# Driving to Almeria



## alfp

Hello
Does anyone have experience of driving to Almeria and all that involves. It looks like being expensive, but how else do you get stuff out there. Also, is it any cheaper to run a car in Spain? Getting around in the Mojacar/Vera Pueblo area is easy enough, but it is a bit remote and having the car outside would be a lot easier.


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## olivefarmer

We have driven to Granada province direct a couple of times in one day. Pretty tiring and we change over driving every two hours without fail and stop for food and drink periodically too. 

Better is to have an overnight stay somewhere close to the French/Spanish border (San Sebastion area). There are plenty of budget hotels and others if you want more class.

Motorways are quicker but have tolls. Eurotunnel or ferry. Both have their advantages.

We moved our stuff here by an outfit I would not recommend. Very cavalier and staffed by ex convicts. In fact they have gone out of business or changed their name. Since then we have had stuff moved twice (Britain to Spain) by Jimbothescot (do a google search). He is based in Almeria and does a good job at a reasonable price. Recommended by others too. Somebody will give a more accurate figure but work on approx £100 a cubic metre regardless of weight (but two peeps must be able to lift it!!!).

Cheaper to run a car in Spain. Yes with caveats. Car tax is cheaper, Insurance seems about the same but includes compulsary breakdown recovery. Cars are still more expensive to buy here but have (apparently) come down a bit. If you bring your own you can only use it for so long before getting rid of it or matriculating it(putting it onto Spanish plates). Plenty of threads on the forums about doing that and costs etc. Fuel is about the same i.e if it is 1.35 in Britain then 1.35 in euros very approx. Of course you have more euros for your pound so "cheaper".


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## alfp

Thanks. 
What about the ferries! Is there a time of year when it can be done at reasonable cost.
Also, could it be cheaper to cross to France instead, as it's a short crossing.


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## olivefarmer

There used to be a ferry to Northern Spain- Bilbao I think. Crossed the usually rough Bay of Biscay. Not for me! I don't think it runs anymore.

Depends where you are in the Uk but have a look on the Internet for prices. There are deals to be had. It might be better to go across to Cherbourg if it saves a lot of miles or Km. Use the RAC route planner to work out distances and fuel costs (France is higher than Spain and more on motorways than supermarkets.)

Either way we used to budget £500 for a return trip. The costs soon mount up.


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## alfp

Thanks, I'll do some more research.


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## youngagepensioner

The Pride of Bilbao does not run anymore (RIP) but you can get the Cap Finisterre run by Britanny Ferries between Bilbao and Portsmouth or Plymouth and the Pont Avon between Santander and Plymouth. Not cheap, but by far the best way to travel, IMO. It's then 11-12 hour drive from Bilbao allowing for comfort breaks (never used Santander, so don't know how long that takes but I would imagine a similar time.)

http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ferry-routes/ferries-spain?gclid=CMDcmcugorcCFZIPtAodpHoAlw


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## john75

hi alfp we recently drove all down east coast to granada in a motorhome diesel was between 1,35/1,45 mojacer was very vice but alot of almeria seems to have become one big polytunnel not very nice!


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## alfp

john75 said:


> hi alfp we recently drove all down east coast to granada in a motorhome diesel was between 1,35/1,45 mojacer was very vice but alot of almeria seems to have become one big polytunnel not very nice!


Hello
Yes, that's true, the drive from Almeria airport is dog rough. However, by the time you get to Carboneras, the plastic is long behind you. The Mojacar coastline is very pleasant and relaxed out of season.


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## alfp

youngagepensioner said:


> The Pride of Bilbao does not run anymore (RIP) but you can get the Cap Finisterre run by Britanny Ferries between Bilbao and Portsmouth or Plymouth and the Pont Avon between Santander and Plymouth. Not cheap, but by far the best way to travel, IMO. It's then 11-12 hour drive from Bilbao allowing for comfort breaks (never used Santander, so don't know how long that takes but I would imagine a similar time.)
> 
> Ferries to Spain - Brittany Ferries


Yes, I think it's do-able, but an overnight stay halfway seems a good idea.


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## baldilocks

You don't say from where in UK (or I missed it).

We have done the drive 6 times (3 in each direction) two round trips with a Renault Master lwb van moving our stuff and one round trip with a Citroen Berlingo going Spain to UK and back to see family and stock up on some stuff that, at the time, we hadn't realised we could just as easily do without.

Our route was via tunnel down west coast of France (Rouen, Tours, Poitier to an overnight stop at Première Classe at Bayonne [inexpensive, decent breakfast - much better than Formule 1 - you get your own mini bathroom with no queuing for shared one!] just off the motorway) then cross over into Spain. 

You then have a choice of route (Pamplona - Zaragoza - Valencia - then A7/AP7) or (Vittoria - Burgos - Madrid [no problems just follow the signs for your exit from the outer ring - in your case R3 or you can stay on the ring a little further and take AP36 then A31 - Albacete - A30 Murcia then A7/AP7). My destination is a bit to the west and north of you in Jaén Province (we take R4/A4 off the outer ring, down to Bailen then A44 to Jaén than A316 but you could take the A44 through to meet the A92 then straight to Almería) so I can't really advise which is your best option. We have driven to and from Barcelona via the A7/AP7 and it is not our favourite with too much traffic and not very pleasant driving conditions. The route we take down through Spain does not have very heavy traffic so is relatively pleasant, if a bit boring in places.

I saw my first ever golden eagle driving between Vittoria and Burgos (on AP1) as it came down and grabbed a small animal off the other carriageway.


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## alfp

Hello
From the E. Midlands. If you hired your vans, I suppose the cost depends on how long you take, but it must be cheaper than using a removal firm.


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## Navas

baldilocks said:


> You don't say from where in UK (or I missed it).
> 
> We have done the drive 6 times (3 in each direction) two round trips with a Renault Master lwb van moving our stuff and one round trip with a Citroen Berlingo going Spain to UK and back to see family and stock up on some stuff that, at the time, we hadn't realised we could just as easily do without.
> 
> Our route was via tunnel down west coast of France (Rouen, Tours, Poitier to an overnight stop at Première Classe at Bayonne [inexpensive, decent breakfast - much better than Formule 1 - you get your own mini bathroom with no queuing for shared one!] just off the motorway) then cross over into Spain.
> 
> You then have a choice of route (Pamplona - Zaragoza - Valencia - then A7/AP7) or (Vittoria - Burgos - Madrid [no problems just follow the signs for your exit from the outer ring - in your case R3 or you can stay on the ring a little further and take AP36 then A31 - Albacete - A30 Murcia then A7/AP7). My destination is a bit to the west and north of you in Jaén Province (we take R4/A4 off the outer ring, down to Bailen then A44 to Jaén than A316 but you could take the A44 through to meet the A92 then straight to Almería) so I can't really advise which is your best option. We have driven to and from Barcelona via the A7/AP7 and it is not our favourite with too much traffic and not very pleasant driving conditions. The route we take down through Spain does not have very heavy traffic so is relatively pleasant, if a bit boring in places.
> 
> I saw my first ever golden eagle driving between Vittoria and Burgos (on AP1) as it came down and grabbed a small animal off the other carriageway.


I agree with Baldi. Avoid the A7/AP7 if you possibly can.


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## soldierboy001

*route to Almeria*

In my opinion the best way to get to Almeria is to get the ferry (Britany Ferries) from Portsmouth to Santander/Bilbao and come down the west side of Madrid down through Murcia and following the signs for Almeria.
This is by far the cheapest and quickest route as you require less stops for over nighting and the tolls are fewer (cost of tolls are very expensive these days). I pressume you will be using a sat nav and if you are using the Bilbao ferry you will need to get to Santander first as the auto routing from Bilbao will send you on a different route around Madrid and send you on more toll roads that cost more than the equivalent in fuel but only adds about 40 mins to your driving time. I always use AA and RAC route cards as well as I go to different areas at different times e.g. I have just started to use St Malo in the winter months to avoid rough crossings. coming to Spain on all these routes give you one nights accomodation but be sure to have sterling for spending on board because if yo want to spend Euro it will cost you more as they charge at a very poor exchange rate.
Good luck on your journey and if you need any more help you can email me at [email protected] .
P.S. when I brought my stuff over from England I used a hire van and it worked out cheaper than any quote I had and my son and I did it with a weeks van hire and were obviously on hand to load and off load the van.


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## alfp

Thanks for that Soldierboy.


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## baldilocks

alfp said:


> Hello
> From the E. Midlands. If you hired your vans, I suppose the cost depends on how long you take, but it must be cheaper than using a removal firm.


If you aren't in a rush take your time and enjoy the journey. Make the journey all part of a new adventure. I think we hired the van from Salfords, they had, at that time, a depot in Chelmsford. Removal firms were quoting in the order of £3000

We hired it for, if I remember correctly, for three weeks and it cost about £570 and we took CDW (strange vehicle, strange roads, strange everything and you never know what will happen). Advantage with the tunnel is no seasickness. We did the first part of our journey and down through the tunnel at night = it was cheaper and formalities were nil, quick glance at passports and waved through. Rested up on the French side for a few hours then on to Bayonne for overnight stop. Second and subsequent trips we went through late morning/early afternoon and called at the Carrefour hypermarket at Coquelles (just through the tunnel) and stayed the night at Calais before heading for Bayonne.


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## fyfin

Well each to their own I suppose but there's no way I would drive that distance for a) I hate driving long distance and b) it takes too long and c) it's no cheaper than the alternative.

When we moved out we travelled Ryanair and took no luggage so really cheap and 1 hour drive to the airport both UK and Spain and 3 hour flight, I think it cost us just over £80 for the two of us.
Jimbothescot had already taken our stuff out for us and as mentioned previously door to door at good rates.

We have bought a car now and they are more expensive but running costs are more or less the same as UK.
First time out we hired a car for 12 weeks at a total cost of £300 including no excess insurance - bit of a bargain via carhire3000 and it was a great little car with only 3000k on the clock. (it was in Feb)


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## gus-lopez

I can't really see how people can say the ferry is cheaper. I've just been quoted 289€ Santander-Plymouth & £406 for the return journey. So that's about 775€ plus the diesel to Santander, about €80= 855€ 
To drive via Dunkerque & then down to Devon is approximately 530€ in diesel return + return on ferry at 80€ =610€
A far more economical car than mine, like my friends , will do the same journey for 250€ for diesel.
I even looked at crossing St. Malo -portsmouth , but that was £380 return.


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## soldierboy001

gus-lopez said:


> I can't really see how people can say the ferry is cheaper. I've just been quoted 289€ Santander-Plymouth & £406 for the return journey. So that's about 775€ plus the diesel to Santander, about €80= 855€
> To drive via Dunkerque & then down to Devon is approximately 530€ in diesel return + return on ferry at 80€ =610€
> A far more economical car than mine, like my friends , will do the same journey for 250€ for diesel.
> I even looked at crossing St. Malo -portsmouth , but that was £380 return.


With out trying this thread in to an I can do this you can do that site it all depends on when you travel I have just been on to the Brittany Ferries site and been quoted £538 for a return trip in June/July and £998 for a return trip in July August. I personaly try to make my journeys at a more affordable time and port that is why in July August I will be going from Saint Marlo to Portsmouth and the return trip will be £333 so plenty left over for fuel and tolls.
It pays to shop around if you have the flexablity of when you can travel and if you go for a long period like me (5 weeks) a lot cheaper all in than hiring a car when I get there over £600 and coming back I can bring lots of goodies (not to mention when going HeHeHe).


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## baldilocks

Last time I took the tunnel 2010 it was £49 each way. I see it is £64 now. Much quicker and no seasickness, no worries about bad weather with plenty of choice with travel times, not jut a few sailings.


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## soldierboy001

baldilocks said:


> Last time I took the tunnel 2010 it was £49 each way. I see it is £64 now. Much quicker and no seasickness, no worries about bad weather with plenty of choice with travel times, not jut a few sailings.


P&O £35 T0 £74..50 one way but you might get sea sick but just proves my point about when you sail but a long way from Spain and those fuel prices and tolls.


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## baldilocks

soldierboy001 said:


> P&O £35 T0 £74..50 one way but you might get sea sick but just proves my point about when you sail but a long way from Spain and those fuel prices and tolls.


Depends on how economical your vehicle is - I can get 1100 km out of one 60 litre tank so a little over two tanks and I can get from here to where I want to go in UK in two days.


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## soldierboy001

baldilocks said:


> Depends on how economical your vehicle is - I can get 1100 km out of one 60 litre tank so a little over two tanks and I can get from here to where I want to go in UK in two days.


Whilst not disputing your 52 MPG I would be interested to know what car and model you own as most cars go from 50 ltr to 55ltr to 70 ltr tanks by different sement models and can only off the top of my head recall one car that has a 60ltr tank and that won't give you 52 MPG if you are traveling at motorway speeds of say 60MPH and upwards.


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## baldilocks

soldierboy001 said:


> Whilst not disputing your 52 MPG I would be interested to know what car and model you own as most cars go from 50 ltr to 55ltr to 70 ltr tanks by different sement models and can only off the top of my head recall one car that has a 60ltr tank and that won't give you 52 MPG if you are traveling at motorway speeds of say 60MPH and upwards.


It is a Peugeot Partner 1.6 Hd diesel - very good, very useful and economical cars and one of the post popular vehicles around here (approximately 30% are Partners/Berlingos and a few Kangoos) because they are practical and versatile vehicles. The incidence of them was one of the factors in our choice. We started with a 1.9 Berlingo but it was sluggish and have upgraded to the 1.6 Partner which has a turbo so gets into 5th much sooner.


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## soldierboy001

baldilocks said:


> It is a Peugeot Partner 1.6 Hd diesel - very good, very useful and economical cars and one of the post popular vehicles around here (approximately 30% are Partners/Berlingos and a few Kangoos) because they are practical and versatile vehicles. The incidence of them was one of the factors in our choice. We started with a 1.9 Berlingo but it was sluggish and have upgraded to the 1.6 Partner which has a turbo so gets into 5th much sooner.


Yes very good and very popular as a hire car. You seem to be getting a little bit over the manufacturers figure for MPG which is on a par with Autocar when they tested it.
Thought for when you change car you might like to consider a Dacia Dokker or Lodgy. Both come with a very good 1.5Dci 90bhp or 110 engine and my Lodgy is giving 57MPG since I bought it last July and the power is very good in my 90bhp model. These cars are much cheaper and use Renault transmissions and engines. These fiures for MPG are true via recorded fill ups and kilometerage.
Sorry we have gone off topic this is not a my car is better than your car thread but still good to know.


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## Dunpleecin

Done the trip in a Mercedes E220 auto diesel estate. Portsmouth Bilbao. Followed Sat Nav. Took 9 hours at mainly 100knh on cruise control with a couple of stops. Just followed Tom Tom Sat Nav using fastest route. Easy peasy, lovely journey. Into destination well before dark. Averaged about 40mpg.

Not sure I'd like to do it all in a non cruise control manual car though.

OP I have PM'd you.


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## baldilocks

Dunpleecin said:


> Done the trip in a Mercedes E220 auto diesel estate. Portsmouth Bilbao. Followed Sat Nav. Took 9 hours at mainly 100knh on cruise control with a couple of stops. Just followed Tom Tom Sat Nav using fastest route. Easy peasy, lovely journey. Into destination well before dark. Averaged about 40mpg.
> 
> Not sure I'd like to do it all in a non cruise control manual car though.
> 
> OP I have PM'd you.


These days I tend to view the information from Tom Tom with suspicion having been twice directed into areas of vehicle restrictions inside towns, once getting a €30 fine.


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## Dunpleecin

I've never had a problem. If you're worried about that you can just avoid a particular road or set to divert round a roadblock


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## baldilocks

Dunpleecin said:


> I've never had a problem. If you're worried about that you can just avoid a particular road or set to divert round a roadblock


I normally only use it when going to an unfamiliar place/location so I am dependent upon accurate info from the satnav and to be sent into a poorly indicated prohibited area in the dark in a strange town is not what I expect from a satnav.


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## soldierboy001

baldilocks said:


> I normally only use it when going to an unfamiliar place/location so I am dependent upon accurate info from the satnav and to be sent into a poorly indicated prohibited area in the dark in a strange town is not what I expect from a satnav.


What is it with SatNav users. I have had TomTom, Sygic, Igo myway, Nokia and one other I can't remember the name of and now one built into my car and I've never got lost because I always check the screen at a junction roundabout etc. to see where the route line goes.
I do this because in the early days I came to a roundabout when it told me to take the first exit off an it was the 2nd due to one being blanked off and not in use yet. I have found since and so have you all I presume realised that some times these exits for future roads planed are counted and sometimes they are ignored in the verbal insructions


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## Dunpleecin

baldilocks said:


> I normally only use it when going to an unfamiliar place/location so I am dependent upon accurate info from the satnav and to be sent into a poorly indicated prohibited area in the dark in a strange town is not what I expect from a satnav.


You must be the unluckiest sat nav user in the history of the world then. Millions of people use them with no problems whatsoever.

I would research your trips a bit better then, and try and avoid ending up there in the dark!

And take on board soldierboy's advice!


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## baldilocks

Dunpleecin said:


> You must be the unluckiest sat nav user in the history of the world then. Millions of people use them with no problems whatsoever.
> 
> I would research your trips a bit better then, and try and avoid ending up there in the dark!
> 
> And take on board soldierboy's advice!


We were going to a concert! 

and as for the millions of people using them with no problems, there are stories almost every day of large trucks getting stuck in country lanes, and I have personally experienced misdirections even in our village such as being sent into an alley that would be difficult even for a invalid scooter; the wrong way in one-way streets and being instructed to make a 180° hairpin turn at a junction which in total would be just 16 feet wide at its maximum.


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## soldierboy001

baldilocks said:


> We were going to a concert!
> 
> and as for the millions of people using them with no problems, there are stories almost every day of large trucks getting stuck in country lanes, and I have personally experienced misdirections even in our village such as being sent into an alley that would be difficult even for a invalid scooter; the wrong way in one-way streets and being instructed to make a 180° hairpin turn at a junction which in total would be just 16 feet wide at its maximum.


As a former HGV driver with over 40 years experience I can say that any truck driver who got stuck by following satnav has usually passed a sign saying "road unsuiteable for heavy goods vehicles" so deserve to get stuck that is why one company at least has a version specially for HGV.


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