Pyrenees road trip advice

[JoshsZ4M]

Morning folks!

Wife and I are really excited about getting out for a long road trip in our M Roadster next year, and our initial thoughts are a ferry down to Bilbao (smooth BREXIT permitting), and then to enjoy two weeks around Northern Spain, Southern France, and possibly even Northern Italy.

Would love to get as much advice as possible on routes/campsites/hotels/things to bear in mind.

We did a Southern France trip a few years ago in a Z3 3.0i I had, so general European driving is an issue, but would love to hear about your experiences (good and bad).

TIA

 

[Number5]

Its a good route, and can take in the Millau bridge and Stelvio pass on the way to Itally but the Ferry to Bilbao is the gamble.
Its a 24hr sail and the Bay of Biscay can be rough as fook so I'd avoid it if you or the wife dont have sea legs.

I took my wife to France this year (4hrs in a Force 8/9 crossing) and I'll never get her on a boat again.
At first she was afraid she was going to die, then after 2 hours that was all she wanted ! :rofl:

 

[1000rr]

Whereabouts in the Country are you?

If midlands, why not the Hull-Rotterdam ferry... then Ardennes, Black Forest, Switzerland, into Lucerne then into Italy.. some of the best driving roads ever. The B500 and B48 is epic, the Gotthard pass is sublime and the drop down to Italy is superb....

The 24 hr to Bilbao is a pain, and can be rough as hell, although the last we did it, it was calm.. BUT, the roads from there to Pyrenees are broken up in many parts now...

We’ve done countless trips covering lots of Europe, so any questions, just ask.

 

[1000rr]

 

[1000rr]

 

[Wyldie85]

I wouldn’t completely rule out the ferry to Bilbao or Santander. I’ve done both a few times and it’s been fine, no rough seas or vomit antics at all. It’s a good way to get a big chunk of distance under your belt and then enjoy the driving.

 

[Jembo]

I’d also suggest taking in Lourdes & Carcassonne (Kevin C’s Robin Hood Prince of Thieves), a bit of Route Napoléon ... you’ll have lots of fun

 

[Lance]

Go Santander and give the Picos De Europa a try. Very spectacular scenery and some incredible roads. Base yourself in Potes for a few nights and explore the area, it really is quite special. Potes then gives you a choice of bars and restaurants in the evenings. The N621, N625, LE2703 are a few routes that spring to mind, however there are many many more great riding/driving roads in the region, with some fantastic view points.

The Pyrenees is great too, with many many spectacular passes right the way along it. The N260 is pretty special, dropping you at Seu D’Urgell just outside Andorra. There’s a nice Parador in Seu D U for a stop over, with some decent bars and restaurants very close by. Andorra IMO is pain to drive through, but worth a visit if you’ve not been. Note, Brexit is likely to mean a Driving Permit will be required to drive there, as it will be in France, albeit different permits.

Adventurous, try the white water rafting in Llavorsi, great fun!

Have a look at the Vercors too, often overlooked by many, but very spectacular gorges and balcony roads.

UK to Spain ferry, I did it once, was smooth all the way across.

 

[buzyg]

Santander is a good crossing and you can then either catch the ferry back or drive up through the continent and catch a Chunnel. The ///MR is a great car to tour in, just buy some matching luggage that fits the boot to be sure the Mrs doesn't nick all the space. :wink: Plenty fits in for a weeks trip any longer and you may need to pack carefully.

Enjoy. :driving:

 

[JoshsZ4M]

Thanks everyone some great ideas! Will do a bit of head scratching with the wife tomorrow night when I’m back home...

We’re Oxfordshire based so I’m thinking it needs to really be either a south coast ferry or the Chunnel for ease of getting away from Blighty

Definitely interested in where you can get bespoke MR luggage from Busyg, as I only seem to be able to find non-M e85 sets which don’t make allowance for the battery...

Thanks again, really appreciate the advice and I’ll keep you all updated on our plans

 

[Joneeboy]

Sounds great, Josh!

Myself and the missus are driving down to Lake Como in June, via the Black Forest and the Stelvio. Then coming back via Lucerne and the Furka and Grimsel Passes. Can't wait!

 

[mr wilks]

Once you price the Bilbao / Santander ferry , then factor in the spend whilst on board for 24/30 hrs the channel ferries or tunnel & a drive down through France will appeal a whole lot more
Its more than doable to leave the Tunnel early morning & be at the border near San Sebastian by early evening , just avoid the central toll route through Paris / Le Mans / Tours (its boring & expensive ) though my choice would be Tunnel & do 6 hours then overnight stay
Ultimately its a roadtrip :driving: better to drive & stay a night , see somewhere than pretend you are on a cruise for a day / day & half itching to get free .
Take the west coast route down & stay over in La Rochelle , then the Spanish border at San Sebastian is a easy 4-5 hr drive

 

[buzyg]

Definitely interested in where you can get bespoke MR luggage from Busyg, as I only seem to be able to find non-M e85 sets which don’t make allowance for the battery...

Thanks again, really appreciate the advice and I’ll keep you all updated on our plans

I wish. No I simply meant matching his and hers, so as to ensure you have equal billing on the boot space. Not bespoke to the MR. Just that we picked ours specifically because it fitted the boot well.

 

[JoshsZ4M]

Definitely interested in where you can get bespoke MR luggage from Busyg, as I only seem to be able to find non-M e85 sets which don’t make allowance for the battery...

Thanks again, really appreciate the advice and I’ll keep you all updated on our plans

I wish. No I simply meant matching his and hers, so as to ensure you have equal billing on the boot space. Not bespoke to the MR. Just that we picked ours specifically because it fitted the boot well.

Yeah it’s a damned shame... can’t seem to find anything to suit!

 

[mr wilks]

Definitely interested in where you can get bespoke MR luggage from Busyg, as I only seem to be able to find non-M e85 sets which don’t make allowance for the battery...

Thanks again, really appreciate the advice and I’ll keep you all updated on our plans

I wish. No I simply meant matching his and hers, so as to ensure you have equal billing on the boot space. Not bespoke to the MR. Just that we picked ours specifically because it fitted the boot well.

Yeah it’s a damned shame... can’t seem to find anything to suit!

For the longer trips like this its worth considering the boot bag Marlon had for his E85

 

[JoshsZ4M]

Once you price the Bilbao / Santander ferry , then factor in the spend whilst on board for 24/30 hrs the channel ferries or tunnel & a drive down through France will appeal a whole lot more
Its more than doable to leave the Tunnel early morning & be at the border near San Sebastian by early evening , just avoid the central toll route through Paris / Le Mans / Tours (its boring & expensive ) though my choice would be Tunnel & do 6 hours then overnight stay
Ultimately its a roadtrip :driving: better to drive & stay a night , see somewhere than pretend you are on a cruise for a day / day & half itching to get free .
Take the west coast route down & stay over in La Rochelle , then the Spanish border at San Sebastian is a easy 4-5 hr drive

Cheers for the advice I’m kind of reconsidering already on the ferry, if only because of the sailings times and days... could be better routes as you say. Will post some updates of our plan as it progresses

 

[Lance]

It’s been about 15 years since I’ve done the UK to Spain ferry, and have just booked motorcycle spaces for next year. Was quite surprised at how expensive it is now!

One of our group is going in a car which has a roof box, that with a cabin is in excess of £1k return

 

[mr wilks]

It’s been about 15 years since I’ve done the UK to Spain ferry, and have just booked motorcycle spaces for next year. Was quite surprised at how expensive it is now!

One of our group is going in a car which has a roof box, that with a cabin is in excess of £1k return

Plus the onboard spends & its a pricey way to get to what is relatively easy anyways , think its around 700m from the Tunnel to the border with Spain , with fuel , overnight stay ( optional ) + tolls that should be doable with £250 so £500ish return + Tunnel (£200) & done in a shorter timeframe .
The long ferry is only a option id ever consider if you had a partner who hated being in the car for long periods & for myself that's not gonna end well for either of us