# Brittany ferries St Malo route - options & help if poss!



## ezzy66 (Mar 31, 2009)

hello ALL!

has anyone any ideas of how to cheapen this route!!! i know the limits are the size of my MH - and BF and 8.6m are not usually two things you put 2gether but i thought it was worth a try!!! but just wondered if anyone could help! it seems its more expensive than when i went mid summer with my caravan in tow! seems madness to me but heh!

also any experience of other travellers using this route overnight with a dog - any advice they could give in hindsight would be much appreciated - like what to expect and how much access you are allowed to kennels and how close to other dogs etc also this muzzle law!?!

finally if i can squeeze this in here - off topic - but will also post elsewhere - what have been others experiences of over 6m MHs on aires? just been reading MMM article on how full timers should not consider over 6m for the same reason difficulty of aires access and parking/ptich size and space? is this true?

many thanks


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Cant help on the Brittany ferries thing our MH is 7.5 metres and I priced up to go to Brittany over Christmas and it was a fortune! I think Condor do a ferry to Roscoff but it doesnt run in the winter (I think) and their ferry via Jersey doesnt take over 6.5 metre vans.

As far as Aires are concerned I wouldnt give it a second thought. We are 7.5 with a scooter on the back and never had a problem. Frequently saw MH the same size and bigger than ours and they managed. A huge RV may be an issue on some but then they are probably quite often an issue on small roads, low bridges etc anyway

BD


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

I have just let my brit ferry home owners club cease due to the high costings for next year' even with 30per cent disc.

We now see where the weather is going to be fine and go from there' rather than fix ferry months in advance.
Condor i believe are more competetive.

Look at lehavre and nearer ports

dave p


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

*Re: brittany ferries st malo route - options & help if p*



ezzy66 said:


> hello ALL!
> 
> has anyone any ideas of how to cheapen this route!!! i know the limits are the size of my MH - and BF and 8.6m are not usually two things you put 2gether but i thought it was worth a try!!! but just wondered if anyone could help! it seems its more expensive than when i went mid summer with my caravan in tow! seems madness to me but heh!
> 
> ...


Long since given up on BF - however I can add my two cents on Aires. Our MH is 8.5mtrs and we have never had a problem with any aires regarding length. Some of the marked pitches are short in length but if you use the overhang that makes up the difference. On the odd occasion we have found some Aires with entrances tight to get into but they have been few and far between. Just moved on to the next one.


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

Britanny Ferries can be good value, especially with their owners abroad card discount

You have to look on all these things now as a mix of availbility and demand and booking early or late

You might think winter would be cheaper with less demand, but it isn't because they only have one instead of 3 sailings per day and there is less competition on the route and thiose nearby

Living on an Island i have probably mote experience of ferry fares than most. To get to France or Spain I cross at least two lots of water.

last BF was late October out with Landrover Discovery and large box van and cabin each way on IOM Staem packet and BF Portsmouth to Santander. 3 out of 4 crossings were overnight.

First itreat the cabin eklement as a hotel expense. i get to whete i want refresshed and ready for an early start. Second BF avoids long miles of driving from the eastern channel. The IOM boats I cannot avoid

48 hours on boat across bay of biscay (actually 60, but that is another story) with vehicle and trailer and posh cabin with braekfast was £540 wheraes 7 hours on IOMPSco with no food in basic cabin was £480

The question is not price but convenience as far as I am concerned although I am price sensitive and conscious. I need a sailing to tie in with IOM departures so I can set off and do a boat and drive and boat and rest and drive

That rest is more important as I age and as I am limbo presently with my partner in Walton after 3 brain haemorrhages in twenty days I may be driving on my own from now on.

paul is up and speaking but weak on his left hand side but still a long way to go and a driving restriction is one of the things being spoken about


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## oldenstar (Nov 9, 2006)

I have just booked with LD Lines Portsmouth to Le Havre.

Originally I had planned to go Dover to Dunkirk, but decided that the extra cost was worth it to save the slog from Torbay up to Dover and back again.

Also saves a fair few miles on the other side, departure at 2300 and arrival at 0800 is also good for us.

Cost appeared to be £261 return (Jan depart-March return), but ended up at £299 with sleeper seats and cancellation insurance.

Cost for van max height 3.2m, max length 7m, plus 2 of us.

Maybe you should look at this.

Paul


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

hi Thieawin

Hope Paul makes a full recovery.

Joe & Denise


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

You might get a bit off if you booked via the Caravan Club but I doubt it would be a lot.

It can be a long and stomach-churning crossing in winter and we had problems once when the boat could not get in to St Malo because of the weather and we had to make a rush for Cherbourg.

G


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*BF*

I raised a Similar Question a few weeks Back

Click Above Line


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

I forgot about the dogs

Some of their boats have kennels on the top deck, a room with about 24 stainless and wire cages, Take your dogs bed and blanket. You get a key for access all crossing and can exercise them on that deck area.

Wioth our JR's I have found thta thye are OK overnight in the van in a folding kennel so I leave them there.

On Santander 24 hoursd is too long so they go in kennels


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## teensvan (May 9, 2005)

Hi.

Our M/H is 8.15 mtrs + cycle rack. We use a lot of aires when in France and we have only come across 1 aire that we could not get get parked up on. We have found a few that had a tight entrance / exit. If you cannot get on park outside or move on to the next aire.

steve & ann ------------- teensvan


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## ezzy66 (Mar 31, 2009)

*ld lines is not cheaper than bf!!*

hi oldenstar

soz but got to ask where did you get a price of under £300 with ld lines they are only £60 less than bf for same dates for me and with a worse departure time and not so nice cabin!

were you travelling low season or with a push bike lol?! I am 8.6m perhaps thats why? i know dog adds at least £50-60 but that aside still cant get near £400 let alone 3 with ld lines - whats your secret? did you offer to help with washing up? i'm willing ... 

thanks for others info wish i shopped at tesco now! :roll:

cannot justify 3hrs extra drive time each side and fuel and only me to drive 

all very good points raised by dog owners re time in crate/kennels and had not really thought about this as my weimy is a great traveller and does not do separation anxiety and i do know how lucky i am in this regard as this is the exception rather than the rule with weimys but i have worked hard with him - he sleeps 8 or more hours in crate at home at night and in MH he is used to it would not know any different and as this is his routine he in unlikely to notice change or stress also kennels on board would be worse - altho not to say 45mins or 1 hour journey wouldn't be fine also!but driver needs rest too so can walk said weimy the 5miles or more he needs daily !!! 8O he is also a working farm/gun dog and as such gets long runs out and long stays in boot so its the norm for him. in fact in mh crate is much larger than in 4x4 boot! and smells a damn site nicer :lol:

it is not ideal if the unthinkable happens on a ferry but wouldn't be much use to us either!

please keep the ideas and comments coming - might just come up with one i haven't thought of - oldenstar did if i can only get some new rubber gloves ...


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