# Not so Ferry Good!



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

Duplicated from another topic of mine.

I thought it worthy!

Have to say the worst thing that ever happened was P&O Withdrawing from the Western channel routes.

If the Routes were shared between more operators, has to be a good thing.

I can remember not so long ago. There were for a short period three operators on the Spain routes.

I also remember when there were two operators on the North sea routes to Norway and Sweden.

It was suggested that cheap flights help kill them off.

As there are not that many really very cheap flights around these days. Would like to see a comeback from the ferry operators. Would reduce the road traffic too.

In just 7 years, we have seen the demise of

P&O Portsmouth - Bilbao 
Speedferries Dover - Folkestone 
DFDS - Newcastle Norway and Sweden 
Fjordline - Newcastle - Norway 
Acconia UK -Spain (did not last long) 
Norfolklines - Scotland - Belgium (forgot who it was before them)

Can anyone think of any more Beyond that?

Ramsgate - Dunkirk or Ostende was it? 
Fred Olsen? 
Hoverspeed?

Anyone ever fly there car across the channel? (Not Talking Hoverspeed).

How many of you did the old Motorail?

Like this existing one

Or These old routes

TM


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## SNandJA (Aug 22, 2008)

Dover - Boulogne
Seem to remember we caught one of the first (and fast high speed) ferries in August 2009 on a new service that squeezed into a dock and then one of the last in April 2010 by which time the town of Boulogne had invested greatly in a new larger port complex. The operating company may have been LD lines if memory serves me right and by the end they had slower ferries. 
It was a good service we thought and gave you a cheap start to the west and was a great start to exploring the Somme. Remember a lovely fortnight around Le Crotoy and St. Valery sur Somme.

Never did fly the car but it used to be quite common from Southend Airport in the 60's I think. I remember visiting an uncle and watching the transporter aircraft filling with cars for a cross Channel trip. Featured in a James Bond film as well I think flew him and car to somewhere in Europe?

Southend Airport

Carvair Flights

Steve


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Flight*

Sid & Shirley have told us about their first trips one these


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

Poole - Cherbourg which has stuttered along after the withdraw of the Barfleur. It priced itself out of the market with high fares and half empty ship. They never published a price list so you had no idea what it would cost until part way through the booking process.
The operator Brittany Ferries is still in deep trouble with a workforce who can't grasp the reality of the new financial order.


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

I used BF for many years, however a few years ago, due to their greed with such unreasonable and astronomically high prices, and the feeling that they think they are so good and even more important that their customers I looked elsewhere  
I started using the sorter channel crossings and at first I thought it was a bit of a pain, but I got used to it and for me it is now the norm.
I no longer feel that I am been ripped off and to be quite honest, I do often wonder how the shorter crossing ferry companies manage to do it for the low prices they charge.
BF need to get real and remember that we are customers and we will only use them if the price is competitive. Maybe at last, some of the die hard BF customers have woken up to the rip off and have walked with their feet? I know I have!


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## locrep (Dec 5, 2011)

Stranraer to Larne is no longer.


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## eddied (May 9, 2005)

locrep said:


> Stranraer to Larne is no longer.


  oh what a shame. Since when? When I was motorhoming and VFR in UK/Ireland, it was one of my favourite crossings. After visiting no. 3 bruv in N.Wales, and then no. 2 bruv in Lake District, I would wander up via Gretna to Stranraer, enjoying the Scottish countryside on my way to visit no. 1 son in Eireland.
saluti,
eddied


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## locrep (Dec 5, 2011)

eddied said:


> locrep said:
> 
> 
> > Stranraer to Larne is no longer.
> ...


I think the Cairn Ryan to Belfast route is still operating.

Dave.


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

locrep said:


> eddied said:
> 
> 
> > locrep said:
> ...


Wasn't that just a move from Stranraer to a more modern dock at Cairnryan a few miles up the road? Sailing is still to Larne.


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

You can put some of their loss down to the British Army pulling out of Germany.....thousands of soldiers would drive home rather than fly as it was cheaper (we get fuel coupons in Germany).


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## locrep (Dec 5, 2011)

Rosbotham said:


> locrep said:
> 
> 
> > eddied said:
> ...


Cairn Ryan has been for a long time the second crossing point from that area which always offered competition.

Dave.


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

I've never used the routes, so am a bit confused Dave.

I _thought_ situation used to be that Stena went Cairnryan-Belfast, PO went Stranraer-Larne.

PO have closed their Stranraer terminal and moved to a new one at Cairnryan. So Cairnryan-Larne.

If that's the case, I'm not sure how it effects competition. Have I misunderstood?


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## gorsecover (Jun 29, 2011)

Also as an aside 
we have lost

Hd Ferries from Jersey to France.......and Emeraud from Jersey to France also..

Sadly we only have Condor between the Channel isles and the UK/France
Martin


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

and of course P&O used to do Portsmouth to Cherbourg / Le Havre and Caen - LD now do one of these I think? 

Got to agree with Grath, BF are just pricing themselves out of it - people just won't consider them at all. IMO the proliferation of crossings that collectively don't make any money ought to be rationalised to a decent all year service from Pompey to Cherbourg.


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## SNandJA (Aug 22, 2008)

One reason I liked the Boulogne crossing is that it took a few miles off the journey in France, gave a little more R&R on the ferry (especially when the fast ferry was replaced by a standard one) and that once you got to Abbeville there was free motorway to Rouen which made the Dieppe, Le Havre Caen and Cherbourg crossings less of a saving on fuel relative to the cost of the crossing.

What are the relative costs nowadays to get to SW France or northern Spain in fuel+tolls (and even wear and tear!) versus price of long crossing? We're in a 2.3 low profile Ducato based MH which does around 31 mpg. The obvious "rogue" or entry errors in our MHF members' fuel logs make it difficult to calculate an average or probably better 3 readings of a low mpg, mid mpg and high mpg. (Our 31 mpg is a genuine score based on 20,000 miles). Anyone done the above calculation recently?

From the OP we have family in Norway (Sognefjord) and we used the Newcastle Bergen route many times by car but never by MH as the ferry was withdrawn before we bought our MH. We've taken it to Norway once and up to Lofoten using Harwich-Esbjerg, then Frederickshavn-Oslo returning via the Danish bridges and Rotterdam to Harwich.
My brother now comes by plane to Stansted and hires a car in UK which is bar far the cheapest way to do it. We are going to Norway probably next year and couldn't get there (Oslo )and back for less than £1,000 on the longer ferries so I'm going to do the "short crossing to Dunkerque/drive across northern Europe" calculations to see if Germany to Denmark and Sweden saves much money (and adds some interest along the way if we're not in a rush!)

Steve


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

As a kid I remember going Stranrar to Larne and Dover Bologne
I used Brittany ferries for many years as a caravaner then bought MH.
Not really fussed where we start from over the water. Holiday starts when I lock the front door and close the gates.
Dave p

Dave p


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## blade1889 (Jul 14, 2008)

*Not so ferry good*

Here's more blasts from the past:

Immingham - Amsterdam - TOR Line
Dover - Zeebrugge - Townsend Ferries
Harwich - Bremerhaven - Prins Ferries

Southend - Ostend - British Air Ferries


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## locrep (Dec 5, 2011)

Rosbotham said:


> I've never used the routes, so am a bit confused Dave.
> 
> I _thought_ situation used to be that Stena went Cairnryan-Belfast, PO went Stranraer-Larne.
> 
> ...


Sorry I have got it wrong, just checked with my sister who lives local to the ferries & she explained it was a move by Stenna to a new port at Cairn Ryan & it was the Hi-speed service that was discontinued from Stranraer.

Dave.


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## homenaway (Jul 27, 2005)

Hi,

We took the Hoverspeed? fast cat from Newhaven to Dieppe a couple of times ok unless it was choppy.

We paid a bit extra for priority loading and had to reverse up the dog-leg ramp last - but got a half decent meal included.

The last time we used it it took four hours instead of the usual two-ish to get back from Dieppe. They claimed it was engine trouble but I think they were running on reduced power to save money on the fuel. They closed it down soon afterwards. We also sailed in to Dieppe the day they opened the new modern terminal at the eastern dock.

I wonder how many French ports built new berths on the promise of lots of income, and who paid for them taxpayers?  

It was Sally Line from Ramsgate with their smorgasbord wasn't it 8) 8)

Steve


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## alhod (Nov 1, 2010)

Brittany Ferries look expensive compared to others but particularly travelling from Devon/Cornwall to west of France the extra is worth it. Calculate the extra costs of fuel and time driving up to Dover and then all the way back in France and the difference is not great. For us going back to Devon it is over 800 miles via Dover and 375 via Roscoff.
In the opinion of us and several friends who use them and others, BF also have far and away the best restaurants and most comfortable vessels.

But horses for courses. Next week I am driving (car) from here to Calais, then to Stafford. Down to home in Devon and then across to Roscoff (as long as they're back, of course!). £50 single (flexi ticket with priority boarding) from Calais and 7.5 hours drive from here. Then £230 Plymouth to Roscoff (with discount), a good night's sleep and 4.5 hour drive back here. Not much in it, to my mind, especially taking into account the tolls (none from Roscoff until you get to Nantes).

Alan


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

Weymouth to Cherbourg which was the BR Sealink with passenger trains going along the quayside. I'm not old enough to remember when it was the GWR Steam Ship ferry!!!

Happy days!!!

Richard


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## Christine600 (Jan 20, 2011)

Some good news:

http://www.porttechnology.org/news/newcastle_bergen_ferry_route_given_new_lease_of_life



> British and Norwegian investors will lend their backing to a business consortium to form a new ferry company operating between Bergen and Newcastle.
> 
> The consortium behind the new ro-ro, freight and passenger service hope to raise funds totalling £20 million to enable the purchase or lease of at least one ro-ro ferry capable of transporting 300 cars, 200 containers and up to 800 passengers.
> 
> The route, scheduled to open in the first half of next year, was previously occupied by DFDS Seaways. The Danish ferry operator cancelled its Bergen-Haugesund-Stavanger to Newcastle service in 2008, and made the decision to lease its lone ship operating on the route.


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