# ferry cost verses milage costs??



## mistycat (Jan 28, 2014)

Hey Guys,
Having to much time on my hands while recovering from a knee op,
so reading through the threads on Holland, I never thought of going via Hull,
so that was it I was off on a Stanner view of it,,
so the following spreadsheet, hope it works I am not very techno,
is my findings,
living in north wales, Hull is closer but the ferry trip is longer but a night in a bunk makes up for the time on the ferry, Dover is all driving,
so now I have the Delmar of what way to go, cost or save time or wear and tear on Molly,
So what do you reckon,
we are only going for a week to see the flower festival, so have made the calculations from Home to Lisse
thanks 
Misty

ferry port	-distance to ferry port-	from ferry to destination	-return milage	-fuel cost	-ferry cost	-total	-driving hours to ferry	-from ferry to destination	-total driving

Harwich-hook	-330	-38	-736	-£139.84	-£288.10	-£427.94	-5 1/2	-1	-6 1/2

Hull-rotterdam	-203	-88	-582	-£110.58	-£346	-£456.58	-3 -1/2	-2	-5 1/2

Dover-dunkirk	-370	-203	-1146	-£217.74	-£100	-£317.74	-6	-3 1/4	-9 1/4

van= 28 mpg 
fuel= £1.15 perL 
van= 6.16 mpl 
van= 19p per mile


tried adding this in stead of you having to download spread sheet,

edited several times coz i'm thick


----------



## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

mistycat said:


> cost or save time or wear and tear on Molly,
> 
> van= 19p per mile


So what have you allowed for the other running costs?

This is why I use 30p mile as my rule of thumb.

It allows for fuel and all other incidental running costs.

I admit it was set when fuel was dearer, but I consider it is still a reasonable figure for comparison purposes - for MY vehicle.

It is not realistic to use only the cost of fuel.

And as for extra mileage on motorways I'm happy to allow 5p/mile just for the wear and tear on the driver these days.

Also I don't include the cost of a cabin, only a reclining seat (even if I book a cabin) if charged for, as that isn't a "necessity" but a "choice" and to my mind can unfairly sway the cost.


----------



## mistycat (Jan 28, 2014)

Hey Stanner,
thanks for the reply,
I understand the extra for wear and tear, might have to figure that one in, (whats you guess, 3 litre Peugeot boxer)
the two overnight ferries have cabins, 
i was just using them to compare the different trips,
so if i take them off the cost hull would be the better way to go,
normally i wouldn't bother and just would have gone Harwich to hook thinking it was the only way
and being tight i would have then gone dover,
surprising when you sit down and do the homework, and i thought it was all about maps and routes, 
   
Misty


----------



## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

You with Stanners help seem to be on top of the costs.

I just wonder whether you had considered the traffic in relation to the check-in times for the night crossings (does not apply to DVR-DUN as you can pick times to avoid M25 traffic..

With Hull you have to get round Manchester area to get to M62 and then there is traffic near Leeds before you get to M18.

I assume if you were doing Harwich you would do M56-M6-A50/500(to avoid B'ham section)-M1-A14 which only really has normal traffic problems on A50/500.

All of them - M62, M6 and M1/M25 can have non-normal problems but at least you could plan to avoid the ormal rush-hour congestion.

Geoff


----------



## SteveandSue (Aug 25, 2008)

*Ferry cost*

Are you a member of the Caravan Club? If so have you looked at booking the Hull ferry through them and adding 7 Camping cheques first then your ferry crossing.

This then gives you their ITX rates that are usuallty much cheaper and you can use your camping cheques over the following 2 years.

We use the Hull ferry most often as we live in North Yorkshire and like your self its much closer.

You can also book a 4 berth cabin for the same price as a 2 berth that way you both can have a bottom bunk and much bigger cabin.

What ever you decide have a good trip.

Steve and Sue


----------



## mistycat (Jan 28, 2014)

Thanks Guys,

Geoff, 
no matter where you go nowadays in the uk there's a hold up,
just glad we live in the country till we have to go away,
still thinking of Hull, as we have all day to get there, get the van out and just chill our way up, leaving Friday night coming back following sat night,
but thanks for the thought,

Steve and Sue,
we are in the C&CC and there price for the hull crossing is actually dearer then the P and O offer, odd but apparently don't get the discount because Friday night isn't the weekend?
they have also quoted premier bed cabins? not having been on one don't know but like the idea of the 4 bunk thing,

quick question, do the cabin have plug sockets? 
so we can take our travel kettle and brew kit, not so much being tight but no body makes a decent brew on ferries,

thanks again 
Misty


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I'm lost

Maybe too much wine

So which works out cheaper?.

No use to me anyway

The hound from hell hated the crossing when we did it

Took days to bring him back down

Unfortunately when he is agitated

He's even more the hound from hell

Do they have dog cabins ?

Aldra


----------



## mistycat (Jan 28, 2014)

Aldra,
Not sure my self,
gone for Hull anyhow, just booked it cheaper than the C&CC price even after double checking with them, they might be able to price match !!
its nearer,
so less miles to the ferry, let the ferry take us to Holland and just up the road when we arrive,
and premier cabins for standard cost hopefully a nice snooze all the way over,
thanks guys 
Misty


----------



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

It boils down to one thing really.

You can save time OR money, never both. It all depends what value you place on your time.

I frequently do the maths as well. I live in Weymouth, to go via Dover (tunnel or ferry) the return cost is about £175. that's 200 miles each way for me. If I use Tesco vouchers then the crossing is "free" (yes I know I have paid for them really :roll: but I don't actually have to hand over any "money") 

It takes a day out my holiday each way as its a 5 hour drive. However if I look to go from Poole or Portsmouth then the ferry cost (even if I do daytime sailings and save the cost of a cabin) the cost is well over £400.

So, what's the best option? 400 mile round trip to [email protected] (16 gallons of diesel at about £5 a gallon is £80) and a "free" crossing but a day out of holiday each way, OR a closer more expensive ferry at £450 and a saving of 2 days? £365 less cost versus two days "extra" holiday.

If I am going for a month then the travel to and from Dover (2 days) is worth it as the time to get there and back is a small percentage of my holiday, but if I only have 10 days do I sacrifice 20% of that time to save £365 (which buys a lot of meals/wine/campsite nights etc.) difficult eh??

(I have only taken the fuel cost into account, the other costs are very hard to quantify) 

So basically there is no definitive/correct answer.

Andy


----------



## SteveandSue (Aug 25, 2008)

*Sockets*

Hi Just to answer your question about sockets- yes there is usually only one its always been above the mirror and dressing table/ desk.

You will need your travel adaptor to use it so don,t forget to pack it with the kettle etc- we also take a small extension lead so that we can put the kettle on the floor for safety if its a rough crossing.


----------



## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

*Re: Sockets*



SteveandSue said:


> Hi Just to answer your question about sockets- yes there is usually only one its always been above the mirror and dressing table/ desk.
> 
> You will need your travel adaptor to use it so don,t forget to pack it with the kettle etc- we also take a small extension lead so that we can put the kettle on the floor for safety if its a rough crossing.


I have killed both birds with one stone by buying a double extension socket and fitting a French lead and plug.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/2714...1=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0

Much more useful than a simple adaptor.


----------



## mistycat (Jan 28, 2014)

maybe we wont be the only ones that take our own brew kit on board then,
Misty


----------



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Re: Ferry cost*



SteveandSue said:


> Are you a member of the Caravan Club? If so have you looked at booking the Hull ferry through them and adding 7 Camping cheques first then your ferry crossing.
> 
> This then gives you their ITX rates that are usuallty much cheaper and you can use your camping cheques over the following 2 years.
> 
> ...


I was going to suggest that. If you pick the right dates, the camping cheques end up FREE!.


----------



## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

We are in East Northants so Harwich is the easiest option for us, we cannot use the tuinnel anyway as both the Discoveries are LPG-fuelled and the Mercedes isn't on the road yet.

Even if the Merc was ready now, we'd probably still use Harwich as it works every time, no delays, no closures, no getting bumped off because they are full and it's nearly 400 miles driving against 200 for Harwich (to our Holland destination)

Not the cheapest, but we booked last year for this May's crossing, got it done and paid for well before Xmas. Special offers don't make a lot of impact on the fare, and we're always ahead of them in booking time as we have a show date to meet, we can't lose a day.

Speed is not important, but getting there in one piece definitely is!

I think that rushing off at the start of a holiday can be counter-constructive, better do it steadily and enjoy the drive.

Peter


----------



## daffodil (Aug 7, 2014)

Mrplodd said:


> It boils down to one thing really.
> 
> You can save time OR money, never both. It all depends what value you place on your time.
> 
> ...


Maybe its because I am a newbie, That I love driving the Daffodil (sounds like the start of that well known cockney song anyway I digress)

Its not a chore yet

The minute Linda and Jolie (Wife and dog)in that order get in the van the holiday,excursion starts, maybe being retired makes it easier to spend the time instead of the money ,so for me its a no brainer

Its a pleasure spending time on agreeable tasks, but never enjoyable spending cash when there is an alternative


----------



## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

mistycat said:


> maybe we wont be the only ones that take our own brew kit on board then,
> Misty


We've even taken our kit on the Dover-Dunkerque ferry before now.

It's so kind of them to provide the water, milk and sugar to go with our tea bag. :wink:


----------



## Pineapplekid (Mar 9, 2009)

I just spent the last hour searching for ferry crossings ( only mine is from Holland to UK no return )

Logged on here and viola here is the thread I hoped for.

Great Idea RE getting the 4 bunk cabin for the same price!

I am still debating the Hull---Rotterdam route or the 
Newcastle---Ijmuiden route which costs almost twice as much but does put me much closer to Scotland. 
I have been told to visit Scotland as early as possible before the Midges get bad ?

Aloha from Kauai
Leon


----------



## SteveandSue (Aug 25, 2008)

*Ferry cost*



Pineapplekid said:


> I just spent the last hour searching for ferry crossings ( only mine is from Holland to UK no return )
> 
> Logged on here and viola here is the thread I hoped for.
> 
> ...


The actual driving distance in the UK between Hull and Newcastle ferry is only about 4=5 hours so depending upon the extra cost it may not be worth while paying the extra to arrive in Newcastle.

We used to use this crossing a lot as we live between the 2 ports but now find P&0 cheaper with the Caravan Club.

We usually visit Scotland in June or September but have fallen foul of the Midges once.

Have a good trip

Sue


----------

