The UK and France are serviced by a good supply of ferries and hover crafts, that have regular day and night time crossings to suit all tastes. Choosing your departure port depends very much on the type of crossing you want and of course where you live in the UK.
If you are prepared to travel and slightly less sociable hours then you can get some really good prices from the ferry companies, and of course always look out for any special offers that the companies offer.
To help you decide, I have listed below the drive times and distances from each of the main French ports to the village of Sompt :
| Caen | Calais | Cherbourg | Le Harve | Roscoff | St Malo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel time to Sompt* | 5 hrs | 7 hrs | 6 hrs | 5½ hrs | 6 hrs | 4½ hrs |
| Distance to Sompt | 428 km | 696 km | 537 km | 514 km | 518 km | 380 km |
* These times are calculated using mappy.fr and can probably be improved
The location of each of these ports is shown on the map above.
Ferry prices and schedulesI have received an e-mail from Darren Bates telling me about coach travel between England and France. If you are travelling between the South East of England and Poitou Charentes you can catch a coach from Victoria which takes you to either Poitiers or Niort. The cost can be as low as £50 return if you book in advance, although the travel time can be quite long.
For more information about coach travel, check out the National Express website:
