# Ferry to Spain



## Ollie33 (Sep 3, 2011)

Allowing for fuel etc is there a big difference financeally going overland via France or ferry to Santandar Lots of other points to consider I know but overall what is the general opinion


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## MikeCo (Jan 26, 2008)

It depends if you can get a good deal or not from Brittany Ferries but based on my experience over the last few years it is around £150 to £200 dearer on the long ferry.
Now is it worth it, well, we went Portsmouth/Bilbao on the 26 December last year and had the return booked Santander/Plymouth at the end of April but I believed that sods law would work and that the return crossing would be rough so we travelled up to Calais.
You have to also consider that we were towing a Caravan ( Wash out mouth ), so it's a bit of a pain.
This year we will be travelling to Spain at the end of November and returning at the end of March and have decided to use the long ferry both ways and buy the largest sea sick pills that are available.

Mike

PS New Peugeot Boxer arriving next week which I am converting into a compact motorhome.


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## caulkhead (Jul 25, 2007)

Hi There,

I would go for the ferry every time. The Pont Aven is a lovely ship and we enjoy the 24 hour crossing even in bad weather. However its not cheap and I would guess that driving down would save money. There are so many variables that it really has to come down to personal choice. I guess that anyone who has a problem with boats and bad weather might be advised to avoid the Bay of Biscay in the winter!!!

Regards, Caulkhead


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## tony_debs (Mar 5, 2009)

hi,im on the ferry in october,is it a rough crossing,as i havent given it any thought at all,
if so,can you recomend any good sea sickness tablets,
regards tony


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## MikeCo (Jan 26, 2008)

It's pot luck wether or should that be weather it's rough or not. They usually cancel it if it's too rough as it was a couple of weeks ago.
It also may depend if you are on the smaller Cap Finistre instead of the Pont avon.

Mike


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## charlieivan (Apr 25, 2006)

tony_debs said:


> hi,im on the ferry in october,is it a rough crossing,as i havent given it any thought at all,
> if so,can you recomend any good sea sickness tablets,
> regards tony


The best seasickness cure of all is to sit under a tree, the bigger the better!!!!


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

You have to allow a realistic amount for ALL the costs of driving not just the cost of fuel - If you accept that the HMRC "non-profit" mileage rate for cars is 45p/mile and then take into account the extra miles on the odometer reducing the van's value, extra tyre wear, extra servicing costs and general wear and tear on top of the extra fuel cost even 30p doesn't look too unreasonable as a cost per mile. And then on top of that you have to allow for extra food/stopover costs and possible toll charges as well.

Calais to the Spanish border is about 1350miles by the fastest route according to Autoroute and that will no doubt incur a lot of tolls on route so 1350x0.30p is £405 + tolls which Via Michelin predicts to be about £80 each way.

So I reckon sailing direct saves over £500.


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## Patrick_Phillips (Aug 17, 2006)

tony_debs said:


> hi,im on the ferry in october,is it a rough crossing,as i havent given it any thought at all,
> if so,can you recomend any good sea sickness tablets,
> regards tony


There is no doubt about the answer to which tablet - *Stugeron*. They really do work but do what it says and take them BEFORE your trip.
Patrick


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## MikeCo (Jan 26, 2008)

Stanner said:


> You have to allow a realistic amount for ALL the costs of driving not just the cost of fuel - If you accept that the HMRC "non-profit" mileage rate for cars is 45p/mile and then take into account the extra miles on the odometer reducing the van's value, extra tyre wear, extra servicing costs and general wear and tear on top of the extra fuel cost even 30p doesn't look too unreasonable as a cost per mile. And then on top of that you have to allow for extra food/stopover costs and possible toll charges as well.
> 
> Calais to the Spanish border is about 1350miles by the fastest route according to Autoroute and that will no doubt incur a lot of tolls on route so 1350x0.30p is £405 + tolls which Via Michelin predicts to be about £80 each way.
> 
> So I reckon sailing direct saves over £500.


I wish it did, £485 is about the ferry costs so with a bit of luck you would break even. You also have to travel from Santander or Bilbao to reach the Med.
There is definately no saving.

Mike


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## antpurley (Apr 21, 2009)

last 3 augusts have cost us

ferry no more than £100 return (from dover)

tolls approx £200 return (a75)

fuel £400 return

thats stopping off there and back via disneyland paris


£700 total 

ferry to spain £1600

plus you stop when you want
see the scenery
and have choice of taking your time or rush down to Spain.


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## huss (Mar 5, 2008)

Hi Last September Calais to Caceres Spain via Kortrijk [Belgium] was £317 fuel and boat enjoyed a few weeks in France and Spain so depends if you just want to get to Spain or enjoy other places on the way. If you aim is to get to one place and stay maybe to boat to Spain is best, but if you travel around as soon as you leave you home the fun starts, as for service cost most don't do enough miles to have a service but still get it done.
Huss


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## makems (Jul 26, 2010)

For us cost is not the issue - it's time.
We travel down to the Algarve in January for a bit of sun and warmth. We don't want to spend any more time than absolutely necessary getting there and we never drive more than three hours a day (I can't drive for health reasons and Gwen who does drive suffers from an arthritic hip).
It takes us 3 - 4 days from Santander to the Algarve. Going via Calais would add another 5 - 7 days to this.
In January this year that would have been in very cold, snowy conditions virtually all the way according to people we met who took that route.
How much difference there is in costs is open to debate - not much difference say the Santander/Bilbao proponents - much cheaper say the Calais supporters. I'm a former accountant so I could make the figures support whichever side of the argument I wanted. :lol: :lol: :lol: 
We were happy to pay whatever the additional cost may be to avoid the extra driving in cold, bad weather conditions.
However we plan to drive down to the Algarve in September this year and we will certainly go via Calais as we will have time to amble slowly down in (hopefully) decent weather.
Oh, and the sea this year on both our outward journey in January and return in April was like a mill pond.


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## mrshells (May 28, 2012)

ive just booked dover calais £100
fuel from home to Santander £400
overnight stop in france each way free
ferry to santander £1100
so its £600 cheaper for me to drive and ive factored the time/distance into my holiday


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