7 day scenic drive holiday where should i go?
Discussion
Definitely Spain but I find going south/south west from Santander into the mountains leads to some insane empty driving roads if you have something small and fun to chuck around.
It's often busy up into Andorra, and driving through France is utter s
t, even the good roads are ruined by being busy so you might as well stay in the UK. I just came back from a 7 day Spain/France road trip (3000 miles) and when I do it again I will get the ferry back. Over £100 in tolls to drive through France to Cherbourg too, and it was mostly like driving through Slough.
Also recommend to Tom Tom my drive route planner, it's much more flexible then google etc.
This was my 2nd day and was the most incredible drive I've ever been on. I melted stones into the rear tyres of an MX5 (!) and the gearbox and centre tunnel got so hot my phone in the cubby turned off, I would not have ever believed it was possible to safely drive so hard for so long on such stonking roads. The rear diff and exhaust on my friends NC got so hot the contents of their boot caught fire, it was that good. I've driven all over Europe and never enjoyed roads that much, and they are abandoned to the point it's like being in a zombie apocalypse.
I went in August last year, make sure your AC works well even in a convertible because 40C was no joke.
It's often busy up into Andorra, and driving through France is utter s
t, even the good roads are ruined by being busy so you might as well stay in the UK. I just came back from a 7 day Spain/France road trip (3000 miles) and when I do it again I will get the ferry back. Over £100 in tolls to drive through France to Cherbourg too, and it was mostly like driving through Slough.Also recommend to Tom Tom my drive route planner, it's much more flexible then google etc.
This was my 2nd day and was the most incredible drive I've ever been on. I melted stones into the rear tyres of an MX5 (!) and the gearbox and centre tunnel got so hot my phone in the cubby turned off, I would not have ever believed it was possible to safely drive so hard for so long on such stonking roads. The rear diff and exhaust on my friends NC got so hot the contents of their boot caught fire, it was that good. I've driven all over Europe and never enjoyed roads that much, and they are abandoned to the point it's like being in a zombie apocalypse.
I went in August last year, make sure your AC works well even in a convertible because 40C was no joke.
Edited by GeniusOfLove on Monday 10th July 21:16
DaveCWK said:
That looks like an amazing route! I think I'll be going to northern Spain on my next road trip.
If you don't mind me asking, how much of that was smooth wide 2 Lane roads? Personally I don't really enjoy driving on the smaller passing-place type roads.
Fair mix actually, most of it was two lane but not what you'd call wide, but they were so incredibly lightly used it didn't much matter.If you don't mind me asking, how much of that was smooth wide 2 Lane roads? Personally I don't really enjoy driving on the smaller passing-place type roads.
There are endless fabulous roads, including big sweeping wide two lane bits, and it's all empty.
GeniusOfLove said:
... and driving through France is utter st, even the good roads are ruined by being busy so you might as well stay in the UK.
Eh? That's a niche view. There are huge swathes of rural France that are sparsely populated with quiet roads. If you've used autoroutes as a means to drive home quickly from Spain then obviously that's not the most exciting drive in any country. But neither is a 24 hour ferry trip to northern Spain...t, even the good roads are ruined by being busy so you might as well stay in the UK. Northern Spain does look exceptional though.
For a trip that doesn't involve a long transit, consider avoiding motorways and heading towards Nurburgring (Eifel region) or Strasbourg direction. From there you can head south through the Vosges mountains or the German ones on east side of the Rhine valley. Keep going as long as you like and you would reach the Alps.
During a September I drove a Caterham to the Nurburging over a couple of days, through northern France, Luxembourg and Germany. I simply set the sat nav to avoid motorways and I went through hundreds of miles of quiet country roads.
During a September I drove a Caterham to the Nurburging over a couple of days, through northern France, Luxembourg and Germany. I simply set the sat nav to avoid motorways and I went through hundreds of miles of quiet country roads.
braddo said:
Eh? That's a niche view. There are huge swathes of rural France that are sparsely populated with quiet roads. If you've used autoroutes as a means to drive home quickly from Spain then obviously that's not the most exciting drive in any country. But neither is a 24 hour ferry trip to northern Spain...
Northern Spain does look exceptional though.
Agree rural France is lovely, but the bit between Spain and the channel is very flat which makes it a little bit dull I think. I don't recall ever having a really memorable drive in that bit, and it takes a full 12 hours of driving to cross it so I'd rather just sleep on the ferry.Northern Spain does look exceptional though.
The Alps are the easiest and quickest to get too. Santander and Bilbao ferries take an age and will eat 3 days into your 7 day window.
Book an early Eurotunnel and you can be in Grenoble on the edge of the Alps by dinner time. Then , the world is your oyster as there are great roads which ever way you go !!
I organise a trip every year and limit it to 7 days. I have always worked on the premise of 1 long day to get to the right area and 1 long day to get back which leaves 5 days of play.
If you dont want to do a long schlap on day 1 , head for Germany and then south through the Black Forest.
Book an early Eurotunnel and you can be in Grenoble on the edge of the Alps by dinner time. Then , the world is your oyster as there are great roads which ever way you go !!
I organise a trip every year and limit it to 7 days. I have always worked on the premise of 1 long day to get to the right area and 1 long day to get back which leaves 5 days of play.
If you dont want to do a long schlap on day 1 , head for Germany and then south through the Black Forest.
GeniusOfLove said:
Agree rural France is lovely, but the bit between Spain and the channel is very flat which makes it a little bit dull I think. I don't recall ever having a really memorable drive in that bit, and it takes a full 12 hours of driving to cross it so I'd rather just sleep on the ferry.
Well the distance is over 650 miles so yes, 12 hours is a typical minimum. But treating part of the France leg as part of the holiday and splitting the journey over 2 days, going across to the Millau viaduct and up through the middle of the country is a very different experience. Until you get to about Orleans and it's pretty flat from there on. raspy said:
The roads around Zion are a treat but they are quite busy in September still. Bear with me on this one but personally I would go in January. You can stay in Springfield for pennies, you can hike Angels landing with spikes which makes it far more exciting and they even let you drive the valley floor unlike in summer. But yes Utah is an absolute gem.For another US suggestion how about an Appalachian Trail road trip finishing with the Blue Ridge Parkway which is another beautiful stretch of road?
An overnight ferry from Portsmouth -> St. Malo will get you to St. Malo at 8am. From there it's an 8 hour drive to San Sebastian, ready to hit the Pyrenees. I would agree that it's not the most thrilling 8 hour drive, but the end justifies the means.
The Portsmouth -> Spain boats get you to Bilbao / Santander at 8am after approx 36 hours on the boat. Meaning you miss out on an evening in San Sebastian compared to St. Malo
Plymouth -> Santander is a much quicker crossing.
An overnight ferry from Harwich -> Hook of Holland will get you to Hook of Holland at 8am. From there you have many choices. This achievable distance in 1 day will depend on the day of the week and the car you're driving.
The Portsmouth -> Spain boats get you to Bilbao / Santander at 8am after approx 36 hours on the boat. Meaning you miss out on an evening in San Sebastian compared to St. Malo
Plymouth -> Santander is a much quicker crossing.
An overnight ferry from Harwich -> Hook of Holland will get you to Hook of Holland at 8am. From there you have many choices. This achievable distance in 1 day will depend on the day of the week and the car you're driving.
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