Andyd71 as said earlier in thread, your figures confirm that price wise Dover/Calais are will be cheapest, even if travelling a fair way in UK to start to get there
Its like everything in life, how much money will you spend for convenience or to improve your holiday experience?!
We are using Newhaven/Dieppe this year as friends didn't want the Calais journey so saves maybe 200miles overall but costs some more on crossing for sure
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If I lived in the south east ( as I used to) it would always be Dov-Cal but the drive to Dov and back is a killer
Almost lost my old zafira aquaplaning just outside Calais at 02:00 in a thunderstorm on way to Vendee and made me happy to pay the difference LOL
------------- 2022
North and West wales grand tour (in T5)
Matlock (in T5)
New forest and IOW (in T5)
New Forest
La tranche sur mer
jevea (Valencia)
2023
Cotswolds
Tenby
(added a Compass Rallye to crew)
Royan
La tranche Sur Mer
2024
royan
La tranche
For years we experimented with various ferry crossings. But in the end of the day, if you're travelling in summer then the ferry is just not an option. Far too crowded, smelly, dirty and expensive. It's like being on a floating version of Center parcs - absolutely horrendous. Overnight crossings are no good for me as I don't sleep well in those cabins. Last one we were in smelt really bad.
Contrast that with your own car, your own privacy and the brilliant French roads. Ok the UK bit is not so good (we drive from the southwest) but as I would with any UK motorway journey, just travel after 7pm or before 8am and it's an entirely different experience.
We go to the Vendee and there's some great places and hotels on the way down. The journey becomes part of the holiday . Whereas being trapped on one of those big metal bath tubs is painful. And that's when everything's going well - I would dread to think what it would be like if something did happen.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
The luxurious way of doing it is the overnight ferry. We have not had any problems with cabins. It makes for a great start to the holiday - waking up in France nicely refreshed and with a much shorter drive.
The only downside is the cost, but for us we would need an overnight hotel anyway. Its our main holiday so cutting out hundreds of miles of unexciting motoring is worth a little extra. We are saving a little this year by trying Newhaven - Dieppe which is half the price.
I'm amazed with all the posts about arriving fresh after a good night sleep after an overnight ferry journey. I hated The Portsmouth to Caen ferry -it leaves late and gets in really early, no time for a proper sleep. The cabins are hot, dirty and noisy and the bunks small and claustrophobic. None of us got decent sleep.
Also because we live a long way from Portsmouth we had to put lots of continguency into our journey time down to Portsmouth and therefore wasted loads of time in Portsmouth waiting for the ferry - which was late. It was also horrendously expensive.
The tunnel is really flexible they will let you on a crossing even if its not the one you booked on, saves loads of time and faff.
This year we're driving down via the tunnel and back on the Zeebrugge to Hull ferry - I've spent a bit extra and booked a posh cabin. Hoping the longer crossing and bigger cabin will make the journey a more pleasant experience - we'll see !
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I must admit I feel fresher after five hours sleep than after no sleep and a lot safer driving too.
Better still sail to st malo going out longer sleep and less driving.
The cabins we have had have been clean and no noise that I can remember. I don't remember it being hot either but we went at whit.
As for small bunks I am not slim but didn't find them small. You would have to be bariatric to not have enough room. Having a bathroom to freshen up in the morning also helped me feel fresh for driving.
We've done the St Malo crossing, which was the best for driving down to the Vendee but very expensive even with the travel club;
Roscoff which, for the amount of driving the other side wasn't worth the expensive fare(&that was with a Brittany Ferries membership);
Caen which was a good compromise between cost and driving; Cherbourg, again a decent cost/driving compromise;
Dieppe, still q a long drive but you save a couple of hours on Calais & it's not too expensive, the ferry times are awkward & you don't get long for a sleep;
Calais which is one hell of a long drive but lots cheaper.
We have 2 kids & find a good night's sleep on the ferry rather elusive as there's always 1 who's awake, needs the loo, can hear the engine, water, other people walking outside or whatever. One Easter though, we did the over-night ferry & showered them & washed their hair, so they were ready for school the next day!
With the Calais route, we've done the staying over in Coquelles, driving to Rouen & staying there, but now we just tend to tunnel it & blast down to our caravan. I admit that we're not putting up a tent now & that I've got 2 big jars of coq au vin, a jar of peas & carrots, microwave rice, a bottle of wine & a carton of juice awaiting our arrival in the kitchen cupboard! But each time we go home, a treat is to choose our dinner for our 1st evening back!
Each to their own - Perhaps its the difference between having 2 people and a family in the cabins - never been overly fond of bunk beds and those cabins get really stuffy.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Vendee 2015 - Ferry or Tunnel?
