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Green Lane Tours : Off Road Holidays : 4x4 Experience Days
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The Pyrenees
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Itinerary
Saturday
We meet at Dover early on Saturday morning. There's chance to
introduce ourselves and check round the vehicles to make sure we're ready for
the journey ahead. We ask that all entrants arrive at Dover with enough fuel for approximately 175 miles. This is to avoid having to go straight for fuel when we get off the ferry, and getting caught up in local traffic. We catch an early morning cross channel ferry which should take less than 2 hours. We will travel at a steady pace,
aiming to drive at around 70mph, stopping for
fuel and maybe a late lunch along the way, before arriving in the evening at our overnight
motorway motel in plenty of time to get an evening meal nearby. We aim to
only drive for around 2½ to 3 hours at a time, before stopping for a break.
Sunday
Time to get up and out onto the French motorways
to finish our journey, arriving at our week long base in Encamp, in the
Principality of Andorra in the afternoon. Time to
unpack, and settle into your own personal "bungalow". These are chalet
style buildings of a similar size and layout to small static caravans. Each one
contains a kitchen/sitting area, 2 bedrooms, a toilet, and an outside decking area.
We now use the larger bungalows on site, which have a slightly larger
kitchen/sitting area and their own shower and hot running water. All cooking/eating utensils are provided, and the bedrooms have
blankets and pillows, although you will need your own linen. Electricity and
gas are also included, and 2 shower blocks are available for use just near the
bungalows if you'd rather have more room than in your bungalow. The
rest of the day is left free to settle in after the long journey,
and to go into town to stock up on food and drink for the
week ahead. There is also a fully licensed bar on the campsite, and a
swimming pool and outside seating area for those who just want to relax.
Monday
Our first day out off roading in the mountains. Our guide
vehicle will lead you high into the mountains until the tarmac roads finish, and
the trails begin. We'll take packed lunches with us, as we head into the
mountains, only occasionally passing through little villages as we pass from
Andorra over the border into Northern Spain. The off roading follows a
fully researched and documented route, which is followed using our guide
vehicle's GPS computer mapping to ensure we're always on the right track.
Be prepared for some impressive views as we zigzag up the mountain sides,
climbing to peaks of around 2750 metres (9000 feet!). A camera is a
must for this trip, as you'll want to have a record of these amazing places
we're driving through.
Tuesday
Our second full day of off roading in the mountains.
Again we will cross over the border into Spain whilst on the trails, and while
these routes bypass the main road border controls and customs, we're still
likely to see a Police patrol up on the mountain trails. These routes have
long been used for the smuggling of tobacco, and the illegal trade continues
today, although not as much as in years gone by. Sheep and goat farmers
are also amongst the other users of these trails that we're likely to encounter,
and most will give us a friendly wave as we pass by on our route.
Wednesday
Wednesday is your rest day. Whether it's
relaxing by the pool, or exploring the area. Andorra is also a shoppers
paradise, and many items can be found at lower prices than here in the UK.
The shopping areas in town are lined with shops specialising in electronic
goods, perfumes, and even car accessories. Food and drink are also cheap
here, with wines, spirits and cigarettes being far cheaper than back home.
There are also many cafes, bars and restaurants which offer a variety of
traditional local, and English foods. A trip over the border to Spain
gives the opportunity to visit countless pretty villages, perched high up in the
mountains, or if a European city day out is what you're looking for, Barcelona
is only 125 miles (about 2.5 hours) away.
Anyone wanting even more off roading, can opt for an additional short excursion (approx 2 hours), giving fantastic views of
our base in Encamp, Andorra.
On the evening, we will host a free barbeque in the campsite bar. Fresh local meat will be cooked on an open fire, and washed down with red wine. There'll be an opportunity to try an interesting local tradition with the red wine,
with a prize for the winner. You have been warned!
Thursday
Day number three of off roading in the mountains!
One of the routes starts slightly further out into Spain. It's well worth
the short drive to the start of the route though, as we climb up the mountain
side on what seems to be an non stop ascent of the rocky track. Lunchtime
leaves us at a fantastic viewpoint, with views across Spain and the Pyrenees
range, where on a clear day you can see for over 200km! On the evening, we may visit Caldea, Europe's largest thermal
spa. Entrants are welcome to join us, and the entry cost is €28 per person
for a 2 hour session. Caldea includes indoor and outdoor swimming pools
and jacuzzi's, roman baths, Turkish foot baths, steam rooms and sauna's, as well
as relaxation areas and a light/water show at the end of the night. Visit
www.caldea.com for details.
Friday
Our fourth and final full day of off roading.
Some of the routes we follow are actually used for skiing in the winter months,
and we'll drive amongst cable car stations, and along pistes as we travel once
again through the Pyrenees mountains. There's dusty forest tracks, exposed
hill climbs, short river crossings, and muddy lanes for us to contend with on
our tour of this unique area.
On the Friday evening, there's an opportunity for us all to get together for a 'last night' meal in a traditional local restaurant. Reasonably priced food, washed down with red wine helps us finish off the holiday and spend our last evening together as a group.
Saturday
Saturday morning is time to pack up and
get those last minute buys from the local shops, ready for the start of our
journey home. We will leave Andorra mid morning, and after climbing back
over the mountains into France, we'll once again be on the motorways heading
back North. We'll arrive back at a motorway motel in the evening for our
last night on the continent. Again, we should be there in plenty of time for
an evening meal just over the road from our motel.
Sunday
After our last night in France, we travel the remainder of the
French motorways that lead us back for our return ferry crossing. All being well there's time
for some shopping in the wine warehouses of Calais before heading back to the
ferry port for our afternoon ferry back to
Dover. Time to say goodbye to the new friends we'll have all made, and
head off home.
