Cheaper Options for Returning from France (1 Viewer)

[our poppy lll]

The OP explained in post #5 that he was looking for alternatives from Spain. Santander or Bilbao being a similar distance from UK so possibly similar costs.

In post #1 the op said he had used the tunnel to France and was looking into a ferry for his way back, on post #5 he mentioned a route from Bilbao, most people were giving alternatives based on the op post #1.
but all the info is good advise so there’s no issue..

 

[Burgo]

If you are over 60, the Dieppe to Newhaven route gives 20% discount it cost me £154.50 return and €55 for a cabin because the outward bound was cancelled at 11.00 am Monday and we took a 23.00 pm Sunday instead. Moho is under 8.0 metres long… 2 people 4.5 tonne.
Added: we departed April 14th coming back June 12th…

I haven't been back to the UK for 9 years and was thinking of going over. How do you get the over 60 discount - is if a membership thing or do you get it when actually booking as I didn't see it on the web site?

 

[our poppy lll]

I haven't been back to the UK for 9 years and was thinking of going over. How do you get the over 60 discount - is if a membership thing or do you get it when actually booking as I didn't see it on the web site?

You get it when you call to book, it’s not on their website, you ask for prices and availability, they asked me m6 age and immediately gave me the discount.

 

[Simon Meadwell]

Its cheaper to drive than use ferries particularly the long ferry to Spain. Can cost north of £1500 in peak season return.

 

[Spriddler]

From the DFDS website..........(they confirm age against passport).

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[our poppy lll]

From the DFDS website..........(they confirm age against passport).

View attachment 890835

The6 didn’t ask me to prove my age.

 

[MichelleRyall]

May be worth looking at Cherbourg to Poole with Brittany ferries. I used them earlier this year and it was comparable to the tunnel.

 

[our poppy lll]

218 litres of Diesel Stoke to Ciudad Quesada, say average £1.45 per litre via Dieppe & Hendaye near Irun. (£316.10) 7.64 litres Adblue 0.58 per litre, (£4.44). 3 paid camp sites, 2 free Aires £80.00 Ferry £77.25 did £48.25 euros in tolls.
So it cost £526.04 to get here plus we paid €55.00 for a room on the ship. But that’s because the ship was cancelled and we travelled a day earlier at night.
Obviously if you go via Santander or Bilbao, you may only need 1 night out but all in I recon it’s cheaper to drive.
I have just checked and I was refunded the cancelled Monday ferry, whoo hooo…and not charged for the replacement Sunday night ferry..
(I paid a lot less than this because I exchanged my Pounds to Euros at €1.25 to £1.00 (the bank exchange rate to sell Euros into pounds)..

 

[D_K]

7 m 3adults 1 13yo from bilbao to uk cheapest route,cheers all

So that is from Spain to the UK Matt, so you are picking a 2 and a half day crossing compared to a couple of hour crossing from France, therefore if you drive to France you will have plenty of options at maybe a quarter of that price depending what time of year you are travelling.

 

[Spriddler]

The6 didn’t ask me to prove my age.

When booking they never ask me to prove my age when I ask for the discount. At Newhaven they never ask me to prove my age but they have it in my passport when I hand it to them from my vehicle at the DFDS check-in kiosk. I assume that's when they check it and that I'm booked on that ferry.

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[Howard B]

If you are over 60, the Dieppe to Newhaven route gives 20% discount it cost me £154.50 return and €55 for a cabin because the outward bound was cancelled at 11.00 am Monday and we took a 23.00 pm Sunday instead. Moho is under 8.0 metres long… 2 people 4.5 tonne.
Added: we departed April 14th coming back June 12th…

Was looking at ferries back from France in the first 10 days in June. Brittany ferries worked out cheaper than DFDS for us. Couldn't find anything near your prices, think the cheapest I could find was about £150 one way & our van is sub 7m.

 

[chaser]

It's nothing to do with me as you wouldn't get me on a boat if it was free, but looking at the travelling , it depends where you are starting off from in Spain, if you are on the eastern side it probably wouldn't be as far to Calais as you are working out, compared to having to cross Spain to get to Bilbao if you come straight up.

 

[wildcampers69]

Hi everyone , my first post on Fun just thought i would give my view, we go for winter every year usually Portsmouth/Santander however after the last couple of trips have decided we will drive as the cost no longer justifies the crossing for us, last year 22/23 we booked as usual(breakfast and evening meal included) only to be told onboard that we had to pay for breakfast which resulted in a lot of very annoyed passengers. We felt sorry for the staff as obviously not their decision. This year 23/24 no meals included on top of price rise in fares so we won't use it again. Even with tolls we will save around £600/£700 rtn so we're going to give ourselves 4days either way and see a bit of cold wet France

 

[Mike Rivers]

LD Lines Le Havre-Portsmouth's overnight used to be good value. Last year we used the Dieppe-Newhaven route overnight. Again reasonably priced. This year (going over to France) we’re doing a late Dover-Calais crossing then stopping at the iBis Calais Car Ferry motel, breakfast in the price, good parking for a motorhome and gets us on the way by say 8:00 am, showered, fed and watered and the right side of the channel.

 

[matt34]

Thanks all for the advise looks as if i will be using the tunnel,probally didn't explain very well yesterday so will clear it up,
I have been driving to france for the last 12 years and we go down south west side not far from the spanish boarder for 5 weeks in July/August,I have already booked the tunnel over and i drive all the way with one stop over,I was looking for advise to go on a ferry back as we are going even further down into France so not far from Bilbao in Spain,But looking at cost even with a discount kindly given to me by a member adds too much money to our trip so tunnel it is with a long drive back with a stop at an aire which i dont mind at all,thanks for the comments cheers matt.

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[Tigertom]

Just to balance things up a little.

Purely on a cost basis ,
Dieppe to Irun
7m motorhome + trailer , Newhaven/ Dieppe ( with discount) £130
Fuel £135
Peage used £15
Overnight aires used, 1 free, 1 @ £11
Total £291

Wear and tear on the moho unknown……and to be honest I’m not bothered
On an emotional level I would rather travel through a mostly beautiful country than look at a lot of ocean for a couple of days…….and lets not even talk about suffering a rough crossing .

Just our choice, enjoy whatever option you choose.

 

[minesapint]

Hi all we use the tunnel to cross to France, I was looking into a ferry on the way back but its £805 one way with a cabin seems very expensive is there a cheaper way ? any adise would be great

France to UK ferry prices today, £199. Why do you want a cabin for such a short crossing.
Below is todays quote.

Irish Ferries
Be Flexible
Free WiFi
£199.00

£99.50 Per Person
Continue
Calais
01h 30m
Dover
09:40

10:10
29 Apr 2024
Isle Of Innisfree
29 Apr 2024
203 Reviews
Dover
01h 30m
Calais
17:35

20:05
02 May 2024
Isle Of Inisheer

02 May 2024

 

[matt34]

it was coming back from spain.

 

[Mike Hawkins]

Hi all we use the tunnel to cross to France, I was looking into a ferry on the way back but its £805 one way with a cabin seems very expensive is there a cheaper way ? any adise would be great

We reckon to save c.200€ by motoring through France to Spain including Péage and fuel. So, if you’ve got the time and the energy …

 

[EuroTrotters]

That was one way £805 think i will be driving back at that price

you have to book very early for good prices.

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[cyberyacht]

I live less than fifteen minutes from Brittany Ferries and I still drive to Newhaven. Travelling through France is part of the holiday, if you don't rush down the autoroute.

 

[chaser]

I live less than fifteen minutes from Brittany Ferries and I still drive to Newhaven. Travelling through France is part of the holiday, if you don't rush down the autoroute.

Too many people have a downer on France in their rush to get to Spain, if the sun is shining France is good enough for anyone.

 

[MichaelT]

Too many people have a downer on France in their rush to get to Spain, if the sun is shining France is good enough for anyone.

Problem is it's sooo expensive now.

 

[Orion]

Too many people have a downer on France in their rush to get to Spain, if the sun is shining France is good enough for anyone.

Quite agree. Although we did a dash down to Spain and Portugal in Feb/March our upcoming 6 week trip in May/June is going to be a totally relaxed bimble around the Beaux Villages, Voies Vertes and Wild Swimming spots of central and southern France.

Aiming for a relatively inexpensive one as well due to the aires and Tesco vouchers for the Chunnel going out and over sixties discount on DFDS coming back - £95.60 return.

 

[gus-lopez]

In post #1 the op said he had used the tunnel to France and was looking into a ferry for his way back, on post #5 he mentioned a route from Bilbao, most people were giving alternatives based on the op post #1.
but all the info is good advise so there’s no issue..

as soon as you saw 805 pounds you would know the ferry was from spain as they are all exhorbitant prices,

I haven't been back to the UK for 9 years and was thinking of going over. How do you get the over 60 discount - is if a membership thing or do you get it when actually booking as I didn't see it on the web site?

as said ring the number shown on Spriddler s post

218 litres of Diesel Stoke to Ciudad Quesada, say average £1.45 per litre via Dieppe & Hendaye near Irun. (£316.10) 7.64 litres Adblue 0.58 per litre, (£4.44). 3 paid camp sites, 2 free Aires £80.00 Ferry £77.25 did £48.25 euros in tolls.
So it cost £526.04 to get here plus we paid €55.00 for a room on the ship. But that’s because the ship was cancelled and we travelled a day earlier at night.
Obviously if you go via Santander or Bilbao, you may only need 1 night out but all in I recon it’s cheaper to drive.
I have just checked and I was refunded the cancelled Monday ferry, whoo hooo…and not charged for the replacement Sunday night ferry..
(I paid a lot less than this because I exchanged my Pounds to Euros at €1.25 to £1.00 (the bank exchange rate to sell Euros into pounds)..

From here in Lorca to Dunkirk i require 189 litres of diesel. without roof box it reduces to 141.* I buy it all in spain filling at som port before crossing at around 1,35€ . So between 185>250€.That's it.
I use the van & aire de repos or service areas for overnights & dump & fill.
Ferry cost is around 90€ one way.

* It would be cheaper in diesel for me towing the trailer than using the roof box ,just an extra 33€ for ferry with it?

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[gus-lopez]

Actually I would want to know why the ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth is 805 pounds when the Ferry from Bilbao to Rosslare,Ireland, is 169€ for a car + 2 people + reserved seats?? as the advert regales me every night on telly??

 

[gus-lopez]

Too many people have a downer on France in their rush to get to Spain, if the sun is shining France is good enough for anyone.

I've travelled through France for years but have always been fascinated by where does everyone disappear to at around 7,30>8pm? It becomes a ghost town. Even McD's shut at 10,30pm.
On the A75 all the service areas close at around the same time so when stopping there are only machines.: All very odd?

 

[MichaelT]

I've travelled through France for years but have always been fascinated by where does everyone disappear to at around 7,30>8pm? It becomes a ghost town. Even McD's shut at 10,30pm.
On the A75 all the service areas close at around the same time so when stopping there are only machines.: All very odd?

All villages are empty 24*7

 

[MichaelT]

Actually I would want to know why the ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth is 805 pounds when the Ferry from Bilbao to Rosslare,Ireland, is 169€ for a car + 2 people + reserved seats?? as the advert regales me every night on telly??

It was for a MH not a car plus 5 people and a cabin (or 2) not a car and 2 people I believe.