First longer trip (IFR & VFR)

You can cash in Quiberon (just been there), but you get the better price with the Total card!
And places like Chambley (no staff at all) are only possible with Total.
I would try to get it, assume 250L p.a. Fuel and the deposit is small.

That said, it would not have been an issue at Colmar, Quiberon, Dinard, La Rochelle to get fuel with credit card.

Having recently done flights at 30deg ground temp, I would not even think of S-France and Spain before September ;-) in the 172 you at leats leave the doors open until t/o ;-)

Oh, at LELL there is this great handling company called 100 Alas, who would drive up to your aircraft and then straight into Barcelona (and vice versa). They would also take care of paying the landing fees if you want. I haven’t used them for a while though. Price used to be very reasonable, check current situation..

Yes, over land it can get hot and bumpy from thermals in in the middle of the day, especially on sight-seeing altitudes. Flying early in the morning or late afternoon in a cloudless sky is quite wonderful though.

I just don’t have any flying experience down there and it would be so nice to fly “home” on my own!

Fine, but better do it it from the middle of September to the end of October, or do it from the beginning of May the middle of June.

July and August is good for the north, i.e. the British Isles, Scandinavia, the Baltics, northern Poland, northern Germany. The Atlantic coasts of France and Spain are also good in high summer.

Yes, there’s a deposit, but it depends on the estimate of the fuel quantity. I negotiated it with them and I paid € 200 deposit.

I find the Air BP card is useful In France accepted at Cannes, La Rochelle, Troyes, Dinard etc.

I have applied for a total card but they wanted me to pay a 350euro deposit for the card – which can’t be used against fuel purchases, no such requirement from BP.

Have a great trip.

First off – I would avoid both southern France and Spain in August. Stinking hot, full of tourists and – in France – most businesses closed. Go in early / mid September, much, much nicer!

FPL in Spain is mandatory for any flight in controlled airspace. While there are some airfields where that doesn’t apply for a quick local sortie, to all practical intents and purposes every flight needs one. As @aart has said, file over the phone, no problem at all. You can normally close from the air with the airfield in sight, landing assured phrase. don’t forget to close the FPL, they will call you once overdue by 30 mins or so. Don’t ask how I know……..

Good idea to enter/leave Spain along the shore rather than over the Pyrenees in your case.
I go to LEIG regularly because it is convenient for me to visit friends. A lovely field, no ATC, no fees, just a bunch of gliders and a ballon manufacturer, and various nice aviation loonies (like us) who may or not speak English. But the field is rather isolated so you’re basically stuck there. The FPL procedure is simple. Call Barcelona ARO on the ground to close, submit (if by phone) and open your FPL, +34 932 983 798.