France via UK in July

1000ged

Hi All,

We just booked our first ever ferry journey in our new camper, Rosslare to Pembroke return, first 3 weeks in July. Our plan is to make our way to Dover and cross to Calais. Is Calais even our best option? We will be travelling with a 3 and a 5 year old.

I'd be interested to hear other forum members thoughts on doing this journey with kids. We are happy to mosey along in England for 2 to 3 days either end of the holiday. We'd love some advice re places to hit for a night on the way so we can make this part of the holiday.

Or are we mad, has anyone experience of kids of this age coping well with driving direct to Dover in one day?

Thanks for any advice... so happy now to have something booked to look forward to!

100ged

vinniem

Hello 1000ged, we are doing exactly same route first two weeks in July Rosslare-Pembroke (Irish ferries), Dover-Calais (Sea France) and have saved over €1100 doing it that way as oppsed to direct ferry. Plan to spend a day in UK on return journey and go to theme park with kids (7 and 3 yrs) We are sailing at 9pm from Rosslare to Pembroke and driving across UK taking our time and take ferry from Dover around 5/6 pm following evening, have done this before and really no problem doing this in a day with kids (you could actually do it in six hrs if you really wanted too) Ferry to France only an hour and sails nearly every hour so really this is the cheapest and best way to go, so good choice and best of luck.

Donaldo

Did it last year with 3 kids, 4,8 and 9. No problem. Morning sailing from Rosslare to Pembroke, staight to Dover with one stop along the way. Stopped on the pier in Dover overnight and got early morning sailing to calais. On the way back we arrived in Dover about 9pm. Drove almost to Pembroke and stopped in garage carpark about 2am, slept till morning. If you have the time, then it is no bother, and the saving makes it very,very attractive. We used the saving last year to ahve an extra week and half in Europe.

Holiday excitement makes the trip out easy, depression makes any route home hard, regardless.

samih

Yeah, Dub-Holyhead (Stena) Dover-Calais (Sea France) booked for the two last weeks of July. Not going to spend any more time than necessary in UK so leaving from Dublin 4pm Thu and scheduled to be Calais well before noon Friday already.

Did similar trip by car in January. The key is to be on M25 (and M6 too) outside the rush hour :-)

Coming back giving ourselves a bit more leeway though.

muint

Dont slate me now but...
Did this route last year with 2 & 5 year old and I have to say - never again!
It just wasnt for us. The journey accross to Dover is LONG, I found we were wrecked before we even got on the channel crossing. Coming back was the same, it's depressing enough returning from your hols but facing the dreaded 8 hours driving to Wales is enough to drive me insane.
However your travelling at peak time so it's a good option finacially. The motorway services are handy but I wouldnt be lettin your smallies run around too much as the truckers are everywhere. They are noisy too between traffic on the motorway itself and people coming & going at all hours. Stopped at one last week while in the UK for Easter and some FOOL turned on his car stereo on full whack for 2 hours at 1am. Techno music of course.
Also - their shop prices are crazy dear. However look out for M&S or Tesco along the motorway for supplies. Check the barriers at the entrance for height restrictions though.
Right, enough of the negatives!
Above all, bring the Nintendo DS and get a TV rigged up to 12v for travelling. you can have Peppa Pig and Barney accompany you the entire journey:D
There is a campsite very close to Calais that we stayed in last year called La Bien Assise. Great if you are tired after the journey. It's a Castel site and has a nice pool, great pitches with ducks running around the place! I would book it though as it is busy being near the port. Google it.
July will not be as busy as August for sites so you should have no problem getting in. Bring a laptop if you have one - handy for looking up sites, weather etc free wifi in all the Mc Donalds.
And remember - whatever fights you have with the co-pilot or other important issues like emptying out the toilet:p, the camping holiday is the one the kids will always remember and talk about when they are older.
My 2 are talking about it all year and looking forward to hawse widing, swimmin' and eating ice pops till they are sick.
Enjoy.

martyc5674

Just booked rosslare-cherbourg return from july 1st to 23rd for 3 of us and the motorhome for a little over 900, so i cant see how you can save ~1000?
(granted its a little more driving than roscoff)
celtic link ferries BTW.
Marty.

vinniem

martyc5674 wrote: »

Just booked rosslare-cherbourg return from july 1st to 23rd for 3 of us and the motorhome for a little over 900, so i cant see how you can save ~1000?
(granted its a little more driving than roscoff)
celtic link ferries BTW.
Marty.

Happy for you, costing me €231 total return (in conjunction with offer to Britian with IF ran last year) But when I tried to book for first two weeks in July with IF it was €1340 and Brittany was €1400 +, I do understand that prices can go up and down with these ferry companies from week to week? Also think the bigger the campervan is the more costly.. over 2.4 m high with IF and over 7m long with BF. So I saved at least €1100, OK I know extra diesel and driving but can't justify that price difference.

martyc5674

Coolio!!..Hard to argue with that deal you got!

I looked into doing that trip a while back...think it was rosslare swansea then dover calais and it was over 600, so for me 900 direct is OK.
It was 1450 for cork/rosslare to roscoff which is a bit steep.

Its feckin expensive to ship motorhomes around the place!!
Marty.

vinniem

Hi Marty, Luckily I got the return to UK 'free' with IF, well not free but because of supplements time of travel etc was €130. Yeah agree with you totally, Campers are expensive yokes when you try and take them off this little island Best of luck with your trip

niloc1951

TIP: If you're booked on the morning ferry from Rosslare try and get there the night before, after the last ferry has departed. You can then park along by the hedge facing the check-in booths, next morning after breakfast just pull out and join the check-in queue.
It saves having a short nights sleep and and early start on the road and you are in better condition for the drive in the UK
I've done it many times and the staff have no problem so long as you are not in the way of those queueing.

ousty

100ged
On route to Dover there is a "aire" at Canterbury ,I use it a lot because my daughter lives there
The "aire" costs two pounds a day "24 hrs" and has water and a place to empty toilet "flot bleu" ,in France there are over 30000 in England there are only 2 the other is in Yorkshire !!, There is room for about 40 motormomes on the site and it is a motorhome designated camp site ,then it is only about 30 min drive to Dover, also it is very quite
It is in a park and ride car park . It is at the junction of the old Dover Rd and the new Dover road .If you have a GPS The location N51 15 740 E001 06 150 . I think it is called The New Dover Rd Park
Hope this a help
ousty

Betsy Og

Got on fine, drove to Rosslare and parked up overnight in the caravan for the 9am ferry. Drove straight to Dover from Fishguard the day after - a bit long but first time doing it so a bit of a buzz. Parked in the middle of Dover that night (big public carpark, seemed fine). In France we drove most of the way to St Jean de Monts the day after (West Coast, a bit below Brittany). Knackered after that! 2 kids, 3 years old and 6 months old, they were grand, DVD players on the back of the headrests a must.

On the way back we took our time (back via Disney). In England we drove back the M3 (south of the more direct M4), stayed in a wee place called Wycke Down, nice small site, had a few ales in the on site pub with the little englanders, very agreeable. Passed beside Stonehenge (was summer solstice so was jamemd and cops wouldnt let us stop) the day after on the way to Bath, lovely day there. Spent the next night in Fishguard - could Indian restaurant there, and then the ferry home. Legoland isnt too far off the M25 (London's M50) so that might be worth a look.

Worst bit: Welsh roads, it seems to take forever to get onto the motorway.

Overall: This year we're going to Cornwall - think every 2nd year is enough for the epic journey. Joined ICCC.ie so maybe their deal to France will get us on a reasonable ferry direct from Ireland, at the moment the typical quotes are about €1,700 which is OTT and what makes the UK the attractive option. Expect we'll do it all again in 2011.