France in December ?

celtic_oz

Thinking of going to the south of Spain for January 25

Will be traveling using a campervan.

I can book a ferry to France and drive down through France for a week or two in December

Or I can book a ferry to northern Spain and drive from there.

Questions :

1. Is is worth traveling through France in a campervan in late Dec, probably likely to be miserable weather ?
2. Have a dog, wondering if I book one way are the dog friendly cabins likely to be gone Feb/Mar going back.

cheers

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058358939/france-in-december

do you mean dec 25?

weather liable to be like here, a lottery

at that time of the year ferries are limited there's no rosslare to spain route for example, probably the same from uk, but not sure

100% best off to landbridge it

munchkin_utd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122359559#Comment_122359559

you are right, theres no Spain ferries currently planned from IRL or UK , see here for the timetables:

https://www.brittany-ferries.ie/map/timetables-pdf?country=IRL

Since brexit though theres LOTS of options to get from IRL to France even over the christmas break, via Irish ferries who take a break early enough before christmas and are liable to not bother running for weeks or months after xmas and only release 2025 ferries in the Autumn, Stena who are sound and actually provide a service rather than going on holiday and leaving you stranded/ forced to go via UK or Brittany Ferries who since a few years ago offer the Rosslare-Cherbourg route a couple of times a week and also over the christmas period

unlike many here who see anything more than 100km drive as being equivalent (for them) to tackling the Paris-Dakar rally, I am a fan of Landbridge and the extra little bit of driving is compensated for by cheaper fares, smoother journey/ overnights in a proper bed, but direct continental ferries over the winter can be gotten for cheap if you avoid those dates close to christmas and new year - and if you are ok with a potentially bouncy crossing.

celtic_oz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122359559#Comment_122359559

No I mean spending Jan 2025 in the South of Spain.

I didnt realise that theres no ferry to Spain after November .. assumed it wasnt available now to stop you booking too far in advance.

Looks like its France in December so and a long drive.

Cheers for the info.

Marcusm

I have done Spain -UK ferry in January and we had a particularly bad crossing. While the drive is a pain, I would probably recommend the shortest cross channel route at that time of year and avoiding the Bay of Biscay, ie open Atlantic Icean at that time. I have done Rosslare-Bilbao twice in Spring/Summer/Autumn and would not have the same concerns then. The new Brittany Ferries are also a joy compared to the Connemara lump that was there before. A dog cabin is a must unless you are a sadist IMO.

munchkin_utd

looking at various ship websites, they mention that Portsmouth - Santander is an all year round service, with the timetables coming out "in July" so maybe keep an eye on that over the next days and weeks.

For Irl-ESP the timetable was released on July 23rd and it did sail direct from Ireland to Spain all year, with Santander being served rather than Bilbao over winter period

https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/travel-news/ferry-route-from-ireland-to-spain-will-be-served-by-three-ships-in-2024/a1005460183.html

Duit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058358939/france-in-december

We have done the Rosslare-Bilbao in December and it's a hard crossing around Bay of Biscay. We stayed most of the time in the cabin. Brittany ferries usually publish their winter schedule during July. I would wait a couple of weeks to see what their plans are but I would be pretty sure that they are going ahead for the Ireland-Spain route

munchkin_utd

Brittany ferries has the Spain ferries up now, with service over Christmas and through the winter and spring

Duit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058358939/france-in-december

Ferries to France and Spain are now available to book until November 2025

https://www.brittany-ferries.ie/ferry-routes/planning/2025-sailings

celtic_oz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122391488#Comment_122391488

cheers

boardjames

Glad the ferry info helped! Just a heads-up about the weather in France - it can definitely be a mixed bag in December. You’ll likely get some cold and rainy days, especially in the north. But if you're heading south, it’ll get milder, and there’s still plenty of scenic driving to enjoy. I found an infographic that shows the weather trends throughout the year in France so you can get a better idea of what to expect. Safe travels! 🙂

📷️ https://gowithguide.com/France