Dear All
buzyg...I don't know what was wrong with me but I didn't get many shots of the car whilst on the trip...plenty of shots from the car taken by my other half...but I was just so wrapped up in the drive I didn't give it enough thought I guess. Anyway, at the risk of boring you folk here's a selection from the trip. (If you are ever in that part of the world (Spanish Pyrenees) you have to drive the N240 and/or N260...it's Zed country!) I've included some of the Zed before setting off just because it was an interesting experience squeezing as much into the car as possible for a two week holiday without compromising the driver/passenger space.
enzed...I tried to get off the beaten track as much as possible. I didn't want to just hammer down motorways (when I had to it did indeed eat the miles...the straight six was barely ticking at 80!). In the main though I planned my route to take the more interesting roads so that I could explore the countries and of course the 'soundtrack' a bit more!
Smartbear...Before buying I'd read numerous warnings about the Zed particularly when running on 19's and run flats (poor ride and tram lining etc). On all but the worst roads I found it incredible civilised and comfortable (and I don't think French and Spanish roads generally are any better than those here in UK). I drove/drive it in standard mode so can't comment on sport and sport plus yet. As a caveat to the above I would say that if you do hit a bad pothole you really bloody know about it with the above set up!
Photos
1. Maximising that thin gap behind the seats...Atlas, route planner, battery charger, mini tyre compressor, emergency tyre repair foam, hi viz jackets, first aid kit, iPad, fire extinguisher etc etc...all the car related stuff... packed into the two seat organisers hanging from the hoops. Our overnight rucksack for the ferry in the middle (took me ages to find one in matching black leather...
)
2. I bought the fitted luggage for the boot from a place in Germany. Wife thought it was an extravagance but it turned out to be damned convenient and maximises space with the lid down
3.One minute to launch (No, I don't know why the wife felt the need to do a Fonz impression!)
4. The love of my life (and the wife) Just pulled off the motorway here and preparing to drop the roof for a drive through the vineyards of the Languedoc, southern France
5.No matter where you go there's always someone to upstage you! Hotel car park in Carcasonnes. I parked in such a way that he couldn't bounce his cheap door off my Zed
6.BB in the Pyrenees. Fuel stop somewhere near Andorra I think (Lord I wish I was back there right now!)
7. Gerri De La Salle, northern Spain...this is why I got off the motorways!
8. N260 near Seira (the soundtrack on this stretch and in the numerous tunnels was bloody fantastic...I have to admit to being very childish here and dropping it down to second for no other reason than to listen to the roar reverberating off the canyon walls as I went up through the gears)
9. N260 near Janovas (I bought the car because I no longer fly (chicken) and the wife wanted a foreign holiday. I wasn't going to do a driving holiday in my workhorse trusty Mondeo so bought the Zed...no regrets and you don't get views like this from an aircraft!)
10. N260 nr Abadia
11. N260 nr Sarroca
12.N240...view across the snout!
13 N240
14. N240...can't remember
15. I took this shot in the hotel car park in San Sebastian because I found it amusing...the car park was rammed but everybody seemed to be avoiding parking next to the Zed...which was fine by me!!
Day 1 Sheffield-Portsmouth (a day in Pompey Historic Dockyard...well worth a visit guys and gals!)
overnight ferry
Day 2 Le Havre- La Rochelle
Day 3 La Rochelle-Bordeaux
Day 4 Bordeaux-Carcasonnes
Day 5 Carcasonnes-Sitges
Day 12 Sitges-San Sebastian (12 hour drive through some utterly beautiful mountains/countryside)
Day 14 San Sebastian-La Rochelle
Day 15 La Rochelle-Le Havre, Pompey-Sheffield
2413 miles there and back...the Zed...utterly impeccable.
Next time we go I'll pay more attention to getting shots of the car !
This has been a post from the Spanish Tourist Board!
North West Surrey
