Veloz Espana '25
Spanish Costas | Pyrenees
Wednesday 24th of September | Arrive at La Zambra Resort & Spa: Arrive at your leisure, and depending whether you are driving or flying in to the Costa del Sol, you can choose what to do before the real driving begins in the morning. If you arrive early we will have an afternoon short scenic drive around the local area that you may wish to join us on. Alternatively you can head to the pool or onto the golf course before meeting up with everyone for the first group dinner of the tour, where everyone can get together to renew or make new friendships, whilst chatting about their cars and the next 8 days on the roads of Veloz Espana ‘25.
Thursday 25th September | 6hr 30min drive 520km: Leaving the hotel we will be heading up into the hills that overlook the Costa del Sol to enjoy some of the twisty rural roads, before we leave the Costa del Sol in the mirrors. At Antequera we will be joining the winding scenic motorway to head past Granada, skirting the edge of the Sierra Nevada, the Costa Tropical and the Costa de Almería, making sure we have enough time to reach today’s highlight, the Alto de Velefique.
This little known road was special enough for possibly two of the most iconic cars built 20 years apart. Yes, it’s the scene of a back to back review of the infamous McLaren F1 and its much younger sister, the GMA T.50. To get a feel for this fantastic road, check out this amazing film done by Henry Catchpole CLICK HERE ‘F1 v T50’ and make sure you have the volume turned up to the max! Fun complete on the Velefique, we will be heading for Ubeda to check into a lovely boutique 5* hotel in the cobbled streets of this historic Spanish city.
Friday 26th September | 6hr 30min drive 427km: The route north passes through Andalucia and onto the Costa Blanca passing the Costa Calida on some interesting twisties through the Sierras de Cazorla, a little known national parque in Spain that is perfect for some fun in the morning, before we head north east to the coast. Leaving the parque we will be enjoying some more open well-sighted roads which mean we can cover ground quickly heading past Murcia and on to Alicante. Here the tighter more challenging roads begin through the pine forest in the foothills of the Serra del Maigmo, passing the Puig Campana mountain, and taking you all the way into the 5* Barcelo Nucia Hill hotel, which is located in the hills above Benidorm.
Saturday 27th September | 5hr drive 293km: A shorter day today after a longer one yesterday, to make sure we arrive in plenty of time to enjoy the facilities at the Las Arenas Balneario Resort, where you have 2 nights to enjoy the delights of this beachside hotel. The journey through the Costa Blanca continues at a pace, with some fantastic mountain and open roads that lead to the ‘City of Arts,’ Valencia. Leaving our night’s hotel, we are just twenty minutes from the hills, and the start of the superb twisties to make our way inland to the La Serra de Mariola national parque. Definitely a great way to jump start your day. From there we will enjoy some really well-sighted and undulating roads that make for the perfect way to end your day, before the 30 minute blast down the A3 to reach our ‘Leading Hotel of the World,’ the Las Arenas Balneario Resort.
Sunday 28th September | Day of Rest: As you will have reached the mid point of the tour, we have decided to offer you “a day of rest,” and some time off from “behind the wheel,” so that you can explore Valencia at your leisure.
Monday 29th September | 6hr 30min drive 446km: Leaving the coast we will have a 30 minute bit of motorway fun to wake us all up, before we turn off to head through the heart of the La Serra Calderona, before we reach another 40km section of motorway to ensure we have enough time to enjoy the butter smooth roads closer to the hotel. Once off the A-23, it’s over 100km of pure driving nirvana that winds its way around a lake and some stunning canyons, all that will require you to be on your A-game! We will have another section of Spain’s vastness to conquer, heading past the Costa del Azahar, before we arrive in the seventh Costa of the trip, Costa Daurada. Once off the motorway, you will have three more national parques to enjoy, including the Serres de Pandols-Cavalls and the Serres de Cardo-el Boix, on route to our 5* suite-only retreat hotel, which sits nestled amongst the grape vines of the Serra de Montsant national parque itself.
Tuesday 30th September | 6hr 15min drive 375km: As the hotel sits in the heart of a driver’s paradise, you could head out for an early morning loop before we depart in the direction of the Pyrenees Catalanes, to our second “Leading Hotel of the World,” the 5* Hotel Camiral & Wellness hotel. Before you reach the hotel though, you will have a full-on day navigating every type of road on today’s special route up to the foothills of the Pyrenees. This includes 70km of incredible roads leaving the stunning suite-only hotel Mas d’en Bruno and through the Muntanyes de Prades. It’s definitely an ‘if Carlsberg did driving days’ type of day!
Wednesday 1st October | 6hr 15min drive 478km: The route west towards the Atlantic begins today to reach the last night’s hotel of the tour, in Canfranc. The route will include the infamous 50km of pure driving nirvana in the Pyrenees on the Collada de Toses, not only one of our favourites every year but also one of ‘Jeremy’s’ favourites! This is followed by the great section of the N-260 that passes the Creu Skywalk for the group shot over the valley below, before reaching Sort for a well deserved lunch stop. The afternoon will begin with some less well known passes, that lead us through some simply stunning valleys to reach the 5* hotel, Canfranc Estacion. The perfect way to relax after a spirited morning drive!
Thursday 2nd October | 5hrs 30min drive 426km: The final drive back to Santander to catch the ferry for the 4:00pm departure means you have a few options for the final day on the road, as we don’t need to reach the ferry port to check-in until 3:00pm (latest). As we don’t want to miss a day on these epic roads, we have planned a mixed cross-country route to enjoy some last passes before we board the ferry. However, If you have one too many nightcaps at the final group dinner, or you fancy some shopping in Santander, you could take the direct route from the hotel, which saves approx an hour and half by taking the motorway network. The direct motorway route is pretty special anyway, but the choice is yours.
The 21-hour crossing back to Plymouth, in a club class outside cabin, offers you plenty of time to relax and enjoy a few beers and chat over the week’s highlights with both old and new friends before a final dinner in the ship’s main restaurant, La Flora.
Friday 3rd October: Enjoy a lie-in, before it will be time to say your final farewells before we disembark the ferry in Plymouth at 11:15am to head for home.
Pre-Tour Extension: If you wish to fly into Malaga early, to enjoy a few days of relaxing before the tour kicks off, please let us know.
Have a game of golf on one of the hotel’s two fantastic courses, or just chill out around the many pools to hopefully catch some early spring sunshine or enjoy the stunning surroundings of the hotel’s spa. Whatever you fancy please contact us to arrange an extension for you at this beautiful La Zambra 5* Resort & Spa, and we will make it happen.
Please Note: Whatever options you choose to do before the tour begins, you will need to make your own arrangements for the outbound travel to reach the start of the tour, either by car or plane!
All routes and exact timings are just a guide and are subject to change.
