Don't worry there was never any chance of booking with them, we booked for the Hull ferry for two people ,two bikes an upgraded 4 berth cabin and all meals for £100 less
Best ferry route for the north east
- Thread starter grantmac
- Start date
As said the Newcastle crossing is bollox expensive and shite boats. Hull is much better. Best is still the Harwich to Hook of Holland but thats a long way south for anyone in Scotland
Good glad your sorted.
I came back from Europort last October and the boat was fairly empty. Best trip on it I’ve ever had.
outrageously expensive travelling from the North across to Europe. I live near Darlington and refuse to be ripped off. It's literally miles cheaper for me to ride down to to Dover and do the Tunnel or ferry. I can book a room at the Premier Inn at Dover for £40 the night before too and still be quids in.
Yeah but you have to go south.
. We’ll be going down to the tunnel in August on the bikes and September in the motorhome. It’s a shit journey but so much cheaper.
Can’t argue with that. Last year, I booked for a same day crossing on the tunnel, cost about £60.
True, but a lot of people who cross using the Newcastle or Hull routes end up heading south on the other side anyway, heading down towards Belgium, France, Germany etc.Yeah but you have to go south.
Its horses for courses and, if you're going to do the Arctic circle or Holland etc, obviously you're not going to go all the way down to Dover to ride back up the other side!
Looked at prices of ferry's last night, for early september....Always used Hull, But now living in Northumberland, thought Newcastle would be a doddle.
DFDS £770
Ul £440
Harwich £189
DFDS £770
Ul £440
Harwich £189
You’re quite correct, many do head south once across but it’s much better riding south once across than the south here. Here the south is just so crowded. It’s awful trying to get anywhere. I went Hull Rotterdam last August when going to Norway. I’ve done Hull Rotterdam in the past when going down to my lad’s place in Chamonix and whilst it costs quite a bit more it is a much more pleasant ride. It’s just the south of England that is so crowded. Too many people, too much traffic, too many buildings.
We do tend to set off very early in the morning from Yorkshire when riding down. This gets us across and down to Troyes usually by around mid to late afternoon. Leaving a steady day to Chamonix the day after.
Problem with using Dover or the Tunnel is that it is bad enough riding down to Dover at the start of the holiday , the thought of then having to ride back up through the UK on the way home is thoroughly depressing (having done it a few times in the past ....never again)
I certainly understand that. Trying to get out of the south east is the worst part of the journey. Once up past about Leicester area it does improve in both traffic and scenery. It’s not so bad in the motorhomes as we tend to find a nice country pub for a night. On the bike though it’s just get North ASAP.
Last time we did the trip via Dover albeit many moons ago it was 10 hours to get home to North Northumberland from getting off the ferry and we had already done 200 plus miles in Germany,Belgium and France .
Then don’t do it.
Last October I went out via the tunnel . 1st Oct, about £60, booked on the same day.
Came back via Europort - Hull on a Tuesday night, £175 for me, scooter and evening meal.
Good way to do it.
Wife and I departing using Hartwich - Hoek van Holland crossing in May.
Reason being, because we will be leaving on Friday night, after coming back from work. Then on Saturday morning arrive to Europe nice and rested, have a steady day on the bike and be in Cochem at around 4-6pm.
We live 93 miles away from the port. 8 miles further to the tunnel.
If we were to leave on a Saturday, we’d have get up silly early, (not something that wife would be happy with) to head for the tunnel and catch an early train, as 35 minutes later, we loose an hour, then Calais to Cochem is a slog on Belgian motorway network.
Alternative is to break the journey in two and find a hotel for the night at around 3-4pm. But that alone will cost likely to cost what the ferry difference does, plus a meal.
Yes it does cost us around £140 more using Hartwich ferry crossing, but I feel more comfortable with that choice, not least as I will get to ride the route to Cochem, that I haven’t ridden before at all. There is a bonus in that alone.
We will however use the tunnel on the way back. As we will stop for the night in Bouillon, Hotel de la Poste.
Reason being, because we will be leaving on Friday night, after coming back from work. Then on Saturday morning arrive to Europe nice and rested, have a steady day on the bike and be in Cochem at around 4-6pm.
We live 93 miles away from the port. 8 miles further to the tunnel.
If we were to leave on a Saturday, we’d have get up silly early, (not something that wife would be happy with) to head for the tunnel and catch an early train, as 35 minutes later, we loose an hour, then Calais to Cochem is a slog on Belgian motorway network.
Alternative is to break the journey in two and find a hotel for the night at around 3-4pm. But that alone will cost likely to cost what the ferry difference does, plus a meal.
Yes it does cost us around £140 more using Hartwich ferry crossing, but I feel more comfortable with that choice, not least as I will get to ride the route to Cochem, that I haven’t ridden before at all. There is a bonus in that alone.
We will however use the tunnel on the way back. As we will stop for the night in Bouillon, Hotel de la Poste.
Psssst.....HARWICH..... 
Psssst…. I’ve fat fingersPsssst.....HARWICH.....
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