 Poster: A snowHead
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As we live very close to Portsmouth we are trying to decide whether to use the overnight ferry to Caen on a Friday rather than drive 2.5 hours (+)to Folkestone during rush hour. There's no difference in cost once you take into account less driving and no overnight stop going, but we were just concerned on the reliabilty of the Ferry Service in the winter months. Any thoughts?
Cheers, B.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I live in Newcastle upon Tyre and find the ferry to Amsterdam very relaxing to start a long journey after an overnight sleep on the ferry.
Have used Chanel Tunnel, Dover to Calais ferry and even Hovercraft when it was available but would choose ferry every time now.
The downside is due the ferry schedule, only one service per day, a two days return journey is often required unless you set off from the Alps at uncivilised hours.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Bongo, We live 4 hour drive from tunnel but with 3 young kids who have a high vomit rate on ferries I wouldn't dream to taking the ferry. Personally I love the tunnel, its quick, and very flexible and with Tesco clubcard vouchers I get a 75% discount on every fare. Each to their own but the thought of getting on a ferry in the middle of winter makes me queasy thinking about it. Really don't need to be worrying about weather for the ferry crossings before setting of and then wiping up puke from the kids. Onwards to the tunnel please.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Tunnel for me everytime.
The route from Caen to Alps either requires a trip round Paris outskirts or a cross-country trip, while the roads are good there are not as many rest areas as the Calais route.
But that said - I'd be tempted living that close to Portsmouth!
Like thefatcontroller, with 3-kids the Tunnel is the easiest option
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bongo, You're adding a lot of ferry time and driving miles going via Caen. That's a big detour 
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PS, Why do ferries still smell of vomit even if the sea is calm
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They don't, in my recent experience.
I always think you have to stop for (packed) lunch or breakfast somewhere, so why not on the ferry. They are very quick to load up, so overall no real delay compared to the chunnel. Also, they are better stabilised than they were particularly on the longer routes. Have used the ferries for the past seven years. Saying that, I have not had recent experience of bad weather.
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You're adding a lot of ferry time and driving miles going via Caen.
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I don't get that. It's actually far less driving in the UK and less also in France (Caen is a little closer to the Alps than Calais).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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double post
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Mon 7-09-09 8:07; edited 1 time in total
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Bongo, we live close to Portsmouth too and have just booked Portsmouth/Le Havre for the 13th December - then most of our drive the next day to Les Gets will be in daylight as I think we get off the boat about 8 a.m.
Going back that way from Le Havre in a couple of weeks - we always look at the various routes and frequently use different ones. Came over this time Dover/Calais P&O, but sometimes Dover/Dunkirk and we used to use SpeedFerries. But only ever used the tunnel a couple of times. We do have the luxury of time nowadays so feel no real need to use the tunnel as the ferries are always a good time to eat, stretch legs but I can understand those who like the tunnel from a time point of view.
And it is lovely to arrive back at Portsmouth and just have a short drive rather than the bat round the M25!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The route from Caen to Alps either requires a trip round Paris outskirts or a cross-country trip, while the roads are good there are not as many rest areas as the Calais route.
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We use the tunnel, even though we live 10 minutes from the Portsmouth ferry terminal. Four reasons -
1. to avoid any traffic holdups in Paris.
2. to use the quieter easterly motorways rather than the horrible A6 between Paris and Lyon
3. to use Tesco vouchers
4. The western channel crossings are very long - and unless you are comfortable and really sleep solidly on the boat you feel like you've been up all night anyway.
It is actually shorter in mileage terms to go via Le Havre for us (isn't Caen a Brittany Ferries route and therefore pretty expensive?) but a longer elapsed time. In the hours you spend on the ferry (probably not asleep and possibly feeling sick) you can drive far further than the extra miles, especially taking into account the almost inevitable Paris congestion. We used to avoid that by getting the afternoon boat from Portsmouth and hitting Paris towards midnight, but that's not possible any more. I find driving on the quiet motorways down from Calais much more restful than the A6.
As pamski says, the M25 is much the worst bit. We generally go on the tunnel around mid day, and have some filled rolls to have lunch on the train. That way we avoid the busy time on the A3 and M25 and normally sail round.
We usually reckon to stop overnight, but if all is going well, the weather and the roads clear, we sometimes drive straight through.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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How long is the ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Caen?
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You know it makes sense.
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pam w, Actually I think the M25 is much worse on the return trip than the way over. Perhaps there is always the anticipation and the build up in the journey over - on the way back the M25 and the lorries etc are just the final straw!
We put our Tesco vouchers into Airmiles as we have son and grandchildren to visit in the States, as we no longer get them for any business travel, and also save enough each year for that very expensive trip on Wightlink taking the car over for Cowes.
When we travel together to Le Havre we have a cabin - I have done it just on my own in a reclining seat.
The route we have taken in the past has avoided Paris.
Food not to be recommended on the Le Havre route - the trip back to Portsmouth leaves around 5 p.m. so we will have a decent picnic packed.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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they vary. But the 0830 boat gets in at 1530 local time (6 hours) and the overnight boats are slower. The fast cat thing doesn't run in winter.
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Poster: A snowHead
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pam w, Ughhh. 6 hours on a boat v 35 minutes on a train for me to save 40 miles driving in France. Can understand that living in Portsmouth its an option but like you said we time our runs to the eurotunnel and have managed to miss traffic. Though I do agree with Pamski that after 1300 miles or so miles of nice driving in France coming back onto the M23? and M25 seems hell compared to going to Ashford on them.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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All this talk of the journeys down to the tunnel/ferry takes me back to the days when we would pile all luggage, 3 kids, pillows, food etc into the car on a Friday evening at the end of a working week and then drive to Dover, and carry straight on to Austria - somewhere between 10 and 12 hours later we would arrive, unpack, say very sensibly no skiing that day, and within half an hour all be piling up the mountain.
Bit more youth was on our side in those days, and it was a really cheap way to take the kids skiing as I am not sure that any of the motoring costs other than the ferry were down to us.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Bit more youth was on our side in those days
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Yep. Makes a difference. I remember taking a 6 week old baby and boys of 5 and 7 year to Disney World, Washington DC and various other places, all on public transport. Travelling pretty light, it was an absolute breeze. The only problem was that although it was very hot (it was summer) some of the US transport was so absurdly air conditioned that you really needed the kind of heavy clothing we didn't have. I remember the OH taking his shirt off on some bus near Disney World, to wrap the baby's legs, it was so cold.
I also remember getting off overnight coaches to the Alps, and having one bag packed with all the gear needed to get people out on the mountain quickly (with our 3 kids plus 2 extra cousins, on one occasion). I must have been well organised as well as more energetic, in those days!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Bongo, WE've done Portsmouth to Le Havre to avoid tanking up the M3 and round the M25 - Le Havre to Alps is a shorter journey and negotiating Paris (even if you go on the telepherique is easy - just keep following the Lyon signs). And if going on the telepherique you can spot things like the Eiffel Tower which helps to ease the boredom a bit.
Have you looked at LD lines - think they are cheaper than Brittany Ferries. Worth paying a little more to go in their lounge though
Yes, I suppose you do run the risk of choppy crossing and there's probably only one crossing a day so you do have to time things well on the way back
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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?Périphérique. Depends on the time of day - can be very congested.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Villz, Bongo, LD Lines are the people we do the Le Havre crossing with - and agree during the day we pay a bit, not sure what it is, to go into the lounge - I think they call it something like the Cotton Club. Very quiet in there - thought the drinks were a bit expensive, and there are some computers so you can catch up with e mails if you fancy that.
The only time that we used the Peripherique was years ago, Sunday evening and lots of road works so a bad experience, hence we have done a different route on the occasions we have used Le Havre since.
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Used the tunnel for tha first time this year, and was very impressed...fast and flexible, less waiting around and gets you there faster!
Ther is a fast ferry portsmouth to cherbourg, used it last month, and was impressed with that too (3 hours instead of the usual 6 on the western end of the channel), but found it a bit expensive. Lots of vomiting children.
My suggestion is time your run late to avoid the traffic and take th M3 to the Chunnel (which is cheap if you book a late train far enough in advance), and if you want to, stop a little further north in france overnight.
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We also live about 10 mins from the Portsmouth Ferry terminal and are planning to drive to Tignes in April. Like Pamski, we have crossed over using various routes in the past - I think actually that it's on the way home that it makes the difference - once you're at le Havre or Caen it's just a case of relaxing on the boat and hopping off at the other end.
Since we have all of Good Friday (and the Thursday night) to get down to Albertville (where we are overnighting), I haven't yet decided which way to go.
We try not to touch the Periperique with a bargepole 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Ther is a fast ferry portsmouth to cherbourg
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not in the winter, I think. Even more vomit inducing in high seas. 
Last time I did the périph was after midnight, and it was still bumper to bumper. We weren't heading to the Alps that time.
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We do either ferry or eurotunnel depending on how many Tesco vouchers we have. October we are using Seafrance, as I had
already booked Dec and March on the eurotunnel and used up all the vouchers. I don't think it makes a lot of difference as we have a meal on the ferry instead of stopping elsewhere.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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there's not a huge difference between ferry and tunnel if you start in Dover - but a big difference between the tunnel and one of the long western channel crossings. I do find the tunnel much less of a hassle than even the short ferry crossings - drive on, sit in your car, have a sandwich and a cup of coffee, check the map to remind yourself about the route down, then drive off the other side. Especially as it's free (well, I know it's not really, but feels that way with Tesco vouchers). Just waiting for the OH to emerge from his stent operation tomorrow, and I'll be booking two returns - one for October, one for December/February. 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Don't forget it's not just the crossing time that's much quicker with the tunnel, but the check-in time.
My folks get the ferry to Caen quite often and I think it's at least 1 hr check-in if not 1 1/2. We seldom arrive at the tunnel more than 45 minutes before departure time and still sometimes get bumped onto an earlier crossing.
If you don't like leaving everying to the last minute ignore this comment, but my middle name is Not-Quite-Late.
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andyph, That is because it is a port no-one uses... and the check-in of that operator is poor..
The only way you'd need that sort of time would also be if the ship physically couldn't be loaded quickly...which again comes down to a poor choice of ships..
Those routes tend not to have much invested in them
Liverpool and Dublin are also poor examples of this... but again 2 crossings a day so who cares?
Dover will ask for 30 mins but can empty a full ship in less than 20mins if they have to... and loading is no longer..
That would be the case for most of the 2000 pax, 600 cars and 180/200 units ships...
Anyway, we are talking minutes here..
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You know it makes sense.
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The other thing you might take into account here..and it was an issue with Speed Ferries, is how many ships they have....
If P&O loose a ship to mechanical...you'd hardly notice... if the Tunnel has a problem, then that will slow you down.altho they kept it quiet about people getting stuck in the tunnel for a 5 hours the other week..IIRC..
but some operators will be savaged if they lost a ship.
The big operators have a reciprical arrangement that if there is a tunnel delay, then the ferries will take over and vice-versa...
ALTHO not at the expense of pre booked customers of that operator...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Wow loads of advice, thanks!
We think all in all we'll opt for the Tunnel due to Paris avoidance and better option for bad weather - but the thought of relaxing on a ferry back to Pompey with a 10 min drive after arrival is hard to get out of our heads!
Anyway, we would arrive in Calais at about 9pm local, if using the tunnel, and would like to drive as far as possible before an overnight stop at about 11:30 'ish. The thing is should we book a motel before we go or is it OK to just drive and find one wherever we happen to get to that late?? It'll be a Friday night at the end of Jan.
Cheers B.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Good to see you remembered the added hour on the way out. Book a motel. It's a point to aim for and they are never quite as easy to find as you might think.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bongo, depends on your preferences, but that should get you to around the Reims area. It is a popular stopping off point, and if you are going at a busy time such as half-term, they could be fairly busy.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Bongo, shouldn't be too bad in January, but Friday nights are busy. Suggest you aim to get just south of Reims - it makes the journey a bit longer but the road will be empty and you'll miss the Reims traffic Saturday morning. I don't generally book in advance, but I think if you're aiming to arrive as late as that on a Friday it would probably be better to do so, so you can get straight in and put your head down.
If by any chance there's a lot of fog you won't get that far - but you can normally phone and cancel, in the chain hotels. Or even not have to pay until you turn up.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Bongo, If booking at hotel check for secure parking, you don't want to have to fully unload car at 11.30pm at night.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Bongo,
I wouldn't be doing things your way myself... getting across for 9pm only to stop a couple of hours later doesn't make sense to me..but if this is your plan then get past Rheim. This leg should take just over 2 hrs so your timing is right. If you are certain you want to stop then you can pre-book... but a CC does the trick at most of the motel dump sites pretty quickly as long as they have vacances.... They are souless places IMV, and I'd rather push on or get to sleep on the ferry..which would make the 6 hr crossing more pertinent as long as there is somewhere to doze.
The Paris ringway isn't THAT bad that I'd re-route my whole trip but there are better times to pass through it.
I am not sure of the western routes and who does what, but Portsmouth or Newhaven to Caen or Le Harve sound ok... It is a case of which do you want to avoid, the M25 or the Paris peripherique...
None of them are scarey..just that you can/should pick your times... The M25 should be clear to Dover after 6pm, IME..
When you say Folkestone, I assume you mean for the tunnel, the Folkestone ferry service has the same issue as Portsmouth..ie too few ships.
If it were me, I'd check out the Portsmouth routes and times and give it a go... if it pays off, then you have the lovely rest on the ship and a quick drive home
I live 20 mins from Dover but once on that ship, I can't wait to get home..and even 20 mins is a drag...
For me, travelling is all about getting there... it doesn't need to take any longer that it should take...
10 hrs port to resort is a leisurely drive to most places in the alpes, but you can't afford any prolonged stops, it is tolls, gas/food and toilet stops for 20 mins max.
Any longer than this and your time starts to drop off and the day gets pretty long...IMO
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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it doesn't need to take any longer that it should take...
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and it takes us a lot less time to drive to the tunnel than to cross from Portsmouth (10 mins down the road). The night boats from Portsmouth take longer - 8 hours in the case of the Portsmouth - Le Havre ferry. I have often done what Bongo's proposing, and I think it does make sense, for someone who doesn't want to drive all night. People vary a lot - I have sometimes resented stopping for the night and then not sleeping well, wishing I were driving instead. Sometimes I've driven through - normally it doesn't bother me, but it does depend what sort of day you've had - and it depends crucially on the weather. I would always stop if it's very foggy, whatever the time of day. People are different, and some people who reckon they are safe driving through the night (including me, probably) might nonetheless have some dodgy periods of low focus, around 4 am.
It depends where you're headed, too. Most rented accommodation isn't available until later in the afternoon - so a morning departure from Reims, then a slightly more leisurely timetable, giving people time to stretch their legs, sip a cup of coffee AND take their time in the toilet, makes plenty of sense. Driven drivers who won't stop are a pain. My father once did 100 miles (across northern Spain. in the '70s, it wasn't a motorway) after I asked him to stop for me to find a bush. He only stopped when I assured him I would pee on his precious upholstery if he did another mile.
For some people, holidays are spoilt by the fatigue induced by an overnight drive - and that goes for passengers, not just drivers. I'm OK losing a night's sleep, but it's not everyone's idea of fun.
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FWIW - we live up near Northants, Portsmouth is 130 miles away, Tunnel 150.
We generally leave home early, around 5am, and take the 8.30ish tunnel. A steady drive will take is to Chalon-sur-Saone for the night and a very pleasant meal.
A 6am start the next day will see us around Lyon before any queues build up with time to stop for lunch and shopping in ALbertville. Generally in resort for 3ish with plenty of time to sort out lessons, passes and skis while it is still quiet - i.e. the transfer buses haven't arrived.
At 5pm we are collecting keys to apartment and soon after our settled, cooking a meal, enjoying a glass of wine - and watching the solid stream of lights from cars stuck in the valley 
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We live within 30 mins of the channel... so it is DOCA or Tunnel for us... I prefer the ferry but am not that fussed, the driver/owner has final say here even though the ferry is nominal
An early start gets us anywhere in the alpes within a day.
If you are on your toes then French port to a western alpine resort is 8 hrs but is is easy to lose this time with stops if you want to or aren't that bothered
We invaribly have 3 drivers so the car keeps going and we prefer to arrive in daylight, especially if the chalet/accom is new to us...
An eveining shop is the first thing on the agenda so another reason to keep going..
We find we take more pre-coocked stuff and buy less food these days
We use to travel through the night but then that costs you in tiredness in resort so that day becomes unusable anyway. Personally I prefer to keep going but things are more relaxed now...
I have had enough of arriving on a holiday knackered and we now keep our travelling days as just that..and even when we have our little 2 week roads trips... it is important not to try and cram everything in...if the resort is in such good nick, or more likely it has snowed overnight, we will delay departure by a day or so if we can...
Everything should be flexible...
I think we have it down... pretty much
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