William the Conqueror, hell bent in 1066 on East Sussex, meant to set sail from Normandy, but bad weather drove him north. Huddled in the mouth of the Somme, the ambitious descendant of the Vikings regrouped to sail across La Manche.
Crossings of the English Channel, as we prefer to call it, pepper our literature and history. Armies used it through the Hundred Years' War. Smugglers use it still. Dickens' heroine in A Tale of Two Cities has a nightmare crossing. Agatha Christie's characters drive long-nosed Thirties' tourers on to ferries. Hitler established a submarine fleet at Boulogne. My mother, as a schoolgirl, was one of the civilians evacuated in the 1939 phoney war, taken in a tiny fishing boat from St Malo.
If the gods are against us, we may still experience the thrills of early travellers. A force nine gale can make a rough 90 minutes out of even the shortest route, Dover to Calais. A couple of times a summer, ferocious weather turns that into 17 or so hours, with the ferry unable to dock.
For the most part, though, the Channel is more a challenge to the ticket-bargain instinct than to sea legs, with the Great British holidaymaker facing a minefield of deals. The last decade has been dominated by the end of duty-free sales. Price rises did not immediately follow rationalisation of Customs' duties since the operators pegged them to retain passengers. This year, the effect is showing, with rises of up to 27% across all companies. However, competition for travellers remains fierce so there are deals.
The mechanics are worth a thought. Choice one is which drive you prefer in England. Dover or Folkestone is fine from London, but from Birmingham or Liverpool or Glasgow then Newhaven, Southampton and Portsmouth may be attractive. Choice two is the Chunnel or a ferry. If you get sea sick, choose the Chunnel. If you are claustrophobic, the ferry. For the rest, planning starts with deciding what best suits your party and your pocket, remembering that road miles stack up pounds in petrol plus nervous strain. If you want an overnight port-side stop, choose France. Hotels are cheaper.
Personally, looking for a speedy arrival near or north of Calais, I go for the tunnel. I prefer 30 minutes' reading the paper in my car in a Chunnel train to 90 minutes on a ferry. The odd tenner is worth it to avoid the nag from the kids about on-board special offers.
Said kids, however, like the ferry, games machines and all, especially if there is a McDonald's. For the disabled and those with young children, the tunnel comes with the benefit of no staircases, although ferries provide help and, if forewarned, load people needing access first. For pet owners, with quaran tine relaxation, the Chunnel is probably better than leaving Fido inside the car in the hold. Some ferries will take animals, some not, but hold travel is normal and can be hot, noisy and frightening.
P&O has Conran restaurants, where the food is passable and adults can eat in peace while the kids stuff hamburgers elsewhere. But cramming three courses in 90 minutes is a recipe for indigestion. Breakfast is the short-crossing meal. Newhaven-Dieppe at two hours offers more digestion time, but lousy food. Take sandwiches. Le Havre, Caen or Cherbourg, or St Malo with P&O Portsmouth or Brittany Ferries and five to 10 hours at sea are the dining crossings.
If your journey is to the south of France, or Spain, then travelling through Calais adds at least two to three hours' driving. The toll road costs Ffr40 to reach Rouen. The upside is that it zooms through places straight from history for you to take coffee breaks in, from Crecy to the Somme.
Boulogne only takes 20 miles off any drive but the Hovercraft sails almost into the main street and the town has fish restaurants worthy of France's biggest fishing port. It is a good place to idle before the slog to the Mediterranean.
Dieppe, also picturesque, and 130 miles south, is the closest port to Paris. It has suffered from the cross- channel operators' wars. P&O pulled out its four-hour ferries, preferring the mass market of Calais, and Hoverspeed, the Boulogne operator, now fills the slot with a limited fast-craft summer service. Portsmouth-Le Havre, with P&O Portsmouth and Portsmouth-Caen, Cherbourg or St Malo with Brittany Ferries, which markets itself on sailing halfway down France, give real sea crossings, with cinemas and overnight cabinets and, once landed, easy access to places like Bayeux and the Normandy Landing beaches and Brittany's craggy beaches.
Phoning operators direct or using the internet gives flexibility. Most carriers have early-booking schemes. Most charge about £10 per ticket bought at the port. All have loyalty schemes - some involve a fee, some a minimum number of crossings. All are worth checking even for a once-a-year travellers. Check short-stay offers and the super-low fares that companies don't rush to promote. They exist to show how extensive a company's range is. Even if they are meant as window dressing, you can buy them.
I cross most months, using different routes, and this month almost paid £147, with a loyalty discount, for a five-day ferry ticket when I was going for three days and a £99 offer existed. I gave my loyalty number to the sales person - and the three-day price wasn't being quoted to loyalty travellers. Which company doesn't matter. All are the same. It is a jungle out there. The sport is outsmarting them.
Eurotunnel
Folkestone to Coquelles, near Calais
July 17 to July 31 £439
Both car types (Ford Mondeo and Volvo Estate)
Two adults and one child
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £439
Both car types (Ford Mondeo and Volvo Estate)
Two adults and one child
Duration of journey: 35 minutes
Mode of travel: train
Booking details: 08705 353535
Online: www.eurotunnel.com
Eurostar
Waterloo, London/Ashford, Kent to Paris
Foot passengers only (price same for both departure points)
July 17 to July 31 £196
Two adults and one child
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £196 (adults £69 children £58)
Two adults and one child
Journey durations Waterloo-Paris: 3 hrs
Ashford-Paris: 2 hrs
Waterloo, London/Ashford, Kent to Calais/Lille
July 17 to July 31 £166
Two adults and one child
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £166 (adults £59 children £48)
Two adults and one child
Journey durations
Waterloo-Calais: 1hr 35 mins
Waterloo-Lille: 2 hours
Ashford-Calais: 35 mins
Ashford-Lille: 1 hr
Mode of travel: train
Booking details: 0990 186186
Online: www.eurostar.com
Note: Fares are based on booking 14 days in advance and a minimum stay of two days or one Saturday night.
P&O Portsmouth
Portsmouth to Le Havre
July 17 to July 31 £389
Both car types (Ford Mondeo and Volvo Estate)
Two adults and one child
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £280
Both car types
Two adults and one child
Journey duration: 5 hrs 30 mins (days), 7 hrs 30 mins (nights)
Mode of travel: ferry
Booking details: 0870 2424999
Online: www.poportsmouth.com
Portsmouth to Cherbourg
July 17 to July 31 £422
Both car types
Two adults and one child
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £254
Both car types Two adults and one child
Journey duration: 5 hrs (days), 7 hrs (nights)
Mode of travel: ferry
Booking details: 0870 2424999
Online: www.poportsmouth.com
Sea France
Dover to Calais
July 17 to July 31 £305
Two adults and one child
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £257.50
Both car types
Two adults and one child
Mode of travel: ferry
Journey duration: 1 hr 30 mins
Booking Details: 08705 711711
P&O Stena
Dover to Calais
July 17 to July 31 £270
Two adults and one child
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £270
Both car types
Two adults and one child
Journey Duration: from 1 hr 15 mins
Mode of travel: ferry
Booking details: 0870 6000600
Hoverspeed
Dover to Calais
July 17 to July 31 £268
Two adults and one child
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £268
Both car types
Two adults and one child
Journey duration: 35 mins
Mode of travel: hovercraft
Booking details: 0870 2408070
Folkestone to Boulogne
July 17 to July 31 £258
Two adults and one child
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £258
Both car types
Two adults and one child
Journey duration: 55 mins
Mode of travel: Seacat (81m catamaran)
Booking details: 0870 2408070
Newhaven to Dieppe
July 17 to July 31 £298
Two adults and one child
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £298
Both car types
Two adults and one child
Journey duration: 55 mins
Mode of travel: Seacat (81 metre catamaran)
Booking details: 0870 2408070
Dover to Ostend
July 17 to July 31 £314
Two adults and one child
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov 20 £274
Both car types
Two adults and one child
Journey duration: 2 hrs 5 mins
Mode of travel: Seacat catamaran
Booking details: 0870 2408070
Condor
Weymouth/Poole to St Malo (via the Channel Islands)
July 17 to July 31 £321
Two adults and one child
Both car types
Journey durations
Weymouth to St Malo (via the Channel Islands): 6 hrs
Poole to St Malo (via the Channel Islands): 8 hrs 35 mins
Mode of transport: catamaran
Booking details: 01305 761551
(Note: Condor operates a catamaran service from May 26 to October 17)
Brittany Ferries
Portsmouth to Caen
July 17 to July 31 £344
Two adults and one child
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov 13 £152
(fare details after Nov 13 not yet available)
Both car types
Two adults and one child
Journey duration: 6 hrs (days), 6 hrs 45 mins (nights)
Mode of transport: ferry
Booking details: 0870 5360360
Online: www.brittanyferries.com
Portsmouth to St Malo
July 17 to July 31 £442
Two adults and one child
Out-bound sailing at night so fare includes a four- berth cabin and shower ensuite
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov 13 £240
(fare details after this date are not yet available)
Two adults and one child
Out-bound sailing at night so fare includes a four-berth cabin and shower ensuite
Both car types
Journey duration: 8 hrs 45mins (days), 10hrs 45 mins (nights)
Mode of transport: ferry
Booking details: 0870 5360360
Online: www.brittanyferries.com
Poole to Cherbourg
July 17 to July 31 £401
Two adults and one child
Out-bound sailing at night so fare includes a four-berth cabin and shower ensuite
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov 13 £185
(fare details after this are not yet available)
Two adults and one child
Out-bound sailing at night so fare includes a four-berth cabin and shower ensuite
Both car types
Journey duration: 4 hrs 15mins
Mode of transport: ferry
Booking details: 0870 5360360
Online: www.brittanyferries.com
Plymouth to Roscoff
July 17 to July 31 £344
Two adults and one child
Early morning sailing
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov13 £198
(fare details after this are not yet available)
Two adults and one child
Sailing at night so fare includes a four berth cabin and shower ensuite
Both car types
Journey duration: 6 hrs
Mode of transport: ferry
Booking details: 0870 5360360
Online: www.brittanyferries.com
Plymouth to St Malo
July 17 to July 31 £442
Two adults and one child
Sailing at night so fare includes a four-berth cabin and shower ensuite
Both car types
Nov 6 to Nov 13 £240
(fare details after this are not yet available)
Two adults and one child
Sailing at night so fare includes a four-berth cabin and shower ensuite
Both car types
Journey duration: 9 hrs
Mode of transport: ferry
Booking details: 0870 5360360
Online: www.brittanyferries.com
Sky-Trek Airlines
Lydd International Airport, Kent to Le Touquet Airport
Two adults and one child
Both dates: £204.75
Duration of flight: 20 mins
Booking details: 01797 322411
Air France
Southampton Airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris
Two adults and one child
Both dates: £372.60
Flight duration: 1 hr 10 mins
Booking details: 0845 0845222
Lynton Aviation
Southampton Airport to Le Touquet Airport
Two adults and one child
both dates: £5,640
Visit is longer than two days therefore the fee consists of two single fares.
Mode of travel: helicopter
Flight duration: 1 hr
Booking details: 01895 835000
Peculiar Yachts
Gosport to Cherbourg
July weekend (Friday to Monday) 36ft yacht charter hire including skipper.
Two adult passengers and one child £980
November weekend (Friday to Monday) 36ft yacht charter hire including skipper.
Two adult passengers and one child £750
Journey duration: 14 hrs
Booking details: 023 92 589953
Notes:
• All fares are for return journeys
• All fares are inclusive of tax
• Ferry companies do not charge extra for an estate car but there may be limited availability for larger cars
• There are no ferries between Dover and Boulogne
• All the above are mid-day sailings unless stated
• Definition of child varies between ferry companies. For this exercise, the above mentioned child was nine years old.
