OPCs in France and Spain

[Ekona]

Anyone happen to have a list of these handy? Am doing a pretty serious driving tour in the summer and it would be handy to know where the OPCs are just in case.

I tried using the car finder on the Porsche website, but unlike the UK one it doesn't seem to give you the list of dealerships to sort by. Well, the Spanish one doesn't anyway.

[911 (997)]

A Point Of Interest on your Sat Nav is OPC's. If you ever got stuck just use POI to find your nearest one. Unless you wanted to plan your route around the OPC's but having been to France numerous times in my 996 and 997 that would be being overly cautious IMO.

[Ekona]

FFS you're correct, of course! Completely forgot about that, that makes life much simpler, thank you.

Route is already decided (see http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... for details), just keeping options open in case the worst should happen.

[bobsan]

hay Dan (ekona) haven't read whole thread but saw mention of Santander ferry, that would be my routing, assume you've worked out fuel and peage cost to drive, prob slightly more than ferry plus wear and tear.

also regarding brake down, use ADAC (they cover all Europe and are just the best), they'll recover you and inform you of any OPC dealers for parts so no need to find one yourself. Its usual cheaper to have the break down guys fix the car but get the part from OPC, often just a water hose or rad.

wishing you good luck in your quest, seriously satisfying.

[jackal]

Good luck with the trip. For good roads you are the wrong side of the pyrenees. You want santander - jaca - sort etc.. You might be more up for the scenery there but just thought id mention it.

[Wozy68]

Ekona said:

FFS you're correct, of course! Completely forgot about that, that makes life much simpler, thank you.

Route is already decided (see http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... for details), just keeping options open in case the worst should happen.

If you don't mind me saying, I think you are being absolutely mad staying in the French Pyrenees. Road surfaces no good, too much traffic, to expensive, to much hassle if caught by the gendarmes.
Instead head south out of Pau and keep going just into Spain to Biescas and take the N260 east.
The road from Laruns to Arreau is far better 'going up hill' east to west by the way.

I travel to Spain alot ...... your doing distance rather than roads.
The Seville to Salamanca is a great way to get south to north quickly..... with some interesting scenery, but its a motorway.
But from there I strongly recommend getting to Leon and then heading on the N621 via Riano and continue on the N621 to Unquera. This road, especially the last 2/3rds is absolutely stunning .... but not that fast in places, but you will see sights that are breath taking.


EDITED Whilst I'm here.


Then head east towards Santander then head south on the N623 from Torrelavega to lake Embalse, from there N232 to ONA .... lovely fast road in places and driving down and into the Elbe valley. From ONA follow the N232 all the way to Logrono. Busy road this last part
From Logrono head east on the A12 getting off and bypassing Pamplona onto the NA601 until you reach the N240, head east (very fast road) on this road all the way to Jaca (follow the old road around Lake Embalse if the new boring one is now finished) and then 10 miles east of Jaca head north on the N260 back to Biescas ... .... back into France and towards home.

Edited by Wozy68 on Sunday 3rd February 18:25

[Ekona]

No probs, all recommendations gratefully accepted

Trouble I have now is that I've booked the hotels, so I'm somewhat committed now. Never having been to that part of the world I just used best guess and some usage of streetview to get a rough idea of what seemed okay, I guess I may have made an error there. I guess if the roads are that bad I can just take a quicker route and spend some more time sightseeing.

I've got Porsche Assist cover which I'm hoping are as good abroad as they are in the UK, so should be okay there. Again, all in theory!


Looking forward to it a lot now, currently trying to brush up on my Spanish a bit.

[Wozy68]

Ekona said:

No probs, all recommendations gratefully accepted

Trouble I have now is that I've booked the hotels, so I'm somewhat committed now.

Looking forward to it a lot now, currently trying to brush up on my Spanish a bit.

Ah .... Hotel in Luchon (France) I paid 90 euros B&B 20 miles away in Vielha (Spain) a good clean new hotel was 30 Euros B&B.

Personally I would see if you can cancel (especially the French side of the Pyrenees)

Anyway, if you can't, enjoy your trip. I love it. If you haven't done it before I guarantee this; when you get back to the UK, you will never ever enjoy driving here as much as you did, and you will be gobsmacked just how liberating driving can be whilst there, in beautiful surroundings on empty well paved roads. (well for Spain at least)
Basically you'll be gutted until your next trip. Britain seems so overcrowded afterwards.

[Redeem]

If this helps there is an official Porsche Centre in Northern France in a place called Villeneuve d'Asq near Lille. I cannot tell you if they are good or bad though.

[bobsan]

Porsche assist.....hmmmmmm......I'd still go with ADAC as well, around £60 for year and covers all Europe with vehicle repatriation.

[stratfordshark]

Wozy68 said:

Ah .... Hotel in Luchon (France) I paid 90 euros B&B 20 miles away in Vielha (Spain) a good clean new hotel was 30 Euros B&B.

Personally I would see if you can cancel (especially the French side of the Pyrenees)

Anyway, if you can't, enjoy your trip. I love it. If you haven't done it before I guarantee this; when you get back to the UK, you will never ever enjoy driving here as much as you did, and you will be gobsmacked just how liberating driving can be whilst there, in beautiful surroundings on empty well paved roads. (well for Spain at least)
Basically you'll be gutted until your next trip. Britain seems so overcrowded afterwards.

+1

I fall in love with driving again whenever I take the car - any car - to France (excepting Peripherique and any of the autoroutes around Paris at busy times)

Edited by stratfordshark on Sunday 3rd February 19:42

[Ekona]

So thinking more about if the French Pyrenees are that awful, how does this look?

http://goo.gl/maps/WQfeB

Ignoring the detour to Ax-Les-Thermes for a sec as that's where the hotel is and I may be able to change that, is that a better route in terms of driving? Bearing in mind I'm coming down from Pau and then east as I'm getting the tunnel across, not the ferry. It's a longer day, and I appear to be giving up some spectacular scenery for better quality roads, so is it genuinely worth it?

[rosino]

stratfordshark said:

+1

I fall in love with driving again whenever I take the car - any car - to France (excepting Peripherique and any of the autoroutes around Paris at busy times)

Edited by stratfordshark on Sunday 3rd February 19:42

+1

[jackal]

Ekona said:

So thinking more about if the French Pyrenees are that awful, how does this look?

http://goo.gl/maps/WQfeB

Ignoring the detour to Ax-Les-Thermes for a sec as that's where the hotel is and I may be able to change that, is that a better route in terms of driving? Bearing in mind I'm coming down from Pau and then east as I'm getting the tunnel across, not the ferry. It's a longer day, and I appear to be giving up some spectacular scenery for better quality roads, so is it genuinely worth it?

After puigcerda keep it on the n260

[Wozy68]

Ekona said:

So thinking more about if the French Pyrenees are that awful, how does this look?

http://goo.gl/maps/WQfeB

Ignoring the detour to Ax-Les-Thermes for a sec as that's where the hotel is and I may be able to change that, is that a better route in terms of driving? Bearing in mind I'm coming down from Pau and then east as I'm getting the tunnel across, not the ferry. It's a longer day, and I appear to be giving up some spectacular scenery for better quality roads, so is it genuinely worth it?

The part you have changed across the Pyrenees? Yes.
I have not met anyone yet who doesn't think the N260 is a fantastic road ........ Not quick everywhere, but beautiful scenery and very very demanding in places.
Personally though I would head south to Biescas and pick up the N260 there, and pass through Jaca on the way back though.

Follow this great thread if you want to see more on a fantastic Spanish trip ....... Dan loved the N260

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Edited by Wozy68 on Sunday 3rd February 21:13

[Ekona]

Right, I'm sold

I'll see if I can change hotels tomorrow, worst case if not it's only a 30 min detour back into France anyway. Thanks for the hints!

[Wozy68]

Ekona said:

Right, I'm sold

I'll see if I can change hotels tomorrow, worst case if not it's only a 30 min detour back into France anyway. Thanks for the hints!

Just don't meet one of these half way round a hairpin at 1.2 leptons. .... like I did.

Dodgy pants moment to say the least.

[Ekona]

Have you managed to get the stain out of the seat yet?

Hotels changed and route altered to suit. Have also removed a bit of motorway at a couple of points and taken in some of the Valencia F1 circuit, assuming that bit is open to the public. Popped a quick detour into Portugal as well simply because I've never been there.