event Shitefest International 2025 9-10 August - France

[Talbot]

Going direct to the suppliers websites has helped, I wasn't expecting the ferry bookers sites to be so much more expensive!

I'm now finding that Newhaven-Dieppe is actually cheaper than Dover-Calais.  Newhaven-Dieppe can be got for as low as £146 for the return.  Dover-Calais is well over £200.

I also hadn't appreciated how much more expensive towing a small trailer would make it.  The very smallest trailer increases the Newhaven-Dieppe crossing by £100.  For Dover-Calais it brings it up well over £300.

[lesapandre]

6 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Going direct to the suppliers websites has helped, I wasn't expecting the ferry bookers sites to be so much more expensive!

I'm now finding that Newhaven-Dieppe is actually cheaper than Dover-Calais.  Newhaven-Dieppe can be got for as low as £146 for the return.  Dover-Calais is well over £200.

I also hadn't appreciated how much more expensive towing a small trailer would make it.  The very smallest trailer increases the Newhaven-Dieppe crossing by £100.  For Dover-Calais it brings it up well over £300.

Wow - the Newhaven-Dieppe sounds cheap. Double-check you are paying to come back too - some of the sites can be a bit ambiguous with their options.

Yes towing adds ££'s.

[Talbot]

from Ferrysavers.  I'll have to check if it's any different on the DFDS website.

 

If I add a small trailer (my folding camper, which I really need to bring!)

 

The increase is £2 cheaper than I paid for the damn camper!

[lesapandre]

4 minutes ago, Talbot said:

from Ferrysavers.  I'll have to check if it's any different on the DFDS website.

Yes I would do that to make sure - £73 each way for a peak summer crossing is a bargain. 

[Talbot]

6 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Yes I would do that to make sure - £73 each way for a peak summer crossing is a bargain. 

Remarkably... exactly the same price on the DFDS site.

The trailer, however, has completely different pricing, but then the size limits on Ferrysavers and on DFDS site are quite different.

 

[lesapandre]

Yea that seems correct - it's a good offer. Low because you are crossing mid-week and coming back late. Bargain! 🎉

 

[Spottedlaurel]

I've previously done the Newhaven-Dieppe crossing (and vice versa) in the daytime and found it to be just a bit too long a crossing for my tastes, but if you've driven a fair way then at least you get a decent break.

My preference in recent years has been to do their night-time crossing with a cabin, giving an opportunity for a decent kip with toilet and shower in the room. Saves a hotel stopover and allows for an early start in France.

As it's the only ferry going from both ports then it's much less hectic than Dover/Calais or the tunnel.

[lesapandre]

Yea it's about 4+ hours as opposed to Dover-Calais which is at about 1.5. 

Yes - Dover can get very congested at times - best to use it mid-week and at night if possible. 

[horriblemercedes]

At the moment I'm planning to come in my Saab 95 diesel estate, so that'll be good for MPG and space. The air con is excellent too.

 

Is there any appetite for sorting out drive sharing? Just thinking that I've got plenty of space for several people and kit, or I would be happy to join another crew. It would save on fuel and ferry/tunnel costs.

[catsinthewelder]

I'm up for that, don't really trust any of my cars to make it there!

[mat_the_cat]

17 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

My preference in recent years has been to do their night-time crossing with a cabin, giving an opportunity for a decent kip with toilet and shower in the room. Saves a hotel stopover and allows for an early start in France.

IMO, a cabin upgrade is worth it, no matter the cost. I used to use the ferries every year (before we had a dog and switched to Eurotunnel), and sleeping in a shared lounge was miserable at best.

Uncomfortable 'reclining' (but not enough) seats, snoring, screaming babies and on one occasion I awoke to find the bloke sleeping next to me drooling all over my arm. Marginally more tolerable bringing a sleeping mat and grabbing a corner, but on a crowded crossing it's not going to be fun.

The only time we got lucky is exploring the ship and finding an empty, unlocked room (not a cabin). Got in there and managed to get our heads down uninterrupted for the whole crossing!

[Talbot]

20 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

My preference in recent years has been to do their night-time crossing with a cabin, giving an opportunity for a decent kip with toilet and shower in the room. Saves a hotel stopover and allows for an early start in France.

The other crossing that offers this benefit is Portsmouth - Ouistriham.  I've used that in the past, but it's quite a bit more expensive as it's quite a few more sea miles.  I think the Newhaven-Dieppe crossing is made "artificially" longer on the overnight crossings to make it worthwhile having a cabin and a sleep.  Presumably they just cruise over slower on the night crossings.

[Saabnut]

OK, a bit to hopefully help. Fastest and sometimes the most expensive is the tunnel, which is also the best for pets as they stay in the car for the 40 minute crossing. Cheapest is Newhaven-Dieppe (and if you are over 60 always phone the booking and tell them, you get an additional discount of I think 20%, crossing takes about 4 hours.  This route is subsidised by the French government, hence being the cheapest. Cheapest Dover crossing is of course the ferry (P&O, Irish Ferries etc) at about 1.5 hours. Most convenient is Portsmouth-Caen at 5 hours but also the most expensive. However.....

Travel time from Calais to Chez Saabnut is 5 hours by Autoroute/Peage (it is almost exactly 300 miles) or 6.5 to 7 hours via the scenic route which is lovely with lots of villages with cafes for breaks. Travel time from Caen via Peage is roughly 2 hours at about 130 miles but scenic route is about 3 to 4 hours. Peage tolls from Caen are around 20 Euro, from Calais between 50 and 60 Euros. Fuel on the motorways is more expensive but not as big a difference as the UK. Easy to drop off to a Supermarket to save a bit if required. Fuel is generally more expensive in France, supermarket prices last time I was there was about 1.76 Euro/litre for 95 unleaded and about 1.63 for diesel. LPG is much more widely available at around 0.94 Euro/litre.

Once there, beer and wine are cheap. Food is expensive. Supermarket food is much better quality than the equivalent here, and most places have markets weekly, more expensive again but excellent quality.  Ready meals and processed food in supermarkets etc are OK but very limited in range. If you want pies, you will have to bring them or make them yourself!

I will start a list soon for attendees to add their names to, and I will send address and contact details by PM. Any specific questions, ask away, I will do my best to answer.