Valencia towards Alicante - The Detour
Discussion
Yesterday on holiday in Spain the weather turned for the worse, and so I took an amazing detour on the way from Valencia towards Alicante.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/38.8777454,-0.05...
Just endless twisty corners, and I expect when there is less low cloud amazing views too! And as a bonus very little traffic, until I got near Sella I must have barely seen 10 cars in 2 hours.
Spain is the best place for a drive for me, blows France and Switzerland out of the water IMO.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/38.8777454,-0.05...
Just endless twisty corners, and I expect when there is less low cloud amazing views too! And as a bonus very little traffic, until I got near Sella I must have barely seen 10 cars in 2 hours.
Spain is the best place for a drive for me, blows France and Switzerland out of the water IMO.
What's the surface like?
My abiding memory of driving in Spain is one of clattering across the interior in an LDV 400 on a road that seemingly had a speedbump every 50m. Except there were no speedbumps. That's just how it was. Unsurprisingly, I now have a dim view of Spanish roads.
Since then I've heard nothing but good reports, so I may have to change my view.
My abiding memory of driving in Spain is one of clattering across the interior in an LDV 400 on a road that seemingly had a speedbump every 50m. Except there were no speedbumps. That's just how it was. Unsurprisingly, I now have a dim view of Spanish roads.
Since then I've heard nothing but good reports, so I may have to change my view.
I was in a rented Vw Polo so things might feel different in a supercar, but there was only the occasional bump and a few rocks which had been washed into the road by the heavy rain, but apart from that the surface was smooth.
Driving in Devon is doing my head in, got stuck behind 2 cars in 15 minutes at 1.30am on the way home, where as Spain the roads away from the coast are empty!
Driving in Devon is doing my head in, got stuck behind 2 cars in 15 minutes at 1.30am on the way home, where as Spain the roads away from the coast are empty!
Oh, that looks spot on, I did Alicante to Malaga last month and some of the mountain roads are just sublime. Seriously decent condition for the amount of traffic.
That is until I took a REALLY twisty one down from the Sierra Nevada and got a puncture for which Europcar are currently trying to shaft me out of £200..
That is until I took a REALLY twisty one down from the Sierra Nevada and got a puncture for which Europcar are currently trying to shaft me out of £200..
Hire car companies really are w
kers. I had an hours wait before I was seen at Firefly when I turned up, and then they came up with an extra £40 charge as my excess insurance apparently only covered me for 60km per day. Being tired and barely able to understand the woman I just took the hit and got out of there.
I had the low tyre pressure warning light come on. Trying to understand how to use a Spanish tyre inflator in the rain was not how my holiday was meant to be!
kers. I had an hours wait before I was seen at Firefly when I turned up, and then they came up with an extra £40 charge as my excess insurance apparently only covered me for 60km per day. Being tired and barely able to understand the woman I just took the hit and got out of there.I had the low tyre pressure warning light come on. Trying to understand how to use a Spanish tyre inflator in the rain was not how my holiday was meant to be!
Yeah, I'm really annoyed. I bought excess insurance since I had to fork out for a tyre in America when my previous policy had just expired... Luckily back then I managed to just buy a new tyre without them knowing. £150-odd but damage limitation!
I hit a pothole and sure enough tyre went down pretty fast but it wasn't a blowout or tear, just a puncture. Checked in and was honest about it, the woman said that a puncture would be 25 euros, but wouldn't give me an invoice until the mechanic had checked it. I think from the table of charges they've just put a new tyre on AND charged me for a DAY off hire!
They are dicking me around with regards to sending an invoice. Without an invoice I can't claim from excess insurance and the claim window is fast closing. I've threatened them with a chargeback.
I hit a pothole and sure enough tyre went down pretty fast but it wasn't a blowout or tear, just a puncture. Checked in and was honest about it, the woman said that a puncture would be 25 euros, but wouldn't give me an invoice until the mechanic had checked it. I think from the table of charges they've just put a new tyre on AND charged me for a DAY off hire!
They are dicking me around with regards to sending an invoice. Without an invoice I can't claim from excess insurance and the claim window is fast closing. I've threatened them with a chargeback.
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