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6 Dec 2011
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Registered Users
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Sacramento, CA and Kadavu, Fiji
Posts: 5
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UK to France - Ferry or train?
I've not done this before, but I'm determined to figure it out, so this isn't just dumb curiosity. We want to fly with the bike into Gatwick, London, then we want to ride to the ferry or train to France for the ride to Paris to meet friends. We'll be two up on an 1150GS with our stuff for 7+ weeks of riding France, Spain, Portugal from mid July-early September. We'll fly home from Paris. We wish we could avoid summer crowds, but can't swing that for this trip.
Q1: Is it better to go by train or ferry?
Q2: Do you have a weblink or cost for the trip on either the ferry or the train?
Q3: Should we make reservations?
Q4: Or should we just fly to Paris and skip the UK? 
thx
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6 Dec 2011
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: SoOrange NJ USA
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Q1. "Better" ? Either works. Some prefer the cross-Channel "wind in the face" experience; many prefer the relative speed of the Chunnel vehicle train.
Q2. Google search will find you mulitple booking/ info websites. Here are two:
Eurotunnel: Faster Than A Ferry To France - Folkestone Dover to Calais
Ferries to France - Ferry tickets | Book a Ferry to France with AFerry.com
Q3. That time/ season of the year, reservations a good idea.
Q4. Depends how you want to spend your time.
Also depends--significantly--on relative availability of airfreight services for your bike into UK vs. France, [U]and[U] in particular ease of Customs clearance time/ procedures in UK vs. Paris. In general, UK clearance of bike easier than France, but you want to check that with whichever airfreight broker/ agent you intend to use for bike.
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6 Dec 2011
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Registered Users
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Oxford UK
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The ferry is cheaper and you do get to sit down on a chair while it's rattling along. The train is supposed to be quicker (and it is when it's actually moving) but every single time I've used it there have been delays getting going. I'm sure others will say it's been so fast they blinked and missed the whole thing but that's been my experience over the last 10yrs. For the half hour you're actually on the train you can either stand or sit on the floor - no seats - it's set up for cars who have their own seats built in.
Reserving (on line) in advance is cheaper and the prices seems to vary in real time. There are usually some sort of deals / special offers around that'l keep the cost down. I paid £26 return for a bike on the ferry at the end of Oct - but since then one of the main players, Sea France, seems to have gone to the wall, leaving P&O as the last ferryman standing (to Calais anyway). I'd expect prices to rise in 2012
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6 Dec 2011
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Registered Users
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Quote:
Originally Posted by backofbeyond
The ferry is cheaper and you do get to sit down on a chair while it's rattling along. The train is supposed to be quicker (and it is when it's actually moving) but every single time I've used it there have been delays getting going. I'm sure others will say it's been so fast they blinked and missed the whole thing but that's been my experience over the last 10yrs. For the half hour you're actually on the train you can either stand or sit on the floor - no seats - it's set up for cars who have their own seats built in.
Reserving (on line) in advance is cheaper and the prices seems to vary in real time. There are usually some sort of deals / special offers around that'l keep the cost down. I paid £26 return for a bike on the ferry at the end of Oct - but since then one of the main players, Sea France, seems to have gone to the wall, leaving P&O as the last ferryman standing (to Calais anyway). I'd expect prices to rise in 2012
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Wow, how did that one get past me; a quick search for the news about Sea France has brought up just local news stations in the UK - i.e. not seen on the national news.
BBC News - French authority in bid to save SeaFrance
Yes, booking ahead for any of the channel crossing services is always cheaper than rocking up on the day for which the operators will fleece you, presumably on the assumption that you really have to cross at that time/day. But, for the past few years I have booked online only the day before, leaving such things until as late as possible partly for the "sea france" reason.
As given here, the train route sous la manche, is the fastest overall, but it always seems to come out the most expensive.
The Norfolk line route (now owned by DFDS) between Dover and Dunkerque is my preferred one for the ferries because two hours gives a bit more time to chill out & eat etc, rather than rushing about for the one hour travel between Dover and Calais. They are also very competitive on pricing, but not as much as they used to be when branded as Norfolk line alone.
I have also used aferry.com and found it to work OK.
I have no idea why you would want to go to Paris via the UK; that's your business I would say!!
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Dave
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6 Dec 2011
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Join Date: Mar 2008
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HI MM17:
Can't added anything to the options given. I have used both. I can tell you about the ferry service. My wife and I spent 90 days covering Europe this last summer on our 1150GS. While visiting all of Great Britian, we headed back to France in June. It was raining so hard, we decided to use the Brittany ferry service out of Portsmouth as a rest break. The service was great. Nice meals and very pleasant environment. Made the reservation for the overnight departure. Got us into Caen, France, the next morning at 7am. Had plenty of time to make the ship at Portsmouth, for its evening departure. We reserved a room with shower/restroom. I booked online, from the US, due to limited rooms. I just googled european ferry services.
If you have any questions, just give me a PM (Tricare, MEDEX, EVAC policy, Toll Road sites, European traffic emergency equipment requirements sites, Green Card, etc). I used some military benefits overseas that came in handy, during an unexpected minor emergency. Also, picked up a roadside assistance policy from ADAC in Germany for about $120 USD. Came in handy in Portugal when I lost my final drive (16,000 miles) on the bike.
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6 Dec 2011
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
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Quote:
Originally Posted by judgejoe
HI MM17:
Can't added anything to the options given. I have used both. I can tell you about the ferry service. My wife and I spent 90 days covering Europe this last summer on our 1150GS. While visiting all of Great Britian, we headed back to France in June. It was raining so hard, we decided to use the Brittany ferry service out of Portsmouth as a rest break. The service was great. Nice meals and very pleasant environment. Made the reservation for the overnight departure. Got us into Caen, France, the next morning at 7am. Had plenty of time to make the ship at Portsmouth, for its evening departure. We reserved a room with shower/restroom. I booked online, from the US, due to limited rooms. I just googled european ferry services.
If you have any questions, just give me a PM (Tricare, MEDEX, EVAC policy, Toll Road sites, European traffic emergency equipment requirements sites, Green Card, etc). I used some military benefits overseas that came in handy, during an unexpected minor emergency. Also, picked up a roadside assistance policy from ADAC in Germany for about $120 USD. Came in handy in Portugal when I lost my final drive (16,000 miles) on the bike.
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Good point! For the longer sea crossings, you should book further ahead, unless you are not bothered which port and service operator you want to use - I have done both options. As explained here, for the longer routes you really do need an overnight cabin which is going to cost more, much more, than the short sea routes. In fact most operators on the long routes make the cabin booking compulsory to cut out those who want to sleep on the floor etc.
+1 for Britanny ferries who are French owned so they have a good menu on board.
Aferry.com tends to be up to date with all the options for who is sailing to where and from where, so it is a useful first search point even if you end up booking direct with the operator of your choice.
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Dave
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6 Dec 2011
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Although never having taken the train, I have to say that I love the Ferry and have no desire to 'discover' the joys of the Chunnell. I like to have a meal (such as it is!), walk around on deck, feel the sea air on my face, look at the horizon; to just be still in the 'fresh' air for a while!
Booking early is also a great idea. I missed my ferry last Summer, and they just put me on the next one - no extra charge (P+O).
Much as it pains me, f you're meeting friends in Paris, why not just fly there? If you're travelling with them, this makes greater sense. If you're litterally just heading from Gatwick to Dover, again this makes sense. If you'd quite like to see some of the UK first, then I'd go for the Ferry.
Enjoy your travels.
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6 Dec 2011
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Join Date: Dec 2006
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Tunnel fan.
Reserve.
You get better deals with the Tunnel by bookling in advance. But they surcharge you if you turn up outside the booked 'time window' of an hour or two (fortunately not my problem as I have a lifetime free pass!).
I have used it maybe 500-600 times, mostly by car but I share Backofbeyond and Bertrand's comments about lack of even a seat for riders. However after long hours on a saddle it is a good opportunity to stand and stretch before the next stint. Fortunately they try to 'batch' (no Cole!!) motos together so at least you can chat with kindred spirits (unless it's an HD!) - something car drivers do not do.
Last time I left UK, back in August, fuel was cheaper there than F, B, NL and D so I filled the car at Tesco just by Junction 10 (there is also Sainsburys close to J9). That got me into Poland where it was even cheaper (AA do a monthly prices survey). Next fuel was back within Russia - equivalent to 55p/litre 
(Sorry about the  but I love to gloat!)
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