Bibao P&O Ferry Advice/Recomendaions Please? Forums

teemyob

Hello MH's

I have just booked our trip to Spain for October. We are going by Eurotunnel and returning Via Bilbao Portsmouth P&O (both booked with Tesco Points).

Last December we did the same trip but did a Eurotunnel Return. We headed out from Calais and drove over Milau (had to be done). Anyone any better recomendations Calais to Motril?

From Motril in Spain (costa Tropical) what do you recomend the drive time I should allow to get to Bilbao via Madrid or other recomendations?

I hear the bay of biscay can be rough?

Any other advice would be welcome.

Trev

Rapide561

Hi

Some say it is "rough", I would describe the sea conditions as "interesting"!

The water depth varies tremendously over short spaces and hence there is often a "swell"

Rapide561

teemyob

Telbell

Many years ago when we were Tuggers we did the Plymouth-Santander route which of course is Bay of Biscay. Jo, my wife wasn't feeling too brilliant at one stage. Never mind, I said, let's go and see the film downstairs and it'll take your mind off it.

What was the film?.... The Silence of the Lambs!! The sight of a close up of Anthony Hopkins, couple with stafff bringing round sick bags, sent Jo to her cabin pretty damned sharpish! I didn't see her again till 10 mins before the end of the 24hr trip.

Interesting???? I don't think that's a description she'd use!! Laughing

griffly16

We did the Plymouth-Santander in 2000 for the first time. My longest time on a boat as well. As we were approaching Santander we were looking out of the window to see some land after 23 hours of sea....

'look - a sandbank, how wonderful....'. Sat there for about 20 mins before we realised that the other side of the ship had great views approaching the town.... Duh!

Bloody interesting sandbank though Wink

teemyob

Hello again,

Well we came back on The Bilbao-Portsmouth crossing 31st October and have to say it was what I think people term a "millpond", the best crossing (sea condition wise) that we have ever done. Like floating on air. We were told that 2 trips prior to this it was force 12 and they showed us photographs for proof. I still think our gale force 9 in the north sea looked worse in the dark.

The Bay of Biscay dolphin reasearch team told us that on the crossing from Portsmouth to Bilbao they lost count at over 2,500 dolphin sightings in 2 hours and estimated it at over 4000! On the return leg we saw none, which they put down to natural wildlife watching and that there was a posibilty of military excerscises taking place in the regeion.

Other than that everything was good with the exception of the Minicruise Passengers please see new post.

Trev