ferries Spain to England/England to Spain

[Donald Schell]

Dear friends,

Somehow I posted this response to Lydia about the ferries between England
and Spain outside the group.  I wanted to share it more widely, so I'm
reposting:

I was really glad to hear Alan writing about the Portsmouth ferries.  I've
taken the ferry from Plymouth to Santander and the ferry from Bilbao to
Portsmouth, the first on my family's first trip to Spain, the second last
May after my wife and I had walked across Somport and to Estella on the
Camino.  Both voyages were very, very pleasant.  The ferries carry
automobiles but look and feel like cruise ships and there are a good number
of pedestrians (and some bicyclists) along with the cars and drivers.

Plymouth to Santander takes just over 24 hours on the ferry.  My wife and I,
traveling with our children booked the least expensive rooms we could
(narrow bunkbed, no windows).  Bilbao to Portsmouth is a longer trip, about
36 hours on the ferry; for that crossing the two of us booked a larger room
with a window.  Both the windowless rooms and the larger room had a
bathroom.  I don't remember what it cost, but, like booking a sleeper on the
train (which we did from Paris to Pau), it created a very pleasant way to
travel and the whole cost of the travel (train or boat passage) was
comparable to the cost of a comfortably nice but not luxury hotel might have
stayed in pre or post camino otherwise.  That is, in both instances the
overnight travel was also our night's lodging.

The Bilbao to Portsmouuth (or vice versa) route is regularly booked by
whale, dolphin, and porpoise watchers and birdwatchers.  Sightings are
common and those waters have the most marine mammals of anywhere accessible
from Europe.

There are two crossings a week to Santander and two to Bilbao (as I
remember).  Plymouth and Portsmouth are both readily accessible from London
by train.  The cost of the English train seemed to me the most surprising
(steepest for what you get) part of this travel combination.

Portsmouth ferries has a website and you can reserve passage online.

love,
donald


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