ok i had this mad idea that i would drive to spain to see my dad, i thought about the ferry to santander but its

Not quite that long but certainly done half that.

I wouldnt do a trip that long without having decent breaks, possibly have a stopover somewhere midway, that way you can enjoy the drive + scenery etc without falling asleep behind the wheel.

As for any long trip it's worth making sure you check tyres, oil, fill up the washer fluid, bring a few bits to eat/drink + whatever tunes you like

As you're going to the continent officially you're supposed to have a red warning triangle, a first aid kit, and some headlight converters.

Call your insurance company too, most cover Europe for free but you have to tell them, others may charge a bit more. IIRC the AA cover is Europe wide with Skoda (you must ring the Skoda number(s) tho I think).

Medical cover-wise you'd want a green card, E31 springs to mind for some reason. SWMBO got me a more permanent card, which basically entitles you to basic healthcare abroad under some arrangements made by the countries within Europe.

For an easy life I'd also check the route on a planner and try to work out if there are any roadworks on the go so you can plan around them before you get lost

1200 miles each way will mean a decent amount of derv even if you cruise along at NSL but derv is cheaper on the continent anyway. You'll need chip&pin in most countries in Europe as it's old hat over there (had it for about 10 years now, give or take).

Last but not least - have fun

I've done it.

Rosyth to Zeebruger by ferry then Zeebruger to Malaga in a oner !! :(

Never again, would I do that trip in one go I'd definitely take an overnight stop at Bordeaux.

Two things about the trip:

1. Satellite navigation is a Godsend !

2. Take loads of change (Euros) for the road tolls !

Otherwise, it's a nice wee run out in the car.

Hi

Done this quite a few times, but never in the Fabia. An overnight stop will make the journey easy. You may want to take your time over the journey back and keep to the RNs across France (the autoroutes are boring) for a scenic tour.

I would certainly take this trip on in the vRS as it has proved to be comfortable enough for 600 mile day trips.

Speed trap detectors are illegal in France.

Chris

IMHO it's not worth trashing there and back anyway - the police in France tends to be reasonable but if you take the p*ss and exceedingly exceed the NSL they'll have you. Also toll roads tend to have a speeding system built in based on time taken to get from A to B on the toll road, so you can get done that way too.

The medical form is an E111 IIRC Get one from the post office before you go.

E111 is now obsolete and no longer valid (from 1st Jan 2006), you need to apply for a plastic card. Its free and done online. Check this link for info

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAdviceForTravellers/GettingTreatmentAroundTheWorld/EEAAndSwitzerland/EEAAndSwitzerlandArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4114793&chk=KCVYDZ

Before ruling out the £460 ferry ticket, calculate how many tanks of fuel you will need and all the other costs then add it all up. I will be suprised if the cost is less than the ferry.

1200 miles even when trashing it (300 miles/tank) means 4 tanks of fuel at about 40 quid say to be safe. So 160 quid * 2 = 320 quid. Still substantially cheaper.

More likely you can get up to 400 miles/tank if driving at reasonable yet legal pace throughout, which would make the difference higher.

One big benefit of a ferry though is that you do get a proper break in the middle

E111 is now obsolete and no longer valid (from 1st Jan 2006)' date=' you need to apply for a plastic card. Its free and done online. Check this link for info

[url']http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAdviceForTravellers/GettingTreatmentAroundTheWorld/EEAAndSwitzerland/EEAAndSwitzerlandArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4114793&chk=KCVYDZ[/url]

Before ruling out the

Don't know if it still happens, but I had dreadful experiences in south of France last year at unstaffed filling stations. The payment machines would not accept British credit cards:eek:

I tried to use the ones at major supermarkets (which were often the only ones for miles) but no joy and very little fuel:eek: :eek:

Lesson: Top up the tank wherever you can, especially if you are doing a lot of night driving.

thanks guys its all sounding quite fun. i have the plastic insurance card but will have to take the advice and call all the car insurance ect ect.i wouldnt drive for 19 hours that wouldd just be silly. am not really bothered about the wear and tear of the car, its just a car with replaceable parts, am more interested in the experience. i know that the derv is cheaper in spain as my dad lives there, but not sure exactly how much. the other thing is the ferry is gonna be boring, looking at all that water for 18 hours to santander, at least i can do what i want when i want in the car.

cheers guys and girls

Why not get a couple of mates to take the ferry and you can have a Top Gear stylee race

Chris

yeah was thinking about that, saw that on tv, not sure if i believe it it was too close i think

Great idea you'll love it especially in the Furby cruising serenely along in 6th at 81.25mph (NSL) sipping derv. I've done it twice once by myself and once sharing the driving - 2 hours on 2 hours off which took us 23 hours non-stop from Calais to Gibraltar. It is a long, long way and I'd seriously never consider doing it by myself without at leat one night's stop and a decent kip. When you cross over from France into Spain you

Great idea you'll love it especially in the Furby cruising serenely along in 6th at 81.25mph (NSL) sipping derv. I've done it twice once by myself and once sharing the driving - 2 hours on 2 hours off which took us 23 hours non-stop from Calais to Gibraltar. It is a long, long way and I'd seriously never consider doing it by myself without at leat one night's stop and a decent kip. When you cross over from France into Spain you

Reason for spare kit - if it goes and you have a spare kit in the car the police will escort you somewhere where you can change it/they help you change it (yes it does happen). If on the other hand you don't have a spare kit on you you'll get fined (even though you could drive to say a petrol station, buy the kit and fit it, for some reason that isn't legit... Weird right )

Scary I bought a fluorescent jacket at some stage, think it was a special offer or something, it's in the big storage pouch thing I got under the shelf No clue it was required

sent ya a pm superdan.

I'd love to do a roadtrip like this.

Hoping sometime this year to visit mate's house (I mean run down ex farmhouse ) in Southern France. Thats about an 800 miles journey from Devon - Reckon with 2 people sharing the driving, thats doable in 12 hours in good conditions.

That's twice the mileage on what I did to Tossa & back. Being ancient (well, 60) I stopped both ways at the half way point. And 4 in Tossa !!

Tom Tom was essential, (or someone to map read) and you are supposed to have 2 (yes, 2) red triangles in Spain as well as the yellow jacket.

I loved it.................. Roger M

Glad my earlier post re warning about UK credit cards at automatic filling stations has now been confirmed by someone else. So it wasn't just my bad luck!

Read an article the other day re driving in Spain. Quite a lot of recent changes to laws eg you must have TWO red triangles. No devices in your ear for music or phone. No visual navigation or entertainment device should be seen by the driver etc

There's a very comprehensive guide of do's and don'ts at www.idealspain.com/Pages/Information/DrivingSpain.htm

Be sure to take plenty of coins - we're all expecting post cards.

LATER: Just seen advert for special offers on Brittany Ferries to Santander. All round trips and in pounds sterling: March 290; April 390; May 430. Do you have to go peak holiday time (boiling hot) and at 640 pounds??

I go down to spain every year on a coach,due to being a big baby when it comes to flying

The coach journey is fine because you can watch dvds,read,get bladderd,sleep and generally mess about on a coach.

But

Its a hell of a long way if your driving and the french mtorways are as boring as ours

plus the service stations are full of foriegn muck:D

after all this fantastic advice and help from you guys, i knew i could rely on everyone here to bring in the sort of info one would require....my dads coming here next week...bloody fool i was looking forward to this, still might plan it for a cheaper time of the year though cause it seems to me like one of the must do things (well for me anyway)

right, lets see if i can book a holiday to Jamaica instead

after all this fantastic advice and help from you guys, i knew i could rely on everyone here to bring in the sort of info one would require....my dads coming here next week...bloody fool i was looking forward to this, still might plan it for a cheaper time of the year though cause it seems to me like one of the must do things (well for me anyway)

right, lets see if i can book a holiday to Jamaica instead

Typical - I'd still try to visit him this way sometime, sounds like it should be fun

went from Heckmondwike (nr Huddersfield ) to Lacanau ocean (nr Bordeaux) in my old 405grd but we also went across the border to Spain.

We took the dover calais crossing and it took 24hrs with just me driving , managed to avoid the toll roads as their main roads are great , it was in the 1990's so derv was