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We are on Pompey - Caen overnight on Friday night returning a couple of weeks later on the Sat night crossing.

Arm and 2 legs but did it last year and  well worth it.

I posted about this a couple of months ago. In the end it is about personal choice and whether you can and are prepared to pay for your preference.

I would do Hull - Zeebrugge definately if we were travelling down the east side of France. I am happy to do the short crossing if the timings work and that's what we choose.

We do the overnight ferry as it breaks the journey nicely, we can keep moving while sleeping so no time wasted there then! If going to the western side of France then the western crossings save you driving time and this end, in my own experience, Pompey is easier to reach from Yorkshire than Dover. You still have to factor in 5 - 6 hrs of Uk driving but it may take less than 4 to any of the south coast ports from us.

It's also an ever changing dynamic with our kids as they get older - at the moment a 5+ hr drive in the UK followed by overnight ferry and then between 5-7 hr drive in France works. We stay rooted for 2 weeks and then reverse the journey. That wasn't the case a few years ago and probably won't be the case in another few years.

I have to agree with bobcat, we live 40 min from Hull ferries and I have just come back from doing Luxembourg, Germany and France (2500 miles total) and we crossed at Dover, if I crossed at Hul the ferry for 2 adults, 2 children, car and van was going to be just over £600 before you add food, crossing at dover was £160.....

I used £100 on fuel, stoped over night at CC Black horse camp site £36 and a meal out £40 - total £176

thats a £264 saving, that could be spent on the rest of the holiday or a service for the car + tyres...lol

what really gets me is that when you land in europe there is only 30/40 mins between the ports so there is nothing to be gained on the other side.....