Ferries to France

[ch3]

Is it just Brittany Ferries that operate in the channel?
In about 10 days I'll need to take a ferry to Cherbourg, either from Poole or Portsmouth and I can only find Brittany Ferries on the internet.

 

[bianchi1]

LD lines is a lot cheeper but only goes to le Havre.

http://www.ldlines.co.uk/

 

[gavintc]

Check out the following:

http://www.ferryoffers.co.uk/

 

[Cathryn]

LD are very good actually. Go for one of their flat seats £10 per crossing, it's luxury and you sleep like a baby!!

 

[matason]

Try FerrySavers

Try www.ferrysavers.com

 

[andym]

If you want to go to Cherbourg then yes, it's Brittany Ferries or Brittany Ferries.

Condor Ferries operate a service between Weymouth and St Malo (thanks to www.aferryto.com)

http://www.condorferries.co.uk/Trip/weymouth.html

 

[ch3]

If you want to go to Cherbourg then yes, it's Brittany Ferries or Brittany Ferries.

Condor Ferries operate a service between Weymouth and St Malo (thanks to www.aferryto.com)

http://www.condorferries.co.uk/Trip/weymouth.html

Yeah that's what I realized after checking all these links from the thread.
the www.aferry.to website is a bit broken and you can't select the date, but I think I'd rather start from Cherbourg anyway.

Bittany Ferries is fine. My only problem is the time table. Unless if I find a friend to host me for the previous night in Bournemouth, 9am is too early to catch it from London. Otherwise it's 14:15 next or previous day, but get to Cherbourg at 19:30 which me be a little too late to cycle around and find a camp site.
...or actually do you have anywhere nearby Cherbourg to suggest spending the first night?


thank you very much for the links guys!

 

[GrahamG]

It's the train/ferry links which flummoxed me when trying to get to St Malo - ended up paying over £300 for the two of us with bikes just to get ferry times that tied in with trains! Couldn't find long-term parking alternatives to the train near to ports for the cheaper routes either.

 

[andym]

It's the train/ferry links which flummoxed me when trying to get to St Malo - ended up paying over £300 for the two of us with bikes just to get ferry times that tied in with trains! Couldn't find long-term parking alternatives to the train near to ports for the cheaper routes either.

Britanny Ferries offer a night ferry that seems like a good option (I'm hoping to use it in September). The cost of a cabin compares well with the cost of a hotel.

 

[Robert]

Britanny Ferries offer a night ferry that seems like a good option (I'm hoping to use it in September). The cost of a cabin compares well with the cost of a hotel.

Interesting thread, I've used Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to St-Malo twice and it is eye wateringly expensive, around £160 for two people, one tandem and a cabin - with a window, worth the extra tenner. But you do get a good nights sleep and can have a full day's cycling the next day, and, the restaurant is much more civilised than you'd expect on a car ferry.

I was interested to look at Condor Ferries, but for me the crossing times and the start from Weymouth don't add up. It's one day's cycling from Horsham to Portsmouth, but it would be two to Pool, as we'd never get there by the start time. Then you'd have to spend a night in St-Malo as they don't arrive until the evening, however you do it, you'd probably eat up the £80 you saved.

 

[andym]

Interesting thread, I've used Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to St-Malo twice and it is eye wateringly expensive, around £160 for two people, one tandem and a cabin - with a window, worth the extra tenner. But you do get a good nights sleep and can have a full day's cycling the next day, and, the restaurant is much more civilised than you'd expect on a car ferry.

I did a quick test, and the (internal) cabin adds about £42 to the overall price compared with reclining seats. Worth it to my mind.

 

[User482]

I've taken the Condor ferry from Poole to St Malo. Not recommended - they operate an incredibly tight turnaround which means it's almost certain that you'll be delayed in both directions. So you might as well take a slower ferry!

 

[Robert]

I did a quick test, and the (internal) cabin adds about £42 to the overall price compared with reclining seats. Worth it to my mind.

I agree - the tenner extra was on top of the cost of the internal cabin. The benefit apart from the window, which pleased the mrs. is that I didn't have to climb onto a bunk that you can't sit up in.

 

[GrahamG]

Interesting thread, I've used Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to St-Malo twice and it is eye wateringly expensive, around £160 for two people, one tandem and a cabin - with a window, worth the extra tenner. But you do get a good nights sleep and can have a full day's cycling the next day, and, the restaurant is much more civilised than you'd expect on a car ferry.

That's a bargain compared to what I paid - what time of year was this? I'm just wondering if it's a seasonal thing in terms of the pricing for us.

 

[Robert]

It was Friday 29th May, but we did book it about nine months in advance. We'll be doing the same next year. From where we are Portsmouth is about 50 miles and an easy first day without too much pressure. I'm sure there's a bit of seasonality in the pricing and I think we paid a bit more the year before. But the annual bike trip is our only holiday as such so it's worth it.