Cheapest ferry to the continent?

[crofty1984]

Not right now, obviously, but I thought I'd like to take my bike on a trip to Europe for it's 50th birthday. I prefer the Netherlands/Germany/Italy to France, but I guess Dover-Calais is probably cheapest. Interested in alternatives and advice too.

[ElectricSoup]

Newhaven-Dieppe is usually pretty cheap. Love that service.

[black-k1]

If you are willing to go at "silly o'clock" in the morning then most are pretty cheap.

[Reffro]

Ignore cheap and go for best service and being able to avoid France and Belgium. Use Harwich to Hook of Holland. Overnight it on the ferry and start your journey at 8am in Holland.

Balance the additional cost against the ride to get to Dover & from Calais to Holland. Once you consider the time and fuel, whilst it is slightly more costly overall, you start your continental journey within your chosen country.

I had used Dover - Calais for years, I haven't even considered it again since I first travelled via Harwich.

[HairyMaclary]

Depends when you go. Go in February and its cost me no more than £25 return and sometimes they'll give you bottles of wine for free. Go in August and don't expect to see much change out of £200.

Dover to Calais.

[PIGINAWIG]

Another vote for harwich to the hook of Holland- so easy to get into Germany.

[Cheeses of Nazareth]

Where you live and when you go make a lot of difference, we always go Dover Dunkirk with DFDS , its cheap , and the extra hour on the boat gets you 30 mins nearer Belgium, and keeps you the hell out of Calais, and on the return trip , you are 30 mins nearer , and its never busy like Calais.

We are 3 hours from Dover, we go 10PM and eat on the boat, and then have a quick sleep, and then crack on, for an hour or two, but that's in our Camper, I never travelled at night on the bike in Europe.

[Taff107]

Reffro said:

Ignore cheap and go for best service and being able to avoid France and Belgium. Use Harwich to Hook of Holland. Overnight it on the ferry and start your journey at 8am in Holland.

Balance the additional cost against the ride to get to Dover & from Calais to Holland. Once you consider the time and fuel, whilst it is slightly more costly overall, you start your continental journey within your chosen country.

I had used Dover - Calais for years, I haven't even considered it again since I first travelled via Harwich.

Absolutely this.

After being in Germany for 9+ yrs with the Army and numerous travels back and forth, Hook of Holland is so much less of a grind than the Calais > Gent > Antwerp alternative.

[AceOfHearts]

I always take the Harwich ferry as well. Much nicer experience with the overnight ferry. Arrive in evening, few drinks in the bar, go to bed, wake up in Holland. Plus you can have a decent shower and breakfast ready for the days riding.

[crofty1984]

Thanks all. Being in Norwich, Harwich-hook of Holland is probably best for me, sounds like a plan.

[zzrman]

crofty1984 said:

Thanks all. Being in Norwich, Harwich-hook of Holland is probably best for me, sounds like a plan.

As you say given your location and your intended destination, that is clearly your best option. I've done it once and I had a nice dinner on board and a good night's sleep.

[black-k1]

It's a very long way from the UK to Italy, especially as, I assume, you won't be overly keen to take a 50 year old bike for long runs on the motorway. Balance out the overnight cost of the ferry to an additional overnight stop on the road. The distance to Italy from Calais is about 50 miles less than from the Hook Of Holland, when both use the shortest, non-motorway, route. And both routes go through France, not Germany. Going through Germany will add more miles so you'll be looking at at least two overnight stops each way.

Assuming, from your post title, that the costs are important, then cost up the whole journey for both the Hook of Holland and the Calais options, including that "extra" overnight stay. (One nights B&B is pretty cheap compared to the cost of a ferry ticket.) Also look at the sailing times. Get held up on the way back to the Hook of Holland and miss the ferry, it's going to be a long wait. Arrive late at Calais and you'll still be crossing within the next couple of hours.

[Dog Star]

fk cheapest! I’m in Lancashire and Dover is just out of the question nowadays, especially on a bike. Even more so coming home.

Hull - Zeebrugge/Rotterdam every time. Costs a billion quid.

[Krikkit]

Dog Star said:

fk cheapest! I’m in Lancashire and Dover is just out of the question nowadays, especially on a bike. Even more so coming home.

Hull - Zeebrugge/Rotterdam every time. Costs a billion quid.

Just about worth it though, I always take the long way up past Skipton and Harrogate, then drop into Hull at the last possible second

[Triaguar]

Dog Star said:

fk cheapest! I’m in Lancashire and Dover is just out of the question nowadays, especially on a bike. Even more so coming home.

Hull - Zeebrugge/Rotterdam every time. Costs a billion quid.

I am definitely in your camp, but come on have some imagination. Portsmouth/ santander from Yorkshire. Best cabin, top meal 25 hours it's like being on a cruise. Then you get off and within an hour its Picos European. Then best hotels you can find...and..... they sign post the bloomin speed cameras!!@ please, please end lockdown before end of June you wonderful Spanish people

[Krikkit]

Triaguar said:

Dog Star said:

fk cheapest! I’m in Lancashire and Dover is just out of the question nowadays, especially on a bike. Even more so coming home.

Hull - Zeebrugge/Rotterdam every time. Costs a billion quid.

I am definitely in your camp, but come on have some imagination. Portsmouth/ santander from Yorkshire. Best cabin, top meal 25 hours it's like being on a cruise. Then you get off and within an hour its Picos European. Then best hotels you can find...and..... they sign post the bloomin speed cameras!!@ please, please end lockdown before end of June you wonderful Spanish people

Yeah, but it's 25 hours being stuck on a boat when you could be riding, and the chore of riding all the way to Southampton... That turns a week of holiday into 4 enjoyable days: two stuck on a ferry, one schlepping down the motorway to get to the ferry and a bh of a drive on the way home.

[Triaguar]

Krikkit said:

Triaguar said:

Dog Star said:

fk cheapest! I’m in Lancashire and Dover is just out of the question nowadays, especially on a bike. Even more so coming home.

Hull - Zeebrugge/Rotterdam every time. Costs a billion quid.

I am definitely in your camp, but come on have some imagination. Portsmouth/ santander from Yorkshire. Best cabin, top meal 25 hours it's like being on a cruise. Then you get off and within an hour its Picos European. Then best hotels you can find...and..... they sign post the bloomin speed cameras!!@ please, please end lockdown before end of June you wonderful Spanish people

Yeah, but it's 25 hours being stuck on a boat when you could be riding, and the chore of riding all the way to Southampton... That turns a week of holiday into 4 enjoyable days: two stuck on a ferry, one schlepping down the motorway to get to the ferry and a bh of a drive on the way home.

Lol! That's a fair point, we always go for at least three weeks. Avoid the motorway down, make an event of the journey there and back. The 25 hours on the boat is like a mini cruise and beats trecking through France. Alright I accept the flaw in my plan is it's not ideal if you are going to Germany. But bloomin brill if going to spain. !!!

[black-k1]

Triaguar said:

Krikkit said:

Triaguar said:

Dog Star said:

fk cheapest! I’m in Lancashire and Dover is just out of the question nowadays, especially on a bike. Even more so coming home.

Hull - Zeebrugge/Rotterdam every time. Costs a billion quid.

I am definitely in your camp, but come on have some imagination. Portsmouth/ santander from Yorkshire. Best cabin, top meal 25 hours it's like being on a cruise. Then you get off and within an hour its Picos European. Then best hotels you can find...and..... they sign post the bloomin speed cameras!!@ please, please end lockdown before end of June you wonderful Spanish people

Yeah, but it's 25 hours being stuck on a boat when you could be riding, and the chore of riding all the way to Southampton... That turns a week of holiday into 4 enjoyable days: two stuck on a ferry, one schlepping down the motorway to get to the ferry and a bh of a drive on the way home.

Lol! That's a fair point, we always go for at least three weeks. Avoid the motorway down, make an event of the journey there and back. The 25 hours on the boat is like a mini cruise and beats trecking through France. Alright I accept the flaw in my plan is it's not ideal if you are going to Germany. But bloomin brill if going to spain. !!!

Perhaps it's me but I just don't get this school of thought where extra miles in the UK from home to port are a pain in the arse but extra miles on the continent to the port, then hours not riding while on a boat are not. This is especially so if you're landing in Holland then heading anywhere other than North. The roads in Holland are crap. Way more crap than pretty much anything in the UK. If I'm on a biking trip I want to ride my bike and I want to ride it on good roads!

For me, the holiday starts the second I leave the house and doesn't end until I return to the house. If I lived in Lancashire and I didn't want to do motorways, the first day of my trip would be nice UK roads to Dover then ferry/train to Calais before a cheap overnight stop outside Calais. It would cost less, be no slower to the continent than the Hull ferry, get me closer to the nice roads in Europe and give me a day riding great, mostly non-motorway roads in the UK.

You only have to slog the motorway if you don't allow enough time between the port and home for a non-motorway option. If you use the Dover Calais crossing points then there is huge flexibility in choice of crossing time so you don't have to be tied to a specific ferry time. And it's considerably cheaper!

[Triaguar]

black-k1 said:

Triaguar said:

Krikkit said:

Triaguar said:

Dog Star said:

fk cheapest! I’m in Lancashire and Dover is just out of the question nowadays, especially on a bike. Even more so coming home.

Hull - Zeebrugge/Rotterdam every time. Costs a billion quid.

I am definitely in your camp, but come on have some imagination. Portsmouth/ santander from Yorkshire. Best cabin, top meal 25 hours it's like being on a cruise. Then you get off and within an hour its Picos European. Then best hotels you can find...and..... they sign post the bloomin speed cameras!!@ please, please end lockdown before end of June you wonderful Spanish people

Yeah, but it's 25 hours being stuck on a boat when you could be riding, and the chore of riding all the way to Southampton... That turns a week of holiday into 4 enjoyable days: two stuck on a ferry, one schlepping down the motorway to get to the ferry and a bh of a drive on the way home.

Lol! That's a fair point, we always go for at least three weeks. Avoid the motorway down, make an event of the journey there and back. The 25 hours on the boat is like a mini cruise and beats trecking through France. Alright I accept the flaw in my plan is it's not ideal if you are going to Germany. But bloomin brill if going to spain. !!!

Perhaps it's me but I just don't get this school of thought where extra miles in the UK from home to port are a pain in the arse but extra miles on the continent to the port, then hours not riding while on a boat are not. This is especially so if you're landing in Holland then heading anywhere other than North. The roads in Holland are crap. Way more crap than pretty much anything in the UK. If I'm on a biking trip I want to ride my bike and I want to ride it on good roads!

For me, the holiday starts the second I leave the house and doesn't end until I return to the house. If I lived in Lancashire and I didn't want to do motorways, the first day of my trip would be nice UK roads to Dover then ferry/train to Calais before a cheap overnight stop outside Calais. It would cost less, be no slower to the continent than the Hull ferry, get me closer to the nice roads in Europe and give me a day riding great, mostly non-motorway roads in the UK.

You only have to slog the motorway if you don't allow enough time between the port and home for a non-motorway option. If you use the Dover Calais crossing points then there is huge flexibility in choice of crossing time so you don't have to be tied to a specific ferry time. And it's considerably cheaper!

I agree the holiday starts when you leave the house. So a nice potter through England is nice. The overnight ferry is a night out with the boys whilst on holiday. The flip side is some people just want to get over the water as swiftly and cheaply as possible. As I note you travel a lot on the bike you will surely have done both dependant on where, when purpose etc. Any way Crofty you have been given lots of ideas
In answer to your original post. Enjoy everybody when you can get out. Which I am tipping will be Monday

[NS400R]

black-k1 said:

Perhaps it's me but I just don't get this school of thought where extra miles in the UK from home to port are a pain in the arse but extra miles on the continent to the port, then hours not riding while on a boat are not. This is especially so if you're landing in Holland then heading anywhere other than North. The roads in Holland are crap. Way more crap than pretty much anything in the UK. If I'm on a biking trip I want to ride my bike and I want to ride it on good roads!

For me, the holiday starts the second I leave the house and doesn't end until I return to the house. If I lived in Lancashire and I didn't want to do motorways, the first day of my trip would be nice UK roads to Dover then ferry/train to Calais before a cheap overnight stop outside Calais. It would cost less, be no slower to the continent than the Hull ferry, get me closer to the nice roads in Europe and give me a day riding great, mostly non-motorway roads in the UK.

You only have to slog the motorway if you don't allow enough time between the port and home for a non-motorway option. If you use the Dover Calais crossing points then there is huge flexibility in choice of crossing time so you don't have to be tied to a specific ferry time. And it's considerably cheaper!

When we did the Hull Zebrugge ferry, the benefit was you could drive to the ferry after work, so saved a day's leave. Arrive fresh in the morning and off you go. But the return through Dover and up the M1 was fine. As you say, you've more latitude if you're running late.