Morning people, I’m off to Barcelona on my first trip to Spain (done France, Italy, Belgium and holland) but I’ve been looking at my delivery points and there looks to be an estate near the docks which has some kind of gated entry (look like toll booths on street view) can anyone help with what the crack is with this estate.
Thank you in advance
Mercabana ?
Sorry missed that bit out didn’t I, yep that’s the place got Cefrusa to tip.
There is a lorry park on Avinguda d’Eduard Maristany(as you look at this road on google, its the left end of it, where it joins Carrer Narcis Roca) off the B10 Ronda Litoral.
If your looking on google earth, the lorry park entrance is opposite the road called Carrer d’Anne Frank.
If you come out of the gate there and turn left, walk along until you come to a roundabout, there is a massive shopping centre in front of you.
Over the other side of the Motorway is a beach and marina.
There is also a tram stop right outside the parking entrance.
Its been a few yrs since i was there, but it was clean and safe, im sure there were also showers on site as well, and also a lorry wash. Campervans also park here, along with busses. It seemed to me that quite a few spaniards used this as there operating centre as well, (due to the amount of cars parked in lorry spaces)
Free and safe parking inside the commercial port.
To get in do not think you are not allowed in when you enter through the Guardia Civil barrier as he will be reading the paper and wave you in.
You will pass the gas and oil tanker ships and then park by the Petromiralles fuel station on Calle de port Haifa 08039 s/n.
S/n means with no number or sin;without and numero.
The garage has hot meals and snacks Open 24 hours.
The emblem is a yellow turtle.
Do.not park on Zona Franca streets as cab break ins there.
At Petromiralles you can swim in the sea by climbing over the rocks .
Buses run from Zona Franca to the city centre.The main tourist area is the Ramblas and the yacht marina with numerous places to eat.
Watch out for pick pockets and street scams and con artists that make a good living from drunk or gullible tourists.
The police patrol all day and night in the port so you are secure there.I slept there with the cab windows down with no problems.
Stay on the AP7 round the top side of Barcelona and then pick up signs for the port (Peurto) and Zona Franca. As you drop into Zona Franca you can’t miss the market. You pay to go in like most markets, can’t remember how much. You can park inside and there are a few bars and restaurants. As you come in through the main gate, about 400 yard up on the left is/was a decent one with a shower. The guy on the toll may have one of the market maps, if not there are several info boards inside. Personally I’ve always found it easy enough to navigate. The roads inside are labeled something like transvers and longitudal i.e. north/south and east/west if you see what I mean ■■?
If you’ve got fish on that’s a seperate bit all together, basically hang a right as soon as you get through the gate and follow the smell 
From Calais will you go via Boulogne sur Mer,Rouen,Dreaux,Evrereux,Chatres or Le Mans to Bordeaux or Cleremont Ferrond and Millau viaduct route.?
La Jonquera at the border is a trucking metropolis.
Casinos,huge buffet restaurants,Eastern European shops that sell their own food.
Security there is not great.Even having a quick shower may mean the cab is broken in to on return.Ladies of the night and day floating around touting for business.
If you see a building with flashing lights with Club on it.Do not expect a disco in there.
Years ago Lloret del Mar was a great stop over.Some would pay to park in the bus station.I went for free on wasteground behind the hotels in the resort.If going further South there is free parking at Cambrils.Seagood and drivers menu.
Hey Toby , how do you know if he,s not going via Poole? , he asked for Barna information not a route map or cycling information.
Cheers billybigrig that’s was I was checking for if I needed to pay to get in looked like that on street view, do you know how much do I need change or is someone at the gate ?
Toby I’ve got to tip paris first so won’t be going down the west side. I have been warned about somewhere down there to not even go to the loo as the unit would get done over in minuets. Boss wants cheapest route down any ideas mate. Reloading Nevarra.
wagonlad:
Cheers billybigrig that’s was I was checking for if I needed to pay to get in looked like that on street view, do you know how much do I need change or is someone at the gate ?Toby I’ve got to tip paris first so won’t be going down the west side. I have been warned about somewhere down there to not even go to the loo as the unit would get done over in minuets. Boss wants cheapest route down any ideas mate. Reloading Nevarra.
No worries mate. I can’t remember how much it is but it’s not much and it was always cash only.
From Paris, personally, I’d go Clermont-Ferrand, Millau, Beziers, La Jonquera, Barcelona. It’s dodgy around La Jonquera for sure so if you can get past there before you need fuel then all the better in my book
I’m assuming you’re reloading Navarra ■■ which is a Spanish province in the North west. From the market go back out the way you came but follow the National 2 (signposted as NII) for Llieda and Zaragoza. It’s free and a lot of it is good dual carriageway with the single track bits being fast going if a bit bumpy. Absolutely no point forking out for the motorway, but if you do only jump on at Llieda to Zaragosa which is the single track bit of the national 2. Plenty of cheap/good grub stops on the national road too 
Zaragoza ring road is free motorway and TBH, especially empty, I wouldn’t bother with 90% of the motorways beyond it either, unless in a mega rush. 
Wear your seat belt, keep your hours straight, do not use a bluetooth ear piece and enjoy
There is a short cut to avoid Zaragoza unless the driver wants to stop at the BP truckstop there which is not so good as it was years ago.
I used to exit the twin track via Dona Alumia Godina and head to Tudula that way.
Plenty of good stopping places.It takes iff about 30 miles.
I would advise not leaving cash or fuel cards in the cab if you leave it.Passports and other important papers to be in a man hand bag or bum bag.It may look naff and so eighties but you will see all the Eastern European drivers with a man.bag.
My own truck had a safe bolted to the floor so i left all the gubbins in there.
On Zona Franca industrial estate there is a large cash and carry shop with an excellent restaurant.Makro.
All the office stafff from the area eat there at lunchtime.The prices are cheap.Park by Toyota with security on the gates.Navara and Basque police like telephone number sized fines.As said no need to pay toll roads.
Cheers lads your being a great help, you’ve both got me papping myself about the old bill down there. Do they hang out more on the motorways or the back roads ?
Not sure of my actual reload yet just that its Nevarra area, also been told its a holiday on wed so need to tip on tue in Barcelona. Is narbonne or Perpignan ok to stop for fuel ?
Again thanks for all your help, and not the usual “if you don’t know you shouldn’t be doing it” attitude I’ve had on here before cheers lads.
well it would be hard to make a stop at the bp truckstop, as it isn’t there anymore. as it has been said, take the A2 from barcelona to lleida, NII from lleida to zaragoza and the A68 (as opposed to the AP68 toll) from zaragoza to tudela. but as you have not specified your destination in navarra, if it’s close to pamplona, you might be better off heading barcelona-lleida-huesca-pamplona on the a2-a22-a132-a21 route, since the weather is still good and you’re empty. no need to fuel up in france, much more expensive and as for la jonquera- I’ve only fueled up there a couple of hundred times without a problem, but I must be very very lucky then 
Basque police wear red berry hats.They tend to float about at the toll booths on the pay to use motorway.They have a weighbridge near Pamplona and a weighbridge in both directions near the border near Irun which seems to be a 24 hour operation.
If you are loading Navara you may come back via Pamplona to Sunbilla on the national 121.You have the river at the side of the road with some nice scenery and a few steep hills to keep you on your toes.
Brake fade is common so low gear.Engine brake or retarder on.Sit back and let the idiots fly past you.
Navara police have big red vans full of kit and computers for commercial vehicle enforcement at the road side.
After passing the border you then may head up to Bordeaux.Three peages or toll booths.All three or at least one will have a Douane or customs check point.Do not worry.They pull the wagons to a check pad and will ask where you have been and where you are going and what the load is.Show the Cmr.They may put the truck in an X ray scanner machine or use their sniffer dogs in the trailer and cab.They work 24/7 in France.Remain polite.Or will delay you if fail the attitude test.Truckstop before Bordeaux is Castets.Or exit the forest road if you see a Rouitier sign for free parking,shower and good value dix course meal for ten to twenty euros.
toby1234abc:
They have a weighbridge near Pamplona and a weighbridge in both directions near the border near Irun which seems to be a 24 hour operation.
the weighbridge at junction 1 (heading into spain) is open from 7am from monday to thursday and from about 4am on friday. always timed it so I would drive into spain at about ten to seven in the morning. the one at junction 2 (heading into france) is open once in a blue moon.
Mosses police have their moments too.Catalan is spoken and like in the Pais Vasco area it is a different language to the
rest of Spain.
Around Barcelona they sometimes have truck bans for holidays.The night before a ban to the night at the end of a holiday.Or festival.
The times will displayed on the gantries above the roads.Breakfast is a toasted baquette with tinned tomatoes or juice poured on it and olive or virgin oil on it.Some places put anchovies on the bread.Or peppers.
Around that area never park alone.A well lit parking area is ideal.
No doubt Milodin will pick holes in the post.
Thank you for all the advise
toby1234abc:
No doubt Milodin will pick holes in the post.
should I feel bad for providing facts instead of tall tales of yesteryear, like you, topy?
Chillax.It is sunday.Day of rest.I did not know
the Bp was shut.Last time it was full of flies and in a bad state of disrepair.
For short cut its not bad to head to Huesca to Pau on the A23 to the Mont de Marsan to Bordeaux to save the tolls at Biaritz and Bayonne.
Huesca is a bit hilly in some places but the views are stunning.
It resembles Austria or Switzerland with cows with bells and wooden chalets.