Ok, my sister in law has been taken ill in Spain, and is currently in hospital, and when she recovers she has been told that she wont be able to fly for quite a while, my brother is staying with her until needed, they have a holiday home over there anyway etc etc

Anyway, although the insurance will kick in and assist, I know what my brother is like, and the thought has already been thrown around about me going and collecting them from just outside of Gibraltar.

It doesnt bother me either way, be quite a road trip if I did do it! Only ever driven on the continent a couple of times, but, am a confident driver i.e. nothing really phases me, unlike some who would get quite scared at the thought etc.

So, just a few questions really, that maybe people on here could help with.

What do I need for the journey going through France and Spain, i.e. things in the car, documentation etc

Routes, what roads are best, what routes are good to avoid?

Overnights stays enroute, do they have Travelodge style places? And what is the name of these types of places to look up on the web?

Anything anyone would advise for me to take in the boot, just in case etc

And I am guessing UK to Gibraltar would be around 3 days both ways would it??

I know people think this might be a bit daft, but they are saying that she might not be fit to fly for several weeks, OK I know the insurance would kick in to get her home etc, but I know what my brother is like (he aint short of a few quid) he is the type that would rather pay my fuel and a few nights in a hotel enroute to get the pair of the home safely etc

Hopefully it wont come to me needing to go down there, but its more a 'just in case' forewarned is forearmed as they say??

Any thoughts or advice at all?

Thanks in advance.

Ask mannyo. He travels regularly to Spain.

put some headlight pads to change the direction of your beam for france.

As well as a high viz jacket, triangle and torch in the boot.

france also hates modified cars so be warned.

I ******* hate (driving in) france...

If you get the ferry from Plymouth to Santander, that stops you having to drive across the whole of the bottom of england to get a ferry to France and then driving all the way through france

http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ferry-routes/ferries-spain/plymouth-santander

As Denis has mentioned, I have driven from the UK to Gibraltar and the Costa Del Sol many times since 2008, doing it again in June.

If you prepare the car for spanish requirements you should cover 99% of the french requirements.

Car:

Insurance Certificate for fully comp EU use, phone insurance to clarify the situation otherwise you'll be limited to the minimum required in the country.

V5C, its is compulsory to have this with you in the car. it must be the original, not a copy. If the car is leased and you do not have the V5C you must have a letter from the owner on headed paper giving authorisation for you to take the car out of the UK.

Spare Bulb kit,

A high vis jacket for EACH passenger in the car. For spain, these must be accessible from inside the car, for France the boot is fine,

Warning Triangle,

Headlight beam deflectors

GB Sticker or EU plate with GB on it.

For France, you may need 2 x disposable breathalizer kits.

The use of Speed camera detection (both GPS and laster) is banned in france, being caught with one (including tomtom etc. with it enabled) will result in a large fine and confiscation of the device.

Breakdown cover

You:

EHIC card.

Route from the UK to spain, well I would follow this which is what we do each year.

Folkestone to Calais on Eurotunnel, then follow the French Autoroutes through the following.

Calais, Rouen, Le Mans, Tours, Bordeaux.

We overnight in Bordeaux, plenty of good hotels right by the autoroute on the south side.

Next day. Bordeaux, to spanish border (IRUN). Miles of boring pine forest (70kph with speed cams)

Irun, Burgos, Valladolid, Salamanca.

We overnight in Salamanca, again plenty of hotels.

Next day. Salamanca to the south coast.

Salamanca, then straight down following the portugese border, Bejar, Placensia, Caceres, Seville,

Jerez, Algeciras, Gibraltar.

Its a long way, so take your time. I can PM you the hotels we use, but my dad is native spanish and the Salamanca hotel staff speak limited english.

France is 90% autoroute, so budget for the tolls. Currently around £60 each way, fuel is very expensive in france as well on the Autoroute. You'll need at least one tank full in France, possibly two. Fuel in Spain is way cheaper than both France and the UK. You'll need two tanks in Spain. For Spain, the route I posted is virtually toll free except for a short distance after the border, then the Burgos area, and seville area. You can go via Madrid, but the traffic is worse than the M25 and there are a lot more motorway tolls to pay.

Any more Q's feel free to ask.

yup to cut down time and effort the ferry could be a good option as wet kipper says, that being said, driving in france is easy, have done it plenty of times with modded cars, you just need to take the right bits, and take your time, and not overly speed and you will be fine.

Take all original docs, ie DL, V5/logbook proof of insurance, breakdown cover details

high vis vests for all occs, and kept in the cabin of the car not boot

2 triangles (as spain requires this, france only requires 1)

spare bulb kit

GB sticker (if not on your plates)

beam benders for your headlights

I also take a first aid kit, tyre weld, some spare tools, gloves, jump leads, water, blanket etc incase of breakdown

The french have cheap motorway stops, ie formula 1, accord and Ibis, all part of the same group iirc

Ferry to Santander / Bilbao is £1K return, much cheaper to drive it even with tolls and fuel costs. Ferry is no quicker, and can be slower as well depending on route.

Great advice so far in this thread not the usual ignorant misperceived drivel, it is so refreshing to see. What mannyo said ref insurance is such good advice(as is the rest)! If your Skoda assist/RAC free stuff has ended I would get some sort of breakdown cover and of course your own travel insurance.

I would add if you car has hit 3 years old, original MOT certificate and cash for on the spot fines just in case.

For beam benders, if your not aware halogen and xenon lights in Octavia can be changed to flat beam either on maxidot with xenon or via a switch by the main beam bulb in each side on halogens. It is specifically designed for this purpose.

For halogens on the FL I did a brief guide some time ago: http://www.briskoda....ghts-eu-driving

I hope your sister recovers soon and you don't need to go. Insurance should be able to arrange repatriation by road/ferry in a more comfortable way than a VRS. I was behind a Dutch ambulance doing such a run in Dublin port last year waiting for ferry, insurance company paid for them to come over to take someone with fractures back as unfit to fly.

Thanks for all the advice chaps, much appreciated.

If I do need to go it wont be for a couple of weeks.

Spoken to my Dad earlier, as he spoke with my brother earlier today (its his wife who has been taken ill) and she seemed to getting better but has gone down hill today, possibly another operation Friday if she doesnt show signs of improvement, so it wont be for a couple of weeks at least.

Probably wont go in the Skoda, although would be a nice trip in it, probably take my brothers car, a Range Rover, can use his companies fuel card then too!

Although I live in Devon and considered the Santander route, my opinion is even if she is declared fit to come home, I wouldnt want to be on a 24 hour or so ferry crossing with someone who is recovering from quite a serious illness, so I have suggested Portsmouth to France as it saves going to Dover etc I know the daytime crossings from Portsmouth are around 6 hours arent they?

Some good advice though, so much appreciated.

I know what my brother is like and whilst the insurance would pay for her to come home via Ambulance, he is funny about things like that and would rather dish out the fuel money to come home in comfort and with someone he knows and trusts.

Hopefully, it wont be needed as she will feel better and will be fit to travel, but its good to get the advice beforehand should the call come to go to Spain to collect them, so basically, 3 days each way then, I have never driven down to Spain and whilst I would probably be a biut nervous initially, it does sound like something that I would love to do in a funny kind of a way, and missions like this spark my enthusiasm!

Many thanks so far and any other tips etc then please post! :

I would probably use the Plymouth/Le Havre-Roscoff? ferry. roughly 8 hours and you cut out a fair amount of driving all the way to Dover. Cost inn't too bad from memory.

Need breathalyser kit now for driving in France.

1700 miles to Gibraltar from TQ via Dover/Calais

knocks nearly 500 miles of driving if you go Roscoff on the ferry.

Not meaning to sound pessimistic but, ferries if the need for urgent medical help arises are not a good place to be for prolonged periods. Euro tunnel would have the shortest period of no medical help available. In the event train can have help waiting as soon as it arrives on platform and it is able to speed up reducing the crossing time in the event. Takes a ferry longer to dock than entire train crossing takes!

I haven't driven to Spain, but have been to and through France many times. For cheap hotels near the motorways, I've found Etap and B&B are basic but clean and are good value. Formule 1 hotels are OK, but don't have ensuite facilities.

don't need breathalisers in france, been a stay on enforcement, due to legalities/supply, was in france on thurs, and didn't even see them for sale, and i looked in auchan supermarket, and at a service station

E-tap / formula 1 are your best bet for hotels.

http://www.hotelformule1.com/gb/home/index.shtml