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Speedferries cross-channel route

Dover to Boulogne

Cross-Channel Ferry & Tunnel * train * flights * roads and autoroutes * health advice * driving in France

SpeedferriessAutumn 2005

SpeedFerries - With the increasingly high cost of crossing the western Channel via Portsmouth and points west, we are being forced to use Dover crossings more often, despite the horrors of navigating around the M25. We've tended to find Seafrance (Dover - Calais) consistently cheaper to book online than P&O (Dover - Calais), and in truth there is not much to choose between them in terms of speed, comfort or facilities. So we decided to have a look at a new operator Speed Ferries (www.speedferries.com)

Speedferries.com operate a Catamaran service from Dover to Boulogne. On a mid-summer Saturday our 1445 crossing was 40  minutes late - not an uncommon problem I understand, as they only have 1 vessel and on busy days the delays can build up over the course of the day. On board the passenger area is smaller than on a conventional ferry, with fewer facilities (no Casino!, Jacuzzi! 5-star Restaurant). We found it quite noisy - the engine noise and vibration is more evident, but it was mainly unruly kids, noisy toy building blocks and the cartoons being run on the TV which were to blame - there are few places to escape the hubbub, although you can pay more for a quieter areas and more comfortable seating.
BUT, the speed was impressive - just 45 minutes from breakwater to breakwater, and not that much more from berth to berth - quite exhilarating to see France approach at speed, travelling down the French coast passing Cap Gris Nez and Cap Blanc Nez - . AND you come into Boulogne, a much more civilised place than the industrial environs of Calais - and 15 minutes nearer Paris and the south via the A16 autoroute which is becoming our preferred route to the south and west. AND for just £51.00 one-way on a busy Summer Sunday with car, roof box and 2 people it all adds up to great value for money.

see other channel-crossing options

This route now also lends itself to improved access to Normandy, Brittany, Loire Valley and points south avoiding Paris and using the recently extended A28 from Rouen to Alencon, Le Mans and Tours - see our Autoroute page.