the same thing happened to me going too fast years ago not after hat went down low gear never did it again regards stewart
I used this road countless times over the years. I seem to remember they built the tunnel in the mid to late '90s, but the tunnel shut from time to time and you still had to go over the Valeta Pass at the top. In the early 2000s they re-landscaped the Irun side of the mountain and built whole new sections of road. It’s a much easier road now than it was!
I’ve dug out a few pics I took on that route, below. The first one shows that truckstop just before the bend on the way up to the top (before the tunnel was finished) - I took it through the windscreen of the Scanny wagon and drag seen in the 2nd pic in 1995.
The 3rd pic I took at Sunbilla on the Irun side of the pass - mine was the DAF on the right en route to Morocco. The next pic I also took en route to Morocco and although it was taken in 2005, ten years later than the first pic, I still had to brave the snows over the top because the tunnel was closed for repair/accident or whatever.
The last pic shows the road (improved!) along the river on the Irun side. I wasn’t driving in the middle of the road: it had LHD! Robert
PS. Just found another couple I took on the Irun side in about 1998 or 9. Again they were taken when I was on Morocco work, this time for Breda transport. On this occasion we were waiting for bulldozers to clear away a land-slide! Robert
hi erf that restaurant was called san blas i sampled few cervezas in there and sunbilla from mid eighties to 2005 great days was on morrocco myself for 2yrs that daf on right was ranjit from milton keynes we prob crossed paths few times or seamans /in cassa /marco polo tangier good group of guys to
stevejones:
hi erf that restaurant was called san blas i sampled few cervezas in there and sunbilla from mid eighties to 2005 great days was on morrocco myself for 2yrs that daf on right was ranjit from milton keynes we prob crossed paths few times or seamans /in cassa /marco polo tangier good group of guys to
That’s correct. Both those DAFs were Ranjit’s. John Mc Farlene drove the XF and I drove the older one. The Breda FH behind mine in the other picture was driven by Simon the guitar-wielding Scotsman. Robert
spot pn i remember think mcfarlane had 3600 space cab 
Drove down this route last November and came back in April. Its a doddle now. However, its a main lorry route, especially since the A23 was opened down to Sagunto, and can get very busy also when I went down in November the boys in blue were everywhere. Maybe having a blitz to pay their wages.
erf yes remember simon the guitar player and another gd guy on breda welsh guy steve i think and my ol m8 john chivers .i worked for tony bradfield sadly passed on now
Very happy memories of the good old days going up and down Pamplona in my old Volvo F10 as a owner driver for a few years and after that a Renault 340 had that for about 2 years and befor worked for different company’s Dorothy bowman for one and brown warrior from gates head .
and befor that for about 10 years a company in Bristol Avon mouth called James and Hodder I had a nick name the lads give me and it was rabbit and I can remember standing on the stairs on a Sunday night for customs and meeting all the lads and when finished meeting in the greasy spoon for a cup of coffee befor boarding the ferry to Calais or Zeebrugge .
That was a few years ago now and it is just happy memories but as I do not drive now I fly on my simulator from Lockheed martin P3DV4.4 and fly to Spain and Italy and just remember the good old days because I go to places I once went to in my truck and I have scenery for Europe on my pc and a map that links to my flight sim and shows the roads and towns ect and I post the pictures on a Forum belonging to a company called orbx and also wright my stories of my truck driving mishaps in Spain and they love my stories and by doing this it brings back my memories of the good old day and now being retired and I miss my truck driving so mutch and flying on my sim brings back my memories for that is all it is now as I am 68 now well we all get old do we not that is life regards stewart
stewart1:
company in Bristol Avon mouth called James and Hodder
I think that OAK International transport are in James and Hodders old yard in Avonmouth? Werent they bought out by Denholm Shipping in the late 90`s ?
I certainly am not sure.
This was years ago that I worked for James and Hodder they where still going to Europe when I left with there own trucks and they where at .
Avonbridge trading estate , Atlantic road Avonmouth .
I am now retired I just wish I could contact some of my old friends from there and one guy was called Colin the last time I saw him he was working for Ralf Davis when I had my own truck years ago going out of Southampton and poole the good old days
regards stewart
stewart1:
This was years ago that I worked for James and Hodder they where still going to Europe when I left with there own trucks and they where at .
Avonbridge trading estate , Atlantic road Avonmouth .
I am now retired I just wish I could contact some of my old friends from there and one guy was called Colin the last time I saw him he was working for Ralf Davis when I had my own truck years ago going out of Southampton and poole the good old days
regards stewart
My (bad) memory says I first loaded from them when they had a yard beside the dual carriageway. You had to squeeze into the yard alongside the M5 flyover and just enough room to get onto a bay at the back. They then moved to the newer place in Atlantic Rd mid or late 90s? But Im not sure about that.
I reckon there are more than one or two of Ralphies drivers around, so you may well have woken them up! Heres a link to a thread earlier
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=156196&p=2509365&hilit=ralph+davies#p2509365
Thanks my friend i will have a look at the link regards stewart
I,too,recall using the N121A from the early 1980s.Sunbilla was a compulsory stop for a good meal.
I followed a GB truck down the hill one night.I didn’t overtake because Sunbilla was on ly 5 miles away.He had a trailer tyre blow out so as a helpful o/d I stopped to help shortly before the Guardia Trafico appeared.This GB professional had a flat spare(which I inflated for him)and no brace to remove the spare from its cradle and no brace to remove damaged wheel.After all was ready to go his lorry had a flat battery so I used my booster cables to start it up.The Guardia Trafico guy offered profuse thanks and gave me a handshake.Now that doesn’t happen a lot!The driver said he’d buy me a coffee at sunbilla but I’ve never seen him since.There were a lot of good guys doing Spain at the time but also a lot of clowns.A lot with an 01 phonecode!
I also recall a Scot from Kirkcaldy who got ■■■■■■ at Xeraco.Scots are usually sensible.
Anyway the new road with the tunnels is excellent.It’s an easy 8 hours by car to Orihuela.
on my first trip to Spain i was coming back from Valencia with onions and i com to pamplona and i started coming down i a to higher gear and started my decent when round one of the bends and my old daf was going faster and tried my brakes and there was nothing i was i to higher a gear i was getting ready to jump out of the truck but the worst thing was i had my daughter with me but thank god i was able to go down a few gears and then i got my brakes back shortly after that and used the exsorta brake and that taught me a lesson after that i come down in a low gear and i never had any problems again on pamplona .
i think the job was good when you had to clear customs because you met the lads waiting to clear customs and you where able to go for a beer or coffee when you where in irun or Barcelona , Madrid ect ,
But when you did not have to clear customs the job was not the same you did not meet the lads so much and the job was not the same more rush from a to b .
i used to stop a claudes at st genise coming down to Spain from cherbourge and the same coming back and sometimes i would also stop at the BP truck stop at Bordeaux and meet the lads i love the job did it for years i the later part of my driving the new road was open over pamplona and no more hair pins just a big hill to go up on the new road with tunnels.
now this day i do think the job would be the same i do not think other drivers would stop to help another English drive it may not be the same as when we where doing it in the good old days just dreams now and happy memories
My first trip on the 121A was after loading onions in Gallur in the early 90s. Id been warned about the gradient, but the full load in an old ex-rental stepframe tilt did a very good job of heating up the brakes. 
My Brakes where nearly on fire red hot it never happened again when coming down pamplona or when going to Italy going down mont Blanc the odd time but mainly Spain with my trips
Quite a few drivers died on that twisty road,you would see remnants of wrecked wagons that had rolled down the side of the mountain.There were a few good stopping places,with hotels.Is that the route they send the adr loads,so not to use the many tunnels to Sunbilla now.?
I loved that road, used it every week, coming back , normally with onions back from valencia, got some pics of my yellow and blue transcon stuck up there in the snow one year, they left me there for three days, always , always stoppped at sunbilla for lomo con huevos and a terrys …meet with the lads , home fromhome that place.mind you i did have to reline my transcon and trl brakes every 6 months…
Always use to stop at sunabilla for bocidillo de bacon con queso and cafe con leche before going up the road ( N121a), eventually they opened the tunnel and it took at least 30 mins of the journey , first time coming down it , the golden rule was you came down as fast as you went up, all the way down on the exhaust brake in third gear if you had a good exhaust brake,or second gear if it was naff, The ski slope gave new drivers a false impression of gradient and you would see often drivers parked up on the hard shoulder waiting for the brakes to cool of , me included 