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Having loved our first family holiday in France so much last year, we're going back for 3/4 weeks next summer. Last time we took the easy (but expensive) option of return ferry Plymouth/Roscoff but this time we want to be a little more adventurous and travel further - but still to Brittany. I note how cheap the Dover Ferry is but we live in Bristol so I'm unsure about how much time we are going to spend travelling - door to door.

Realistically how long does it take to travel from Bristol via Dover to Brittany's Atlantic coast - with 2 young children. 2 Overnight stops ? UK and France ?

Any views would be appreciated.

Tnx

Dave

Hi,

we live in Somerset and went Dover- Calais in November - it took us 4 hrs 12-4am to get to Dover. Then we had to drive along the top of France to get to jOSSELIN. The AA route planner said 5 hrs - it took us 8! We used all the peages and only stopped for 1/2 an hour! Coming back was exactly the same timing! We only went that way because we had a free ticket and needed to get out teailer tent over to leave it with our friends (Brittany ferries managed to damage it last year!!)

This Summer we're booked Portsmouth - Caen - 2 hrs at the most to Portsmouth from our home - then 3-4 from Caen to Josselin. Then it's 3-4 dodwn to the South Vendee.

If you decide to stop over in Calais, I'd recommend the Villages hotel - all 4 of us were very comfy there for 42 Euros a night!

Happy holiday planning!

We're looking at Brittany this year. We live in the midlands and have always gone Dover - Calais - then on to Auvergne, Loire, Burgundy, Alsace, Vendee..... This year we are thinking of Brittany!

What sort of figures are we talking for ferries from Plymouth / Portsmouth.

2 adults, 2 children and 1 car.

...between £550 and £675 return - Plymouth/Roscoff the most expensive. This is for a car, trailer, roofbox, 2 adults nd 2 kids. We have a cabin where necessary otherwise book a seat.

Dave

I would go through Dover, its really cheap, you can stay overnight along the way to Brittany. It would still be a lot less than the £500 going on a quicker route. We found driving over there was fine.

We went from Paris to Brittany - it was still a long drive. Next time I would go from Calais to Brittany along the coast but stop off a couple of nights along the way there and back.

Jackie

hi,

we will be going from exeter to dover about 6 hrs drive, stop for a kip when we get over in france, then on the next day to the Brittany coast.

cost dover calais is £60.00 return, booked in october last year (2005).

ok so its a longer drive but save loads of cash  doing it that way.

floppy

If you only have a tent or trailer tent then try the Poole Cherbourg crossing - it's a 2 hour fast craft crossing - which means no expensive cabins to deal with.

We're using LDlines who hve taken over the portmouth to le Harve.Going 7th Aug-31st Aug.Cabin on way out.2 adults 1 child car and van £396.bargin.On saying that don't know where we're going in France this year.I want to try Dodounge(cant spell for toffee)Gazbag and Lily want the coast though.Might do a week of each!

Brasso600,

We don't live too far from you & we've done the Dover - Boulogne route the last 2 years ... and then driven south. We have done the maths (or at least hubster has!) and we can't make it worth our while to drive all that far east and then back west again. Ferrysavers are offering from £149 each way in July and Aug from Poole to St Malo (with Condor).

As I see it, the options are..

- with Speedferries to Boulogne & then down to the Theme parks (no stopovers), or the Cotes du Rhone, Massif Centrale, Ardeche (mountains, rivers, canoing, wine) with one stopover, or Provence, Monaco, Italy (2 stopovers)

-with Condor or LD to Normandy and one stopover will just about get you to Bordeaux. We always got to France for tea-time, camped in one of St Malo's cracking Campings Municipals and then headed for the nearest brasserie for dinner. Then off to the atlantic coast in the morning.

We don't tend to thrash down there, we stop every couple of hours at least for a coffee and we treat the journey as part of the holiday. It's not a competition, after all

Liz

Hi

   Why do all that driving, across to Dover and then back across to Brittany. Ok it may be more expensive but its a lot less hassle to go down to Plymouth or Portsmouth. we travelled across from Portsmouth to Le Havre, last year and will be doing Portsmouth to Caen this year. Its cheaper enough with www.select-sites.co.uk

 Symon

Floppy - are you going to France before the Cornwall meet in August? I'm thinking of doing the same thing myself but never been to France before so a bit unsure of ferry crossings and best area to go for the first time - brittany would probably be the farthest I think - can you give me any advice please?

Donna