My MIL is ill and she's now permanently in a care home. (I could stop right and that would be a valid post!)
But my wife mentioned that there were many things in the house in Torrevieja (about 40 miles south of Alicante) that need to be taken out if the house is to go on the market. So over the months I dreamed up this 'trip of a lifetime'.
A couple of months ago she gave it the all clear, so full planning got under way, now that whole process makes me happy, but basically it meant a 3 hour drive to Rosslare, 33 hours (2 nights) on a modern ferry (Brittany Ferries Salamanca) sailing out of the Celtic Sea then across the Bay of Biscay to Bilbao, then a 10 hour drive all the way to Torrevieja on the south coast. Around 850kms. On my own, do what I want stop when I want , get some stuff out of the house 3 days to do that, then 10 hours back to Bilbao, long sea trip home and sorted!
Very Happy. Only ever driven 10 or 11 hours before in one go but I was a lot younger then. (Cherbourg to my house in the Pyrenees south of Perpignan) but really enjoyed it . I chose to go via Zaragoza because it's a lot more hilly and better scenery.
Got to Bilbao to be told that the sailing had been cancelled due to very rough sea conditions around the Celtic Sea and the channel.
After lots of checking, the fastest way to get back to Ireland was to drive to Cherbourg! for the 3pm sailing on the 7th! ( For fuck's sake".)
So I sat back down and drove into France and stayed at the loveliest place St Jean de Luz. 2 nights
Up to La Rochelle (Lovely around the harbour but scruffy on the way in) then 2 nights in Roscoff in a studio apt (Airbnb)
Before getting a virtually empty ferry (Salamanca again) 50 cars and only 100 passengers.
Really happy about the unplanned enforced 5 day holiday in France, wandering through lovely towns by the sea, eating lovely food, drinking lovely beer. Completely happy. Trip of a lifetime turned into a really good one.
Overall, around 45 hours of driving covering approx 2,000 kms / 1,240 miles. in 13 days.
