Some points about the tollbooths in northern Spain, where I live: (It's only on stretches of Autopista in the Basque Country that we actually have tolls to contend with, and the franchises have another 15 years to run!)
* There are now no "dedicated" tollbooth lanes for cars equipped with the electronic payment device, at least on the AP8 and AP68; all tollbooth lanes seem to be shared, so keep an eye on the illuminated signs - "T" (automatic toll payment); green arrow ("all vehicles") and "cash/card payment only" (white dot matrix) above your chosen lane.
* Lane designations seem to be at the whim of the operator - and with staff cutbacks, there may only be one attended booth out of a dozen or more.
* Automatic barriers are especially slow on the AP8. In eastern Spain, the AP7 has gone in the opposite direction, with newly introduced "free flow" barrier-free operation allowing fairly rapid transit (up to 60 km/h).
* Always be on the lookout for last minute lane-changers in blind spot-plagued SUVs and "Fitipaldis" who regard the 40 km/h approach speed as a minimum and "only for wimps".
¡Buenas vacaciones!
*A word of warning: an ongoing wildcat strike amongst some of Bilbao's traffic wardens makes on-street parking a bit complicated - I'd recommend using underground car parks if possible. Coastal towns of Algorta, Plentzia and Sopela are well worth a visit IMHO*

Edited by Bilboman on 08/01/2018 at 22:33

P.S. Some bad weather about currently (some motorists trapped for 18 hours on the toll road North of Madrid last weekend) - worth checking this website for the latest info. Just zoom in for weather, cameras, overhead panel signs, etc:

infocar.dgt.es/etraffic/

Usually they have gritters on standby at each junction - the problem at the weekend is being blamed on the private company who run that stretch of toll road. To be fair a lot of snow came down, and it was the "Three Kings" holiday:

www.elprogreso.es/articulo/galicia/asufin-prepara-...l

Thanks Bilboman. Very quaint laws indeed. We have several camping site guides and normally would only use a dedicated site for the facitities they offer. Looking forward to some winter sunshine, although our first stop in Burgos could be on the chilly side. As long as the sky is blue and it is not raining we will be happy. Thanks also to colin, the forecast heading down to madrid looks reasonable too. Fingers crossed.

Cheers Concrete