Advice on Ferry crossings,road distances and prices

salmon7

Saw several posts regarding landbridge instead of direct Ireland - France crossing.

Would like to head to south west France and thought Rosslare - Fishguard then Portsmouth - Cherbourg/Roscoff a possibility or is Dover - Calais better value? Surely its like zig zagging east then west again. Perhaps those of you are staying to the east of the country and then heading down the med?

I can't find the thread regarding the possibility of taking a lorry ferry or has this option been tried by others and is strictly lorry/ freight oriented.

Answers greatly appreciated and many thanks in advance

Salmon:)

SeamusG97

I think neither landbridge routes are a very good option unless you specifically want to visit the UK.
Cork - Roscoff would cost you around €1500-€1600 return for a family of four with two cabins. Leave at 4pm and arrive the following morning. Six hour easy drive to La Rochelle which has you within easy reach of where you want to go. Sounds expensive but not so much when you look at Landbridge to where you want to go to.

Crossing the UK, the sailing would cost about half that amount by landbridge to Calais but not so cheap if you factor in the extra time and expense. Leave Rosslare at 8am and arrive 1pm in Fishgaurd/Pembroke followed by about 8hrs drive across the UK to make the ferry. Expect to get there around 8pm so you'll probably want to stop overnight and take the ferry the following morning. Arrive in Calais and spend a full day getting to La Rochelle or else stop overnight somewhere along the way. Extra costs would be about €100-€120 each way for fuel in the UK depending on how fast you drive, probably the same or slightly less to cover the extra distance you'll cover in France. Then there are the tolls on the Autoroute - say €30 for the extra distance covered. Camping in UK would cost €25-€30 per night. When you add it all up, you'll probably save €300 or thereabouts and spend two to three extra days from your holiday on the motorway travelling to your destination.

I sailed from Portsmouth to Cherbourg years ago and the sailing time was about 8 hours so I don't think there's much difference either way you go.

In favour of Landbridge it is usually available when the direct routes get booked up and would make sense if you were going east or north.

The last time I went Landbridge was Irish Ferries in 2008 so I might be a bit out of date.

martyc5674

Try http://www.celticlinkferries.com/ we saved about 500€ with them ..Rosslare -> Cherbourg
Marty.

sunchaser

I have used landbridge for a good number of years. I usually book Sea France in late December or early January and this usually costs around £35.00 return. If you are a member of any of the many clubs you will get a club discount with Stena Line on their sailings Rosslare/Fishguard or Dublin/Hollyhead. I leave Limerick late on the evening before my morning sailing. Depart Rosslare nice and fresh.Leasurly drive through Wales & England. I catch a late night ferry to Calais from Dover. Arriving just before midnight. About 3/4 tank of diesel through UK sticking to speed limits. . No need to purchase anything there. Fill up with diesel in Auchen in Calais present price 1.14.9 per lt. Then it is off on my rambles nice and fresh the following morning. Cost of present trip which I am taking next week 290.00 euro return.

muint

Were taking Celtic Link Rosslare to Cherbourg June 10th for €220 one way for a motorhome 2 adults and 2 smalls. But after this date the price shoots up so it really depends when you are travelling.

salmon7

Many thaks everyone for guidance and advice.
Think the Celtic link option looks the better option.:)

RighteousDude

Hello there,

I am planning a road trip with my friends to Berlin. We are renting a minivan for 8-9 people and we are obviously going to ferry. We are thinking of going from Dublin to the UK and from the UK to France. If somebody knows where we can obtain the most competitive prices or even what a better route would be I would really like to hear from them. Thanks!