86 outandaboutlive.co.ukSeptember 2019
The long road south
to th e costas
Follow our winter route to the Spanish seaside resorts
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY:BrainFairbrother
M
any of us travel toSpain for the
winter , to enjoy warmer weather
and cheaperdrinks, all subsidised by
huge savings on winter energy bills. To get
there, you havethree key options.
Ferry to t he north coast of Spainand drive
south to your chosen destination
Short crossing to northern France,
motorways to Perpignan, then the
Spanish AP7 coastal motorway to your
destination
Short crossing but drive across country
on non-toll roads thro ugh France and
Spain.
If, like us, you don’t fancy the Bay of
Biscay inwinter , or paying to use expensive
motorways, then the last option is the best.
When off on a longwinterstay, a few extra
driving days are in significant andpart of the
enjoyment is the journey itself.
Over the years we’ve fine-tuned ourroute
to avoid tolls, ci ty centres, trucking routes
and endless villa ge speed bu mps, without
deviating too far off a direct route.
Then there’s the issue of where to stay.
Our route starts from Calais, butis easily
joined fr om Dunkirk, Dieppe or Cherbourg.
Driving over the inland Pyrenean passesUS AND OUR ’VAN
Brain Fa irbrother. ..
and his wife, Jean, love
mountains, lakes and good
scenery. They have enjoyed
motorhoming for 12 years and
usually make three annual
trips into mainland EuropePilote G640 LR A-class based
on a Fiat Ducato with 2.3-litre
130bhp diesel enginein winteris risky and very slow , while for
destinatio ns aroundValencia or beyond
there is littl e mileag e sa ving compared to
the muc h safer andfaster route alongthe
Atlantic coast near Biarritz.ACROSS FRANCE TO SPAIN
Stage 1: Calais to Rouen
Leave the ferry terminal onthe dua l
carriageway and turn ri ght ontothe fr ee
A16 motorway towards Boulogne (from the
tunnelyou exit di rectly ontothis motorway).
In 24 miles, just before the peage, exit at
junction 29 and drop down a hill. If under
3,500kggo straight on; otherwise the inside
lane swingsdown to a bridge, where you
turn left back t o the main road. In under a
mile the road forks; forcoastal aires follow
the D940, otherwise the D901via Montreuil
is faster. Either way, the destination is
Abbeville where, before the ci ty, you take
the fr ee A28 motorway all the wayto Rouen.Stage 2: Rouen to Nonancourt
There’s no sensible bypass for busy Rouen,
they either add too m any miles or progress
is frustratingly slow. Our route only involves
one major ju nction and, outside rush hour,
traffic should be reasonable.The motorway
becomes dua l carriageway at the city’s
edge and drops down a hill. Keep to the
inside lane through a tunnel; then as you
leave, in just under a mile, take the third
exit signposted to Vernon. The slip road
ends in traffic lights , get in the centre lane
to turn left across a dual carriageway. Keep
to the in side lane for the next set of lights ,
after which bear ri ght ontothe D6015still
signed forVernon. The S eineappears onthe
right andyou’re clear of the ci ty. Continue