This was certain the saddest trips I have ever taken. My wife Monique, the light of my life, left me on the 23rd December 2023 at 17:00. For the first time since 2007 I would drive south alone. A very lonely and heartbreaking trip.
It was immediately following Easter, and my objective was to arrive quickly in southern Andalusia, but also to say hello to an old acquaintance and his wife south of Toulouse. This meant taking a different route from Lyon, and only re-joining the Spanish autopista after Barcelona. In addition to stopping for two days near Toulouse, I stopped in the Domaine de Marchal in Celles Sur Durolle just south of Lyons, and again in La Galiana Golf Resort, La Barraca d’Aigües Vives, near Valencia in Spain.
The total distance was nearly 2,500 km, meaning three stop-overs, and four days driving 5-6 hours per day. Traffic was surprisingly fluid, and it turned out to be a very comfortable trip, albeit without my Monique sleeping next to me.
Bielsa-Aragnouet Tunnel
The only unusual moment on the trips was driving through the Bielsa-Aragnouet Tunnel, an international road tunnel located in the central Pyrenees. It joins the valleys of Bielsa in Spain with Aure in France. It is a single tunnel long 3,070 meters, and traffic lights limit traffic to one direction at a time. So a 15-20 minute wait before entering the tunnel is possible. The entrance on the Spanish side is at 1,664 meters, and on the French side its at 1,821 meters. The tunnel is often closed to traffic during the winter. There does not appear to be any interest by either the Spanish or French authorities to build a second tunnel.
It was originally built by an international agreement between the Spanish and French governments in the early 1970s, and came into service in October 1976. The tunnel was poorly maintained by both parties, so at the beginning of the 21st century, reinforcement works and security enhancements had to be undertaken. In 2008, the Autonomous Community of Aragon and the department of Hautes-Pyrénées signed an agreement to form a consortium that jointly manages both the international tunnel and several kilometers (4.5 km of the A-138 in Spain and 6.1 km of the D118 in France) of the roads that serve as access to it from both countries. The main work is trying to keep this trans-Pyrenean tunnel open during the winter.
My first stop was at the Domaine de Marchal, a 3-star “chambres et table d’hôtes” in Celles-sur-Durolle, not far from Vichy.
My choice was largely determined by location, i.e. in the right place to spend a night in my drive down to southern Spain. However, in addition it offered free secure private parking, free wifi, and an optional evening meal.
There is no reason why I would not recommend this chambre d’hotes. But it’s equally true that there is no compelling reason to return.
My second stopover was with an old acquaintance and his wife, who live south of Toulouse.
During my stay they kindly took me to see both Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges and the gallo-romaine villa of Lassalles.
I prepared a separate post about our visit to the Cathedral.
My only stopover in Spain was at the La Galiana Golf Resort in Barraca de Aigües Vives, about 55 km south of Valencia in Spain.
I very much enjoyed my stay, and this hotel is ideally located about a 6-7 hour drive (approx. 700 km) from my base in southern Andalusia.
In fact during my Summer Roadtrip 2024 migrating north, I stopped again in this excellent hotel.
