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Subject Topic: Caen Post Reply Post New Topic
08/9/2022 at 9:09am
 Location:  Wales
 Outfit:  Volvo XC60 R Design
View madasaman's Profile View Profile   Reply to madasaman Reply   Quote madasaman Quote  
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What was the disembarkation like at Caen this year? We travelled back from there and it wasn't too bad, but we used the St Malo crossing on the way out, which was straightforward.Next year we are thinking of Port/Caen return, mainly due to cost.

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73 going on 25
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder



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08/9/2022 at 9:21am
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Hard to predict at the best of times …but a year ahead. Is guesswork.. how many immigration staff will have turned up for work is one of the unknowns.

With a caravan I was once the very first to leave the ship and the first through immigration too …with a solo car I was once at the very back of the mezzanine deck and it was nearly an hour before I started the motor.


08/9/2022 at 12:27pm
 Location: London
 Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
View Monty15's Profile View Profile   Reply to Monty15 Reply   Quote Monty15 Quote  
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We went through there end of June, the ferry was near capacity as it was Le Mans Classic race week, as a solo car we were on mezzanine deck and near last off ferry and therefore at the end of the immigration queue, took us well over an hour to reach the kiosks. Too far away to see what was going on at the kiosks most of the time and see what the delay was, but as we got closer an obvious delay was the high number of RHD low sports cars with only the driver on board, who had to get out and walk to LH side to deal with the kiosk staff, then get back in car to drive off, probably took over twice the time it would take to hand and receive papers through LH passenger window on a normal car.

Our papers were dealt with very quickly, but all our stuff was in order, presented properly, and no complications. Probably took no more than a minute to process. Kiosk staff were very pleasant and efficient. There were multiple kiosks open.

Whole process certainly a lot slower than previous 'pre Brexit' years where just a flash of UK passport cover usually got you waved through without actually stopping. If planning a journey, I'd allow up to 1.5 hours (probably through in under 45 mins though) to clear immigration at busy times and as a solo car on mezzanine deck and last off ferry.

Return journey was all straightforwards, although there were far more search staff/sniffer dogs checking trailers and the like in the queues after check in than I recall from previous years.

Portsmouth was straightforwards both ways, probably about 20 mins from exiting ferry to clearing immigration.

Portsmouth-Caen is our favourite crossing to France, done it dozens of times pre Brexit and once post, and never had any major problems.


10/9/2022 at 10:26pm
 Location: Perigord Noir
 Outfit: Outwell Oakland XL
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Basically depends how quick you're off the boat / how far back in the queue you are. Quicker processing now than when they checked covid status - esp when you had four people in a car handing over phones one at a time.

Live in France - personally prefer St Malo crossing back to France - even though it adds half an hour on my journey home to the Dordogne I certainly appreciate the extra couple of hours sleep when faced with an 8 hour drive home from the ferry.

Always travel France to England from Caen.


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11/9/2022 at 1:12pm
 Location:  Wales
 Outfit:  Volvo XC60 R Design
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Booked our crossing for next year, Caen both ways.

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73 going on 25
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder



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via mobile 11/9/2022 at 6:54pm
 Location: Oxfordshire
 Outfit: Eriba Feeling 430
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We crossed over yesterday and it was a very positive experience. We were by no means first off the boat, but it didn’t take that long to go through. Chap just stamped the passports, didn’t even check our faces like they do in Portsmouth.


via mobile 11/9/2022 at 6:56pm
 Location: Oxfordshire
 Outfit: Eriba Feeling 430
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Oh I forgot to mention we didn’t see one immigrant in the area. I’m not sure what’s happened as there were quite a lot in 2019


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11/9/2022 at 7:37pm
 Location: London
 Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Quote: Originally posted by mamajeannie on 11/9/2022
Oh I forgot to mention we didn’t see one immigrant in the area. I’m not sure what’s happened as there were quite a lot in 2019



Likewise, saw the odd one, but not in the numbers of previous years.


11/9/2022 at 8:26pm
 Location:  Wales
 Outfit:  Volvo XC60 R Design
View madasaman's Profile View Profile   Reply to madasaman Reply   Quote madasaman Quote  
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Thats because most of them have already had a boat ride over here.

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73 going on 25
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder



12/9/2022 at 1:41pm
 Location: West Midlands
 Outfit: Coachman Amara 570 6 + Shogun SG4
View Baileyjake's Profile View Profile   Reply to Baileyjake Reply   Quote Baileyjake Quote  
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my experience august 2020. arrived at 07.40 one hour later than scheduled. no problem because we were over one hour delayed leaving portsmouth and i prefer more sleep over arriving at 06.45 on the dot.

we got in our car as the 2 lanes next to us drove away but our lane semed not to move. a lorry behind us was starting to move lanes to get around the obstruction when an old couple leisurely strolled back to their car and caravan with pillows under their arms. they were in no hurry, probably insisted on finishing their breafast before returning to the car deck. after clearing customs they were leaisurely driving at around 40mph on the dual carriage way out of ouistreham.

the queue for the passport control was obviously slower than in pre brexit times as averyones passport was checked and stamped. the behavior of other travellers didnt help when they were trying to cut in from the sides to jump the queue. i think for us, some of the first off the ferry it didnt take more than 40 minutes even when the old folks held everyone up.

on our return we stayed at riva bella overnight. we had driven from tranch -sur-mer without any delays or much traffic....until we were within 1.9 miles of Riva Bella. then the traffic stopped and the Gendamerie colsed the exits of the dual carriageway. we then slowly moved for about 1h. we took a diversion through a housing estate that emeoged on the opposite side of the traffic island of Riva Bella. the reasin for this delay?....around 500 'travellers' who decended on the parkland opposite riva bella.

we arrived at riva bella an hour later than expected and were directed to a massive pich away trom the ferry spaces so i had to un hitch the car.

there were some prospective migrants hanging out on the traffic island out front and as we took a walk around the site in the evening we saw that the migrants are camping in the bushes alongside the canal. there used to be access to the canal from the campsite but that is now purposfully overgrown.

i did see one very scruffy looking lad walking to the shower block but it was difficult to tell whether he was a ligitamate guest of riva bella or a migrant coming in for a free shower. there were 2 security guards 'patrolling' but they were both quite scuffy and elderly themselves.

next morning we went to the ferry and were processed through passport control and a security check where they search every caravan and van.

we saw the usual gathering of migrants outside the port, men and women.

we had learned that another elderly couple left their camper van to use the toilets but had not locked it. when the lady returned to her van 2 young men had climbed aboard and hidden. another gentleman in the car behind saw the men getting in so confronted them and they ran off.

our caravans were all checked when back in portsmouth.

i shall probably try to avoid staying at riva bella again and take a night crossing or use the roscoff plymouth crossing on the return and stay at one of the campsites for a couple of nights.

while at riva bella people were literally walking through our pitch within inches of the window. the moquitos at riva bella are not pleasant either.

i was pleased with the takaway there though.

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First van bailey ranger 550/6
Now the proud owner of a coachman amara


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13/9/2022 at 5:38pm
 Location: EAST SUSSEX
 Outfit: Outwell Vermont plus others.
View Portia Hussey's Profile View Profile   Reply to Portia Hussey Reply   Quote Portia Hussey Quote  
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We went out that way last October. I'd not done that crossing before. There were no problems and at that point we needed to show our COVID passports too.We had a pizza before we got on the boat in Pompey and breakfast in the morning which wasn't bad at all. On the way back there were no problems either.

This summer we did Newhaven Dieppe. I prefer the latter but that's because I live about half an hour from Newhaven.There's no nearby food in Newhaven and the port is tiny but the convenience is massive for me. We were home by about 7am.

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pork
Remember a good wife always helps her husband with the dishes.


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