Route Planning

Spain, Bilbao or Barcelona, I haven't decided yet, to Cherbourg route suggestions please. I'll be travelling in early November and will probably allow three days to do it. I prefer to stay off motorways and toll roads but use them if I have to. At that time of year would the coast be a better than an inland route ? All suggestions as to where to go and where to avoid would be appreciated. I use mainly Aires so closed campsites won't be a problem.

Bilboa November17° / 8° with12 days rain

NoTolls 1091 km 12.5 hrs. Rennes -Nantes - Payre - Bordeaux -Bayonne - ( Spain ) -Iruna-San Sebastian - Bilbao.
2182 km approx round trip
Tolls Route 1027 km 10 hours. Rennes -Nantes - ( dir La Rochelle ) - Niort - Bordeaux to Bayonne etc,
2054 km round trip

Barcelona November 18 ° / 12° with 5 days rain.
No tolls 1400 km -- 16 hre. Same route to Bordeaux - Mont-de-Marsan - Orthes - Olorn-Saint-Marie- ( Spain E7 ) Candanhu -El Grado - Barbastro - LLeida - Euglada- Barcelona.
2800km round trip

Toll Route 1325 --13hre. Same route to Bordeaux- Toulouse - Carcassone - Narbonne - Perpignan - ( Spain ) - Figures - Girona - Barcelona, ( La Mans - Tours to Bordeaux ) or ( Tours - Bourges - Montpellier ) no great difference if driving for 3 days
2700km round trip

The only problem I see is your doing it and not me.

Now the spanner trowing.

Santander /Burgos /Madrid / Murcia 850Km 8.5 hrs
Murcia / Benidorm /Alicante / Vanencia / Barcelona 600Km 6.5 hrs
Barcelona / LLeida / Zaragooza / Pamplona / Bilboa / Santander 750 km 8.5 hrs

2200km round trip.

Ill bet your sorry you asked

Thanks for the input lads, good info keep it coming. Sprinter I'll be studying all your info in the coming weeks, I'd happily bring you with me but with your leg problems an' all you;g probably end up getting gout or something else and becoming a burden. Daffy, if you're looking in, I'll give you a bit of time to settle back into The Sunny Southeast and then start picking your brain about your latest trip.