Our summer 2026 caravan adventure through France and Spain certainly didn’t turn out quite as we planned. We set off looking forward to a few weeks of European touring, with Camping Cypsela Resort in Pals as our main destination, but before we’d even made it properly through France the Land Rover decided to add a little drama of its own.
What followed was a holiday involving several problems with the car, unexpected campsite stays, some fantastic help from the AA and a couple of very long days behind the wheel. Thankfully, there was much more to the trip than breakdowns. We explored the medieval town of Pals, found a lovely quieter section of beach at Platja de Pals, visited Lloret de Mar and the beautiful Santa Clotilde Gardens, enjoyed some great meals and stopped near Paris for a visit to Disneyland Paris on the journey home.
It wasn’t quite the relaxing European caravan holiday we’d imagined, but it certainly gave us plenty to write about.
Setting Off for France and Spain
We set off in our Land Rover Discovery Sport, towing our Coachman Acadia 565, with Camping Cypsela Resort in Pals as our main destination. It was going to be a long journey, but we were looking forward to getting back into Europe with the caravan and spending some proper time exploring the Costa Brava.
After travelling down to Folkestone, we crossed to Calais using LeShuttle and began making our way through France. At this point everything still felt like the start of a normal European touring holiday. Unfortunately, that didn’t last for long.
Our First Breakdown and an Unexpected Stay in France
While travelling on the A1 near Paris, we developed a problem with the Discovery Sport. Breaking down is frustrating wherever it happens, but doing it abroad with a caravan attached creates a completely different problem. We weren’t simply trying to get a car repaired; we had the caravan with us, somewhere to reach that night and a holiday in Spain waiting at the other end of the journey.
Our plans changed and we ended up at Camping La Paille Haute near Arras. It certainly wasn’t somewhere we’d expected to stay, but the owner was extremely helpful and gave us somewhere safe to get the caravan pitched while we tried to work out what was wrong with the car.
We had a 6-amp electricity supply on the pitch, which meant being careful with anything that used a lot of power. Normally that might have been something we’d give a bit more thought to, but on this occasion whether we could use the kettle was fairly low down our list of concerns. The important question was whether the Discovery Sport could be repaired and whether we would still be heading to Spain.
Getting Help With the Discovery Sport
Trying to arrange assistance added another layer of frustration. Our experience with Green Flag was disappointing, while Land Rover Assist initially told us that the Discovery Sport wasn’t covered. It was subsequently confirmed that cover did exist under the vehicle’s previous registration, but by then the AA were already arranging to get somebody to us.
An AA patrol travelled from Calais to reach us and, crucially, was able to investigate the problem there rather than simply taking the car away to a garage. The fault was traced to injector number two, where the wiring and connection were loose and dirty. The connection was cleaned and repaired and, after everything we’d been worrying about, the Discovery Sport was running again that same day.
Having the car repaired at the campsite completely changed the situation. Instead of potentially spending days waiting for a garage and watching our holiday disappear, we had our tow car back and could continue the journey. Anyone planning to tour abroad can find details of the AA’s current overseas cover on the AA European Breakdown Cover website.
A Very Long Night to Spain
With the Discovery Sport running again, we had to decide whether to stop somewhere else in France or simply get on with it and make up the lost time. We chose the latter. We left La Paille Haute at around 18:15 and pointed the car south towards Spain.
What followed was a drive of around 14 hours, with two fuel stops along the way. It was a long night, particularly after everything that had already happened, but there was also a sense that we were finally getting the holiday back on track. Every mile took us closer to Pals and, eventually, we crossed into Spain and arrived at Camping Cypsela Resort.
Getting the caravan onto our pitch that morning felt considerably better than it probably would have done under normal circumstances. We’d made it.
Finally Enjoying Camping Cypsela Resort
Camping Cypsela Resort was our main destination for the holiday and gave us a great base for exploring Pals and the surrounding Costa Brava. After the journey we’d just had, it was good simply to get everything set up, unpack and know that we weren’t going anywhere for a while.
We spent plenty of time around Cypsela itself and also filmed our pitch overview and campsite content during the stay. However, one of the main reasons we’d chosen this part of Spain was the amount there is to see nearby, so once we’d recovered from the journey we started getting out and exploring.
Exploring the Medieval Town of Pals
One of our favourite days out was a visit to the medieval town of Pals. The old town is full of cobbled streets, stone buildings, arches and little passageways, and it’s one of those places where you don’t really need a plan. We simply wandered around, stopped when something caught our attention and enjoyed exploring at our own pace.
The views from the higher parts of the town are excellent too, looking out across the surrounding countryside. It’s a completely different atmosphere from the nearby coastal resorts and somewhere we’d definitely recommend visiting if you’re staying around Pals.
While we were there, we also discovered Niff Niff, which ended up becoming a new favourite restaurant for us outside the UK. There were six of us dining and we were seated within around five minutes. The staff were welcoming, English was spoken, the sangria was excellent and the desserts were particularly good. At around €30 per person, we came away very happy and would happily go back.
Finding a Quieter Beach at Platja de Pals
Being on the Costa Brava, we obviously had to spend some time at the beach. We headed to Platja de Pals, but rather than using the busiest part of the main beach we found a quieter section a little further away.
It turned out to be exactly what we wanted. The beach was much quieter, there was convenient parking nearby and we could simply spend some time beside the sea without needing to do very much at all. After the rather eventful journey through France, there was something particularly nice about having nowhere we needed to be and no breakdown assistance to organise.
Lloret de Mar and the Santa Clotilde Gardens
Another day took us to Lloret de Mar, although our main reason for visiting wasn't the busy resort itself. We wanted to see the Santa Clotilde Gardens, which sit in a beautiful position above the Mediterranean.
The gardens are a lovely place to explore, with landscaped paths leading between terraces, statues, fountains and Mediterranean planting. What really makes the location special, though, are the views. As you make your way through the gardens, different viewpoints open up across the sea and coastline below.
It was very different from our day at the beach and from wandering around medieval Pals, which is one of the things we enjoyed most about this part of Spain. Within a relatively small area we could have completely different days out, and the Santa Clotilde Gardens became another highlight of the holiday.
Leaving Spain – and the Car Trouble Returns
Eventually it was time to pack up at Cypsela and begin the journey home. After our experience on the way down, we were naturally paying a little more attention than usual to how the Discovery Sport was behaving. Unfortunately, our concerns weren't entirely unfounded and the problems with the car returned as we travelled through France.
Once again, our carefully planned journey changed. We had a caravan behind us, a car we couldn't completely rely on and a long way still to travel before reaching Calais. The AA became involved again and we found ourselves facing another unplanned campsite stop.
Camping Le Montbartoux – Another Stop We Never Planned
This time we ended up at Camping Le Montbartoux in Vollore-Ville. Like La Paille Haute on the outward journey, this wasn't somewhere we'd planned to visit. It simply became the place where we could safely put the caravan while trying to work out what was going to happen with the Discovery Sport.
By this stage we were starting to consider what would happen if the car couldn't be repaired quickly. The AA were expected to help us again the following morning, but there was also the possibility that we might need a replacement vehicle capable of towing the caravan. That isn't as simple as providing a normal hire car; we needed something suitable for the weight of the caravan and fitted with a towbar.
Trips like this make you appreciate campsites for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with swimming pools, toilet blocks or views. Both La Paille Haute and Camping Le Montbartoux gave us somewhere safe to stop at exactly the point we needed them, and that became incredibly important when our plans unravelled.
Back on the Road Towards Paris
Eventually we were able to continue north, with our next destination being Camping Paris Maisons-Laffitte. By this stage, simply arriving at the next campsite with the caravan behind us felt like an achievement.
The campsite sits beside the River Seine and gave us a convenient base for this part of the return journey. We filmed both our pitch overview and campsite overview while we were there, but we also had something rather more fun planned before continuing towards Calais.
A Day at Disneyland Paris
After everything involving the Discovery Sport, a day at Disneyland Paris was a very welcome change of subject. For a while there were no injectors, breakdown calls or discussions about replacement tow cars to think about; we could simply enjoy the day.
It also summed up just how varied this trip had become. During the same holiday we'd wandered around medieval Pals, relaxed beside the Mediterranean, explored beautiful gardens, stayed on campsites we hadn't even known we'd be visiting and dealt with several problems with the car. Now we were at Disneyland Paris.
Whatever else you could say about this holiday, it certainly wasn't boring.
The Final Journey to Calais
From Paris, we still had the final journey north to Calais ahead of us. Given everything that had happened, we were understandably nervous about whether the Discovery Sport would make it without another problem. The AA followed us towards Calais, which gave us some reassurance that help was there if the car decided it had one final surprise in store.
Thankfully, mile by mile, we got closer to the Channel. Eventually we reached Calais and returned to the UK using LeShuttle. Driving onto the train with both the Discovery Sport and caravan felt considerably more significant than it normally would. After everything we'd been through, we'd got the whole outfit back to Calais and we were finally heading home.
Not Every Stop Was One We'd Recommend
Of course, long European journeys aren't made up entirely of attractive campsites and days out. We also stopped at Aire de Wancourt Ouest during our travels, and unfortunately our experience there wasn't particularly good. The toilets were poor and there was an unpleasant smell around the corridor and stair areas, so it certainly isn't somewhere we'd be rushing back to.
That's part of touring too, though. There are the places you can't wait to recommend and others you'd rather drive past next time. We think it's worth sharing both rather than pretending every part of a trip was perfect.
Looking Back at Our Summer 2026 Adventure
Looking back, this was definitely not the France and Spain caravan adventure we'd planned. There were several points when we genuinely didn't know whether the Discovery Sport would be repaired quickly, whether we'd reach Spain or how we were going to get the caravan back to the UK if the problems became more serious.
Yet when we look beyond the breakdowns, we still had a fantastic trip. We made it to Camping Cypsela Resort, explored medieval Pals, found a lovely quieter section of Platja de Pals and enjoyed the views from the Santa Clotilde Gardens. We ate well, spent time together and then added Disneyland Paris to the journey home.
The AA also became a much bigger part of our adventure than we ever expected. Having a patrol travel to us and repair the injector connection during the first breakdown allowed us to continue to Spain that same day, while their assistance later in the trip helped us keep moving towards home. Without that support, the story of this holiday could have been very different.
Would we take the caravan through France and Spain again? Absolutely. Travelling with the caravan gives us the freedom to experience far more than a single destination, and there is still plenty we want to explore.
We'd just be quite happy if the next European adventure involved a few fewer breakdowns.
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