Routes to Algarve?

[veg_frenzy]

All,
I'm interested if anyone has completed a trip from the UK to the Algarve (Burgau area) and/or could recommend potential routes, stop off locations, ferries, etc. Would be looking to do the journey in about 3 days (2x1 night stopovers), but this could be extended. Happy to be directed to other threads on here or a private message exchange. Many thanks.

 

[barry]

We sailed across the Bay of Biscay from Portsmouth to Bilbao early May a couple of years ago.
Drove 450 miles from Glasgow to get on the 10pm boat (P&O I think).
Very convenient timing for us.
Spent 2 nights on the boat to Bilbao which docked 6am (very convenient for us).
Good restaurant (expensive and a goodish cheap one). Comfy cabin.
We booked the same week the ferry prices were announced (in November the year before) and got a huge discount. Can't remember exactly how much but about 33% off.

Then drove to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain for a couple of nights.
The spent 2 weeks wriggling down coast of Portugal to the Algarve.
I week around the Algarve.
Then a week back up inland to Bilbao to spend a bit of time in the Guggenheim.
Which is closed on Mondays!

Then Bilbao Portsmouth return with 1 not 2 overnights on the boat.

So our travelling goal was a bit different to yours so this info might not be much use to you

For what it's worth, we found the rest of Portugal much more interesting than the Algarve.

 

[Zebedee]

Brittany Ferries do a service to either Bilbao or Santander from Portsmouth or Plymouth. We came back from Bilbao in the Summer. You have a night on the ferry....worth going for a cabin with outside window. There are a few limited cabins you can take a dog into. We had to put poor Buttons into kennels on the ship as it is nearly 24 hours on the boat and he wasn't very happy as he normally stays in the Cali.
There is an outdoor swimming pool as well. It will get you a long way towards Portugal in 1 day.

 

[Zebedee]

We also stopped at the Guggenheim! Found a lovely campsite on the edge of Bilbao by a surfing beach but 20 minutes walk to the metro to get into the city centre, perfect.

 

[Skylark2.0]

Brittany Ferries do a service to either Bilbao or Santander from Portsmouth or Plymouth. We came back from Bilbao in the Summer. You have a night on the ferry....worth going for a cabin with outside window. There are a few limited cabins you can take a dog into. We had to put poor Buttons into kennels on the ship as it is nearly 24 hours on the boat and he wasn't very happy as he normally stays in the Cali.
There is an outdoor swimming pool as well. It will get you a long way towards Portugal in 1 day.

Fabulous whale and dolphin watching in the Bay of Biscay!

 

[snowy55]

This September we did the following:-
Set of after Saturday lunch from the Midlands to a Britstop near Taunton.
Sunday morning down to Plymouth for the Brittany Ferries afternoon service to Santander. Sunday night on the ferry.
Arrive Santander Monday lunch time. Drive past Torrelavaga then down the A67 and E80 to Salamanca. Monday night at Salamanca, Tuesday morning look at Salamanca Cathedral, Roman bridge, Plaza Mayor etc. A few tapas and then when it starts getting hot after lunch you can drive with the aircon on to Merida.
Tuesday night stayed just outside Merida.
Wednesday morning looked around Merida's Roman Aquaducts, Roman Palace etc. Wednesday afternoon, with the aircon on, travel south to Seville and turn right to Portugal. (we carried on south and went across to Morocco)
When you enter Portugal you have to register a credit/debit card to use the unmanned toll roads or you can do this online before you set off, it took about six weeks for our charges to come through about £9 each way to Albufeira.
Here is a list of campsites we have used in Spain on this and previous trips.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zCG1xNRlw3iI.k12_fk2sI05k&usp=sharing
Hope this helps.