Setting out on our 10th Anniversary road trip in 2026, we had Africa in our sights; both for a bit of van TLC and some non-Schengen sunshine. In this Part 1 of 2, we document the route we travelled from the UK through France en route to Morocco and offer you some planning inspirations.
We are not generally creatures of habit, although taking the 2 day ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao or Santander with Brittany Ferries is a preferred route for us, despite the unpredictable Bay of Biscay. So you can imagine our disappointment when both routes were fully booked for weeks at a time. A new plan was needed. Instead we decided sail across from Portsmouth to Caen (another favourite route that works for us in terms of UK location) and drive through France into Spain. Now of course a winter journey is a bit like playing Russian Roulette; you just don’t know what you’re going to get weather wise, although our options were limited. It has been a couple of years since we travelled through France, so it was actually a positive outcome.
Our ferry choice was an early morning departure arriving into France at 3pm, giving us a couple of hours to travel south for our first overnighter. The ferry crossing for the two of us and Scoobie, including a Commodore Suite for an extra bit of comfort came in at £306, which we thought was a good price. And within 6 hours we had arrived on a smooth as a baby’s bottom sailing. Getting through Customs was a breeze and, for the moment in January 2026, no Biometrics have been taken. And we were off.
In terms of choice of route there were a number of considerations;
- The weather
- The latest farmer’s protests clogging up some motorways and ports
- Seeing some nice places en route south, essentially driven by the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
- Working out our service points as a large majority of France turn off their water in village Aires
- Travelling for no more than 4hrs per day.
Here is our PolarSteps route. Of course if you would like to follow us over there, just click here.
So with daylight slightly elongated, being one hour ahead, we decided to put some driving time beneath our belt. All the most beautiful France villages en route from Ouistreham and Caen we had visited before and we wanted new territory. So I stumbled upon a Citè de Charactère de France instead. However it is worth noting the places that we have stayed and enjoyed before in case you would like options that are within spitting distance of the port.
- Falaise – a medieval city wall town where you can stay in front of the castle for the night and only 45 minutes from the Port.
- Bagnoles de L’Orne – a Les Plus Beaux Villages and Spa town that is utterly unique and well worth stopping at if you’ve not seen it before.
- And finally Saint Céneri-le-Gérei – a Les Plus Beaux Villages that has a small aire at the bottom of the village where you can stay overnight, weather permitting.
1. Night 1 – Lassay les Chateaux
Our choice for the night was Lassay Les Chateaux, a Cité de Charactère with plenty of history and attractions, as you can imagine. With three chateaux all within walking distance, this is a great spot for an afternoon. The town itself is full of character and well worth a wander, if for no other reason that to find the precious boulangerie. I found that and much, much more. Our home was a lovely, dedicated parking area for motorhomes, which was free although without services. It was perfectly peaceful and a great place to stop. In better weather we would have stopped longer. Here is the Park4Night marker for our Aire.
2. Night 2 – Vouvant
With a 4 hour journey ahead of us, armed with a fresh baguette we headed south, taking as many non toll roads as possible. We chose just one motorway stretch to get around Angers, costing us just €10. Our destination was Vouvant, which I had chosen because it was a Les Plus Beaux Villages. They have a paid Aire at the top of the village that had all the services including hook up. Although as is often the case, the water had been turned off. Here is the P4N marker for our home and it cost us €13.60 for the night all inclusive. The village is lovely with medieval walls surrounding an old settlement located on the hook of the river Mère- The river walk was gorgeous even in the cold, and then over the Roman bridge you are into the heart of the town, which as you’ll imagine is incredibly pretty. If you love walking and cycling, there are plenty of options open to you.
3. Night 3 – Blaye near Bordeaux
It was a Friday and we woke to a pea soup sky, both factors of which influenced our journey to Blaye. An Aire had been recommended in a vineyard, which was mighty appealing. So with the Farmers’ strikes having an impact on motorways around Bordeaux, we decided to stick to the back roads, especially with the poor visibility. However, as is Google Maps wont, we ended up half way through our journey, being rerouted onto the A10 which actually cost us nothing on this particular stretch. After 3hrs 20mins, we arrived at Chateaux Marquis de Vauban, just a 20 minute walk along the Gironde estuary to the UNESCO town.
There are two overnight options here. The first is in the Chateaux grounds itself which will cost you €10, although included in that is a bottle of their wine and free wine tasting at 5pm each night.
The second option is opposite the Chateaux vineyard and is a municipal campsite costing €10 also, with full services and hook up. We were lucky that the barrier wasn’t working, as we had intended to go to the Chateaux option and I took a wrong turn. Still we had two nights here and the money we saved we put towards lunch in the town.
Blaye itself and the Cité de Vauban is a must see. The old fortress walled-city dates back to the 1600 and with its cobbled streets, panoramic views over the river and a few restaurants open in the season, it makes a really nice visit. If you come from April to October, then you may choose the municipal campsite that is actually inside of the walls, with stunning views at sunset. It looked like a really nice and unique place to call home.
On a Tuesday and Saturday, Blaye has a market outside of the fortress walls and the array of fruit, veg, meat and fish is just incredible. Add to this the 5pm free wine and apperitifs back at the vineyard, you’ll not go wrong with a stay here. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the €6 per person fee for a wine tasting session was great value. Of course we came away with a few bottles for our very own cave.
4. And the final stretch – to Irun, Spain
With one last, big stretch, we did our final run to the Spanish border. Given it was Sunday, this is a perfect time to do a motorway stretch as most lorries do not travel. So it makes for a much more pleasant journey. Now the A63 is a toll road although it takes you all the way into Spain very easily without any fears of Gendarme weighing stations. There were a total of 5 péage tolls to pay which cost us a total of €26.50, that given the directness of the route, is well worth the investment. It’s not a pretty route, although necessary when you’re pushing through. Our overnighter for our first night in Spain, which we’ll tell you more about in the next edition, was up in the Pyrenees at Erlaitz just 15 minutes south of Irun. It’s a perfect off-grid spot that we have stayed at before and as long as the weather is good, you’ll be treated to some stunning views, friendly horses on the hunt for carrots and some beautiful look. For the Park4Night marker, click here.
And so, our first leg is complete. With our departure from Portsmouth, as our day 1, it took us five days to get to the Spanish border. We did one fill of petrol which cost us €100 and our overnight stays cost us €13.60 and we covered 808 miles, which includes the Channel.
Next we document our experiences of our Spanish leg, taking us down to Gibraltar for some appointments and then onto Algeciras for our DFDS ferry, booked at the bargain price of €130 on 1st February.
You´ve stayed at a couple really nice places and pretty villages. Thanks for bringing me with you on the trip 🙂 xx