Blue yonder
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Road trip from Scotland to Spain.
To summarise;
Benissa - Edinburgh 1622km (1008 miles)
142.25 litres (31.29 UK gallons)
8.77 / 100 km (32.21 mpg) on average
You'll note that I've put the imperial figures in brackets, this is because Yonder (as we call our van) is LHD and I need to google convert.
This trip was always going to be a shakedown to ensure everything was working properly but it really was a mad dash from Spain to Scotland. I've said previously that the delivery of Yonder was delayed because of lockdown measures (first in Germany and then in Spain) so there was no chance to use it before our departure.
The trip included three driving days; two in Spain and one through England to Scotland. We were concerned about being pulled over by Spanish police as travel between regions was not allowed without a reasonable reason. Obviously catching a ferry home was justifiable but we thought a campervan would stick out like a sore thumb and the police would at least be curious. In the end we were waved through the two road blocks we encountered whilst others were pulled over.
Again because of the virus, we decided not to wildcamp on this trip as we didn't know what local restrictions would be in place and we didn't have time to look around for suitable spots. We would be arriving late in Zaragoza and leaving early the next morning so we prebooked (a first for us in Spain as campsites are plentiful) into the Zaragoza Municipal campsite. Our first night in the Road Car R640 was concerning for us as it is a base model from Pòssl and being winter we weren't sure how the insulation would hold-up (I think I read somewhere that the manufacturers used 20mm sheets) in the end it was actually quite cosy and we didn't even put on the heating. By the time it was getting uncomfortably cold we were ready to jump in to the huge bed (one of the main reasons for buying Yonder).
For anyone who has experienced road travel in Spain, I dont need to tell you that in general the roads are quieter in comparison to UK roads but in these times of restricted movements the motorways were practically empty and driving was easy.
The same could be said for the ferry. We had booked the Galicia, which is one of Brittany Ferries newest from Santander to Portsmouth. It was extremely quiet and truck drivers probably outnumbered car and van users. We are quite used to slow movement through Customs checks in Portsmouth but this time took even longer despite a fewer number of vehicles. In fairness the Border Authority staff had the additional tasks of checking our Coronavirus test and Locator forms. The officer didn't seem happy with our choice of staying in the Portsmouth Travel Lodge (2 minutes from the ferry) rather than driving through the night to our quarantine address in Scotland but it was perfectly legal and our paperwork was in order so we were allowed to pass.
Another early start for our trip to Scotland and I don't know why I'm constantly suprised by how busier English roads are to Spain but I thought this time would be different because of lockdown. No, it was straight on to the motorway from the Travel Lodge, four lanes of nose to tail traffic and we knew we were definitely back in Britain.
In the end, the trip north was easy and we only had to slow down to cross The Borders from the A74 to Edinburgh as there was still a lot of ice and snow around. For the moment we now long for the day (like everyone else) for travel restrictions to be lifted and we can venture out for a proper more leisurely road trip but as we are in ten days of quarantine anyway, we are making do with looking at our campervan sitting in the driveway and dreaming of travelling into the Blue Yonder.
Rest area in Spain
On board the Galicia ferry
To summarise;
Benissa - Edinburgh 1622km (1008 miles)
142.25 litres (31.29 UK gallons)
8.77 / 100 km (32.21 mpg) on average
You'll note that I've put the imperial figures in brackets, this is because Yonder (as we call our van) is LHD and I need to google convert.
This trip was always going to be a shakedown to ensure everything was working properly but it really was a mad dash from Spain to Scotland. I've said previously that the delivery of Yonder was delayed because of lockdown measures (first in Germany and then in Spain) so there was no chance to use it before our departure.
The trip included three driving days; two in Spain and one through England to Scotland. We were concerned about being pulled over by Spanish police as travel between regions was not allowed without a reasonable reason. Obviously catching a ferry home was justifiable but we thought a campervan would stick out like a sore thumb and the police would at least be curious. In the end we were waved through the two road blocks we encountered whilst others were pulled over.
Again because of the virus, we decided not to wildcamp on this trip as we didn't know what local restrictions would be in place and we didn't have time to look around for suitable spots. We would be arriving late in Zaragoza and leaving early the next morning so we prebooked (a first for us in Spain as campsites are plentiful) into the Zaragoza Municipal campsite. Our first night in the Road Car R640 was concerning for us as it is a base model from Pòssl and being winter we weren't sure how the insulation would hold-up (I think I read somewhere that the manufacturers used 20mm sheets) in the end it was actually quite cosy and we didn't even put on the heating. By the time it was getting uncomfortably cold we were ready to jump in to the huge bed (one of the main reasons for buying Yonder).
For anyone who has experienced road travel in Spain, I dont need to tell you that in general the roads are quieter in comparison to UK roads but in these times of restricted movements the motorways were practically empty and driving was easy.
The same could be said for the ferry. We had booked the Galicia, which is one of Brittany Ferries newest from Santander to Portsmouth. It was extremely quiet and truck drivers probably outnumbered car and van users. We are quite used to slow movement through Customs checks in Portsmouth but this time took even longer despite a fewer number of vehicles. In fairness the Border Authority staff had the additional tasks of checking our Coronavirus test and Locator forms. The officer didn't seem happy with our choice of staying in the Portsmouth Travel Lodge (2 minutes from the ferry) rather than driving through the night to our quarantine address in Scotland but it was perfectly legal and our paperwork was in order so we were allowed to pass.
Another early start for our trip to Scotland and I don't know why I'm constantly suprised by how busier English roads are to Spain but I thought this time would be different because of lockdown. No, it was straight on to the motorway from the Travel Lodge, four lanes of nose to tail traffic and we knew we were definitely back in Britain.
In the end, the trip north was easy and we only had to slow down to cross The Borders from the A74 to Edinburgh as there was still a lot of ice and snow around. For the moment we now long for the day (like everyone else) for travel restrictions to be lifted and we can venture out for a proper more leisurely road trip but as we are in ten days of quarantine anyway, we are making do with looking at our campervan sitting in the driveway and dreaming of travelling into the Blue Yonder.
Rest area in Spain
On board the Galicia ferry
