Driving to the Costa Brava

DebbieR

Has anyone driven from Calais to the Costa Brava? We're renting a villa near Figueras at the end of August and DH is not keen on flying and has suggested driving there and back. Looking at route maps it seems a straightforward but very long journey. As we'll be travelling with two kids(11 and 15) I'd like to hear of anyone else's experience. DH is a good driver and enjoys it but he's never driven abroad before.

dzug

Yes I've done that type of journey with kids from the time they were 6 and 8 up to the time they started doing their own thing. It was before cheap air fares so was the only affordable way of doing it.

The main advice I'd give is don't try to do it all in one go - take 2 or 3 or even 4 days over it with stopovers and make it part of the holiday. There's plenty to see in France on the way and hotels can be cheap - even if it's only a Formule 1 on a drab industrial estate it will be a novelty for the kids.

shown73

That sounds like sound advice, it should be a holiday, not an ordeal. For anyone who has not driven abroad before, it is bound to be stressful, and of course that makes for short temper, bad atmosphere etc, or at least it can. It's a long way, and two kids in the back are going to get pretty bored, how about investing in dvd players for them, you know the kind of thing, fit onto the headrests. Ask on here about the best deals, they're not expensive now, I don't think. How about involving the family in helping the driver, route planning, road signs, directions, etc.

vikingaero

Why doesn't OH drive down a few days before and the rest of the family fly down later?

The first time we went to Cornwall the journey took 11.5 hours from Kent. We can drive to Scotland quicker than that! So for our next trip during the school holidays I drove down the night before and stayed in a B&B with the car and luggage. Then the OH and monsters were collected from home by my dad and taken to the airport. A few hours later I picked them up from Newquay Airport. All for about £60. By the time I collected them I'd already moved everything into the cottage and done the shopping.

This summer we're off to Loch Lomond. I'm driving up the day before and staying in a £15 Travelodge. OH and monsters are flying to Prestwick for £30 for all three including taxes!

The best bit about it is that the monsters see the plane as a fun way to travel so they are fascinated and behave. I drive up at a relaxed pace and there's no rush to get anywhere. In addition I have no screaming monsters in the car and I can listen to what I want at the volume I want. Those 24 hours are pure bliss!

itsakidsworld

We have done this journey and it was great.

The first point is; Where are you located in the UK because this will determine your first stop in France. For example if you have to travel four to six hours to get to Dover then you need to be stopping around the Paris region. If you only have within one hour to Dover then you can get a long way through France in the first day.

First time we stayed in a cheap formula one hotel as posted and although it did the job it was not a great experience. So second time around we checked the map and booked into a lovely country hotel with a pool and some facilities for the kids. Extra money well worth it.

You can do the trip in two days but to really enjoy the trip as part of the holiday take three.

Another option is to travel from I think Portsmouth to Bilbao or Santander. You have great facilities on the boat for everyone and when you reach Spain it is a glorious drive through the mountains to Girona and you are all fresh and ready. The cost against the three day drive with hotels and tolls is also favourable.

Finally if you do make the long drive, make sure your car has air con as it is vital to make the trip pleasant.

Good luck and enjoy your holidays.

DebbieR

Thanks for all the great advice. I wouldn't trust OH to do the drive on his own as he's rubbish at map reading! We'd have a four hour drive down to Dover, depending on traffic so we'd be looking at staying somewhere not far from Calais on our first night, then maybe do the rest of the trip on the next day, with the reverse on the way back. Do you think this is too much to do in one go? The kids are back at school on the Tuesday we come back so we can't really take too long on the way home. We usually go to Cornwall for our holidays which involves a 10 hour drive from where we live. We normally do this in one day, setting off about six in the morning and having a couple of hours break for lunch, so the kids are used to long journeys. The DVD idea is good and I've downloaded some Spanish language podcasts so we could practice our Spanish on the way down!

Party_Animal

I've just driven from Santander to Girona, a beautiful drive.

DebbieR

Just managed to get 1p flights with Ryanair, so I've told OH he HAS to fly! Now I just need to find something that'll calm him down on the plane without affecting his driving :rotfl:

Russ66

DebbieR wrote: »

Just managed to get 1p flights with Ryanair, so I've told OH he HAS to fly! Now I just need to find something that'll calm him down on the plane without affecting his driving :rotfl:

I'd rather 2 hours on the plane over 2 days in the car anyday:D