Actually, it is not a question that puzzled me greatly, but I am still interested in it. So, Nicasio - my friend from Spain gave me the answer. Do you want to know it, please, read the following report.

Hello, dear Angel, I have recently returned from a holiday in Marbella on the Costa del Sol. My wife has a fear of flying so we decided to drive. It took us 3 days to get there with one stop over in Bordeaux France, and one stop over in Jaen in Spain. We could easily have done the trip in 2 days with one stop, but on the way back I realised that the trip could actually be completed in 22 hours.

We left Marbella at 5 am and got to Bordeaux at 5 pm. Bordeaux to Calais can easily be done in 8 hours and if you catch the ferry right you can be back in the UK within 22 hours. Obviously, you need a fast car to do this, but we averaged around 70 or 80 Mph and stopped for short fuel and comfort breaks around every 2 to 3 hours.

The ferry crossing for Dover to Calais was very reasonable too, £60 return. Mind you we have had some great deals on ferry crossings in the past as we have taken many holidays in France. We have had prices as low as £17 one way.

I must say, travelling in Europe is a great fun. A friend of mine has a couple of villas in Spain so we stay at one of them in Marbella while in Spain. It certainly beats a holiday in the UK. I am sure we will be off again pretty soon.

Unfortunately, he has no photos yet