Awaycation Autumn 2024 - One Booking!

I was looking on the Resort Condominiums International (RCI.Com) site to see if there was anything we could drive to and that was pet friendly.  

I have owned a timeshare in Tenerife since 1994.  It was very cheap at the time. Of course annual maintenance goes up every year so not using it hurts! 

Across Europe there were a few places but as we plan to travel in October that really ruled out Finland and Sweden, although maybe one day we can take Molly the Moho over that way. Purely as I don't know much about the weather there.

There were a number of others in Austria and Hungary. One of the Hungarian places I have been before with my ex-partner. We went on our motorcycles and stayed near Heviz and Lake Balaton. 

I ruled out Austria as the size of the dog was restricted to 10kg!  Reggie is around 17.5kg. It's another place I have visited quite often especially when I lived in Brno and was only 75 miles or so from Vienna.

So that left three places for our dates and all in Spain. One where we have been before in 2022 and two others in Roquetas de Mar and Jaen.

After a chat we decided to try Alcossebre/Alcoceber again!  There will be blog posts on this blog-site somewhere!

Last time we came for three full weeks and Reggie was getting a little frazzled towards the end.  This time we are looking for the apartment part of the trip to be a more restful event.  Days of not driving far if at all.

I am looking at using the P&O ferry on a Tuesday morning and heading non-toll south to Spain. Four nights for a more leisurely drive down. And a similar number of nights driving back. We can't check in until 4pm on Saturday.

The last time we went we called in to visit a friend at Moux between Carcassonne and Narbonne. Our overnight was at the "Flot Bleu" aire in St Cyprien Plage.

Using that aire as the endpoint for Friday's driving,  Google Maps has suggested a route from Calais that goes via Rouen, Chartres, Orleans, Nevers. Moulins and then to the coast.  This is non toll as well. 

Although the first part from Boulogne to Abbeville will be on the toll section of the A16. That section on the old N1 is mind numbingly boring! And slow.

On Friday, as last time, we can slip across the border on a short bit of French toll motorway and then onto the toll-free A7.

By the time we arrive in France it will be around lunchtime.  I don't want to be driving 6 or 7 hours a day.  After all this is a holiday.

I'll check the ferry times in the coming weeks and then check to see how many Tesco Clubcard points we have accrued to turn into 2 for 1 vouchers to pay towards the ferry fare. We currently have £83 that doubles up to £166.  Although I think you can only use multiples of £5 or it maybe even £2.50.

With P&O they are still in the 00's with their online booking and you can only use a Tesco voucher over the dog and bone.

Once that's sorted I'll look more in depth at the overnight stops.  I expect we'll use Camping-Car Park Aires on the way up and down.

To alter the route home from going out,  we could maybe look at the N10 route again. We have done this before and to be honest, it's a bit boring! 

But it's a quick way of getting home.  I would also think that the vet in Cavignac could do Reggie's worming again. 

More about the way back later!