October getaway ideas

Hey all,

Due to really wanting to get to the adventure and overland show I'm thinking of postponing our fortnight testing trip until after it, heading for the ferry on the Monday after camping at the show.

Where's good for a late September early October break, wild camping, preferably off the beaten track and do-able in a fortnight?

I've been informed it has to be hot!

Ideas most welcome.

My other post about http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/

You can register for free
If you join it is £10 but you can download the p.o.i list, wich gives you loads of wild camping spots not only in the UK but some in Europe.

Hi
Are you aware of Aires (NOT motorway aires d repose in France) everywhere in Europe except UK???----most are free (or very cheap)----not off the beaten track but can be used in-between off beaten track forays.
Nigel & Pamala

I am a member on wildcamping but I'll have to cough up and get the POI list! Reminds me I've not been on there for ages.

And thanks sundowners, I'll have a look into aires. I know that between wild spots I've always used service stations or just car parks across Europe and never had any bother, I have always had reasonably discreet panel van conversions though. My new build might stand out a bit more. I love that you can stop for a shower at most services on the continent.

Ron Bones wrote:

Where's good for a late September early October break, wild camping, preferably off the beaten track and do-able in a fortnight?

I've been informed it has to be hot!

Depends on time and money as usual. You'll get the cheapest ferry crossings Portsmouth-Santander/Bilbao in October, then head SW down from Santander into Portugal, or Bilbao SE to The Bardenas Reales in Navarra, Spain. Great landscapes, great food, great wine. Google 'Bardenas Reales', you'll soon get the idea.

Both great for temperature in October, yet totally tourist-free; heaven!

Of course if you have more time/bigger budget, then head down to Algeciras and pop over to Morocco.

That's the direction I was thinking. Morocco had crossed my mind though I think we'l only have a fortnight. I hadn't even considered the Santander crossing, I had in mind Dover Calais then drive through Spain. If the Spanish ferries are reasonable prices I'd stump for that, saves a lot of miles and I love being at sea. Money is obviously an issue, I wish it wasn't, but the idea is testing our living facilities so we'l be travelling self sufficient rather than eating out etc. saves the pennies and leaves more money for fuel, ferries and unexpected circumstances!

The Portsmouth-Santander/Bilbao isn't cheap, even in October, but when compared to the long tiring haul  though France on autoroutes (to save time), plus the fuel, plus the tolls, plus the wear & tear on the vehicle, then at that time of year it is best all 'round.

Only two weeks? Then take an Iberian tour. Travelling anti-clockwise, in the first week you could visit Gibraltar, then drive east up behind the coast though beautiful places like Ronda and the national parks behind Malaga, then on to the Sierra Nevada mountains in SE Spain, then Desierto de Tabernas where they filmed the spaghetti westerns like "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" and "Indiana Jones", then northwards to Granada, then Albufera de Valencia (a massive freshwater lagoon), then on to the national parks of Serra del Montsant and Poblet, a visit to Barcelona perhaps or maybe a visit to Andorra? It may not be the prettiest country around, but its chock full of cheap booze, etc. Enter Andorra on tarmac from the south, hit the shops (there's nothing else to do there!!!) and exit west off-road back into Spain on the infamous 'smuggler's route', then head west to that national park I mentioned, a semi-arid region called the Bardenas Reales. You could spend 2 or 3 days here alone, such is its beauty and the excellent off-roading it offers (all 100% legal I hasten to add). Next day you can be back on the ferry ... simples!

It may worth noting that 12th October is the Fiesta Nacional de España. Basically it’s the national day of Spain, therefore is a national holiday with celebrations and festivals taking place across the country. If you didn't fancy Andorra, from Barcelona you could always head NW via Zaragoza (capital of Aragón) where they have a massive 10-day festival culminating on 12th October, as the city is en route to the Bardenas Reales.

Food for thought!

Sold!! That sounds like the perfect trip.

We did Albufera last year by bicycle and loved it. I'd be more than happy to go back.

I may look at finances and if I can afford another week off we'l do Dover Calais and drive. The Santander crossing is £700! That's a lot of fuel money!!

Blimey, that's gone up. Gather you looked at Brittany Ferries? Would have thought with the new route LD Lines route from Poole to Santander it would have more competitive than that. Did you try LD Lines? As you say, that's a lot of fuel.

I've always said that a slow dive though France on Nationals and some minor roads is brilliant ... but as usual, only if you have the time to amble along. Hence the need to hit the autoroutes and the inevitable tolls. Thing that really gets my goat, apart from the money - but then again we're using their roads so i suppose it's fair enough - it's the fact that just when you think you're gaining time on the toll autoroutes, you come up against queues at the pay booths; frustrating!  

Yea, I've not much enjoyed what driving I've done in France. Always been glad to see the back of it to be honest. I initially tried the aferry site, used them in the past and always been happy, just tried LD and Brittany, same prices all round. Portsmouth - Santander is coming up cheapest at around £680 return for the both if us. Dover Calais is £87. I'll have a word at work and see how much time I can get off and check the bank account and see how much time I can afford off!

Have you checked out LD ferries I believe they now do a crossing from Poole a lot cheaper

Tom Mc wrote:

Blimey, that's gone up. Gather you looked at Brittany Ferries? Would have thought with the new route LD Lines route from Poole to Santander it would have more competitive than that. Did you try LD Lines?  

Two posts ago. Opps!

I think I'm going to give LD lines a call. Their website is useless and I think the price I got was with DFDS. Fingers crossed they do have some better prices!

Ron Bones wrote:

I think I'm going to give LD lines a call. Their website is useless and I think the price I got was with DFDS. Fingers crossed they do have some better prices!

DFDS and LD I believe are the same company one being the commercial vehicle side the other private motors but I'm probably wrong, I think they both take booking for each sides.

poole to gijon with LD is a good bet...... we just booked with brittany ferries and it was £588 plymouth -santander...we are leaving 4th oct we are going to morroco if you want to come 17 nights..  ..check the web site..  .....or i can catch up with you at AO14.......

http://kevcardno.wix.com/tugs-4x4#!explore-maroc-raid-2014/c1lld

Thanks Tuggy, I'll give Brittany a try. I just got off the phone with LD lines and the reason I couldn't get a price online is that they stop sailing at the end of September! Your morocco trip looks fantastic. Can I ask how much the crossing costs from Algecius to Cueta? We'd love to join you but I'll have to see what days work authorises me to have off and I'm not sure if we'd struggle not being in a 4x4. I'd hate to slow you down and be a burden!

ferry from ceuta to algecerias return is about 180 euros…..no problem you can stay on the road and leap frog us theres plenty to look at then catch up in the afternoon……you can do your own thing and drop in and out……..you can do anything you want…  

tuggy wrote:

ferry from ceuta to algecerias return is about 180 euros…..no problem you can stay on the road and leap frog us theres plenty to look at then catch up in the afternoon……you can do your own thing and drop in and out……..you can do anything you want…  

Yep that's what we paid last October, seems a lot for a 45minute crossing.

Only bit of advice I could offer is take the earliest crossing you can we took the 08.00 crossing and would have been through the boarder before the masses got there if it wasn't for a certain defender painting session   

Pretty in pink!  

Having recently starting using the forum Ron, you wouldn't know what happened. Basically one of the vehicles in the convoy (from this forum) was painted olive drab - army green if you like - so the Moroccans wouldn't allow it in as it was 'military-looking'. What to do? Wideformat offers to go get some paint, comes back with a pot of white ... with a distinctly pink tinge. You couldn't make it up, lovin' it!!!    

Not strictly true Tom the paint was white and you had to add the pigment to make the correct colour, but after adding just a little of the pigment they thought jeez he's bought pink and stopped adding it. It was meant to be Blue.

Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it  

Chinese whispers! So that's what happened? Either way it was funny ... well, it kept us jealous lot left behind mildly amused.   

Tom Mc wrote:

Chinese whispers! So that's what happened? Either way it was funny ... well, it kept us jealous lot left behind mildly amused.   

If you found that amusing you would have really creased up watching me speaking English and broken French to shop keepers who speak Arabic and Spanish trying to buy paint   

"speaking English and broken French to shop keepers who speak Arabic and Spanish"

Can't for the life of me work out how you ended up with pinkish white paint???      

Haha. Sounds an eventful start to a trip. I have to say that I don't think I'd have taken having to paint my van quite so well, never mind if it came out pink! What constitutes being too military looking? Just green or would beige count?

Tuggy, I'm very tempted, I'm waiting for my work to sign off on my time off, and if it falls right, we may just tag along, even if only down through Spain. Be good to go in convoy!

ok no problem let me know asap......