Alpine A110 London to Tenerife, and back
Discussion
Some folk have asked me to write a little about my trip from Feb 2nd to Feb 27th 
I may have made it too long and what we have here is just the first week
Day One.
Up early scraping the ice off the car. The tiny boot and the frunk crammed full of my luggage, set the Sat Nav for the Chunnel off the M20, and drove off into the dark.
5am Sunday morning and a joy to drive from my part of SW London and not see any other traffic, well, until Oxshott where I got stuck behind a badly driven posh Merc that held me up until we both got on to the M25.
I took off and observed the idiot head straight for lane 3 on the empty motorway and sit there at about 60mph.
There were a few more MLMs on the deserted motorway as well as the fun of two long stretches of 50mph averages.
Never mind, I’m off on an adventure, the whole of February away to escape the misery of a British winter and to enjoy my Alpine on a drive to Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
I arrived at the Chunnel about 2 hours early. My first ever time using it and was pleased to immediately see a screen welcoming me by name, and with a few presses of the touch screen, I was issued a card to hang off my rearview mirror.
The place was deserted and I passed through British Passport Control then within yards I handed my passport to the French Passport Officer.
Now with no other cars to follow I got a bit confused and ended up joining a queue of cars in the distance whom immediately boarded a train. The fella waving us on didn’t stop me with my wrong pass and in I went.
10 minutes later, with a small jolt, the train moved off.
It took about 50 minutes from leaving the M20 to joining the A16 to Paris. I was impressed.
Calais was colder than England, everything covered in a white frost despite the sunshine and blue skies. I had set my Sat Nav for San Sebastien in north east Spain with the idea of trying to get some miles done and then stopping somewhere in France on the way.
Crossed some amazing viaducts at first, straddling big valleys, great views but no way of pulling over to take pics, unfortunately.
The little Alpine was proving to be a great autoroute cruiser and when the odd local came past at a rate of knots, I’d risk a follow, hoping that they knew where the cameras/police where. Even sitting at 100mph the car was steady and confident with tons more go if you wanted to be extra naughty. Not the stuck to the tarmac feel of my Mustang GT at silly speeds, quite a flighty almost nervous feeling but you just rolled with it.
I might get the Geo looked at as recommended by Life110, but I quite like the feel of the car at speed.
Somewhere north of Rouen, the Sat Nav took me onto country roads, along beautiful avenues and through pretty villages. All rather lovely but with 100s of miles to get under my belt I was starting to get a bit impatient. It’s been a long time since I was last in France using the D roads with mates on our motorbikes in the 80s, and it was disappointing to find that the roads are now governed by draconian speed limits that the locals religiously stick to.
After a while I came across a big river (The Seine) with no bridge. Dammit! I’ve really screwed up, and was just turning the car around when I noticed the little ferry. I was the last one on, and off we went for the 5 min free crossing to the village of La Bouille.
A few miles of twisties later and I was back on an autoroute.
Despite being from Dieppe, the car was garnering a lot of looks from drivers and their passengers, and later on I even had people come over to chat about the car at toll booths.
Yes, the tollbooths. I didn’t get a Telepéage thing for the car thinking that stopping at the booths would be fine. It actually became a bit of a pain as I had to exit the car and walk around it to either get a ticket or swipe my bankcard. Luckily the barriers always remained open until I had performed the standing start. At first, I thought that if I wasn’t quick enough I’d get stuck.
I had made no plans on where to stop on my trip, it was Feb 2nd and my boat from Huelva, in SW Spain close to Portugal, on to Tenerife, wasn’t due to leave until Feb 7th at midnight.
I was getting tired so I pulled into an Aire and looked at Booking.com. Very quickly I had a cheap motel booked on the outskirts of Poitiers.
I arrived at their carpark at 4pm with 469 miles done that day but they weren’t open until 5pm, so I parked up and went for a wander. It was there that I saw a French registered Alpine drive past. The only one I saw on the whole 3500 mile trip.
Being Sunday, everything in France was closed (Which might have explained the virtually empty autoroutes) so no traditional dinner at a little café bar sadly, thus I ended up walking to an industrial estate past a giant closed Auchan Hypermarket to eat in a very authentic looking American Diner with the most friendly staff. A bit too much red wine and I staggered back to my motel to sleep.
Day Two.
I awoke to minus 4 degrees and thick freezing fog.
Back to the autoroute which still wasn’t very busy but now there were lorries. The fog cleared, the sun came out and the temperature began to rise. Very heavy traffic around Bordeaux but now I knew that Spain was close so pressed on.
I stopped just before the border and sat at a picnic table to decide what to do next. I had heard of San Sebastien through an ex-girlfriend who had lived and worked there for a while. But that’s all I knew about it, she had never mentioned what it was like.
I found a hotel on Booking that had parking and it was only a mile from the centre. £40 a night, I wasn’t expecting much but I booked 2 nights.
Half an hour later I was parking outside, it was lovely. Nice location and a great room. I then walked down the steep roads and a very long stairway to the promenade and the beach. Wow! The place looked amazing and it was sunny and warm, although the locals were dressed for winter whilst I was down to a t-shirt.
I walked around the city for ages and finally stopped and had Tapas (Pintxos, as this is Basque Country) outside a big restaurant on a square. Very tasty! I had ordered 3 plates as I wanted the variety but it would have easily fed 3 people. The bill was a bit much too. Oh well!
I certainly walked it off on my return to the hotel via those endless steep stairs and the uphill streets.
Day Three.
The next morning, I found a coffee shop near the hotel and had a café con leche with some kind of croissant drenched in syrup. Cost £2.00 the lot.
I headed off to explore the city and hike up to Monte Igueldo, which overlooks the bay and the city. It was hot, and it was early February. The views were amazing, San Sebastian beach looking like a mini Copacabana Beach in the glorious sunshine.
I made my way back down and walked the length of the beach. Once again I was down to my t-shirt whilst locals walking their dogs were all dressed for the Arctic. There were a few young blokes jumping in the sea and some oldies doing their long swims across the bay.
I was still getting used to the Spanish all disappearing and closing shop for the Siesta hours so ended up lunching in McDonalds followed by a decent Estrella Galicia in a bar. The proper 5.5 percent lager, not the weak stuff that we get in the UK.
I eventually made my way back to the hotel for a bath, a rare luxury for me, and then went out for a snack and more Estrellas in a local’s bar.
Day Four.
Now to get across Spain after a quick coffee and croissant at the place nearby my hotel.
I decided to avoid the toll Autopista and take the Autovia south to eventually join the route down to Sevilla. I guess the Autovia is an A road but it has 2 lanes like the Autopista and there are more petrol stations selling fuel at normal prices as well as a hell of a lot more junctions.
The A1 immediately south of San Sebastien appears to have been designed by a Scalextric enthusiast. It’s all bends and tunnels and with a great section of hairpins as it climbs up a mountain.
It was before this section that a Cayenne Turbo passed me as if it was stolen, perhaps it had been
, so sensibly I gave chase. Paddle shifting in Sport with a massive grin on my face. The Alpine was in its element but caution was needed when entering a hairpin to find 2 lorries elephant racing. The brakes, I must say, are pretty good
That was pretty entertaining for half an hour until the Porsche headed off at a junction.
Now I was seeing amazing scenery, craggy mountains, some with snow at the top, as I headed further into the middle of Spain. It was also getting much colder.
Speed limit was 120kmph, a sensible 70 ish mph but plenty of cars were cruising at 140/150kmph. The miles were literally melting off the Sat Nav.
Prior to leaving the hotel I looked for somewhere in the middle of the country and decided to head for Salamanca. Again, I had no knowledge of the place, I just thought that it would make a good stop off.
About half an hour from the city I stopped for fuel and booked a hotel right in the centre, just by the main square, Plaza Mayor. 2 nights at £30 a night plus another £14 a night to stick the car in their underground carpark which included a ULEZ charge for driving into the pedestrian central area.
Another wow! This city is amazing, if not for the people in modern day clothes, one could be back in the past, hundreds of years ago.
A lot of walking and I found a tiny bar that charged £3 for a large glass of red that came with a choice of Tapas.
So, in order to eat a decent meal, I had to drink a few glasses
Day Five.
After a coffee and a pastry in a very smart place on the main square, for hardly any money, it was off for more exploring. Fog was back and it was very cold.
It had burned off by lunchtime and the blue skies were back. Warm in the sun but still chilly in the shadows.
Early evening I was back in my tiny bar for starters, so only 2 glasses of red this time, then returned to the main square.
So far on this trip it seems that everyone comes out to walk, chat, stop at bars from around 7pm. The streets are full and all the shops are doing business. Families, friends and lovers. It’s a great atmosphere, if a little lonely for a solo traveller.
I returned to the restaurant that I had breakfasted in for a set meal. It was packed but they found me a table and I had a great 3 course meal with a couple of glasses of wine for, would you believe………£18!
Unbelievable really. The place was like a set from a James Bond movie or Mission Impossible. Very grand and looking right out onto the main square.
Day Six.
So 2 days in San Sebastien and 2 days in Salamaca. It was now Friday and my boat was leaving at midnight. Time to get my foot down with 340 miles to go.
It nearly all came to an awful halt as I left the underground carpark. It exited onto a small pedestrian area and threading the car off the alley into the entrance, 2 days earlier, had been awkward.
As I came out of the garage, I was faced with a downward slope that I couldn’t see. If I had been in my Duster I would have gone for it but worried about scraping the front of the Alpine, I edged up to it.
It was a big set of stairs
The way out was a narrow ledge by the side of the stairs, which I had used to gain entry to the parking but was concentrating so hard that I hadn’t noticed the stairway.
I was now on the A66, weather was crap but the car felt good and we were making progress. Passing mountains and secluded little towns, one of which I inadvertently visited as when you follow the signs for petrol and services, it often takes you a few miles to some one horse town in the middle of nowhere. The Alpine drew a lot of attention, as much as if I had landed in a spaceship.
Weather was perking up and the traffic got busier as I approached Sevilla. I had originally planned to spend a few hours there but decided to press on to the port of Huelva.
To be continued.......
I may have made it too long and what we have here is just the first week
Day One.
Up early scraping the ice off the car. The tiny boot and the frunk crammed full of my luggage, set the Sat Nav for the Chunnel off the M20, and drove off into the dark.
5am Sunday morning and a joy to drive from my part of SW London and not see any other traffic, well, until Oxshott where I got stuck behind a badly driven posh Merc that held me up until we both got on to the M25.
I took off and observed the idiot head straight for lane 3 on the empty motorway and sit there at about 60mph.
There were a few more MLMs on the deserted motorway as well as the fun of two long stretches of 50mph averages.
Never mind, I’m off on an adventure, the whole of February away to escape the misery of a British winter and to enjoy my Alpine on a drive to Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
I arrived at the Chunnel about 2 hours early. My first ever time using it and was pleased to immediately see a screen welcoming me by name, and with a few presses of the touch screen, I was issued a card to hang off my rearview mirror.
The place was deserted and I passed through British Passport Control then within yards I handed my passport to the French Passport Officer.
Now with no other cars to follow I got a bit confused and ended up joining a queue of cars in the distance whom immediately boarded a train. The fella waving us on didn’t stop me with my wrong pass and in I went.
10 minutes later, with a small jolt, the train moved off.
It took about 50 minutes from leaving the M20 to joining the A16 to Paris. I was impressed.
Calais was colder than England, everything covered in a white frost despite the sunshine and blue skies. I had set my Sat Nav for San Sebastien in north east Spain with the idea of trying to get some miles done and then stopping somewhere in France on the way.
Crossed some amazing viaducts at first, straddling big valleys, great views but no way of pulling over to take pics, unfortunately.
The little Alpine was proving to be a great autoroute cruiser and when the odd local came past at a rate of knots, I’d risk a follow, hoping that they knew where the cameras/police where. Even sitting at 100mph the car was steady and confident with tons more go if you wanted to be extra naughty. Not the stuck to the tarmac feel of my Mustang GT at silly speeds, quite a flighty almost nervous feeling but you just rolled with it.
I might get the Geo looked at as recommended by Life110, but I quite like the feel of the car at speed.
Somewhere north of Rouen, the Sat Nav took me onto country roads, along beautiful avenues and through pretty villages. All rather lovely but with 100s of miles to get under my belt I was starting to get a bit impatient. It’s been a long time since I was last in France using the D roads with mates on our motorbikes in the 80s, and it was disappointing to find that the roads are now governed by draconian speed limits that the locals religiously stick to.
After a while I came across a big river (The Seine) with no bridge. Dammit! I’ve really screwed up, and was just turning the car around when I noticed the little ferry. I was the last one on, and off we went for the 5 min free crossing to the village of La Bouille.
A few miles of twisties later and I was back on an autoroute.
Despite being from Dieppe, the car was garnering a lot of looks from drivers and their passengers, and later on I even had people come over to chat about the car at toll booths.
Yes, the tollbooths. I didn’t get a Telepéage thing for the car thinking that stopping at the booths would be fine. It actually became a bit of a pain as I had to exit the car and walk around it to either get a ticket or swipe my bankcard. Luckily the barriers always remained open until I had performed the standing start. At first, I thought that if I wasn’t quick enough I’d get stuck.
I had made no plans on where to stop on my trip, it was Feb 2nd and my boat from Huelva, in SW Spain close to Portugal, on to Tenerife, wasn’t due to leave until Feb 7th at midnight.
I was getting tired so I pulled into an Aire and looked at Booking.com. Very quickly I had a cheap motel booked on the outskirts of Poitiers.
I arrived at their carpark at 4pm with 469 miles done that day but they weren’t open until 5pm, so I parked up and went for a wander. It was there that I saw a French registered Alpine drive past. The only one I saw on the whole 3500 mile trip.
Being Sunday, everything in France was closed (Which might have explained the virtually empty autoroutes) so no traditional dinner at a little café bar sadly, thus I ended up walking to an industrial estate past a giant closed Auchan Hypermarket to eat in a very authentic looking American Diner with the most friendly staff. A bit too much red wine and I staggered back to my motel to sleep.
Day Two.
I awoke to minus 4 degrees and thick freezing fog.
Back to the autoroute which still wasn’t very busy but now there were lorries. The fog cleared, the sun came out and the temperature began to rise. Very heavy traffic around Bordeaux but now I knew that Spain was close so pressed on.
I stopped just before the border and sat at a picnic table to decide what to do next. I had heard of San Sebastien through an ex-girlfriend who had lived and worked there for a while. But that’s all I knew about it, she had never mentioned what it was like.
I found a hotel on Booking that had parking and it was only a mile from the centre. £40 a night, I wasn’t expecting much but I booked 2 nights.
Half an hour later I was parking outside, it was lovely. Nice location and a great room. I then walked down the steep roads and a very long stairway to the promenade and the beach. Wow! The place looked amazing and it was sunny and warm, although the locals were dressed for winter whilst I was down to a t-shirt.
I walked around the city for ages and finally stopped and had Tapas (Pintxos, as this is Basque Country) outside a big restaurant on a square. Very tasty! I had ordered 3 plates as I wanted the variety but it would have easily fed 3 people. The bill was a bit much too. Oh well!
I certainly walked it off on my return to the hotel via those endless steep stairs and the uphill streets.
Day Three.
The next morning, I found a coffee shop near the hotel and had a café con leche with some kind of croissant drenched in syrup. Cost £2.00 the lot.
I headed off to explore the city and hike up to Monte Igueldo, which overlooks the bay and the city. It was hot, and it was early February. The views were amazing, San Sebastian beach looking like a mini Copacabana Beach in the glorious sunshine.
I made my way back down and walked the length of the beach. Once again I was down to my t-shirt whilst locals walking their dogs were all dressed for the Arctic. There were a few young blokes jumping in the sea and some oldies doing their long swims across the bay.
I was still getting used to the Spanish all disappearing and closing shop for the Siesta hours so ended up lunching in McDonalds followed by a decent Estrella Galicia in a bar. The proper 5.5 percent lager, not the weak stuff that we get in the UK.
I eventually made my way back to the hotel for a bath, a rare luxury for me, and then went out for a snack and more Estrellas in a local’s bar.
Day Four.
Now to get across Spain after a quick coffee and croissant at the place nearby my hotel.
I decided to avoid the toll Autopista and take the Autovia south to eventually join the route down to Sevilla. I guess the Autovia is an A road but it has 2 lanes like the Autopista and there are more petrol stations selling fuel at normal prices as well as a hell of a lot more junctions.
The A1 immediately south of San Sebastien appears to have been designed by a Scalextric enthusiast. It’s all bends and tunnels and with a great section of hairpins as it climbs up a mountain.
It was before this section that a Cayenne Turbo passed me as if it was stolen, perhaps it had been
, so sensibly I gave chase. Paddle shifting in Sport with a massive grin on my face. The Alpine was in its element but caution was needed when entering a hairpin to find 2 lorries elephant racing. The brakes, I must say, are pretty good That was pretty entertaining for half an hour until the Porsche headed off at a junction.
Now I was seeing amazing scenery, craggy mountains, some with snow at the top, as I headed further into the middle of Spain. It was also getting much colder.
Speed limit was 120kmph, a sensible 70 ish mph but plenty of cars were cruising at 140/150kmph. The miles were literally melting off the Sat Nav.
Prior to leaving the hotel I looked for somewhere in the middle of the country and decided to head for Salamanca. Again, I had no knowledge of the place, I just thought that it would make a good stop off.
About half an hour from the city I stopped for fuel and booked a hotel right in the centre, just by the main square, Plaza Mayor. 2 nights at £30 a night plus another £14 a night to stick the car in their underground carpark which included a ULEZ charge for driving into the pedestrian central area.
Another wow! This city is amazing, if not for the people in modern day clothes, one could be back in the past, hundreds of years ago.
A lot of walking and I found a tiny bar that charged £3 for a large glass of red that came with a choice of Tapas.
So, in order to eat a decent meal, I had to drink a few glasses
Day Five.
After a coffee and a pastry in a very smart place on the main square, for hardly any money, it was off for more exploring. Fog was back and it was very cold.
It had burned off by lunchtime and the blue skies were back. Warm in the sun but still chilly in the shadows.
Early evening I was back in my tiny bar for starters, so only 2 glasses of red this time, then returned to the main square.
So far on this trip it seems that everyone comes out to walk, chat, stop at bars from around 7pm. The streets are full and all the shops are doing business. Families, friends and lovers. It’s a great atmosphere, if a little lonely for a solo traveller.
I returned to the restaurant that I had breakfasted in for a set meal. It was packed but they found me a table and I had a great 3 course meal with a couple of glasses of wine for, would you believe………£18!
Unbelievable really. The place was like a set from a James Bond movie or Mission Impossible. Very grand and looking right out onto the main square.
Day Six.
So 2 days in San Sebastien and 2 days in Salamaca. It was now Friday and my boat was leaving at midnight. Time to get my foot down with 340 miles to go.
It nearly all came to an awful halt as I left the underground carpark. It exited onto a small pedestrian area and threading the car off the alley into the entrance, 2 days earlier, had been awkward.
As I came out of the garage, I was faced with a downward slope that I couldn’t see. If I had been in my Duster I would have gone for it but worried about scraping the front of the Alpine, I edged up to it.
It was a big set of stairs
The way out was a narrow ledge by the side of the stairs, which I had used to gain entry to the parking but was concentrating so hard that I hadn’t noticed the stairway.
I was now on the A66, weather was crap but the car felt good and we were making progress. Passing mountains and secluded little towns, one of which I inadvertently visited as when you follow the signs for petrol and services, it often takes you a few miles to some one horse town in the middle of nowhere. The Alpine drew a lot of attention, as much as if I had landed in a spaceship.
Weather was perking up and the traffic got busier as I approached Sevilla. I had originally planned to spend a few hours there but decided to press on to the port of Huelva.
To be continued.......
Following with interest, why didn't you get the ferry to Santander? Our limit on driving in Europe is around 500-600km a day, but that's with a car full of family.
Looking fowards to the rest of the write up, I find the journey often as fun as destination. We are off to Bordeux this summer, but Santander ferry next year so we can explore the Rioja wine region. Saint Sebastian is one of the place I'm looking for a nice Air B&B with pool (5-6 of us). But we'll be doing nowhere near the millage you are covering!!
Looking fowards to the rest of the write up, I find the journey often as fun as destination. We are off to Bordeux this summer, but Santander ferry next year so we can explore the Rioja wine region. Saint Sebastian is one of the place I'm looking for a nice Air B&B with pool (5-6 of us). But we'll be doing nowhere near the millage you are covering!!
Edited by gangzoom on Tuesday 11th March 06:17
Thanks.
There was a thread about Calais vs Santander and I was for the longer crossing to Spain but the timing didn't work as there's only one a week in the winter.
I didn't save any money as Calais to San Sebastián and back was £200 return in tolls, £280 in fuel, £220 for the Chunnel, £100 on hotels and then food.
Almost exactly equals the £800 return that the ferry company cost from Portsmouth to Santander.
If I ever did it again I'd definitely head straight to Santander for, as others had said, the drive through France was just a slog, flat like Holland and dead straight motorways
There was a thread about Calais vs Santander and I was for the longer crossing to Spain but the timing didn't work as there's only one a week in the winter.
I didn't save any money as Calais to San Sebastián and back was £200 return in tolls, £280 in fuel, £220 for the Chunnel, £100 on hotels and then food.
Almost exactly equals the £800 return that the ferry company cost from Portsmouth to Santander.
If I ever did it again I'd definitely head straight to Santander for, as others had said, the drive through France was just a slog, flat like Holland and dead straight motorways
croyde said:
Almost exactly equals the £800 return that the ferry company cost from Portsmouth to Santander.
If I ever did it again I'd definitely head straight to Santander for, as others had said, the drive through France was just a slog, flat like Holland and dead straight motorways
Ferries really hit the value mark when you are traveling as a group as you essentially pay per car, for the crossing to France, 5 people with 2 nice rooms each way comes out at £1000, zero chance your get even EasyJet flights for £200 return per person to Europe during the summer holidays. If I ever did it again I'd definitely head straight to Santander for, as others had said, the drive through France was just a slog, flat like Holland and dead straight motorways
We also take the EV with 'free' charging at Tesla superchargers, so actual traveling costs is pretty minimal, means we can half justify going mad on accommodation spending. I read your £40/night booking with interest as I think that just about covers what our usual AirB&B cleaning fees are
croyde said:
Thanks.
There was a thread about Calais vs Santander and I was for the longer crossing to Spain but the timing didn't work as there's only one a week in the winter.
I didn't save any money as Calais to San Sebastián and back was £200 return in tolls, £280 in fuel, £220 for the Chunnel, £100 on hotels and then food.
Almost exactly equals the £800 return that the ferry company cost from Portsmouth to Santander.
If I ever did it again I'd definitely head straight to Santander for, as others had said, the drive through France was just a slog, flat like Holland and dead straight motorways
What a fun trip (well the Spanish bit and the ferry to Tenerife There was a thread about Calais vs Santander and I was for the longer crossing to Spain but the timing didn't work as there's only one a week in the winter.
I didn't save any money as Calais to San Sebastián and back was £200 return in tolls, £280 in fuel, £220 for the Chunnel, £100 on hotels and then food.
Almost exactly equals the £800 return that the ferry company cost from Portsmouth to Santander.
If I ever did it again I'd definitely head straight to Santander for, as others had said, the drive through France was just a slog, flat like Holland and dead straight motorways
anyway!) Spain is full of wonderful cities that are great to spend time in but not on the tourist trail. I like that you are raking your time and seeing a bit of the country, not just blasting through as fast as possible
A friend of ours was wondering about driving/ferry to Canaries, as he doesn't fly. I will show him this thread.
Great write up. I'm in for the trip! 
I do find it easier to upload all the photos first when doing a longish post, the new URL always loads at the very bottom of the page. Hit Return between each to stop them merging into one megaURL, then hit Preview and expand that preview window by dragging the triangle in the lower right corner.
Subsequently adding the text makes formatting a bit easier, but it's a long way from ideal.
How people do long photo-rich posts on a phone is beyond me.
croyde said:
If anyone can suggest a quicker way to upload multiple pictures, I'd be grateful.
Cheers.
The forum software is clunky and there's no easy way AFAIK. Photos have to be uploaded individually.Cheers.
I do find it easier to upload all the photos first when doing a longish post, the new URL always loads at the very bottom of the page. Hit Return between each to stop them merging into one megaURL, then hit Preview and expand that preview window by dragging the triangle in the lower right corner.
Subsequently adding the text makes formatting a bit easier, but it's a long way from ideal.
How people do long photo-rich posts on a phone is beyond me.
Great write up. Looking forward to the next installment.
Reminds me of the Tenerife trip in the link below.
https://youtu.be/FJKtZ_6zt0E?si=ZpsjJOeAKvmxIniy
Reminds me of the Tenerife trip in the link below.
https://youtu.be/FJKtZ_6zt0E?si=ZpsjJOeAKvmxIniy
LeoSayer said:
Great write up. Looking forward to the next installment.
Reminds me of the Tenerife trip in the link below.
https://youtu.be/FJKtZ_6zt0E?si=ZpsjJOeAKvmxIniy
Just watched that. Exactly the same reason I wanted to take the Alpine to Tenerife. That road up to Teide Reminds me of the Tenerife trip in the link below.
https://youtu.be/FJKtZ_6zt0E?si=ZpsjJOeAKvmxIniy
He even traveled on the same boat. It looked like his Ferrari was also parked on the top deck in the same spot as my car
croyde said:
LeoSayer said:
Great write up. Looking forward to the next installment.
Reminds me of the Tenerife trip in the link below.
https://youtu.be/FJKtZ_6zt0E?si=ZpsjJOeAKvmxIniy
Just watched that. Exactly the same reason I wanted to take the Alpine to Tenerife. That road up to Teide Reminds me of the Tenerife trip in the link below.
https://youtu.be/FJKtZ_6zt0E?si=ZpsjJOeAKvmxIniy
He even traveled on the same boat. It looked like his Ferrari was also parked on the top deck in the same spot as my car
I didn't get a chance to drive there though.
croyde said:
....
I had made no plans on where to stop on my trip, it was Feb 2nd and my boat from Huelva, in SW Spain close to Portugal, on to Tenerife, wasn’t due to leave until Feb 7th at midnight.
I was getting tired so I pulled into an Aire and looked at Booking.com. Very quickly I had a cheap motel booked on the outskirts of Poitiers........
I need to adopt such a policy on my next road trip, back in the early '00s I did a couple of trips to the USA where we didn't have anything booked, you just turned up at random towns and asked the hotel/motel front desk if they had any rooms. I had made no plans on where to stop on my trip, it was Feb 2nd and my boat from Huelva, in SW Spain close to Portugal, on to Tenerife, wasn’t due to leave until Feb 7th at midnight.
I was getting tired so I pulled into an Aire and looked at Booking.com. Very quickly I had a cheap motel booked on the outskirts of Poitiers........
These days I always feel obliged to pre-book everything.
Truckosaurus said:
I need to adopt such a policy on my next road trip, back in the early '00s I did a couple of trips to the USA where we didn't have anything booked, you just turned up at random towns and asked the hotel/motel front desk if they had any rooms.
These days I always feel obliged to pre-book everything.
In the 80s we would often head to the South of France or Le Mans, on our motorbikes.These days I always feel obliged to pre-book everything.
The usual night stop was find a bar in a small town/village, have a sarnie and a beer and ask the locals if anyone had a room we could stay in for money.
Always got somewhere. The one I remember was getting to sleep in a barn and then having breakfast with the farmer's wife and her kids.
Did the same in Sicily in the early 90s and America. For the US we'd pre-book the first night as you needed an address for the visa, then off in a hire car finding places along the way.
So it was nice to be doing the same in Spain and France this time, via the internet.
Of course, being February probably made it easy to find vacancies at such bargain prices.
I had pre-booked an AirBnB for Tenerife but did do a last second AirBnB booking when only half an hour from a Spanish city that I wanted to stop in.
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