Portsmouth to Caen ferry

[Iseveryoneok]

Hello, does anyone have any advice about getting an 8am Brittany Ferries ferry from Portsmouth, please?

We’re on an 8am Sunday morning crossing to Caen in August. We’ll be driving from the north west and I’m anxious about delays en route. I think if we leave home around 10pm and drive through the night, we’ll almost certainly have time to kill early morning in Portsmouth.

Has anyone done this? Any advice on places to park up and wait, maybe stretch our legs. We’ll have a 3 and 5 year old with us who’ll hopefully be sleeping but you never know.

We could drive down the day before and book a premier inn or similar in Portsmouth, but I’d rather save the £120 for a nice holiday experience if poss :)

Any advice or experiences welcome! Thanks!

Honestly? Do the travelodge- otherwise you’ll be on your knees before you even leave the country! We usually do the overnight with a cabin for that reason.

This was us last August. Get accommodation if you can afford to; it'll be dearer the closer you are to the port so look further afield. We ended up nearer Winchester and it wasn't £120.

I'd stay overnight personally

Deffo stay overnight the night before my lovely, especially with little ones…I’ve driven around Caen before , I was a lot younger and really needed all my wits about me…..couldn’t have done it safely on little to no sleep….have a lovely time xx

Oh no, just get some accommodation. If not, you'll be exhausted on the ferry, particularly if you don't have cabins booked. As pp have suggested it doesn't have to be right by the ferry port.

Your best bet if not staying at a hotel would be to head straight to the ferry port. Double check the opening timings but I think you will be able to park there and wait in the queue for check in. You can get out the car and stretch legs. Nothing will be open so not much point going anywhere else. You could try gunwharf quays shopping centre which has a big car park and lots of space for a wander along the harbour. It is very close by to the ferry port but I doubt any of the shops / cafes will be open. Alternatively look for a 24 hour roadside service station nearby? There is a 24 hour McDonalds at petersfield

You won’t sleep on the ferry because the kids will be running about exploring so are you really planning on driving in France on no sleep? Caen is super busy almost as soon as you get out the port. You need your wits about you.

I’d drive down the day before and find somewhere cheap to stay. Or amend my booking to the overnight ferry with a cabin.

You don't have to stay particularly close to Portsmouth. We are on the Surrey/Hants border and it is only an hour to Portsmouth.

Drive down to Bordon the day before, go to the Hogsmoor Inclosure for a run around, then get up at 5.30am and drive to Portsmouth 😊

We have just done this. Stay in the premier inn and have a nice meal at Gunwharf Quays the night before.

Enjoy your holiday x

I second this. The premier inn just along from gunwharf is lovely.

another vote for travel lodge

I stayed overnight with my 2, 5 and 7 year old in May. We had to be up early for the ferry so I was knackered anyway. In fact i found the whole thing exhausting. I think maybe I'm just weak. If you are driving all night I would definitely get a cabin and split the journey to get some rest while the kids play on the boat. I confess it was in theory a lovely way to start the holiday and the kids loved it but I felt like a zombie.

I would also be worried about traffic, stopping for wees/kids throwing up and missing my window

If you possibly can I would also stay somewhere the night before.
Echo the above suggestions of looking for somewhere within an hours drive that will be relatively cheap.
We got this ferry a couple of weeks ago. We only live an hour and a half away but had to get up at 5 and were knackered all day. I think it sounds dangerous to try and drive through the night and then board the ferry and drive at the other end.
Have a lovely holiday

On the other hand I did the journey from our accommodation to caen on no sleep (only an hour, but I was solo on my return with all 3) and I didn't think it was difficult driving. And I'd never driven on the other side of the road before. But then again, maybe exiting caen is harding than coming into it as I've heard many hardened drivers say the same.

Yes, warming to my theme in previous post, I do think having no sleep before the ferry with two very small children may take a few years off your life and a few days of fun off your trip.

definitely get a travel lodge / premier inn etc

You dont have to get all the way to Portsmouth

a travel lodge / premier inn around Petersfield / Winchester / Fareham / Havant will do too (depending on if you come down M3 or A3)

Port Solent is a lovely place to stay / wander around / have dinner etc too, and very close to the Ferry.

There is also a village hotel close to Portsolent, and I keep getting FB adds about them having a £59 flash sale which you might get if you are quick.

Thank you everyone, there seems to be a pretty clear consensus! Really appreciate all your advice! ☺️

Change your mindset; your holiday starts when you leave home. Spend the money on an overnight stop. Otherwise you will all be frazzled, fractious and will wish you’d never bothered!

Check your route for planned overnight/weekend closures and roadworks (M42, A34, M27 have roadworks and are often closed overnight, so choose your Travelodge with this in mind)

And don’t underestimate the impact of other holiday traffic.

We always take a day cabin and nap so you might as well take the travel lodge really.

I agree the ring road around Caen is a nightmare! We have always done the overnight ferry could you change to that? If not id definitely book the travel lodge the night before

Get a cabin on the ferry, during the day crossings they're usually really cheap and give you a handy base to dump stuff (load some films onto an iPad or similar) Unless your children are going to join in with the entertainment on board exploring the boat doesn't take that long, we usually let the driver get a bit of a nap whilst the other adult goes off with the children for a while.

These days we normally opt for the morning crossing and then stay not too far from the ferry in France when we arrive, (an hour or two) and do a long drive the second day to get to our holiday place. (We have a caravan so cover fewer miles in a day than just a car, but also only live about three hours from the ferry so the early start is not so taxing)

You are able to arrive anytime after the previous ship has departed and just park up on the key side. We have done this with our caravan but it's quite noisy all night, and they bang on the doors at about 5 am to get you up and through check-in to clear the way for everyone else arriving so you don't get a decent sleep. We have always found the same with the night crossing, once you are on board and settled it takes ages to get to sleep, the beds aren't especially comfy and again it can be noisy especially if you're anywhere near the car decks, someone's alarm is always going off. Then you are woken and kicked out of the cabin about an hour before arrival so again only a few hours sleep for quite a lot more money on the crossing. We have found neither of these options work for us being rested enough for the long drive.

Travelled on this route lots (live near Portsmouth). It’s a very enjoyable crossing with Brittany Ferries. Loads to do, films, arcade games, soft play.

How far are you driving in France? As I too am unclear on when you’ll sleep. I would recommend booking a hotel the night before as others have recommended and be fresh for the crossing because as soon as your children spot the fun things onboard, they’ll want to play!

Thanks! I had been thinking of pinching a few hours of sleep before leaving home, and have booked a cabin on the ferry too. Then it’s an hour max drive to our destination in Normandy. But I think I’ve been thoroughly convinced to stay in a hotel the night before. The better the rest, the better the drive / mood / holiday. And we can enjoy the ferry too (I’ve not been on the ferry since I was a kid and remember loving it). Thanks folks - very wise! This is my first time posting on Mumsnet - how helpful and speedy is everyone?! Really appreciate it

You’ll love it, it’s a great crossing. Cabins are great as a base too.

And next time, book the night ferry!! Have a great holiday!!

Agreed they wake you up way too early