Much depends on your view of cost v time. I'm fully retired but Mrs G isn't and when we were tent camping we needed to be on site soon as.
For us, Yorkshire to any of the south coast crossings is much of a muchness, but avoiding the lower M1/M25/M20 etc is a huge bonus.
So we went Portsmouth>St Malo and never a problem. The crossing is the o/n and for that destination, it's an easy run down to the Loire valley and pitch up vin rouge time.
These days we've discovered the ease of Hull >Zee (thanks BobCat10) and are booked for August. Works great for the eastern destinations.
If we revert back to the SW we'll go back to Portsmouth. Nice dinner on the boat and proper breakfast then "start your engines"
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
Val A knows this area well, I have taken her advice on several ocassions.
It depends on your starting point on French soil. We always cross from Hull, so our starting is slightly different. We go via the Loire when we go down across to Bordeaux. It tends to be: Lille, Reims, Troyes, Saumur. Only because we are not keen on the route via Rouen to Le Mans. We prefer a scenic longer route the the northern Loire. You can go Rouen but you get all the traffic heading to Brittany and it's not going through the heart of the country.
------------- CAT
Favourite site:
Camping Nanzel, Limone, Lake
Garda..perfect for MTB, Kayak, SUP and fell running training.
Favourite areas: Provence, French Alps, Savigny (as a stop over for Southern France: Rhein valley as a stop over for Italy. 78
We're going to do Hull - Rotterdam this year. The crossing last year was by default but so much more luxurious.
We don't go south purely because we don't like the M25, Dartford and all that rubbish to start the holiday. OK Hull isn't a great port but you're on holidays soon as you're on board and its only an hour and a half from Calverley which makes a difference form a 5 hours slog in traffic. Time is money to us, we only have 2.5 weeks to indulge our selves with a summer adventure.
------------- CAT
Favourite site:
Camping Nanzel, Limone, Lake
Garda..perfect for MTB, Kayak, SUP and fell running training.
Favourite areas: Provence, French Alps, Savigny (as a stop over for Southern France: Rhein valley as a stop over for Italy. 78
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I think, like us now, the OP has chosen the tunnel because of the convenience if you have pets travelling with you. Now we take our cat with us the tunnel is the best option for us - a short crossing and she says with us in the car. Yes, you can take pets on the short crossings, but in the car on their own. On the longer crossings they stay in kennels on some sailings, or in the car for quite a long period, or in pet-friendly cabins, but each of the latter options is more expensive.
Quote: Originally posted by BobCat10 on 03/3/2017
You again Mikey boy.
We're going to do Hull - Rotterdam this year. The crossing last year was by default but so much more luxurious.
We don't go south purely because we don't like the M25, Dartford and all that rubbish to start the holiday. OK Hull isn't a great port but you're on holidays soon as you're on board and its only an hour and a half from Calverley which makes a difference form a 5 hours slog in traffic. Time is money to us, we only have 2.5 weeks to indulge our selves with a summer adventure.
We're hoping this time the weather's kinder so we can spend the morning in Bruges. Had to abandon it last year. O/n in Troyes centre historique then onto Lake Annecy.
Dinner and breakfast booked both ways so gets the holiday off to a great start
Going to try really hard for Amalfi next year. Loved it in Como and Venice last year.
Val, I can see pets, 'van etc changes the dynamics. We'd just us and no towing. DD would fly in and meet us there so no "are we there yets".
That can be so tedious when they're in their late 20's
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
A much sorter journey from Yorkshire would be the Hull crossing. 1.5 hrs from home to the port, no traffic jams. The down side of this crossing is that there is only one crossing a day. It's 9 hour ferry crossing to Zeebrugge (no immigrant issues yet), somewhere for the pooch to pee and have a run round.
Yes, it is more expensive but consider that the dig will spend less time in the car and you won't have that drudge south....likewise on your return, you are only a short distance back home.
Then head for the border in Lille. Once you are on the main routes there are Aires, all clearly indicate whether they are picnic only or with fuel. You can set these on your SATNAV.
The only tip would be to avoid the PARIS route. The time it takes from the ferry to Paris it is at its busiest and terrible. We did it 2 years ago and NEVER EVER again.
------------- CAT
Favourite site:
Camping Nanzel, Limone, Lake
Garda..perfect for MTB, Kayak, SUP and fell running training.
Favourite areas: Provence, French Alps, Savigny (as a stop over for Southern France: Rhein valley as a stop over for Italy. 78
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
We go out via the tunnel and come back by Zeebrugge.
Leave Sheffield just after midnight for a crossing about 5:30 so we've plenty of time and roads practically empty.
Drive down to Baie de Somme and get a couple of hours sleep then push on down to the Loire for early afternoon arrival.
The main advantage of coming back on the Zeebrugge ferry is we can be home in an hour instead of the 4 plus hours it takes from Folkestone. We sometimes hotel for a night or two in Bruges which makes for a very pleasant end to the holiday.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Journey from Yorkshire to the Loire
