for the heads up on that. I think that will likely be my go to thread a lot it's nice to see where people are in case we are in their area.  We are hoping to get down to the Algarve, we thought we might go there first then make our way back along the coast towards Spain and all the way up the coast on the way back home.  We only have 6 weeks, not a great amount of time, but enough to give us a taster to see if we want to do it again at the end of this year. I note that you said it was COLD where you are. After living in Canada for 30 years we are used to minus 40 degree temperatures, we don't like them of course, but we are connoisseurs of the cold


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 23, 2019)

Compo said:


> hi im heading off to spain/portugal might catch you up im leaving uk on 5th feb ive been before so know one or two places to moor up



Hi Compo,

It's always great to meet up with people, so hopefully we will be at the same place at some point. This forum will be at the foremost as I am sure we are going to need lots of advice along the way. :cheers:


----------



## runnach (Jan 23, 2019)

The stickiest problem is re filling gas on extended trips but it seems you have that sorted

France is very laid back re campers and never too far away from an aire or other place to stop. Just be mindful in France unlike the UK things do stop as a rule on Sundays in respect some supermarkets open in the morning but a lot don't so plan weekends a little re essentials

Most of all have fun, you are used to driving wrong side of the road, and the weather will be positively balmy compared to Canada 

Recently France reduced speed limits so hence watch your speeds

Channa


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 23, 2019)

channa said:


> The stickiest problem is re filling gas on extended trips but it seems you have that sorted
> 
> France is very laid back re campers and never too far away from an aire or other place to stop. Just be mindful in France unlike the UK things do stop as a rule on Sundays in respect some supermarkets open in the morning but a lot don't so plan weekends a little re essentials
> 
> ...



Thanks Channa, some useful information there. :fun:


----------



## Glass man (Jan 23, 2019)

*Two tips.*

1 Whenever you get any €1 or €2 coins keep them for laundry, car parks and Aires etc.

2 I do hope you are not involved in any accidents but if you are then you MUST make a record of the registration of any trailer , especially articulated lorries as they can be different from the tractor. Usually a red number plate. Mysteriously records of which vehicle is pulling it are hard to find.

In Spain the motorway junction numbers are distance in Km so 352  is 70 km from 420. Simples.
And Spanish tolls went down 30% last week. AP1 now free.


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 23, 2019)

Glass man said:


> 1 Whenever you get any €1 or €2 coins keep them for laundry, car parks and Aires etc.
> 
> 2 I do hope you are not involved in any accidents but if you are then you MUST make a record of the registration of any trailer , especially articulated lorries as they can be different from the tractor. Usually a red number plate. Mysteriously records of which vehicle is pulling it are hard to find.
> 
> ...



All good advice Glass Man, thank you. If we are involved in any accident, I will take a photo of any vehicle involved.  I sincerely hope that I don't have to though. :danger:

Canada is KM, USA is miles, so we are used to changing them over, but another good to know thing.

Yay! happy to hear about the Spanish tolls going down, we are hoping to avoid tolls, but we may have to suffer them as we don't want to run into bad weather.

Not really sure on what route to take from Cherbourg and the best way to find out if any roads are closed on that route. We will have Internet access all the way, so if there are any websites that I need to look at I would be grateful if you or someone else can point me in the right direction, thanks.


----------



## phillybarbour (Jan 23, 2019)

Hope the trip goes well, any specific problems just ask on here.


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 23, 2019)

phillybarbour said:


> Hope the trip goes well, any specific problems just ask on here.



Will do, thanks Phil


----------



## alcam (Jan 23, 2019)

channa said:


> The stickiest problem is re filling gas on extended trips but it seems you have that sorted
> 
> France is very laid back re campers and never too far away from an aire or other place to stop. Just be mindful in France unlike the UK things do stop as a rule on Sundays in respect some supermarkets open in the morning but a lot don't so plan weekends a little re essentials
> 
> ...



I would add most of France (especially rural) is closed by 7pm . Best stock up on essentials . Take some food too !
This time of year some aires will have water turned off .


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 23, 2019)

alcam said:


> I would add most of France (especially rural) is closed by 7pm . Best stock up on essentials . Take some food too !
> This time of year some aires will have water turned off .



Thank you for your input Alcam, any info is good to know. We are taking food and we have just filled our water tank and we always take drinking water too wherever we go. Hopefully we will not be in France for too long, we used to drive around 1200 km a day when we lived in North America, but I don't think we will be doing that much in one day, unless of course it's absolutely brass monkeys weather!


----------



## alcam (Jan 23, 2019)

luv2travel said:


> Thank you for your input Alcam, any info is good to know. We are taking food and we have just filled our water tank and we always take drinking water too wherever we go. Hopefully we will not be in France for too long, we used to drive around 1200 km a day when we lived in North America, but I don't think we will be doing that much in one day, unless of course it's absolutely brass monkeys weather!



Not great right now but will improve as you go south . I am heading down as quickly as possible , may spend more time in France coming home


----------



## witzend (Jan 23, 2019)

luv2travel said:


> Not really sure on what route to take from Cherbourg and the best way to find out if any roads are closed on that route. We will have Internet access all the way, so if there are any websites that I need to look at I would be grateful if you or someone else can point me in the right direction, thanks.



We always use this route no tolls but saves 2 hrs if you use tolls, But do use tolls to pass thru French Spanish border make up your mind after border 
Google maps has the facility to plan a route with road works shown Sunday is a good day to cross border as very few lorrys allowed on French roads on Sunday


----------



## TJBi (Jan 23, 2019)

luv2travel said:


> <snip> Hopefully we will not be in France for too long <snip>



That's a shame! Some lovely places to visit in France on the way down.


----------



## Canalsman (Jan 23, 2019)

Google Maps shows traffic information as an overlay.

ViaMichelin maps are another resource worth a look.

Detailed online maps - UK maps and worldwide maps - ViaMichelin

This also shows live traffic. In addition the route planner is excellent. If you select the caravan option not only does it provide routes well suited to motorhomes but the journey times are adjusted to speeds similar to those achieved in a 'van.


----------



## kenspain (Jan 23, 2019)

luv2travel said:


> Hi all,
> 
> We are setting off in 2 days on Thursday 24th for our very first trip to Europe in our MH. I'm a bit apprehensive as we have not driven there from the UK before, but hubby is :cool1: about it and he's the one driving. I'm sure we are going to get a few hiccups. Hopefully we will find a good route with no tolls and no snow. We are heading down to Spain and the algarve Portugal, not sure which to go to first, we will be doing Aires if possible, but again this is our first experience with our MH in Europe and we would appreciate any advice anyone can give us on routes, aires or anything else we need to know.  We are crossing from Poole to Cherbourg on the 8.30 am ferry and arrive in Cherbourg 4 hours later or thereabouts. Would love to meet up with anyone too if possible.
> 
> ...



If you run into any problums when your over here and near Alicante and need help just send me a PM and i try to help. Safe trip :wave:


----------



## rugbyken (Jan 23, 2019)

get yourself a good weather app and let that guide you ie we came down this year just over a week ago st malo bordeaux irun zaragoza tarragona etc but a freind following behind has had to turn towards the med at bordeaux because of heavy snow at zaragoza and is coming down through perpignan & barcelona an extra few miles but dry and clear, after ten days we have reached santa pola just below alicante and it’s the first real warm weather 17deg that we have found this year , 
    the best app for parking spots is (park 4 night) all one word, the problem is there are so many of us pursuing this lifestyle now all reasonable sites are full and on the aires and free camping sites some of our less sensible brethren have worn out our wellcome with the locals , 
        with the weather forecasts this year i would definetly advise covering the med coast rather than portugal though i love it there, there is a military fort with free parking about 5km above ametila del mar and the aire at simat de la valldingha is well worth visiting , we went Cullera again this year and the parking area is reduced and the van no’s increased so that it’s a ghetto, as i said above we’re now at santa pola free parking on the sea front but the vans have spread out and someone is going to get annoyed,


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 24, 2019)

rugbyken said:


> get yourself a good weather app and let that guide you ie we came down this year just over a week ago st malo bordeaux irun zaragoza tarragona etc but a freind following behind has had to turn towards the med at bordeaux because of heavy snow at zaragoza and is coming down through perpignan & barcelona an extra few miles but dry and clear, after ten days we have reached santa pola just below alicante and it’s the first real warm weather 17deg that we have found this year ,
> the best app for parking spots is (park 4 night) all one word, the problem is there are so many of us pursuing this lifestyle now all reasonable sites are full and on the aires and free camping sites some of our less sensible brethren have worn out our wellcome with the locals ,
> with the weather forecasts this year i would definetly advise covering the med coast rather than portugal though i love it there, there is a military fort with free parking about 5km above ametila del mar and the aire at simat de la valldingha is well worth visiting , we went Cullera again this year and the parking area is reduced and the van no’s increased so that it’s a ghetto, as i said above we’re now at santa pola free parking on the sea front but the vans have spread out and someone is going to get annoyed,



Thank you rugbyken, all good advice. We were thinking that we may have to do the coast, not worried about the extra miles if we have to, better to be safe. I do have park 4 night so I am sure that will help. Thanks for letting me know about the aires etc., if we arrive somewhere and it is too busy, we will just carry on to the next one I guess. Well, it's 5.30 am here and we will be setting off for the Ferry :boat: in another 30 minutes, I will be back here and update and most likely be asking for some more help and advice. 

Marilyn


----------



## Pauljenny (Jan 24, 2019)

Bon Voyage.
Safe travels.
Take it easy, it's a marathon, not a sprint.
The Motorhome tortoise always beats the hare.


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 24, 2019)

kenspain said:


> If you run into any problums when your over here and near Alicante and need help just send me a PM and i try to help. Safe trip :wave:



Thank you so much kenspain, we definitely will.


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 24, 2019)

Pauljenny said:


> Bon Voyage.
> Safe travels.
> Take it easy, it's a marathon, not a sprint.
> The Motorhome tortoise always beats the hare.



Very true Pauljenny. We are at our first stop, an Aire in Jans, France. No-one here, but us. This Aire is behind the Town Hall it has paved parking, it's really quiet, has toilets and water is on, but we already filled up before we left home. Roads were great, Ferry crossing was calm. We have cooked dinner and now we are planning our route for tomorrow. We are heading towards San Sebastian, not sure how far we will get, but hey as you said, it is not a sprint and our days of driving for 15 hours are so over!

Will catch up again tomorrow evening.


----------



## witzend (Jan 24, 2019)

Just saw this posted on another forum 


> On Wednesday, yesterday, heading south to Spain, and intending to use the Somport tunnel, both sat navs took us via the D934 / A136 which was a nightmare with snow and sheet ice!!


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 25, 2019)

witzend said:


> Just saw this posted on another forum



Thanks witzend, we are going down to San Sebastian and then towards Burgos or something like that. Stopping just South of Bordeaux tonight. Will be looking at our next leg of the journey tonight when we stop for the night in Morencz. Its raining where we are now.


----------



## alcam (Jan 25, 2019)

luv2travel said:


> Thanks witzend, we are going down to San Sebastian and then towards Burgos or something like that. Stopping just South of Bordeaux tonight. Will be looking at our next leg of the journey tonight when we stop for the night in Morencz. Its raining where we are now.



Stopped in morencx last night as it was getting late , near railway  . Quietish spot but town is a dump . Check out Pissos and others nearby .
If you have time head for St Emilion


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 25, 2019)

alcam said:


> Stopped in morencx last night as it was getting late , near railway  . Quietish spot but town is a dump . Check out Pissos and others nearby .
> If you have time head for St Emilion



We are at Morencx right now, yes we are parked almost next to the railway lines, but they are fast trains and don't make a lot of noise really. Filled up with Diesel and bought some groceries here. We are not really looking to explore around any of the places we stop overnight as we just want to get down to Portugal. I will be checking weather in a minute and Hubby is going to get out his maps and stuff, so we can see what route to take tomorrow.


----------



## Pauljenny (Jan 25, 2019)

Hope you have a peaceful night, we didn't.
The trains were noisy and close.
We eventually moved and overnighted outside a church hall, a block back from the main road that we came in on. 
That was lovely and quiet, no traffic until 8.am.


----------



## witzend (Jan 25, 2019)

luv2travel said:


> We are at Morencx right now



Never used that stop but Anglet would do for tomorrow leaving the border for Sun with out many trucks, Then after Burgos and before Palencia there's Torquemada a nice free aire with services just off motorway


----------



## alcam (Jan 26, 2019)

luv2travel said:


> We are at Morencx right now, yes we are parked almost next to the railway lines, but they are fast trains and don't make a lot of noise really. Filled up with Diesel and bought some groceries here. We are not really looking to explore around any of the places we stop overnight as we just want to get down to Portugal. I will be checking weather in a minute and Hubby is going to get out his maps and stuff, so we can see what route to take tomorrow.



Fair enough its a convenient stop but I do like to have a wee wander round . I just found it an incredibly depressing town .
Trains didn't bother me at all but I can sleep through anything .
Interested in where you stop on way down . I was heading , roughly , the same way but deviated a little .
Yes I am a deviant !


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 26, 2019)

Pauljenny said:


> Hope you have a peaceful night, we didn't.
> The trains were noisy and close.
> We eventually moved and overnighted outside a church hall, a block back from the main road that we came in on.
> That was lovely and quiet, no traffic until 8.am.



Yes Paul, it was very peaceful after 10pm until 3.45 this morning, which is when the first train came and woke us up.  We didn't mind though because we were in bed at 10pm last night and slept like babies until that train woke us. We decided to get up, made coffee and sorted ourselves out and left at 5.30 this morning. We are now in a park 4 night place in Salamanca, not bad, there are 4 or 5 other MH's here too. The weather has been fabulous as soon as we crossed the mountains, although there was no snow whatsoever the route we came.  It's sunny and warm now, that's just what we were looking for.  Heading to Lagos in the Algarve tomorrow and from there is where we will start our vacation properly.


----------



## luv2travel (Jan 26, 2019)

witzend said:


> Never used that stop but Anglet would do for tomorrow leaving the border for Sun with out many trucks, Then after Burgos and before Palencia there's Torquemada a nice free aire with services just off motorway



It's not too bad an aire, the trains stopped just about 10pm and started again at 3.45 this morning. We are now in Salamanca, our route was San Sebastian, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Burgos, Valladolid and Salamanca. No snow and good roads.  No toll now on the AP1 either, so that was good. Heading to Lagos in the Algarve tomorrow.


----------

