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Hi to all I would be very grateful for any advice on travelling to Spain for the first time with a caravan.  We hope to go in March and return in May.  How to I find the best deals on ferry crossings there are so many to choose from.  I belong to the caravan and camping club.  Will I get a better deal arranging the ferry myself or can they not be beaten on prices.  Our 2 week stay is at a caravan rally site with the club what would be the best route to travel to Costa del Azahar and what port should we travel from I live in North Wales.   We plan to allow approximately 7 days to travel down to the planned site any advice would be of help.  Thank you. Linda 

The short sea crossings from Dover to N France or Belgium usually give the best deal. Don't be afraid to phone Carefree (C&CC) and ask who is doing the best deal for caravans. They are really helpful, and will give you good advice of any special offers. Remember Easter is early next year, so try and avoid those dates, as prices will be higher.

Travelling through France, not a lot of sites will be open. There have recently been some posts here about that. Motorways which charge a toll can be expensive if you are towing, but there are some good routes south which avoid the toll roads, either via Limoges, or Clermont Ferrand south to the Med.

Linda

Just a thought, as you are attending a rally in the middle of your holiday are they not offering a deal for the ferry? I am not a member of the CC&C but if they work in a similar way to the Caravan Club I would have thought they would be your first approach. Personally I have not found booking direct to be as good value as booking via the Clubs, the CC in my case.

David

Thanks to all for help, we are looking forward to our adventure we are taking our 2 dogs and the pet passports are in order

Kind regards Linda

Hi Linda,

     We are also going to the Costa del Azahar in March and coming home in May.

 We are going on the Cand CC rally at Bonterra park for 34 nights from the 23 of March.If you have not booked for easter i would look at sites very carefully and book a pitch before you go as some sites are very expensive over the easter period and could possibly be full with caravanners on their way home after the winter rallies in southern Spain and Portugal.We have managed to book at Vilanova Park over the holiday weekend.

We have booked the tunnel with Tesco vouchers for us but had to pay for the dog separate.The normal bookings are usally cheaper through the club.

We have never been this early before but are going with a friend who has and he is sorting out the route ,if you want any more info email me and i will find out which way we are going to pick up sites which are open.

Hope this is of some use to you.

Bandpg

Change of plan ferry and rally booked for April now (getting very excited)  we to are going to Bonterra Park  we will hopefully see you there.  Any  help with campsites and routes would be fantastic.   How can I give you my email .

thank you Linda

This might help with sites open in March http://users.pandora.be/leo.huybrechts/camp1.htm

Select your chosen routes, and sites are listed North to South (or East to West) giving site details, and opening dates.  All are within 15 km of the route, so not a detour to find them.   Just probably worth checking dates with sites (just in case)!

Hi Linda

 change of plan we are going to Bonterra Park as planned but due to some mix up about availability of pitches in the middle of our stay we have now booked direct with the site, and not on the rally,having stayed on the rally site this year we are familiar with the site layout and amenities etc.

Due to the time of year we are going east of Paris and stopping the 1st night at Crevecoeur-en-Brie,just south east of Paris, 2nd day down to Clermont Ferrand,3rd night at Le boulou near Spanish border.

Fromthere we are going to Vilanova Park for the Easter weekend then on to Bonterra Easter sunday for 34 nights.

After Bonterra we are heading to the Lot valley to a holiday rally, before heading home.

Thanks to Bandpg and Val A for the information

kind regards Linda