North coast of Spain campsites.

[Lavapotman]

It is a 5-10 minutes walk. If your are planning on going to Asturias let me know, I lived in Asturias for almost 20 years. I can also help you with very good restaurants. I recommend you to do a little gastronomic tour in the area.

Happy to hear about restaurants. Food is the raison d' etre for travelling. That's why I'm doubling back to San Sebastian for the old town pixtos.

 

[Tony Beretta]

Hi, had a great 2 weeks in August in Asturias a couple of years back. We spent the first week camping at La Viorna in Potes which is fantastic, very laid back, nice pool to dip into after your day out, nice small good value restaurant then drove down to the coast. It was a bit of a shock after the tranquility of the mountains. It seemed like the whole of Spain had come to the area for their summer holidays. We stayed at Camping Playa del Troenzo which is right above two fantastic beaches and in a great location. It was however very, very busy but somehow the facilities coped with the amount of people. I saw hardly any other Brits around. Once you get away from the main towns, it quietens down, there are some amazing gravel cycle tracks along the coast where you can find unspoilt beaches in the middle of nowhere. The whole coast is absolutely amazing and unspoilt, however my recommendation is choose your campsite and timing carefully. If I went again, it would not be in August when the Spanish are off.

This last sentence is the best advise in the tread.

 

[Alibee]

Happy to hear about restaurants. Food is the raison d' etre for travelling. That's why I'm doubling back to San Sebastian for the old town pixtos.

Ate very well in Saatander, particularly at Bodega la Montaña:

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...ws-Bodega_La_Montana-Santander_Cantabria.html

We parked in the underground below the main fish/meat market and walked through town centre to get there.

 

[Tony Beretta]

Because of my last job, I used to visit regularly the best restaurants in Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia.
This is the ine I liked the most in Santander.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaur...views-Posada_del_Mar-Santander_Cantabria.html
Their Rodaballo is not from this world. A bit pricey but well worth it.

 

[Yorkie]

Booked out to Santander back from Bilbao next August. Anyone have recommendations on campsites?

I tried to book Santander for June and it keeps telling me no cabins for me. I have a dog so he must be the issue

 

[calimera]

On the Plymouth to Santander only dogs kennels no dog friendly cabins.
Asked about ferry from Portsmouth to Santander ,they have dog friendly cabins but the ferry doesn't accept California because of its height.

 

[leightonjthomas]

On the Plymouth to Santander only dogs kennels no dog friendly cabins.
Asked about ferry from Portsmouth to Santander ,they have dog friendly cabins but the ferry doesn't accept California because of its height.

The Bilbao/Portsmouth crossing have dog-friendly cabins and accept Californias. We've also taken it on the Santander crossing but without a dog.

 

[Daren_Chambers]

I'm booked on the Portsmouth - Bilbao crossing in August with a cabin. They take vans up to 2.6 metres high. Bilbao is not a million miles from Santander....

 

[Yorkie]

We are going to Porto so Bilbao is fine.

As a new Cali owner i tried the Camping and Caravan club booking service. The website let me put in all my data but keeps saying computer says no. Perhaps i should speak to a person to get some facts. Perhaps the ferry is full!

Has anyone done a price comparison, Calais with all the tolls and fuel costs versus the extra costs of the Spain ferry?

 

[soulstyledevon]

On the Plymouth to Santander only dogs kennels no dog friendly cabins.
Asked about ferry from Portsmouth to Santander ,they have dog friendly cabins but the ferry doesn't accept California because of its height.

Are you sure.
We are booked on this crossing in September...???

 

[soulstyledevon]

We are going to Porto so Bilbao is fine.

As a new Cali owner i tried the Camping and Caravan club booking service. The website let me put in all my data but keeps saying computer says no. Perhaps i should speak to a person to get some facts. Perhaps the ferry is full!

Has anyone done a price comparison, Calais with all the tolls and fuel costs versus the extra costs of the Spain ferry?

Eurotunnel, plus tolls and fuel is cheaper and quicker. The crossing to Spain is very expensive.

 

[Daren_Chambers]

Eurotunnel, plus tolls and fuel is cheaper and quicker. The crossing to Spain is very expensive.

You're totally correct about the price, but for us the holiday starts on the boat . Adults relaxing with a book, a beer and a kip. 2 small children straight into the pool, a run around and some dolphin spotting.

IMHO it's infinity better than a 5 and 7 year old arguing in the back of the van for 10+ hours whilst the adults argue over the best route to avoid traffic jams.

I'm happy to pay the extra

 

[soulstyledevon]

Absolutely. We have a one year old and figure we can spend 24hrs on a boat eating, playtime and generally relaxing. Had it been just the two of us, like the old days, we would have drove.

 

[AlanC]

On the Plymouth to Santander only dogs kennels no dog friendly cabins.
Asked about ferry from Portsmouth to Santander ,they have dog friendly cabins but the ferry doesn't accept California because of its height.

Brittany Ferries 'Pont Avon' and Cap Finsterre' are on the Portsmouth - Santander route. Both carry lorries so the Cali is not an issue for them. We have used them a lot over the last few years.

Alan

 

[Kevin&Becci]

Finding this thread is VERY exciting!
We've just booked the last 4 berth cabin on the July 26th crossing to Bilbao.
Like the poster above we also have a 7 & 5 year old and will much prefer the idea of relaxing as opposed to driving.
Off to google the campsite recommendations......

 

[CYCLOPATH]

We are going to Porto so Bilbao is fine.

As a new Cali owner i tried the Camping and Caravan club booking service. The website let me put in all my data but keeps saying computer says no. Perhaps i should speak to a person to get some facts. Perhaps the ferry is full!

Has anyone done a price comparison, Calais with all the tolls and fuel costs versus the extra costs of the Spain ferry?

I am going in the summer for work, so have expenses calculated
I will drive down to col du tourmalet...not to far from Bilbao
£280 for portsmouth Le harve ferry plus tolls and gasoil. £37 gasoil tourmalet Bilbao, £320
Ferry Bilbao Portsmouth £334. I find the journey home in the van stops being fun .
That's with my ferry discount included, 30% out 10% back.
So not a lot in it....those ferrys are booked now for June/ July, price going up all the time

 

[Yorkie]

I am going in the summer for work, so have expenses calculated
I will drive down to col du tourmalet...not to far from Bilbao
£280 for portsmouth Le harve ferry plus tolls and gasoil. £37 gasoil tourmalet Bilbao, £320
Ferry Bilbao Portsmouth £334. I find the journey home in the van stops being fun .
That's with my ferry discount included, 30% out 10% back.
So not a lot in it....those ferrys are booked now for June/ July, price going up all the time

Because I never got to the pay now button I never saw the full ferry price. Two choices on the way we're £320 out and £430 return so I expect a cabin is required on top. Am I wrong?

 

[CYCLOPATH]

Because I never got to the pay now button I never saw the full ferry price. Two choices on the way we're £320 out and £430 return so I expect a cabin is required on top. Am I wrong?

Yeah, cabin is statutory, and a hundred quid or so
The sooner you book the better
I chose the cheapest days as I was flexible
You can go as my guest and get 10% off the ferry....my name is
Kettell
And number F00GR7

 

[Kmann]

Seems we will quite some en north western Spain this summer. We attend all July i suppose. We go all the way by wheels, since taking a ferry from Denmark, does not make sense. But without small kids or dogs in the back, it is no problem. We will make it a journey full of adventures from the first km ;-)

 

[MartinMere]

Living less than an hour from Bilbao we've use Brittany Ferries for the last 7 years or so for our annual trip back to the UK. It is a very relaxing start to the trip for sure. Last year we drove through France instead for a change. I'm not saying we'd never do it again, but the cost differences when you take mileage-depreciation, wear-and-tear, overnight stops and motorway tolls into account are marginal. Besides, for us at least, entering the UK in the south east and making our way 'up north' via London wastes a lot of time compared to entering via Portsmouth. If France is part of the holiday then I'd say it is worth it, particularly if avoiding the costly motorway system.

Re dogs, it seems you have to book up nearly a year in advance to get a dog-friendly cabin.

Brittany Ferries also operate an economie service that is described as no frills. We've used it and it is fine. It just lacks the cinema and some of the other options like the whale-watching guides.

For anyone coming to the north of Spain in July/August check out the fiestas in the main cities -- tons of free stuff going on all week -- and the numerous festivals e.g. Vitoria Jazz Festival in mid-July. I love the Asturias/Cantabria area for its combination of mountains, sea and great hearty food.

 

[PAMMYVAN]

If you're going back from Bilbao camping Haro Is excellent lovely town with bodegas near site. Only 1hr 30 mins from port. Now owned by Red Campings but you get ACSI rates we go every year before coming home. You can get some nice wine too

 

[PAMMYVAN]

Should have said maybe book ahead for your last night if you want to be somewhere Spanish are out in hordes when kids are off.

 

[calimera]

Many thanks for this informative thread . Some great suggestions.
We have booked Plymouth to Roscoff (dogs in Cali overnight) overnight on 31st August.
Aim to drive down to Spain , best routes ? Aim to stop overnight in France.

Return from Bilbao to Portsmouth 14th September. To our surprise managed to book dog friendly cabin( last one). Wedding in London on Saturday 16 th.
Really excited any suggestions for dog friendly campsites in Northern Spain ?
So excited loving plannng a holiday away in Grace ( cali ).

 

[PAMMYVAN]

Never driven through France always take ferry to Spain. Don't have dogs but wife has patted plenty on most sites even had the odd cat in for some milk. Most are dog friendly some places funny about them in cafes/bars. Camping Oyambre is nice + near a beach. Camping La Paz also good. Loads along coast either way depends how far you want to go. Do you use ACSI it gives you cheap rates low season and coordinates in guide take you to the gate.

 

[T64ME]

We are taking the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry on 31st May. Does anyone have a good campsite recommendation near Bilbao ? Ideally a train, bus or hike in. [bave scanned loads of posts but nothing jumping out]

We are keen to explore the Guggenheim Museum and other parts of the city before heading west to Galicia.

Many thanks