Just got back from a road trip with my wife through France and into Northern Spain in my 1987 911 Cab. The car was superb, never missed a beat. We got the 0820 Eurotunnel from Folkestone and had a leisurely ride down to Saumur in the Loire Valley; stayed in a local Chateau which was great value and spent a day touring the region with the top down, finished with a tour and wine tasting at a stunning old vineyard, Gratien & Meyer.
Then the not so good bit, a 7 hour drive to San Sebastian in the Basque country, this was a slog but again the car was brilliant. The Basque country was somewhere I'd always wanted to go to and I wasn't disappointed. I do have to say that without my friendly navigator, Tom Tom, we would have had serious difficulty finding the Pension Alameda, but we got there eventually. San Sebastian is a stunning place with a lively old town, harbour and stunning beach. Our stay was made more interesting as it was the final weekend festival of the whale boat races; so Saturday night was a party, Sunday was the big race and then all hell broke loose in the bars and restaurants.
Next we took a relaxed drive along the north coast and went via a beautiful old coastal town, Leketio to Guernica the symbolic heart of region, which you will know if you have read about the Spanish civil war and know of Picasso's amazing painting depicting the bombing of Guernica, it was a very atmospheric place.
We finally arrived in Bilbao and stayed in a hotel opposite the Guggenheim museum, a stunning piece of architecture not matched by the art displayed inside. The old town of Bilbao was brilliant, especially the bars, tapas and wine; I discovered that the set meal of €22 included wine, not a glass, but a whole bottle of Rioja was plonked on the table, although it wasn't plonk.
Next was a drive along the coast then a turn south to the Picos de Europa, a beautiful national park with 8000 ft mountains, we finally ended up and stayed in an ancient town called Potes, and another festival; we were on the back end of a 7-day festival of the local saint and the day we arrived was a parade of floats, completely nuts but fascinating to just watch while we sat and drank. Here was also the best bit of motoring from Potes to the cable car at Fuenta De, a 23km hill climb on a fantastic road surface, top down, no traffic, brilliant.
Finally a drive back to Santander and Brittany Ferries back to Portsmouth, the ferry back was good, 23 hours, time to relax and reflect.
One thing I was glad I did was to take the car on a trip before going and then getting it checked by Hillcrest; they did fix the horn that suddenly came on by itself when I went to Castle Combe, that would have been embarrassing in the middle of San Sebastian.
I'd go back to Northern Spain again as we only just scratched the surface of the region, but next time I'll get the ferry to Santander rather than drive through France, done that.
I'm sure other members have been on "Road Trips to Remember", I'd be interested in hearing of other great places to visit.
Colin.
Then the not so good bit, a 7 hour drive to San Sebastian in the Basque country, this was a slog but again the car was brilliant. The Basque country was somewhere I'd always wanted to go to and I wasn't disappointed. I do have to say that without my friendly navigator, Tom Tom, we would have had serious difficulty finding the Pension Alameda, but we got there eventually. San Sebastian is a stunning place with a lively old town, harbour and stunning beach. Our stay was made more interesting as it was the final weekend festival of the whale boat races; so Saturday night was a party, Sunday was the big race and then all hell broke loose in the bars and restaurants.
Next we took a relaxed drive along the north coast and went via a beautiful old coastal town, Leketio to Guernica the symbolic heart of region, which you will know if you have read about the Spanish civil war and know of Picasso's amazing painting depicting the bombing of Guernica, it was a very atmospheric place.
We finally arrived in Bilbao and stayed in a hotel opposite the Guggenheim museum, a stunning piece of architecture not matched by the art displayed inside. The old town of Bilbao was brilliant, especially the bars, tapas and wine; I discovered that the set meal of €22 included wine, not a glass, but a whole bottle of Rioja was plonked on the table, although it wasn't plonk.
Next was a drive along the coast then a turn south to the Picos de Europa, a beautiful national park with 8000 ft mountains, we finally ended up and stayed in an ancient town called Potes, and another festival; we were on the back end of a 7-day festival of the local saint and the day we arrived was a parade of floats, completely nuts but fascinating to just watch while we sat and drank. Here was also the best bit of motoring from Potes to the cable car at Fuenta De, a 23km hill climb on a fantastic road surface, top down, no traffic, brilliant.
Finally a drive back to Santander and Brittany Ferries back to Portsmouth, the ferry back was good, 23 hours, time to relax and reflect.
One thing I was glad I did was to take the car on a trip before going and then getting it checked by Hillcrest; they did fix the horn that suddenly came on by itself when I went to Castle Combe, that would have been embarrassing in the middle of San Sebastian.
I'd go back to Northern Spain again as we only just scratched the surface of the region, but next time I'll get the ferry to Santander rather than drive through France, done that.
I'm sure other members have been on "Road Trips to Remember", I'd be interested in hearing of other great places to visit.
Colin.
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