Short tour in France or Belgium Ferry tips required

[Trickedem]

I had a great trip to Paris earlier in the year using the Newhaven Dieppe ferry. This was very reasonably priced and reliable and also seemed very cycle friendly.
I am looking to do something similar in 2013. I looked at Harwich to Hook of Holland, but the price seemed very high. Ramsgate to Ostend, doesn't appear to cater for cyclists. So has anyone got any tips or suggestions for getting a good deal. Ideally I am looking for a ferry port I can ride to from my home in Rochester.

 

[Dave Davenport]

DFDS Dover to Dunkirk was 10 quid each way when we went last year.

 

[StuartG]

Tim - just do Harwich/Hook of Holland overnight. You will not regret it or the cost. The boat is sumptuous, the cheapest cabins are gorgeous and silent. Think of it as a reasonable night at a hotel with a free crossing thrown in. The restaurant is good, the service better.

DFDS Dunkirk is the absolute opposite. Its cheap and it shows. Dunkirk port makes Newhaven look good. We (Frank, Els, Jenny and me) went out on one and back on the other. Did a short write up here:
http://anerleybc.org/5-ferries-4-countries-3-days/

 

[mmmmartin]

Au contraire, monsieur stuart g.
Harwich is a long way from mr trickedem's home. Dover is very doable, possibly even using the trains.
Dover Dunkirk is cheap and the ride out of the port is a 20 minute flat road, and it is best to wait until the ferry traffic has passed, then the road is empty. The terrain from Dunkirk is flat and actually quite interesting, with bridges and stuff that all lifts, swings, jiggles and so on. Formule 1 hotel at Dunkirk is gerally cheaper than the Calais one. Depending on your time, I suggest Dunkirk, swinging south and westwards towards Calais, the small villages of Picardy are a delight all too often ignored by ignorant Brits dashing to the south to acquire sun and skin cancer.
I have popped over to La Belle France for a few days on a number of occasions, and consider it a place that is far too good for the French.....
You might like to have a decent map of the area. Such a thing can be acquired from my good self on the Burnham on Crouch ride. Or failing that, by Her Majesty's Postal Service to your good self. PM me if you want such a map.

 

[snorri]

Another vote for the Harwich route from me!
Harwich is less than 100Km from Rochester, you don't have to get to the ferry terminal until 21.30 or thereabouts, so a good days cycle run followed by a comfortable night, as StuartG describes. Wake up next day in a pleasant little town with a good selection of routes out. Anyway, you did France this year, why not explore somewhere new next year?
You could consider going out on one ferry route and back on another, variety always adds to the tour experience.
IMV one visit to Dunkirk ferry terminal is quite enough for one year.
I hope you enjoy your tour whatever you choose.

 

[Trickedem]

Thanks for the advice. The winning idea at the moment is to go to Dunkirk. Then cycle through some ww1 sites including Ypres on the way to Brussels. Day 2 cycle to Brussels stopping at Waterloo. Home on Eurostar.
I may leave the hook till 2014 and go to Arnhem to celebrate the 70th anniversary.

 

[slowmotion]

Dover-Dunkirk is mere transport.
Harwich-Hoek van Holland is TRAVEL!

As others have said, it's a lovely ship.

 

[robgul]

Howzabout the Eurotunnel bike service? ... pick up at Folkestone with a minibus and custom trailer - through the tunnel on le Shuttle - drop off in Calais - painless and less than an hour, so no wasted time ... last year a return was £32

Rob

 

[Bodhbh]

Will agree with others, the overnight ferry is a highlight in itself. Although I think if Dover was on my doorstep I would probably default to practicality over romance and take the Dunkirk ferry.

Also will agree Dunkirk didn't seem too bad - heading south you clear the port area quickly, avoid the town altogether and then you have flat open country with plenty of minor roads to choose from. I prefered it to getting off in Calais anyhow...

Belgian coast one way and Ypres coming back or visa versa makes a good trip, stopping at Brugge for a weekend, or longer loop if you have more time. Remember Eurostar tickets include free train travel to Brussels from within Belgium (although you still have to pay a surcharge for taking a bike iirc). That might open up a few options.

 

[Blue Hills]

Howzabout the Eurotunnel bike service? ... pick up at Folkestone with a minibus and custom trailer - through the tunnel on le Shuttle - drop off in Calais - painless and less than an hour, so no wasted time ... last year a return was £32

Rob

Excuse my ignorance - years since I did the shuttle and that was in a big red car since, er, disposed of. Does that price include you, the person?

 

[mmmmartin]

Thanks for the advice. The winning idea at the moment is to go to Dunkirk. Then cycle through some ww1 sites including Ypres on the way to Brussels. Day 2 cycle to Brussels stopping at Waterloo

I have maps you may wish to borrow and I can post them.Also I can photocopy other ones at work. Just let me know.

 

[TheDoctor]

A few points -
The shuttle thing has three crossings a day that take bikes, whereas P&O and DFDS sail every couple of hours.
And Eurostar now sell tickets to/from Brussels, or to/from any Belgian station (a bit more expensive). They're not automatically 'Brussels or anywhere else' anymore.
Coming from Rochester, I'd say it's a no-brainer. Down to Dover and get a ferry. Be aware that P&O now get bikes off last, not first. It's therefore not worth getting down to the car deck quickly, as you'll be choking on fumes for 15 minutes. DAMHIKT *coughs*. P&O are a damn sight better than DFDS IME - boats are nicer, newer and more frequent. They do cost more though...
And go to Cassel. It's up a dirty great hill and has excellent views, many places to eat and a huge windmill.
I did a similar thing earlier in the year - here it is.

 

[MrJamie]

Haven't been on a bike, but I always liked the freight feel of the cheap DFDS (esp. as Norfolk Line), sleeping truckers and no queues rather than screaming kids/families, provided you can look past the truckers "relieving tension" in the toilets its all good Ypres is pretty too, as are most belgian towns to be fair.

I heard EuroTunnel don't guarantee that you and your bike would be on the same train but no idea if there's truth in that.

 

[TheDoctor]

Just as many screaming kids on DFDS IME, plus you're stuck with them for an extra 1/2 hour.
And the club class lounge is sh1te. As for self-gratifying truckers -

 

[Trickedem]

Haven't been on a bike, but I always liked the freight feel of the cheap DFDS (esp. as Norfolk Line), sleeping truckers and no queues rather than screaming kids/families, provided you can look past the truckers "relieving tension" in the toilets its all good Ypres is pretty too, as are most belgian towns to be fair.

I heard EuroTunnel don't guarantee that you and your bike would be on the same train but no idea if there's truth in that.

When we went to Paris this year, we partially dismantled the bikes and bagged them up, then took them as hand luggage. This worked quite well, so we will probably repeat this.