£1,700 for the ferry to Bilbao!

[PossiblyDreaming]

Then another £1,600 for a week self catering in a caravan at Eurocamp 😱. I thought I’d be good and not fly this year but it’s insanely expensive. I was expecting it to be a bit more than a flight but not that much!

Is there a way to do it much more cheaply? All the ferries from Plymouth are already fully booked so I’ll have to drive an extra 3 hours to Portsmouth already. It’s obviously still popular despite the cost but I’m actually in shock at just how much it is.

The Bay of Biscay would put me off more than the cost!

Always really expensive to get the ferry with a car. Cheap for a foot passenger though! Is that including a cabin? Could you go to France instead? Quicker and probably cheaper. Or eurotunnel but that means drive to Dover….if taking the car

We're doing the ferry to Caen and driving down to north Spain over a couple of days with stops in nice places en route but DH and I are both happy driving in Europe.

@ajandjjmum

The Bay of Biscay would put me off more than the cost!

Yes this is also an issue doesn’t matter the time of year…paying 1k+ for rough seas is not the best start or end of a holiday 🤢

What dates are you looking at and do you have a big vehicle with bikes on the back? It'd be cheaper to drive through France, surely?

And, yes, the actual crossing it's what's always put me off this route. Especially knowing you had to do it coming back. A channel crossing, I'm fine with but heard too many stories about the Bay of Biscay being rough.

@SwedishEdith looking at first few days of the summer holidays with a car. I could drive through France but I’m about as far west as you can get and adding another 7 hours on top just to get to Dover really doesn’t appeal.

@Bramblesr that is with a cabin but that only added £89 each way which I think is well worth it.

Did that journey once and won’t be doing it again. Nothing to look at other than grey for 2/3 days. I’d much rather drive down through France. It’s cheaper and much more enjoyable.

Have you looked at the Plymouth to Roscoff route?

Would Plymouth to Cherbourg work?

I'm flying with jet2. £200 I think. Husband driving down and we are meeting up. Not staying in Eurocamp we've booked a site on pitch up. Site £350 for a week.

[quote PossiblyDreaming]@SwedishEdith looking at first few days of the summer holidays with a car. I could drive through France but I’m about as far west as you can get and adding another 7 hours on top just to get to Dover really doesn’t appeal.

@Bramblesr that is with a cabin but that only added £89 each way which I think is well worth it.[/quote]
Just put my details in for for 1st week of summer holidays and, yes, it's horrendously expensive - increase in cost of fuel for ships, I guess. I'd go Portsmouth - St Malo overnight then you get a full day of driving the next day. Could get as far as Bordeaux for an overnight.

We have to drive down from the NW for every holiday using the ferry/tunnel so we always have that 7 hour bit before even leave the UK.

@InkySquid

Have you looked at the Plymouth to Roscoff route?

From the OP:

All the ferries from Plymouth are already fully booked so I’ll have to drive an extra 3 hours to Portsmouth already

OP is it worth going as foot passengers and renting a car on the other side or do you have too much kit to take? Or could you get a ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff and drive down through a shorter French route? I agree that the route from Plymouth to Santander is fairly tedious and I'd rather drive down from Roscoff.

Ferry from Poole? Bit closer than Portsmouth

Yeah just fly. If there was any political will to discourage doing so then it would be easier not to. It isn't. Not within your gift to solve.

I read it as all the ferries from Plymouth to Spain are booked. It wasn't clear if OP was talking about ferries to France as well.

Blimey eurocamp used to be cheap!

Ex sailor here, I’d avoid the Bay of Biscay at all costs. 🤮🤮🤮🤮

Ferries are nearly as bad as flying for carbon and worse for general pollution. If you're doing it for the environment, take the train and go to France. Otherwise, make life easy for yourself and fly + car hire. You're suffering here for no benefit!

Have you tried the Santander route?. That said I paid £550 one way 5 years ago in August (we drove through france from Le Havre on the way stopping at Bordeaux and Madrid)

I was horrified by the costs too. We've put it on hold this year and planning next year. Looking seriously at the trains. Eurostar and the getting the tgv through France. Check out themaninseat61 website.

@Mouldyfeet

I've done the bay of biscay 3 times, like a millpond all of the times. Now the North Sea to Shetland, that was rough

£163 to Barcelona for 3 people

By aeroplane

And not a whiff of guilt about it

Does it have to be Spain and Summer holidays? Eurocamp in May half term in ither countries is very cheap. As is interailling as you can have up to two free children aged under 12 for free with each adult.

You could do a cruise from Southampton for the price of ferry and self catering! Have a look at those.