Avoiding San Pedro - the toll road

Cruised up to the finca this weekend. Round trip is around 350kms.

Here we are at Chilches. We usually stop here to let the dog out for a walk.



For the first time ever we used a toll road in Spain for the section between Marbella and Estepona, to avoid San Pedro de Alcantara.

Cost - two euros 55 cents (one way).

Reason – roadworks that are apparently going to last for the next 18 months and are causing huge delays.

Verdict – very nice. Worth two euros 55 cents. Possibly made up for in fuel efficiency by not sitting in traffic jams.

Note – toll road costs go up over the summer period so according to Via Michelin this goes up to five euros 72 cents. Probably still worth doing to avoid delays which will be even worse in summer.

The stretch of toll road is around 23km with a rest area/filling station/shop/cafeteria/toilets/parking etc on both sides of the road. Note, the shop prices seemed somewhat dear, but they maybe don't get a lot of punters. Loads of space and great for dog walking. Clean toilets.





On non-toll roads in Spain the slip roads are terrible, you have to go from a standing start to meet traffic travelling at minimum 80kmph. Here, you actually get a decent slip road to get up enough speed to pull onto the motorway, plus there isn't too much traffic anyway.

Another observation, the tunnels on the toll road are so much better lit. How bizarre.

It was pretty scenery and a great bit of road. Naturally, less traffic, as we all want to save two euros and 55 cents. Not any more. We'll be using it again.

Mileage

Around 350 kms

Cost

Around £23 for diesel and €5.10 in tolls

As a comparison the bus trip is around €26 for one person (both ways), before you even think about getting something to eat, and takes around twice as long.