Louis Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Hi I am thinking of making my first trip abroad in the spring and have just had a look at the ferry prices. I was thinking of going to Brittany so Roscoff would be the nearest port. I have only a small motorhome and the website quoted £440 return, however Dover to Calais quotes for £44 return. This seems far more viable as I certainly wouldn't use £400 pounds worth of petrol travelling to and from Calais. Would anyone on here recommend this option and is it possible to just turn up at Dover (and Calais) and embark, or is it always necessary to book? Thanks for any replies. Louis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffers Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 lots of people opt for the short [and flexible] crossing, but we hate driving in the UK, [driving in France is a doddle by comparison] you also need to consider the time element there is quite a lot to see and enjoy on the trek from Calais to Roscoff, much less so [imo] on the run to Dover I'm not sure how the compromise option would appeal - ie Portsmouth to Normandy / Brittany?? I would suggest that it's not just a matter of petrol costs? but what else you could be doing and stress and aggravation incurred *-) or - you coud sit in the Tunnel fr a few hours :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Unless you really, really have to get there and back quickly, save your money and go the Dover/Calais route (or Dover/Dunquerque). We travel from Hull to Dover and it takes us around 6.5 hours (stopping for tea and dog walkies). You can also look at using any Tesco vouchers you have to offset against the cost of using Eurotunnel, it'll cost around £132 return (cheapest) in 'real' money, or a quarter of that in converted Tesco vouchers. I wouldn't advise just turning up though, as you'll get stung for the crossing cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 Thanks very much for those replies. Very sound advice. I certainly don't fancy the tunnel after hearing about the horrendous problems fellow travellers are having. Just had a look at other options but they seem to be around the same price. I'll probably settle for a Dover/Calais crossing and meander across to Brittany, perhaps taking an overnight stopover somewhere. Good tip too about booking in advance. Thanks again Louis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romahomepete Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Dover Calais, cheapest. SeaFrance anti social hours very cheap. We tend to cross to France late at night and back early morning spending the night in the departures carpark with many others under the eyes of the security guards. (We are looking at £38 return for our Romahome). Motor down to Brittany using N roads and free motorways. We stay on aires de camping car when travelling. Have a look at this web site http://airecampingcar.com. Although we have a book. Don't confuse these with motorway aires - we have never stayed on those because some people have reported problems. make sure that you buy your fuel at the big hypermarkets as that is cheapest. When you need to use a campsite stay on a Camping Municipal as they tend to be the cheapest and you are more likely to meet the French at play. You can have a fairly cheap holiday with a little careful planning. We live in Lancashire and we reconn that we can have a french holiday for about the same price as going to Cornwall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Grumpy Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Louis I have sent you a PM, pick it up when you next log on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 I certainly intend to join the Caravan Club before I go and I think the 'France Passion' membership sounds like a good idea too. I was attracted by a Brittany campsite featured in this month's MMM magazine - Camping La Pointe, as it's right in the area I plan to visit and looks like a nice place to stay. Good tip on buying fuel at a hypermarket, I'll remember that, and many thanks for your PM Mr G. I am really grateful for all the advice and tips as it can be a bit daunting taking a motorhome abroad for the first time. Best regards Louis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homenaway Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Hi Louis, we looked at the western channel crossings for our trip to France but they are all expensive compared to Dover - Calais with P&O for £65 return at sensible times through the Camping & Caravanning Club. Depends on how long you are going for and whether you intend to speed down to Britanny or take a more leisurely route. We always use a mix of aires and the ACSI discount Camping-card book which pays for itself after the first couple of nights site fee savings. We haven't used France Passion so can't comment on that scheme. Enjoy your travels Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 It depends your start point relative to Dover/Plymouth and how tight you are for time. For me in South Devon it is the best part of 500 miles extra and four days driving to get to Brittany and back via Dover. Its a different matter if we are heading for Germany for instance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 And another thought- try different dates BF prices tend to be all over the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snudgy Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 latest deals with caravan club special deals sun dover fri return dunkirk low season all year£27 each way Norfolkline great ferry operator no coach loads of kids? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Hi Louis, Just a few other tips for France. Get yourself a little library of books. Try Vicarious Books website and buy "All the Aires in France" book. It will help you find the nicer aires around. It will compliment ww.campingcarinfos.com, as someone else suggested, but of course you will need a laptop for that. This is a good website, French, but the directions are easy to follow. Even easier if you get a sat nav! The Caravan Club Europe Book 1 is an ideal travelling companion. It has most of the sites in as well as driving advice for European mainland countries, and so on. An ACSI Camping Card Guidebook 2010, and card, if you can still get one. Try Vicarious again or either of the clubs can get them, I think. France passion is a good idea, but a problem I have heard of is that the directions to some places aren't that good and unless you fancy being lost in deepest darkest France give the address a good coat of looking at first before you set off to find it. French supermarket petrol pumps sometimes close for lunch, and on Sundays, even though the shop is open! They switch to automated card operation. They don't all use VISA or Mastercard either when on automatic. For that you need a "Carte Bleu" and you won't get one of those, 'cos you aint French! So make sure you fill up on a Saturday to avoid disappointment! If you book a ferry from Dover, you need to get there "officially a hour before the sailing time. If you get there sooner than that you can sometimes put onto an earlier sailing if you don't want to hang around. Just ask at the ticket booth. They may charge you a tenner, sometimes nothing, it depends how full/empty the boat is. There is more but others will add to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 These are great tips from everyone. I have bought the 'Go Motoring Europe' and 'All the Aires' books and find them both a great source of information. The ASCI camping card sounds like a good idea too so I'll add that to my wishlist. I'll be travelling down from the midlands so all in all I think Dover/Calais seems to be my best option. I must say the Norfolk line sounds tempting but as the trip is only a short one, I could probably stand the coachload of kids for the duration. I hadn't realised the trip across France was four days but again I'll be on holiday so don't mind stopping off. I do have a Sat Nav so should find my way around ok. Thanks to all Louis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 Well I've booked just booked my trip for the first two weeks in May. I've plumped for the Dover/Calais crossing with SeaFrance for £44 return so it sounds like a good deal. I'm already looking forward to it and I've now got four months to get all the necessaries together before I go. Thanks to everyone for all your help and advice. Louis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter42 Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 George Collings - 2010-01-07 10:42 PM It depends your start point relative to Dover/Plymouth and how tight you are for time. For me in South Devon it is the best part of 500 miles extra and four days driving to get to Brittany and back via Dover. Its a different matter if we are heading for Germany for instance. I also live in South Devon ( about 20 minutes from the ferry terminal, in fact) and would not even consider using Brittany Ferries because of their pricing structure ( and I worked for a firm that was a contractor of theirs). However, time is not a factor with me, as I am retired now and my holiday starts from the moment I leave home, so can use club 5 van sites on this side of the channel without thinking that I am wasting time. I intend to use French Passion for the first time this year but recommend both Aires de camping cars and municipal sites on the other side of the channel, crossing via Dover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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