# Ferry prices



## gypo (Oct 1, 2017)

We got back from a 2 week jolly in France on Friday so i I thought I'd have a little look at ferry prices for next June for a return trip to Spain,  just to help with the end of holiday blues as you do 
We have a van conversion  (fiat ducato)
Return trip to Spain  £1089! 
We did the same trip this June and paid £700 ish.  I was admittedly an associated club voyager member so got a discount .
Do you ppl pay this to Spain or would you rather cross to France as cheap as possible and drive your way there?
I'm just trying to get some opinions.
Cheers
D


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## Private (Oct 1, 2017)

*Drive*

I drive from the cheapest crossing; it's all part of the holiday if you have the time. 
They always seem to add something (i.e more than just the diesel cost difference) for the convenience of dropping you lower in France or straight into Spain but I need a discount not an increase!


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## alcam (Oct 1, 2017)

gypo said:


> We got back from a 2 week jolly in France on Friday so i I thought I'd have a little look at ferry prices for next June for a return trip to Spain,  just to help with the end of holiday blues as you do
> We have a van conversion  (fiat ducato)
> Return trip to Spain  £1089!
> We did the same trip this June and paid £700 ish.  I was admittedly an associated club voyager member so got a discount .
> ...



Heading for Spain its Dover-Calais for me . Travelling wintertime I always look at ferries to Spain but price and lack of dog accomodation rules it out everytime


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## Deleted member 9849 (Oct 1, 2017)

That's about what we paid for a dog friendly cabin with the 2 mutts to N.Spain,not cheap but worth it for us.Have you tried booking through the Caravan and Motorhome Club ferry service?They do sometimes get a discount.


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## gypo (Oct 1, 2017)

No not tried, ill have a look but I think we will do a crossing to france return next year, I  not paying 1k .
D


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## RichardHelen262 (Oct 1, 2017)

Tunnel for me as I enjoy driving more than ferries.


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## Deleted member 9849 (Oct 1, 2017)

helen262 said:


> Tunnel for me as I enjoy driving more than ferries.



Usually I would agree but in winter when it's dark at 5pm and very cold with most of the aires closed I don't find it a pleasurable experience driving down through France.Each to his own of course and the drive would be a lot different in the better weather.


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## RichardHelen262 (Oct 1, 2017)

wakk44 said:


> Usually I would agree but in winter when it's dark at 5pm and very cold with most of the aires closed I don't find it a pleasurable experience driving down through France.Each to his own of course and the drive would be a lot different in the better weather.



But the OP was looking at next June so the weather and light nights should be ok


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## Deleted member 9849 (Oct 1, 2017)

helen262 said:


> But the OP was looking at next June so the weather and light nights should be ok



Yes,you're right of course,I was just relaying my own personal experience in the winter,I have always travelled down to Spain and Portugal in Jan/Feb.

It would be a completely different trip in June when it's warm weather,light until past 10pm and all the aires are open.At that time of year I prefer to holiday in the UK.


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## rugbyken (Oct 1, 2017)

thought the discount was 30% so off 1000 would be 700 same as the clubs they have a similar situation to the voyager scheme but when i rang up & i couldn't get dog accomadation the girl said the clubs block booked tickets and then returned them if not sold


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## antiquesam (Oct 1, 2017)

Brittany Ferries have a monopoly on the Western Channel. Don't expect cheap prices.


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## alcam (Oct 1, 2017)

wakk44 said:


> That's about what we paid for a dog friendly cabin with the 2 mutts to N.Spain,not cheap but worth it for us.Have you tried booking through the Caravan and Motorhome Club ferry service?They do sometimes get a discount.



For me too expensive but more important is the dog friendly cabin . I don't book too far in advance and it does seem impossible to get one


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## Trompete (Oct 18, 2017)

*Getting to Spain*



gypo said:


> We got back from a 2 week jolly in France on Friday so i I thought I'd have a little look at ferry prices for next June for a return trip to Spain,  just to help with the end of holiday blues as you do
> We have a van conversion  (fiat ducato)
> Return trip to Spain  £1089!
> We did the same trip this June and paid £700 ish.  I was admittedly an associated club voyager member so got a discount .
> ...



try Newhaven to Dieppe...4 hours , cheap ( if you go unsociable hours) and very easy either end. We find it the best, even driving down from the Scottish Borders.


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## witzend (Oct 18, 2017)

gypo said:


> We did the same trip this June and paid £700 ish.  I was admittedly an associated club voyager member so got a discount .D



I should renew that and benefit from the discount again. I only travel to Spain in winter and would use that ferry if possible I expect that if you work it out there's not a large saving in driving


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## ducato (Oct 31, 2017)

We usually start off at Oliva just below Valencia . I get about 27mpg and on a rough calculation the difference in fuel going from Calais rather than Bilbao Is about £125 each way 
The long journey works for me . We use free Aires all the way and only pay roads around Irun to save a mass of roundabouts 
Leaving on November 19th for the winter
Xmas at Cabo de Gata anybody ???


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## karakachan (Nov 1, 2017)

That's a real coincidence ducato.I lived just outside of Oliva in 2002/2005...right on the beach in between camping Pepe and camping Rio Mar


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## Deleted member 58274 (Nov 1, 2017)

*Aires*

Hi, we prefer to drive, usually Dover but tried Newhaven this time....£72. Last year we traveled mid November and found various Aires open....some took card for barrier/services...some collected next morning...no problems. As said some turn water off in November. We set off earlie this year and are in Pamalos (Spain) already. Maja


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## John H (Nov 1, 2017)

gypo said:


> We got back from a 2 week jolly in France on Friday so i I thought I'd have a little look at ferry prices for next June for a return trip to Spain,  just to help with the end of holiday blues as you do
> We have a van conversion  (fiat ducato)
> Return trip to Spain  £1089!
> We did the same trip this June and paid £700 ish.  I was admittedly an associated club voyager member so got a discount .
> ...



It really depends on how much time you have. We are retired and so can take as long as we want We usually take one of the shorter crossings, travel slowly (no toll roads and less than 100 miles per journey) so that we can explore new places and enjoy the trip. It also depends on how good a sailor you are - the Bay of Biscay can be notoriously rough (although it was like a mill pond both times we have done it). But the price you quote seems about normal for that route (we paid nearly £500 for a single crossing).


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## mark61 (Nov 1, 2017)

I like to drive. Prefer tunnel, but if it's silly money I'll go by ferry. If you have time theres lots of places to visit, if in a hurry, the roads are good, I'll go the toll free route if I'm driving at night, but pay the tolls during day.


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## Pauljenny (Nov 1, 2017)

Portsmouth to Caen.

Avoids Channel port hassles and a long drive through North France.
 You arrive straight into nice countryside.. The D-day beaches, Bayeux  and Bordeaux,without too much fuss. Easy toll free routes.
Discount with C&CC is higher than the membership fee.


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## redhand (Nov 3, 2017)

We plan a trip to spain in February travelling through france first ever winter trip. There seems to be lots of references in this thread to aires being closed at this time of year,  is this really the case


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## Tezza33 (Nov 3, 2017)

Until you get a long way South you will find a lot of Aires with the water turned off but we have never had problems finding somewhere for the night


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## jaycey001 (Nov 4, 2017)

We have gone via the boat to Spain and paid about £850 - dog cabins always fill up quickly and I dont really want to put our dog in the kennels on board. It was a rough crossing but quite enjoyable. We have also gone via the tunnel which is so easy and not too badly priced. However this summer we are going to try the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry, really good prices (better than tunnel!) and drops you a bit further south and avoids the congestion around Paris etc.. looks ideal to me!


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## Moonraker 2 (Nov 4, 2017)

*ferry to france*



jaycey001 said:


> We have gone via the boat to Spain and paid about £850 - dog cabins always fill up quickly and I dont really want to put our dog in the kennels on board. It was a rough crossing but quite enjoyable. We have also gone via the tunnel which is so easy and not too badly priced. However this summer we are going to try the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry, really good prices (better than tunnel!) and drops you a bit further south and avoids the congestion around Paris etc.. looks ideal to me!



As with a previous comment, I have usually taken the Portsmouth - Caen route, then it is quite a straight road south, bit of a detour round Bordeaux. However this year, on my return trip,  I drove up to Dieppe, spent a week on and around the Seine which was wonderful and then a good crossing to Newhaven. Dieppe is an interesting town, parked on the aire the other side of the river and rode my bike around. Lovely.


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## Deleted member 54954 (Nov 4, 2017)

We have just returned from a month in Provence and used the Newhaven - Dieppe route for the first time, partly due to the 20% discount for the 'oldies' and partly for the convenience of a shorter journey for our border terrier (dogs have to travel in vehicle and allowed one check during the crossing). My only gripe was that the food was not the quality of that on Brittany Ferries but was a similar price. But with such a short journey it is a minor point.
We hope to travel to Portugal end of April to early July next year and a Brittany Ferries quote for Portsmouth to Santander was £1012.20 return, incl. Club Voyage 15% disc., and dogs have to travel in a kennel. That is not pet-friendly, in our opinion (others will have differing opinions). As much as we like the service on Brittany Ferries we will use Newhaven - Dieppe and opt for a 'plat de jour' in transit. Toll charges are minimal on the straightest route to the Spanish border.


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