Just wondered if somebody has made the journey, I,ve a friend who has a phobia about flying, so after a few beers, the other evening as you do, I suggested we go overland to Benidorm. I spoke to a trucker from Stoke on my last holiday to Spain and he said it was an easy trip? Share the driving and it should take no more than a day, is this correct ?
Pros and cons etc ?
If the driver ir drivers wears glasses,they will need a spare pair if glasses due to Spanish road traffic laws.
For France and Spain,when broken down or stood at the side ofthe road,a hiviz vest needs to be worn.
For France,no sat nav must have a speed or radar detector.
They can seize the vehicle or issue a large court deposit that has to be paid where they stop you.
For the vehicle carry the original documents and no photocopies.
A reputable breakdown assistance that gets the car back to the docks.
They tow the car on the ferry and tow it off for the UK van to get you home.
I would say a two day trip with an over night stop in a hotel.
You can go many ways,from Bordeaux to Irun to Pamplona to Teruel to the coast.
Or Lyon to Perpignon to La Jonquera to Barcelona to the coast.
It is cheap on the toll motorway,as saving fuel with no gear changes.
The free National roads will slow you down with farm vehicles and tourists.France has Formulae 1 chain motels,pay with a bank card on the front door if not manned at night.Take plenty of breaks.Two hour drive then stop for coffee and stretch the legs.
Avoiding toll roads will take 23 hours driving and is 1128 miles.
Using toll roads will take 18 hours at 1028 miles.
Above is Calais to Benidorm.
With two drivers you could drive non stop to save paying out a hotel.
At night it is quieter,no Speed checks with the Police.
Car goes better being cooler at night.
Can go faster over the speed limits.
Be careful of distraction robbery.Cases of cars passing that flag you down to make out the car is on fire or a puncture.
When you stop robbers ransack the contents or take the car.
If stop,park in places where it is busy, near a garage forecourt.
Never stop in a deserted lay by or rest area.
The Spanish coastline is full of petty criminals.
Most have no work permits and steal to eat.Lock the car doors when at traffic lights or in built up areas.
It’s an easy run but the two drivers advantage is a red herring because being a passenger in a moving car won’t be a lot more alert than one driver would if you’re going non stop.Doing that is/was more about using speed to cut the driving time to a minimum and a car that’s capable of doing it.
That was before the socialist tossers who run the French government started a war against the motorist of a similar type to ours to ‘encourage’ people to use the fast rail TGV provision.In which case the speed required will result in a good chance of getting nicked involving £££’s at best or jail and/or confiscation of the car at worst in which case it’s then just a case of paying a large toll for the privilege of running at 80-90 mph max on roads and in traffic conditions suited to 120 mph +.
Then it gets worse because next year the EU is talking about removing our Euro wide licence penalty and registration data base opt out.In which case doing over 80 mph on a clear straight autoroute will also mean points or a ban with unmanned camera traps just like doing over 70 mph on the M1.In which case the choice is realistically split the trip into two with a night stop or use the direct ferry links to Spain.Either choice has turned what was a fun fast road trip into a boring slow crawl.
I’ve always fancied a road trip abroad, Amsterdam or south of Spain, If you do go ahead with it, please take lots of pics and share on here 
The routes have been talked about
Carryfast:
a car that’s capable of doing it.
What kind of car are you going to be using for such a journey?
Did santandar to Preston and back a few years ago when we went to see the inlaws lot of driving got back to Preston in just over 28hrs but we weren’t rushing
I would take the car on Brittany Ferries to Santander or Bilbao.
Thus avoiding France and their radar speed traps.
The ferry to Spain has two cinemas,disco all night and an early morning lecture on whale and dolphin spotting.
Drive all night,rest in the day with cat naps and long siestas.
At night peddle to the metal and go over the speed limits.
G6Bob:
Carryfast:
a car that’s capable of doing it.What kind of car are you going to be using for such a journey?
As I’ve said with the exception of running in Germany it probably doesn’t matter so much now under the much more draconian Euro speed regime.But in general it needs/ed to be geared for around 30 mph per 1,000 rpm in top gear with enough power/torque to still be able to accelerate and climb at a good rate through the gears.In the real world anything less is a compromise in trading sustained high speed durability for something cheaper to buy and run with a smaller engine.Although having said that running at lower speeds with a fast car means slightly better fuel consumption and it’ll last even longer.It’s just that being limited to 80 mph with strictly enforced limits is boring,more tiring and makes long distance euro road trips by car a lot less attractive.Which seems to be the socialist global warming believing tossers plan.
toby1234abc:
Drive all night,rest in the day with cat naps and long siestas.
At night peddle to the metal and go over the speed limits.
The problem is running under cover at night won’t help if/when the UK government allows the EU countries to issue UK licence penalties and fines resulting in drivers of UK reg cars getting caught by fixed unmanned speed cameras in just the same way as at home.But you’re right running through the night under the present regs reduces the odds of being hit with a fine or worse from a manned speed trap at least.
If it’s a holiday why the need for rushing like a lunatic and encouraged to break all speed limits ? 
why not take your time and enjoy the scenery of of being somewhere new. Obvious choice of car would be a BMW big engined comfortable heavy oil burner, if you want one I can sell you one of mine 
Me and 3 friends have just planned, made arrangements for a trip to Portugal.
Mates wife will not even consider the plymouth Santander ferry. Shame. It’s only 60 miles away 
So we have got 250 in the UK to get to dover before the 1100 odd miles on the other side.
Going in an E61 BMW. Thats a 07 plate 530D touring
Looking forward to it.
Ditch the mate and his wife - you don’t take coals to Newcastle .you can pick up a couple to share the cost on the boat. 
Rooster:
Just wondered if somebody has made the journey, I,ve a friend who has a phobia about flying, so after a few beers, the other evening as you do, I suggested we go overland to Benidorm. I spoke to a trucker from Stoke on my last holiday to Spain and he said it was an easy trip? Share the driving and it should take no more than a day, is this correct ?Pros and cons etc ?
I’ve done it and what I remember it was about 10 hrs of driving (to Estartit) from Calais and that was all motorway so with breaks anything from 12 hrs upwards. I drive at night and stick to 90 mph but you’ll still see Germans flash past like you’re stoped.
Pros: you got a free car when you get there, possibility of seeing things on the way there, in reality nowadays only a small saving cost wise.
Cons: ■■■■ knackering and I can live off little sleep and still find it tiring. Need a good ish car.