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Hi i am thinking of driving down to spain next year with 2 children in the van, which is a 2 litre petrol coachbiult.
Working out the petrol costs + tolls + are we there yet questions, would a ferry to Satander at around 750-850 return be worth considering.
Is the ferry an enjoyable part of the trip?
Anyone done both? or should i do both?
Hi.
There are two ferries,one from Portsmouth 2 days,and one from Plymouth 1 day. We chose the Plymouth route,as i am not a sailor. The best parts for me,where the hotel in Plymouth,and driving off the ferry at Santander.
However,it is a change from thundering down the tarmac,and i was told that when nearing S/der,dolphins frolic about around the sharp end of the vessel,they perhaps do,i was keeping my centre of gravity as low as possible. It will be a cold day in hell,before you get me even on the Woolich Ferry lol. Thats ME!!, Jennifer loved it,so there you go.
Jented
PS. I would pay good money,NOT to do it again.
Last edited by Jented on Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:00 am; edited 1 time in total
We've booked on the Portsmouth to Santander ferry - one way, 23 hours only- in January to avoid the slog through frozen France. We'll come back overland later in the year when things are open and it is warmer. We're paying £390 for the single trip including an outside 2 berth cabin.
If we were going in summer we would not do this but would make the trip part of the holiday. We do have the luxury of time however. If we had limited time then I'd seriously consider the ferry. Factoring in campsites if you use them,possible toll roads, fuel etc does not make the cost difference so big. With the huge increase of lorries using the N roads ( as tolls have increased) travelling on them is more stressful than it used to be.
Have you thought of the Portsmouth to Cherbourg ferry ? We've done this many times and it does cut time if you are going south.
If you have any Air Miles then phone them and ask them to quote - they are very efficient, do all the booking and you make reasonable savings.
Enjoy France and the drive if it is summertime there will be lots of places in france to stop plus aires. (We are never in a hurry), you can drive down in 3 days to Benidorm area if you push it.
By ferry 1 day on the ferry another long day and you could be there.
Andy
______________________________________________________________ There are no typing, spelling, or grammatical errors in my post. What you are seeing is the evolution of the English language in action.
This post may be unsuitable for overly sensitive persons with low self-esteem, no sense of humour or irrational religious beliefs,if you are please disregard the above post. Andy
Most of the people who bang on about the journey being part of the holiday, and taking the ferry is a waste of money etc. etc. are usually the retired ones with all the time in the world.
If you've a limited holiday period you may not want to spend an extra four days (two each way) trundling through France, especially with two bored children in tow.
Financially, the ferry will never win, but how do you value the four extra days?
Paradoxically, in January, when we go to Spain, we'll drive but, when I was limited to just a maximum of three weeks' holiday, we'd go from Plymouth to Santander, which is the quicker sailing.
Another bonus is that I think that the children will probably enjoy the ferry much more than a long drive through France.
If any of you are prone to sea sickness and the sea is anything but calm it'll be the longest 23 hours of your life. Trust me, I've been there.
If you do decide to take the ferry choose the Pont Aven which is the largest of the two Brittany Ferries vessels that do this route. It also has better facilities than their new ship which is rather more basic and spent it's previous life as a Mediteranean ferry.
Sea sickness pills, taken at least 2 hours before departure are a must. Once you start to feel ill it's too late and you won't recover until it arrives. And you certainly won't look forward to the return trip!
Brittany Ferries do Portsmouth to Santander in 24 hours and Plymouth to Santander in 23 hours so not much to choose between them.
G
I'm sure you're right. I was thinking of the Portsmouth-Bilbao route, which we compared and it was a day and a half and I always think of the Santander ferry as being the quicker, which it is!
If any of you are prone to sea sickness and the sea is anything but calm it'll be the longest 23 hours of your life. Trust me, I've been there.
Roly
That's a very good point and there's no arguing with it. I would hope though that before people embark on a long sail across the Bay of Biscay that they will be aware of their propensity to sea-sickness, or not, as the case may be!
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