Road trip back from Santander

[griffgray]

We have just booked the ferry to Santander in June and plan a weeks road trip back to Cherbourg. Just got to convince to misses to do it in the caterham😀

We will spend a night in San Sebastián and intend to take our tent and use campsites en route

Are there any routes or places we should consider. I have to bear in mind it is not a lads driving hoon more a cultured trip on France's lovely roads taking in some pleasant sights and scenery.

Thanks in advance

Graham

[tog]

I did this last year with the wife and kids in our Bristol. We did it in two weeks, with five nights in San Sebastian with friends at the start. We went in August though, so it was all too hot and too crowded. June will be lovely!

Our route (map approximate) was plotted to visit friends in the Lot en route, and to take in castles and entertainment for the kids. Monbazillac is nice dessert wine and we were passing so stopped for lunch. The pizza place in Mimzan was recommended by my brother who was there the week before and was excellent. The beaches on that bit of coast are amazing too, crashing surf and go on for miles. The Dune de Pilat is phenomenal if you like enormous piles of sand (and it's better than that sounds...). The chateaux of the Loire are beautiful of course, and the Hotel de France in Chartre sur Loir is the both the default petrolhead place to stay and a decent hotel if you fancy a break from the tent. Puy du Fou is great for the kids, really breathtaking and there's nothing like it in the UK.

The trouble is that between Santander and Cherbourg you quite literally have the whole of France, so what to recommend to you very much depends on what you like doing!

[TooMany2cvs]

tog said:

The trouble is that between Santander and Cherbourg you quite literally have the whole of France, so what to recommend to you very much depends on what you like doing!

<nods>
Before you even leave Spain, what about heading a bit further west to the Picos de Europa?
Bilbao?

Then when you get to France, Bayonne is very pleasant indeed, just over the border - or cross a bit inland, for a mountain pass or three.
Above there - well, what you want to do/see?
Dune du Pyla?
Bordeaux and the Medoc?
Loire chateaus?
Ile de Re for some beach?
Angouleme?
Rocamadour and Sarlat?
Oradour and Limoges?
Le Mans?
Carnac?
D-Day coast?
Mont St Michel?
Bayeux?

And that's just all without heading TOO far off a straight line...

[MarshPhantom]

Santander?

They do have branches in the UK.

[Trefy5]

Hi Griff
In case you've not left yet
We did this two years ago - end of March/beginning April in an Mx5 so a little more space than a Caterham but not exactly masses.
First night - Santander
Then drove to Viehla (spanish side of the Pyrenees and home to the tunnel of the same name) via the outskirts of Pamplona.
First part was mostly motorway but then the A roads near and into the mountains are great
Then we skipped in to France heading for a fleeting visit to Carbonne before pitching up at Albi (Hotel Ibis' are very useful including Budget ones)
We were heading for our self catering in Grignols near Perigeux and travelled from Albi to there via the Millau viaduct visitors centre
Week there then travelled the scenic route north via Brantome to Le Mans - i think we managed to avoid the autoroutes.
Had fun checking out the Mulsanne straight and part of Le Course before going north again doing the same via Mayenne and staying not far from the Normady beaches. Near Bayeaux but the name escapes me right now.
We did do another night with friends who have a place back toward Brittany but that's irrelevant - ferried back from Ouistreham.
We managed to do some checking (rechecking for me) of the landing beaches.

I'd love to do something similar again.
If you've gone already I hope you're having a great time