Route for Santander to Calais

[ukcerb]

Going in September- Plymouth/Santander and wondered if anyone knows any good routes through Spain. Not keen on motorways but scenic routes with no speed traps would be good. Average daily mileage-anything up to 400miles and have 5/6 days so does not have to be direct route back to Calais. Thanks.
Also any places that are good to stay at. Don`t have to be 5 star but comfortable.

Edited by ukcerb on Thursday 20th May 23:19

[Hooli]

I'd turn right out of Santander & go to the Picos de Europa - stunning place to start the trip & about 90mins from the ferry IIRC.

[G Man]

Check out the Roads Wiki the high Pyrennes passes are marked
Stopped for a great night out in Burgos at the Abba Burgos hotel,

[Don]

Hooli said:

I'd turn right out of Santander & go to the Picos de Europa - stunning place to start the trip & about 90mins from the ferry IIRC.

The Picos are amazing.

[ukcerb]

Ok thanks so far. The Picos de Europa seems to come up alot on the searches for good places so will definately include that. Any more ideas?

[ukcerb]

Further to original post, pretty much planned route while in Spain but any ideas on good route back to Calais. We drove to Barcelona last year and took in the Millau bridge so was thinking of staying left a bit on the way back through France(west coast). Not so keen on the autoroutes unless we are running over timewise. Anyone with any good places/roads coming that way?

[llewop]

G Man said:

Check out the Roads Wiki the high Pyrennes passes are marked
Stopped for a great night out in Burgos at the Abba Burgos hotel,

love the Pyrennes - if you can run along them from the Bay of Biscay to Med (French side) - you could try going over a couple that are used in the Tour de France - Col du Torromolet being my favourite

wiki link

if you have ended up at the Med end of the Pyrennes - could break your no-autoroutes rule for the run up to the Millau bridge - the autoroute south of there is a sodding great roller-coaster!

[ukcerb]

llewop said:

G Man said:

Check out the Roads Wiki the high Pyrennes passes are marked
Stopped for a great night out in Burgos at the Abba Burgos hotel,

love the Pyrennes - if you can run along them from the Bay of Biscay to Med (French side) - you could try going over a couple that are used in the Tour de France - Col du Torromolet being my favourite

wiki link

if you have ended up at the Med end of the Pyrennes - could break your no-autoroutes rule for the run up to the Millau bridge - the autoroute south of there is a sodding great roller-coaster!

Ok plan so far is Picos de Europa then the Pyrennes, time will dictate how far we go but will head back to Biarritz then maybe Bergerac and then back towards the coast for a stop around Vendee (La Rochelle?) then cross country to Calais via Paris? Any roads worth driving that way?

[llewop]

ukcerb said:

Ok plan so far is Picos de Europa then the Pyrennes, time will dictate how far we go but will head back to Biarritz then maybe Bergerac and then back towards the coast for a stop around Vendee (La Rochelle?) then cross country to Calais via Paris? Any roads worth driving that way?

The roads between Bergerac and La Rochelle have potential I would say - I remember some decent routes around the Cognac/Saintes area - mixture of vineyards and rolling hills; also the roads round Bergerac, along the Dordogne and the next main river south of there (the Lot) are quite nice in places, although somewhat dependent on the amount of traffic you hit.