European Tour - France and Northern Spain - May 2026
The European Tour took place from 5 - 17 May and covered around 1,700 miles starting at Caen ending in Bilbao, Spain. Twelve cars started. One developed an electrical problem which finally stopped play in Bilbao and was later retrieved back to UK by the RAC. Another with a head gasket issue was parked in Bilbao and replaced by a modern rental car for the Spanish circuit. Another blew a head gasket on the first day and was miraculously attended to by the leading French classic Alfa garage based in Amboise (8 miles from our first stopover hotel). The removed the head, had it skimmed and replaced it withe the new gasket in just two days. The car ran perfectly all the way.
The route from Caen went across the entire Western side of France and the cars with stopovers in Mosnes, St Cyprien near Bergerac (not the Jersey detective series) and on to Dax with a rest day for the aged-crews allowing most to see the cars in the final leg of the Auto Tour de France as they headed to Biarritz. From Dax to tour went through the Pyrenees to Bilbao to complete a tour of north west Spain, with a little beach recreation at Comillas, then taking in the magnificent Picos de Europa to Leon. A delightful route to our stopover at Parador Monastery Santo Estevo. Next day we followed the camino and called at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, then on to the historic seaport of Ferrol. Our last stopover was a the isolated Hotel Cerro la Nino in the tiny hamlet of Becena with a last view of the Picos. Then a fast run to Bibao and the ferry back to Portsmouth arriving Sunday evening. A long and eventful but thoroughly enjoyable jaunt in to Espana Verde.
