Brittany Ferries

Have you considered alternatives to the popular Dover Calais route? 

Whilst the cost of a Ferry Crossing with Brittany Ferries is more than the cost of crossings to Calais there are significant advantages to crossing to Brittany.

Where are you travelling from?

Kent is not necessarily the most accessible port for a lot of UK residents, Portsmouth can be a better bet. For example travelling from Manchester to Portsmouth is 241 miles whereas to Dover it is 285 miles, a 90 mile saving on a round trip and you get to the avoid the M25!

Getting to the Deux Sevres

We have done the journey from Calais more times than we care to remember, whilst the journey is relatively stress free it takes a long time – 7 hours on average. By contrast getting to St Malo takes just 4 hours.

To pay or not to Pay?

Parts of the route from Calais involve using the Peage, very convenient but at a price. On my journey down from Calais in December 2012 the peage charges were £39.85 each way.

Time 

Whilst the Dover Calais crossing is quicker what you gain there you lose in driving time, an extra 3 hours each way. With overnight crossings you can also let the Ferry cover ground for you whilst you sleep, this can mean an earlier start to your holiday and you arrive feeling a lot less tired.

The bottom line

Apart from the well being benefits of less driving time crossing to Brittany can also save you a lot in mileage terms. A return trip from Calais is 810 miles, from St Malo it is just 370 miles, a whopping 440 mile difference. 

So as an example a family driving from Manchester would save 530 miles driving and of course the tolls. Assuming a vehicle running cost per mile of £0.50 this would translate into a saving of £265.00 plus the tolls giving a total saving of £355.00. So as long as the Ferry crossing to Brittany does not exceed that to Dover by £355.00 there is an overall saving, simples!