France to Spain

[Dog lover]

Hi Again
Could any one please suggest the best and not so high route to cross from France to Spain. I understand that the roads on the French side leading to the Sompart tunnel are a bit narrow and as we are 29ft long and 8ft wide the wife is a bit worried!

 

[Dog lover]

I never thought to say! Your right about Calais after that it doesn't realy matter which route we take, although the wife wants t go back to Bordeaux, so really we're looking for the easiest / safest border crossing.:lol-053:

 

[Bernard Jones]

Hi Again
I understand that the roads on the French side leading to the Sompart tunnel are a bit narrow and as we are 29ft long and 8ft wide the wife is a bit worried!

They used to be a bit narrow a few years ago because there was a landslip. But that has long been cleared and it is a regular route for the largest lorries. Sompart Tunnel is a great route, its free, with ample room and no steep hills. Unless there are very exceptional circumstances I am sure you will have no problem at all with your vehicle.
Oleron is well worth a stop (free aire at the railway station where the buses park), and as you exit the tunnel on the Spanish side, if you keep to the right and exit the main road at the first opportunity it takes you into the interesting Station at Canfranc - again plenty of room on the main road through it and well worth a visit.

 

[Byronic]

South from Bordeaux the N10 is flat to the Spanish frontier at Irun. After that its the A8 motorway to Bilbao and Burgos then the free dual carriageway autovia to Madrid. Otherwise it's the N1 free mainly dual carriageway from Irun to Burgos.

From Irun to Pamplona there are 2 main routes the single carriageway via San Estaban is mountainous so you may prefer to go along the coast to San Sebastian and turn off on to the mostly dual carriageway A15.

There are tunnels on most of these routes but none as far as I can remember more than 200 or 300 meters. Many short ones around San Sebastian.

You can't totally avoid mountains in Northern Spain after all it is the second most mountainous country in Europe,so it's said? What about Austria?

 

[bevo]

somport tunnell

in my opinion it is still a bit narrow in places leading up to the tunnell, a few overhangs on the rocks but that's coming down into france from the tunnell.
it's a bit twisty as well but it's also an easy ride up there, as has been said loads of wagons use the route,and the road when you get into spain is exellent, with toll free motorways all the way down to valencia (that's if you are going that way)

we are going in that direction in janruary (can't wait)

enjoy you'll love it:scooter:

 

[lebesset]

South from Bordeaux the N10 is flat to the Spanish frontier at Irun. After that its the A8 motorway to Bilbao and Burgos then the free dual carriageway autovia to Madrid. Otherwise it's the N1 free mainly dual carriageway from Irun to Burgos.

From Irun to Pamplona there are 2 main routes the single carriageway via San Estaban is mountainous so you may prefer to go along the coast to San Sebastian and turn off on to the mostly dual carriageway A15.

There are tunnels on most of these routes but none as far as I can remember more than 200 or 300 meters. Many short ones around San Sebastian.

You can't totally avoid mountains in Northern Spain after all it is the second most mountainous country in Europe,so it's said? What about Austria?

what about austria ? except that it is the most mountainous country in europe!

 

[alanval]

They used to be a bit narrow a few years ago because there was a landslip. But that has long been cleared and it is a regular route for the largest lorries. Sompart Tunnel is a great route, its free, with ample room and no steep hills. Unless there are very exceptional circumstances I am sure you will have no problem at all with your vehicle.
Oleron is well worth a stop (free aire at the railway station where the buses park), and as you exit the tunnel on the Spanish side, if you keep to the right and exit the main road at the first opportunity it takes you into the interesting Station at Canfranc - again plenty of room on the main road through it and well worth a visit.

Thank you for the info we are planning this route in 4 weeks and your post is just what I was looking for googled the Canfranc station it looks interesting. The Aire at Oleron will be good for a night before the tunnel prob need a wee brandy first lol..thank you
Val

 

[Dog lover]

Once again a big thankyou to you all.
Thanks for all the great advice.
DL

 

[vindiboy]

French Law says that if you are in the Mountains in the snow line in Winter you MUST have snow chains IN your Vehicle, we crossed the Pyrenese in January a couple of years ago and after a night at the Aire at St Lary Soulan, just before the Vielha Tunnel where we were crossing, we had to fit the snow chains as it would have been impossible to proceed without them, Police were stopping vehicles without chains and fineing them and turning them back if no chains could be produceed, snow chains are NO fun.

 

[Byronic]

What about Switzerland, it's the most mountainous country in Europe so say the Swiss, well they would wouldn't they?

One thing's for sure Madrid is the highest capital city in Europe. But it's hard to believe this when you actually see the City, due to being surrounded by that flat central plain. Until that is, you get out of the van winter time and the brass monkeyness hits you.

 

[Byronic]

French Law says that if you are in the Mountains in the snow line in Winter you MUST have snow chains IN your Vehicle, we crossed the Pyrenese in January a couple of years ago and after a night at the Aire at St Lary Soulan, just before the Vielha Tunnel where we were crossing, we had to fit the snow chains as it would have been impossible to proceed without them, Police were stopping vehicles without chains and fineing them and turning them back if no chains could be produceed, snow chains are NO fun.

This is the main reason I have travelled via the coast for the several years. The last 3 or so years Spain in general, has had a lot more snow than is usual. For me, snow chains no way.

I sometimes used to go via the Col du Pourtalet.... over and near the Somport Tunnel. There were not always warnings of snow on the minor road passes over the Pyrenees, at least not on the Spanish side, you just ploughed on, and turned back hopefully before you didn't have the choice.

The French seem to train their staff at these frontier outposts and in the winter they might only get one vehicle an hour so they have a plenty of time to practise on the hapless tourist! Still there are some cracking drives over the Pyrenees. Try the one thru Aix-les Thermes, hope the hairpins haven't been straightened!
Maybe best experienced in the summer.

 

[Byronic]

I used to drive a truck on back to back trips to Madrid for many a year and we always got through. Yes sometimes you may have a little delay but you have the M/H to sleep in so whats the problem.

The problem for me forty years ago was no heater, an expensive extra then! I never go to Spain for the cold, if I can avoid it I do... the cold that is. Mi no gusta la fria.

 

[Bernard Jones]

I never had snow chains in my van or have ever been asked for them.
From what I have heard, they will only fine you if you are blocking the road and have no snow chains to get going. Same as nobody stops you to check you have got spare bulbs if your lights are working, but they might fine you if you have a light out and no spare bulb.
The ones who get stuck are invariably lorries who only have one driving axle out of about 6.
If you are driving a two, or even three axle motorhome you would get stuck behind one of them long before you would get stuck yourself. And as has already been said, there are no steep hils on the Sompart route anyway.

 

[Byronic]

I never had snow chains in my van or have ever been asked for them.
From what I have heard, they will only fine you if you are blocking the road and have no snow chains to get going. Same as nobody stops you to check you have got spare bulbs if your lights are working, but they might fine you if you have a light out and no spare bulb.
The ones who get stuck are invariably lorries who only have one driving axle out of about 6.
If you are driving a two, or even three axle motorhome you would get stuck behind one of them long before you would get stuck yourself. And as has already been said, there are no steep hils on the Sompart route anyway.

I reckon you're correct, but I'd also add that logic would dictate that they will only nab you if you ignore a warning sign showing snow chain requirement for the road ahead, and aren't carrying any. After all, it could be difficult to know when you're actually in the "danger area" unless prewarned.

If you are going over a high pass probably sensible to carry chains even if you're not legally obliged to carry them. Will the recovery insurers cover you if you're in trouble due to ignoring a warning sign?

 

[John H]

You don't say at which time of year you are thinking of crossing the Pyrenees, Doglover. We regularly return from Spain in March and have never had any trouble with any of the alternative main routes (the ones we use most are Somport, Bielsa and Vielha). If there is snow then the ploughs are usually very active (on one trip the snow at the roadside was higher than our van but the roads were perfectly clear). If you are concerned, then take the western coastal route from Biarritz to San Sebastian (but if you then want to go south there will still be obstacles - albeit lower ones - in the way). Happy travels.

 

[vindiboy]

I never had snow chains in my van or have ever been asked for them.
From what I have heard, they will only fine you if you are blocking the road and have no snow chains to get going. Same as nobody stops you to check you have got spare bulbs if your lights are working, but they might fine you if you have a light out and no spare bulb.
The ones who get stuck are invariably lorries who only have one driving axle out of about 6.
If you are driving a two, or even three axle motorhome you would get stuck behind one of them long before you would get stuck yourself. And as has already been said, there are no steep hils on the Sompart route anyway.

Well I guess you have been lucky, but that doesn't alter the fact that that the law is there, in my case I could not have proceeded without the chains because the roads were sheet ice, on reaching the tunnel there were a lot of vehicles coming through from the Spanish side all being pulled over to the huge parking area and those with no chains were fined on the spot and sent back through the tunnel to Spain, this is NOT hearsay I witnessed it personally. I thought that after stopping for a coffee break at the tunnel entrance I would take the chains off the wheels but if I had I would not have been able to get to the tunnel mouth 100 yards ? so had to drive right through it with the chains on, at about 4 MPH, stopping on the Spanish side to remove the chains, I have photos of the whole thing and when I can find which disc they are on I will post some.

 

[wandereringstar]

trip to spain

in my opinion it is still a bit narrow in places leading up to the tunnell, a few overhangs on the rocks but that's coming down into france from the tunnell.
it's a bit twisty as well but it's also an easy ride up there, as has been said loads of wagons use the route,and the road when you get into spain is exellent, with toll free motorways all the way down to valencia (that's if you are going that way)

we are going in that direction in janruary (can't wait)

enjoy you'll love it:scooter:

hi i understand you are going to spain in january would you like some company i am going out on the 8 th jan from folkstone shuttle early thanks

 

[Deleted member 9237]

Just watch your weight I noticed over the week end two dutch motorhomes in Gandia being checked out Seems Spain is short of money so you my find more stops by the police this winter, Safe travel :cheers:

 

[lebesset]

probably seen just how much money the french are now making by weighing motorhomes !!

don't know if it's true but 80% of motorhomes are reckoned to be overweight ...nice little earner

 

[vindiboy]

We have used all the crossing from France to Spain now, no problems with any of them in an 8 metre van, usually in January, EXCEPT the Viehla where we had to fit Snow Chains to get to the Tunnel on one of our trips, that was January too.The one I liked the least was Andorra, the traffic was awful and the delays long.Fabulous scenery though and a lot of snow, but the roads were clear.