Road Trip to Spain ACSI suggestions

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Hi, have stayed at many sites towing on that route, most seasons. The range of options in September is vast and your desires will be specific.

You may find some of the non Toll routes now littered with speed bumps and chicanes and heavy going towing but it’s your choice. We do the semi non Toll route Calais to Med border crossing going via Rouen, Chartres and the A20 Limoges Toulouse and over to Perpignan - well documented if searched. Was about €110 toll each way, Cat 2, last winter. 

Your tow car advantage opens up options for many nice rural out of town centre sites. Having stayed in quite a few town based concrete car park type sites in Spain ( we also have dogs) we would now avoid mainly due to the excess late night noise from scooters, drunks, fiestas and football fireworks etc.

We enjoyed staying a few days one year in the Bay of Roses Spain at peaceful but large Camping Aquarius which was beachside and very pleasant. Nice scenic area to tour around close to border etc. 

https://www.campingaquarius.com/home

Stopover at open all year Capmany on the Spanish border for cheap fuel & last Repsol gas is a very popular overnight for north & south travellers. 
Also look up popular open all year Camping Montreal just south of Limoges France. Convenient stopover 2 miles off the popular A20 route junction at Saint-Germain-les-Belles. Good dog walking around the scenic lake with small beach. Quiet rural location. English Warden on last visit.

M

For your week across France pick and plan  the places which interest you and stop over at whatever campsite is close. It’s no good choosing an ACSI site if it’s miles from the place you want to visit..

For me those visits would be a day in Paris, certain smaller towns, some outstanding gardens and a couple of museums I would like to visit. But with dogs you have different choices and I really don’t know what you are able to do.

Anyway here’s an outline map but you really need a good road atlas if you are going to get off the motorways. 

Good wishes.

When you mention Valencia, I'm guessing you intend to head for the east coast of Spain on this trip.

I would agree with Montesa that the route via Toulouse and Perpignan is probably the best for towing in September if heading east.

In my opinion, it's worth paying the tolls as country roads often have 80kph (50 mph) as a standard speed limit, although some departments increase that to 90kph - very confusing if you are driving across France.  The local mayors also spend an inordinate amount on traffic calming with vicious speed bumps, narrow chicanes and extended 30kph speed limits.  Local roads are not ideal if you are covering 750 miles to the Spanish border.

If you are thinking of staying at the Bay of Roses, a mile outside Roses town itself is our favourite ACSI listed site - Camping Salata - 400 metres from a lovely sandy beach and the promenade, with lots of restaurants and bars and a choice of at least 3 supermarkets within walking distance.

Enjoy your trip.

"Also look up popular open all year Camping Montreal just south of Limoges France. Convenient stopover 2 miles off the popular A20 route junction at Saint-Germain-les-Belles. Good dog walking around the scenic lake with small beach"

great site used it twice, a bit quirky when we visited and i think a Dutch owner, had lots of different sorts of toilet appliances hanging about, i played water polo with the locals in the lake, some 8 years ago now, not sure i am up for that now. Limoges is a very fine city also, we caught the little train that does site seeing tours around the city. We had a pitch overlooking the lake.

Agree with you re Camping Montreal montesa & rufs dutch owner has now retired and now owned by a English company an lot of the quirky stuff will go not their sort of thing and they ae spending some money on the site.

Also as said a lot of places now installing speed bumps and a lot more installing speeds of 30km so quite slow as well as the speed bumps or chicanes.

I also prefer the route via Rouen, Evreux, Chartes but then head for Chateaudun, Blois and then join the free A20 at Châteauroux as far is it goes, which I think if my memory serves me correctly is Souillac, before nipping of on the old route which is now the D820 to Montauban and Toulouse. Only then do I consider paying tolls but the old roads from Narbonne to Perpignan were good last time I used them but I always use the toll road over the Pyrenees from Perpignan into Spain.

peedee

Yes, just checked my maps and the free section of the A20 runs from Vierzon down to Junction 53 which is just before Souillac. bits of the the old route the D820 further south to Toulouse are dual carriageway.

peedee

My actual go to list…

Camping Maisons Laffite at Paris to re visit the Musee d’Orsay,

Camping Robinson near Apremont sur Allier to walk in the Parc Floral garden,

Any campsite near Garabit to see if trains still run over the viaduct which Eiffel built.

Camping Saint Rome de Dolan on the stunning fringe of the Tarn gorge near Millau,

Camping Figurotta at Narbonne cos we have liked it for 25 years  

Two days each is ten days worth, though I might go slower, and I Wouldn’t bother with Spain. Not keen.