90 outandaboutlive.co.ukSeptember 2019
TRAVEL Spain
Route 1:To the Costa del Azahar
For the coastal resorts ofVinaròs,Peniscola
andBenicàssim.
From Pampl ona take t he N121south and,
in 20 miles, bypass Tafalla by joining ashort
free sectionof the AP15 motorway. Back
on the N121,continue for 30miles to the
N232northwest of Tudela. Turn southeast
joining the A68which has dual -carriageway
sections, for 50miles to Zaragoza. Take
the ri ng road south aroundthe ci ty and
exit onto the A68.In a few miles the road
becomes the N232,which continues for 125
miles past Alcañiz and Morella to the coast
at Vinaròs.Route 2:To the Costa Blanca
ForValencia,Dénia,JaveaandBenidorm.
Join the A68 towards Z aragoza as before ,
but now a sho rter route wil l avoid the ci ty.
In 26 miles, ju st after Mallén, turn ri ght
on the N122 towards Magallón. In four
miles, turn south on the A121.Continue
through La Almunia to Cariñena and join
the A23autovia for 140miles past Teruel a ll
the wayto Sagunto,on the coast just north
of Valencia. Join the fr ee sectionof the A7
motorway aroundthe ci ty and exit on the
N332coast road for all the popularresorts.Route 3:To the Gulf of Mazarrón
ForAlicanteand resorts ofTorrevieja,
CartagenaandMazarrón.
Follow Route 2 as far as Teruel. Take the
N330 for 125miles to Utiel and Almansa,
joining the A31autovia into Alicante.Don’t fix your departure date.
Check theweatherforecast
and book the Channel
crossing at the last moment.
For the return considera
flexible ticket
Beware of not bookingthe
return.We have spoken to
people refused insurance
repatriationfor themselves or
their vehicle because they
have no proofof an intended
return date at the time they
left theUK
Fit headlightadaptors.You
may not intend to drive at
night, butweather conditions
may require lights on
Buy a copy ofCamperstop
Europeor bookslisting aires
in France and Spain
Buy theACSI low-season
discount cardfor lower winter
campsite prices
Do not stayovernighton
motorway rest stops or lorry
parks. Motorhome aires are
entirely separate and usually
close to urban centres
Pay by credit card whenever
possible, the exchange rate is
more favourable and itcan
work out better if you pay it
off in full each monthby
direct debit. Ifgiven the
option to pay in sterling or
euro, always select euro
Some credit cardsallow you
to withdraw cash abroad
without a charge– the Halifax
Clarity card is one butthere
are others
Check your home insurance
for unoccupiedtime; 30 days
is common. Also check travel,
vehicle and breakdown cover
for overseas trip length
limitations
Huge home energy bill
savings can be made. Eight
weeks in Spain almosthalves
our annual bill and almost
offsets the cost of the trip
INFORMATION
For Ca rtagena, exit before Alicante,
joining the A7past Elcheto Murcia, then
south on the A30 to the coast. Also south of
Elche, a free sectionof the AP7 motorway
runs towards Torrevieja, but beyond this it
has pay sections.Route 4:To the Costa del Sol
ForMadrid,Granadaand coastal resorts
betweenAlmeriaandMarbella.
Follow Route 1to the N232northwest
of Tudela. Go straight o n, now the N113
for 22miles to the N122running west to
Soria. Do not enterthe town, fo llow the rin g
road north and west ontothe A15autovia
runningsouth past Almazán to Medinaceli.
Join the A2autovia west for 80miles past
Guadalajara to the Madrid ring.
Turn south and in 17miles, exit on the
A4 autovia for 160miles past Valdepeñas
to Bailén. Turn south again for another 118
miles, now the A44autovia, past Jaén and
Granada to the coast at Motril.
The A7autovia runs east or west to your
chosen resort.RETURNROUTE
From mid-March on, most of the Pyrenean
passes should be open for a scenic route
back. Try the Portalet Pass north of
Zaragoza, passing Huesca and Sabiñánigo ..
Further to the ea st, an other very pretty
route is the N230reaching 1,600mthen
through the fr ee Vielha tunnel, over three
miles long.