So we are looking to go on a camping trip at the end of march with 2 of us and our dogs. Due to the fact that we will be tenting and having the small dogs and facing potentially closed camp grounds we are looking into two possible but very different routes.
The first route takes us east through belgium, luxembourg, germany and then start heading south to cut through austria and end up in italy. We will probably end up in southern italy after 2 or 3 days of driving and camping and spend a few days by the coast then head back through monaco and france.
The other possible route is to head south through france and spain and end up in portugal.
Which is the better route? I like the italian one but im not sure if weather will cause havoc for me. The portugal route just doesnt seem as fun but ive never been.
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How long have you got, and what are you looking for? If you're heading for warm sunshine then I would go through France to Spain and Portugal. Going through the Alps between here and southern Italy, in March, and camping in a tent won't be much fun due to the snow. We went through the Mont Blanc tunnel into Italy in May and there was still six feet of snow at the top - the road was clear, but that was all! I have pictures of my sons in their T shirts, throwing snowballs, and standing on top of an icy cliff where the road cut through the snowdrift!
You can avoid most of the colder mountainous areas of France by careful route planning - down the Rhone Valley, for instance, then around the Med and down the Mediterranean coast of Spain, or head west towards Bordeaux, then along the coast and around into Portugal. Even then you may find you need really warm clothes as it can get fiercely cold at night, even though there may be sunshine during the day. For real warmer weather, even in March, you may need to go right down to southern Portugal or southern Spain and even then nights may be cool for tenting.
Val is right, Spain/Portugal is the safer bet at that time of year - probably with overnights in hotels on the way south rather than the tent.
If you decide on Italy it might be worth driving down the motorway to Genoa and getting a ferry from there right down to Sicily. You can dawdle up through Italy and Austria on the way back when it's warmer.
Good luck with it either way.
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I have about 2 weeks for the trip. I wish i could have scheduled it for later in the year but its the only time our schedule aligned.
We arent looking for much, its more about the driving than anything. We just want to see new and different places.
There isnt any problems with us camping in sub zero temps but what we dont want is to be stuck under snow. Chilly nights are ok, blizzards are not. With the two dogs it makes it really tricky to find hotels so we just plan on camping the entire trip.
Another option is to take the ferry from portsmouth to spain and start the journey from there. Kinda seems like im cheating with that not to mention the high cost.
Have you done this before? You might find driving across Europe is not that good. It’s just road mostly. A better objective is to drive somewhere nice if you only have a fortnight.
If you want to do it as cheap as poss drive to southern Spain on Med coast in shortest space of time & you should get warm weather sunny low 20s. Not many campsites open in France in March & loads of rain in Europe this winter so sites will be muddy.
If you want to stay off the high ground routes then from Calais go straight down Reims Macon Lyon & along Med coast toward Spain..
Have a look at the Eurocampings website (that's NOT Eurocamp - which is a tour operator offering mobiles and ready-erected tents) and do a search for sites which are open when you want to go. There are 10,000 odd sites - and finding which are open may help with choice of destination and routes.
Good luck - she says snuggled in front of a woodburner, on a freezing cold but sunny day! I admire your 'courage' having once stayed in a mobile home on a day when Paris froze, and thinking 'never again'!
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If you like to drive on interesting roads, you need to avoid motorways. They look the same wherever you are. That will mean slower progress, of course, but a better experience of where you are travelling.
Here's a bilkers website where people share interesting roads - they are all suitable for cars, but not all would be good for towing or for big motorhomes. Some are short trips, but others a re cross country. http://www.bestbikingroads.com/
Just a thought, The fare on the ferry to Spain might be more expensive but would it even out if you're not using so much petrol? You'd get to Spain quicker and it would give you more time to explore when you get there? Not sure how the dogs would be on a longer ferry journey though.
Quote: Originally posted by alan29 on 06/2/2018
Good luck with getting to southern Italy after 2 or 3 days driving from the channel.
Especially with dogs, I know I am not being helpful and positive but you are seriously underestimating the journey.
I've done trips to Monaco and the northern part of Italy several times with no issues. from Calais I can be in Monaco in the same day with a few stops for the dogs. yes it's a long drive but with 2 of us to share driving it's no problem. diverting to a more northern route will add time but I figured that in already.
getting to southern Italy should only take me an extra day according to the maps but I admit I have never gone that far. 3 days should be more than enough but it's not a big deal if it lasts more.
Let's not forget i will be in a car without a trailer and free to travel as i wish. i average 85mph when in france and closer to 100 when in germany. i can cover some serious distance as a result.
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Quote: Originally posted by Samantha P on 07/2/2018
Just a thought, The fare on the ferry to Spain might be more expensive but would it even out if you're not using so much petrol? You'd get to Spain quicker and it would give you more time to explore when you get there? Not sure how the dogs would be on a longer ferry journey though.
the ferry was a consideration but it's hard to get approval for 2 dogs. they are fine on ships however, they have made frequent crossings to America without issue and that's 7 days each way . they actually get really excited when they see ships
Quote: Originally posted by alan29 on 06/2/2018
Good luck with getting to southern Italy after 2 or 3 days driving from the channel.
Especially with dogs, I know I am not being helpful and positive but you are seriously underestimating the journey.
I've done trips to Monaco and the northern part of Italy several times with no issues. from Calais I can be in Monaco in the same day with a few stops for the dogs. yes it's a long drive but with 2 of us to share driving it's no problem. diverting to a more northern route will add time but I figured that in already.
getting to southern Italy should only take me an extra day according to the maps but I admit I have never gone that far. 3 days should be more than enough but it's not a big deal if it lasts more.
Let's not forget i will be in a car without a trailer and free to travel as i wish. i average 85mph when in france and closer to 100 when in germany. i can cover some serious distance as a result.
You average 85mph in France? That is 6kph above the highest speed limit of 130kph and does not allow for the stretches of lower limits, stopping for fuel, etc. etc.
That's not the way I travel when on holiday.
------------- If I had known how busy retirement would be, I'd have carried on working.
That's good to hear, whenever we took our now dearly departed dog on a ferry she shook all the time she was on it, your dogs sound like they've got their sea legs. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
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Topic: Route suggestions for march camping trip
