Taking The Rav To Spain

[redlew]

Thinking about getting the Portsmouth- Santander ferry this summer but wondering if it wouldn't be a lot less hassle flying there and hiring a car.

You are supposed to have a spare bulb set and the tools to change each and every bulb. How many bulbs and tools would that be -and in any case it seems that for most bulb changes, gynacologists fingers are needed anyway

You have to have the headlights not dazzling the oncoming motorists -do you do this with black tape or with plastic beam deflectors and if so , how do they attach?

You are supposed to have your original V5, license and insurance docs in the car at all times -so if the local toerag nicks them....

Is it less trouble than it sounds?

[anchorman]

No trouble red.

Chuck a box of bulbs in the car. They don't know what you need or how to change them. Beam deflectors are easy as shown on the pack and there is an alignment dot on your headlights. I take insurance but not the V5. If you do take them all just stick em in your bag when you leave the car.

If you can afford the fuel bill, take it and enjoy yourself

[dangermooser]

Some of the basic rules to follow for driving in Spain

* Driving license, car document and insurance must be carried at all times.

* Seat belts are worn in front and back seats at all times.

Blood alcohol levels must register less than 1.2mg/0.6ml of alcohol be in the blood. (This limit is lower than in many other countries and can be reached after consuming as little as one small glass of wine or beer).

* Two warning triangles and reflective vests must be in your vehicle at all times, and used in case of accident or car problems.

* Drivers are required to aid accident victims if they are the first on the scene.

* You must have a hands free device to use a mobile phone while driving.

* Children under 12 must sit in the back seat of a car.

Babies and children must use age/weight appropriate safety seats.

* Helmets are required for driving mopeds and motorcycles and children under 12 are not allowed on motorbikes with the exception that children over seven may ride with their parents, legal guardians or an adult that has been authorised by their parents provided they wear a helmet and abide by all rules and regulations.

* You are not allowed to warn other drivers that police checkpoints are ahead.

* Radar detectors are prohibited.

Rules of the road

* Give way to the right.

* Priority is to those already on a roundabout.

[anchorman]

...........and if you don't have a phone kit I have the very thing!!!

[bothwell_buyer]

SPAIN IS FULL OF FOREIGNERS - BEST TO AVOID !!!

[baz1631]

:ffs:

SPAIN IS FULL OF FOREIGNERS - BEST TO AVOID !!!

You want to try drivin tae Poland!Over 600 mls. of Dutch/German autobhan @180klm (about 125-130mph I think!). Rotterdam-Gorzow WLKP (Poland) 10 hrs. Mental! !:ffs: I needed a few vodkas when ah got there just to calm down!

[El Bee]

Hi Folks, just joined today and noticed this topic,

From May last year the requirement to carry a bulb kit was removed, so no worry on that one! You can get beam deflectors in Halfords etc or on the ferry, they just stick on.

As well as vehicle documents you must carry ID at all times but you can go into a copy shop here and for €2 get a credit card sized laminated copy of your passport, that satisfies 95% of the cops. As mentioned you should carry triangles and reflective vests but the cops usually ignore unfamiliar foreign plated cars and if stopped in a road block expect to be waved through!

Driving in Spain is much more relaxed than the UK and until recently fuel was much cheaper.

Speed limits drop next Monday from 120 to 110 and they've started enforcing them!

Hope this helps, any queries on driving over here just ask ;)

Lee B

[Mike JD]

Hi Folks, just joined today and noticed this topic,

From May last year the requirement to carry a bulb kit was removed, so no worry on that one!

As well as vehicle documents you must carry ID at all times but you can go into a copy shop here and for €2 get a credit card sized laminated copy of your passport, that satisfies 95% of the cops. As mentioned you should carry triangles and reflective vests but the cops usually ignore unfamiliar foreign plated cars and if stopped in a road block expect to be waved through!

Lee B

Howdo Lee and welcome.

What an impressive start to your time here. Very informative!

2 linked quessies, please. I very rarely get over the border into Spain by car although I do try to walk over the top once a year on a sentier des passeurs if the weather behaves. Much of what we have seen here applies across mainland Europe but I wonder if the 2 points above apply now in France too. I always carry a bulb set anyway these days but was wondering how to comply with the HIDs.

Re reflective vests the Gendamerie were having some fun with foreign reg cars last summer on that one. Bear in mind that they need to be located in the main body of the car rather than the boot as you are supposed to be able to put one on before getting out in an emergency situation. They were so cheap to buy online and make so much sense to have with you that ours now live all year round in those little pockets on the back of the front seats in the UK as well.

Mike D

[Hoovie]

Hi,

I looked at the options (Santander ferry versus driving) back in 2006 when I went from Home (Devon) to the Costa Brava (North East Coast). Ended up driving and it was fine and good fun Downside is the fuel the RAV4 uses, but the Ferry is hardly cheap either!! Just treated the journey as part of the holiday and enjoyed the scenery.

Last year drove from Home (now Scotland) to Italy and that was good as well - in the Qashqai (so fuel less painful) and ended up with two overnight stops each way (France and Switzerland on the way down, and Germany and Belgium on way up) and again, planned journey as part of break.

Re the comments about the kit you have to have - To be honest, a ) none of it is expensive and b ) it is all sensible stuff to carry in the car whatever country you are driving in.

Also .... I recently got new insurance and found out that a lot of companies who say they include "European Cover" only include the basics, so you may only have 3rd Party cover in Europe, no matter what cover you have in the UK, so worth checking that out! I ended up buying the 'enhanced' European cover for an extra £20 which extends the complete UK cover to Europe.

As an aside, doing the road trip to Italy took us through 9 European Countries and I reckon BY FAR the worst drivers in terms of road manners, tailgating and patience were the Belgiums - Nutters!!

[El Bee]

Cheers Mike :)

I really don't know the rules in France - dunno about that walking lark either, bit tiring on the feet for me. And most of the Spanish folk I know don't seem to like the French very much anyway, can't imagine why :)

The motorway/road cops here are the Guardia Civil Traffico, green and white cars, green uniforms and loadsa guns, they're OK really as long as you don't annoy them! They're all trained in first aid and basic mechanical stuff and just want a quiet life unless the Traffico boss (El Jeffe) winds them up to chase drivers for some offense or another. They often ignore foreign registered cars because of the language problems. If they catch you speeding, as a foreigner, if you can't pay the on the spot fine they will take you to a cash point, no cash and your car may be impounded until you pay the fine, the Grua (tow truck) and storage. You must carry your registration document, MoT cert and insurance certificate, we have to also carry proof that our insurance premiums are paid.

Motorways have (usually just one) camera on the back of some overhead gantries over the "fast" lane although I don't know anybody who's had a fine as a result of going through one too fast, in fact I've never seen one flash! They're also well marked with warning signs beforehand, "velocidad" being the Spanish word for speed.

As mentioned thougfh it's no real hardship to bung a few bulbs and a couple of warning triangles in the back, I carry the reflective vests in the front door pockets and in the mesh wossnames on the back of the front seats.

Lee B

[El Bee]

Regarding the ferry or drive discussion....

I like the Portsmouth to Bilbao/Santander ferries but they're getting expensive, I reckon the break even point cost wise is a ferry fare of around £500 return, depending on your route the tolls (mainly in France) can be €200, add in fuel, nights in a hotel etc, it's not cheap! Anyway I like (being ex-Merchant Navy) going for rides on ships, even if it's just a ferry. It's worth checking the routes from Plymouth too, they can be cheaper than Portsmouth

You can get the ferry fare cheaper by phoning the ferry operator (rather than book online) when they quote the fare tell them that much as you'd love to travel with them you can drive through France for faaaar less, they will offer you cheaper, usually £100-200 off.

Last time I did it, the ferry arrived in Bilbao about 07.30 and I was off by 08.00, reached Burgos around 10.00, Madrid about 12.30 (nice quiet traffic time) Albacete about 2.30 and home (50kms south of Alicante) just after 4.00pm, but that's 120/130kph pretty much non stop!

Lee B

[redlew]

Thanks all.

If I decided to carry all the tools I needed to change any bulb, would that just be a screwdriver set or would I need spanners, pliers , molegrips etc. I think I read somewhere that an oxyacetelene torch would come in handy on some cars but I think that would be a bit over the top.

The ferry returns are a staggering £1000 return in the summer -but flights + car hire aren't any cheaper. Leeds to Pompey is far enough for me so on balance, I think I'll take the RAV by sea.

[Davrav]

Leeds to Pompey is far enough for me so on balance, I think I'll take the RAV by sea.

Whoa! an amphibious RAV - I missed that one in the brochure

[Mike JD]

.............. the mesh wossnames on the back of the front seats.

Lee B

There - I knew there was a proper technical name for them

Mike D