We're now firmly in the logistics phase of the return move; hoping to secure a house on Wednesday and the Merc is being delivered on Monday.
The way things have worked out is a bit daft, but the bottom line is that we will be leaving our home in Spain on 30th December and driving up across Spain and France, taking the Eurotunnel on New Year's Day and arriving in Stroud in time for stepson minor to start school on 5th Jan.

Always the pessimist, I'm now wondering whether ice, snow, rain or fog will be the biggest hazard we face. We will at some point on New Year's Eve be crossing the Millau viaduct and assorted Cols, not to mention the god-awful tedious Parisian plains.

We might be lucky, but I think I might pack some sleeping bags and a shovel along with the hi-viz vests and triangle...

in 4wd vehicles if it snows, if not wind has to be a pretty nasty element, ice - most main routes should be OK, heavy rain and pea soup fog.... All pretty nasty depending on traffic and your route.

Then you have the blinding low winter sun!

I'd pray for overcast, mild but dry.

Had to quote your post to see what you meant there, but fair point. My fairly extensive experience of French motorways in snow is that the main obstacle is gradient plus lorries. There should be very few of the latter, and - as you say - I'll be hoping for good old dull and mild!

I once had fun going through the Masif Central overnight in February travelling from Marseille to Perigeux when there was an ATC strike.

I wondered why the Avis girl in Marseille Airport asked me if I wanted tyre chains when I collected the car!

I didn't take them as it was a beautiful day on the Med coast.

The worst journey I've ever had was just after Christmas from Dieppe to my then home south of Angouleme overnight in a Citroen H van.

Freezing fog from Rouen southwards until I got home (about 300 miles pre motorways). There was 3 inches of ice over the front of the van and the heater couldn't cope with keeping the windscreen clear and keeping the driver warm.

Thanks, Pete! I think fog is the element I'm most afraid of. The Paris basin is pretty much guaranteed to suffer.

Fog is definitely more worrying than the sun, I'd say. If you do find yourself getting blinded, just turn around and drive in the opposite direction!

I remember many years ago getting stuck in a snow drift here in May, but of course, you will be keeping to the coast road (he offers hopefully!).

Well, it'll be more or less the coast road from San Pedro to Barcelona, but from there to Calais...? Less so!

Since Jim is heading north, north then north again, sun is probably not such a big deal. With Michelin winter tyres on, my E-Classes would go through anything that didn't reach the undertray. I remember the first drive over the Cairngorms bringing Charlie back from chemo. It was snowing hard and I was in a short queue of cars following the snow plough. The 2 4x4 crew cabs ahead of me were all over the place and the Merc's traction control light didn't even blink. The latest E250 CDI Sport is the worst of the lot because it's considerably lighter.

I'm in a quandary on tyres; the seller is putting two new rears on the Merc, and I'm tempted to ask him to put on winter tyres. However, with road temperatures here still well in the high twenties, I doubt they will be in much of a state in 10 weeks' time.
On the other hand, it'll be a bit gutting to buy 4 new winter tyres before we set off and chuck away the perfectly good summer ones.

I noticed that loads of people here in Amsterdam seem to run winter tyres all year round. They're pretty robust. The Michelin Alpin Sports I got from Costco were more of a 4-season tyre. The biggest problem is that they tend not to be cheap. But winter tyres are definitely a good investment on a RWD Merc

I think you're right, MRS, especially as Stroud has more hills than the whole of the Netherlands but as always, we're on a shoestring!

Put on the narrowest tyres the car will take. Merc do sets of wheels and tyres that would fit my car. I went for the cheapest at £900 (which doesn't seem too bad for a set of Mercedes alloys and Michelin winter tyres) but, if I'd matched the summer wheels and tyres, I think it would have been £2800. You don't want wide, low-profile tyres in the winter in any case.

That does seem good value. Still £900 though! I'm not even sure what tyres I'll be able to buy here. Doubt winter tyres are big sellers.

I know - not suggesting that's your best option. I was surprised though as I struggled to match that price with the on-line sellers like MyTyres.com. You could try them as they're a German-based outfit and, I think, dispatch from Germany.

I always used mytyres in France and yes, they do come from Germany. I think the best I could do would be to get a set of half decent winter tyres before we set off, (Nokian seem to score well, but no idea what they cost).

We've done Hemel-Berlin and back every year for the last ten or so in the week either side of xmas, and had significant snow only once.

The weather is usually worse after the new year; November in the UK averages 7C or so, and Spain and France will be warmer - though (a) as you say, high passes and (b) I've been in shirtsleeves in Algodonales, while Madrid is under a foot of snow.

Nonetheless, winter tyres are a sensible idea.

My advice would be a detailed check on the French weather sites the night before you leave Jim.

It may be that a turn westwards and up after Toulouse could be a bit warmer so hopefully only rain or even less.

I can let you know how it is up my way.(provided Joseph is sober) at that time of year.

It's possible, Joe. In the old days it would have been up the Rhone valley via Lyon, but now you get taken over the Millau viaduct and up through Bourges and Orléans.

I'll have my eye on Météo Fraance and Bison Futé....

I've used snow chains in France before. But only needed the, when things got steep or deep !

We have done loads of trips to the Alps for skiing holidays in December, Jan and Feb. Only once did we have snow on the main motorways, but we still managed to get through with normal "uk" tyres.

At least chains are transferrable and much cheaper than a set of tyres / wheels. The likelihood of needing them regularly is small too.

I worked a ski season in the Alps, back when mammoths roamed the world and served my time with chains! They're unrecognisably better these days.
I had one break once and flailed the inside of the wheel arch on my ZX Volcane!
In fact the time when chains really saved my bacon was in the Peak District, but that's another story.
I don't know if modern chains are more adaptable, but you only used to be able to transfer them between similar wheel and tyre dimensions.

If it dumps a proper load of snow, we're likely to be buggered anyway, so I'll probably try to get a set of winter tyres fitted just before we leave and hope we don't encounter anything too extreme. I'd have thought winter tyres would be the order of the day in Gloucestershire in January anyway.

I'll make sure we have plenty of warm gear, emergency rations and a shovel, just in case we do get stuck!

No problemo.

Just before you spend your cash on wheels, have you thought of snow socks? A bit easier than chains.

http://www.autosock.co.uk/

I was just off looking at snow socks!

They could be exactly what I'm looking for.

I am very likely to need a new set of tyres before we leave anyway, hence my preference for that solution.

But as an insurance policy, snowsocks look excellent!

Thanks for the tip.

I've used snow socks and to be honest they didn't help a great deal - but we are talking a foot of snow.

And - that was the year I parked on some snow, which melted in a thaw, then froze again into a six-inch thick chunk of ice *through* the spokes of the wheel. That took some time to sort out!

I think chains probably work better - I've towed other cars up steep hills with mine on. They virtually turn you into a tractor!! But chains are a pain to fit. The socks seem to be a good compromise.

I take your point, Neil, but as I said, if it really snows, we'll be stuffed anyway - anything over about 8 inches will turn the car into a really crap snowplough.
Snow socks could get us to an autoroute exit or past lorries stuck on an incline if the weather closes in fast.

Yes indeed. Even with snow tyres on I still carry the socks just in case. But be aware of the speed limit with them on; 15-20mph depending on make.

Indeed. They would be an emergency use only thing. As I say, I've done my share on the chain gang...

Jim, I know you have a lot more experience with French roads than I do, but why are you going via Milau and the Massif Central?

I've only ever driven down there in the Summer (3 times from Calais) and the route we've always taken is Lyon -> Orange -> Nimes -> Montpellier -> Narbonne.

I'm assuming Milau is the shorter route?

I haven't driven this route very often - I think I've only been over the Millau viaduct twice (and suffered the appalling jams that preceded it once).
It is the shorter route, by about 70km if memory serves, so not much. In terms of weather, I don't think the Rhone valley will be a great deal better, but I could be wrong.
There isn't a vast amount of high altitude, although the passes after the Millau heading north are hairier than those leading up to it. Having said that, you are probably right that it is more likely to be trickier.
I think we'll keep our eyes on the weather forecasts and make the decision to go NW or NE when we wake up in Perpignan on New Year's Eve!