How far in advance to book ferry/Chunnel crossings
Hi all,
Thanks to the wealth of advice we have received from this forum we are going to head to France with our tourer for 2.5 weeks in June-July 2019. It will be our first time abroad in the caravan - the kids can’t wait and neither can we!!!
Fistly, I’ve been told that because we will be outside the main French holiday period that we won’t need to book sites in advance. Is this correct?
Secondly, we haven’t decided whether to cross via the channel tunnel, or whether to get the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. What are the pro’s and cons of each? (We are travelling from Leeds to Rochelle area of France if it helps).
How far in advance do I need to book the crossings? Would you wait until closer to the time or book now for best deals?
Finally, any tips on where to get the best prices for crossings?
Thank you all,
Rob
Comments
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Just to be sure do you mean 2020?
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If you are absolutely certain of your holiday dates and they cannot be varied because of work commitments then book now. I am in a different situation and sometimes book only a fortnight in advance.
I would choose the Caen ferry (150 miles less driving to La Rochelle) but, others always choose the tunnel. Only you can decide.. Get prices for both from Club HQ .
French school holidays begin on 7 July 2020 and coastal sites with pools will fill up after that but I don't know whether your own children are school age or when their own holidays begin.
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Sorry 2020!!!!
No dogs, just 2 adults and 2 young children (8 month old and 2yr old) so not tied to UK term times.
Holiday dates roughly 17th June to 8th July (can be flexible by a day or two either side but not much more than that).
Thanks all, will look at booking asap and will get prices from club HQ in next few days.
Many thanks.
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If you can go as early as possible within your dates, it would be better, the sites get busy nearer the end of the first week of July and the weather gets very hot around that time . With such young children that is always a consideration.
If you don't have aircon on your van I would suggest a couple of good fans for the night time.
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We would always choose Portsmouth/Caen over Dover/Calais if going to Brittany. As Eurotraveller says it saves so many miles towing and when I last checked a few months ago the afternoon ferry out and morning ferry back was no dearer than Dover/Calais providing you bought the site vouchers. Even if you don't use them it saves you a lot of money.
If you do decide to use P/C then I would book asap as there are only two ferries a day but D/C can be left until much nearer the time as there are so many.
We always book through the club.
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If you use Poole/Cherbourg you get there mid afternoon so can get a good start in distance if travelling south. It's not always necessary to book site vouchers either. You can book a minimum of four nights on a site instead and this can work out cheaper
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JR if you are going to La Rochelle area I can recommend Ile De Re and i'm sure I won't be alone in that, we crossed from Poole to Cherbourg where you can stay overnight prior to a morning crossing then first 2 nights we stayed at Pontorson which is a lovely town close to Mont St Michel. then it's a doable drive down to Ile De Re.
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Hi JR, well now you have confirmed its for 2020 here goes!
The distance from Leeds to the tunnel is further than to Portsmouth and I would, like others, choose the ferry however, travelling with young children can be a challenge and our daughter, who does, has said that being able to stay in the car is a big advantage for her.
Having said that you will need one overnight and it may be that having that aboard the ferry is easier, and La Rochelle a lot closer when you land, than stopping at a site and setting up so down to which you feel will be best.
So far as dates I would go at the earliest as this will mean more availability and , if you decide to use an ACSI card more site that will accept it for the time you will be there.
Last year we looked at Camping Port Au Punay at Chataillon Plage which may be suitable for you and worth a look.
Have a great trip!
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Sounds a good trip. If you are a Tesco shopper you can use your club card points towards your ferry/tunnel crossing. We get at least one free return a year. In our experience no need to book in June but for some sites not all the facilities are open. Have a great time.
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ill second this whole post....the crossing is an easy one, resting on the dock prior to the crossing means youre fresh without any travelling beforehand.
Pontorson is a lovely town, camping Haliotis has a funny name but is a top class site, great for all ages.
cycling is also superb in all directions and M St M is a must.
on to Re and its all been said before, great towns, great beaches, terrific climate, wonderful restaurants and food....
might call in on the way back from Spain in the spring...
have a wonderful time.
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Ile de Re? Such an over rated island I thought - though I admit it was August (2019) when we were there and the whole place was rammed.
Obviously we loved tne harbour towns like St Martin and La Flotte, though we had to push through the crowds and bag lunch tables at 11.45 am. before they all filled up, and the mass catering menus didn't stray far beyond mussels, chips and pizza.
Obviously too there are many who love wobbling up and down the island tracks on borrowed bikes - there were many thousands doing that. Such excitement for them !
But what other attractions are there? It's a flat featureless place. Scenery nil. Culture nil. Art and architecture nil. Beaches and nature reserves no better and no worse than many other parts of France. Campsites certainly worse than other places.
We were ten of us from the family in a wonderful rented house - we had a great time together - private pool, a garden barbecue terrace and all that, but I wouldn't go back to the island unless they all did. And I certainly wouldn't go to campsites there in August.
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sounds like it polarises opinion...
we took the in-laws, stayed in rented accommodation and had a car...
they wanted to go from looking at our photos but they cant walk far, don't ride bikes ....so we got them about by car which, as David says, gets you to places too quickly...the island can be explored in a day or two...
so, for us, the pace was all wrong and it seemed like a different place.
IMHO, far better if you're able/prepared to go with the slow pace, i reckon its a far more enjoyable experience...
Architechture? while there arent any large museums or cathedrals, Vauban left a fairly substantial mark on the place, so much so its been classified a World Heritage site.
..and i like moules
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I also like Moules.
I'm not saying it is a bad place and we enjoyed our visit there. We had great weather and toured the island by cycle but always seemed to be following someone else.
As I have said previously the Wow factor of seeing a new place can never be repeated on a second visit so we prefer to explore somewhere new. As is often mentioned, with a mobile bedroom the worlds your lobster
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I also like moules, cycling and islands - but found the Ile de Re far too busy and crowded to enjoy any of the three of them.
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AD, like you, i was actually referring to ET's 'architechture nil' comment....
there are well placed sites for cycling the whole island (La Couarde, as you say) but if you happen to be camped at La Flotte (or that end) its possible to cycle back over the bridge and into La Rochelle for a well earned lunch and stroll round the lovely harbour....bus also available.
we like to tour around a bit but Ré is one of the places we can kick back and settle into the slow pace needed to make the most of the place.
no doubt the OP will update us if they make it there...
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We now book a couple of days before as we use the tunnel frequent traveller program. Ten crossings for £460 (based on a car) plus a £12 supplement for the motorhome. You can share the ten crossings with a nominated person. Me and my pal have done this. I have six crossings and he has four. Great system.
We used to book and pay with Tesco vouchers but it was eating up the vouchers where as we prefer to use them to eat out!
Russ
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Looking at Caen to Portsmouth overnight return is there anywhere close to the ferry to park up and kill a couple of hours? We will probably be early as we will only have a three hour run to the port.
On a more difficult matter has anyone had insurance concerns? When the 'B' thing was discussed in the House of Lords it was mentioned that insurance companies would be unable to manage claims for 'foreign' accidents and that we would have to represent ourselves if involved. I just doubt that 'Getting it done' would be particularly bothered to get that bit sorted first!!!
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Hi Sandgroper,
Not knowing your departure location or route impossible to make an informed judgment but a 2 hours allowance on a three hour journey seems a tad cautious?!
But, as posted in another recent thread, BF have lots of info on their website and in general if the ferry preceding yours has left then you will be OK parking at the port in the vehicle check in lanes.
Re insurance, no I don't have any worries but then I am not up to speed with Hansard so maybe ignorance is bliss!!
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Thanks for that info alanandjean. We will be travelling from the Amboise area with a fairly early start so time shouldn't be a problem, I was more concerned about being too early!!! Not like me either but I must be getting cocky! I used to use the Cherbourg / Portsmouth overnight sailings and they worked well for years (20th Century though).
I have more recently used the Hull/Zeebrugge but am looking at reducing the mileage driven.As we live in Cheshire we will stop overnight, at Winchester usually, on the outward trip then take leisurely roll down to the overnight ferry. The return overnight means that we have an early start back up the country on our return.
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