Author Topic: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back  (Read 10228 times)

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #25 on: 17 April, 2019, 03:05:35 pm »
The crossing is short and you lose an hour.
So I've decided to TER to Paris and book a hotel near the start.
And relax as much as possible.
That ferry is going to be crammed with PBPers.. :-)

I'll be taking breakfast in le Phare café at Oustreme before the route vert to Cean.

Cheers


Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #26 on: 18 April, 2019, 10:30:52 am »
I've just booked onto the Thursday 15th overnight Portsmouth-Caen. Happy with a seat for £5 rather than the £79 cabin on the Le Havre crossing. Is anyone else planning to ride down to Ramouillet, or has done so in the past and can offer route suggestions?

The cabins are often for up to four people. So if you fill it up it's not that much more and you get a decent nights sleep rather than starting PBP sleep deprived.

I've taken overnight ferries before and have slept just fine in the lounges, plus I've got a couple of nights to get really good sleep before PBP, so not worried about being sleep deprived

Phil W

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #27 on: 18 April, 2019, 12:49:43 pm »
You're lucky I tried sleeping in seat and on floor of ferry last PBP. It was bloody awful. For the sake of an extra £30 to cover cabin both ways it was a no brainier this time.

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #28 on: 18 April, 2019, 12:59:14 pm »
I've just booked onto the Thursday 15th overnight Portsmouth-Caen. Happy with a seat for £5 rather than the £79 cabin on the Le Havre crossing. Is anyone else planning to ride down to Ramouillet, or has done so in the past and can offer route suggestions?
All being well I'll be riding to Ramouillet from that ferry. I've got a rough, direct route planned that I will fine tune nearer the time. Although, having not cycled in France before, I'll happily tag along with others with better knowledge of the area.

Phil W

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #29 on: 18 April, 2019, 01:03:07 pm »
D roads with a following one or two digit number are great, nice and quiet, little traffic that is well behaved. Try and avoid long sections of D roads that have three following numerical digits. They can be quite busy and traffic not as well behaved (often holiday traffic).  Restaurants / bars / places to stop for food / drink can be scarce in rural France so try and plan out where you will potentially stop along the way.

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #30 on: 08 July, 2019, 12:51:25 pm »
So there appears to be a few of us on the Thursday night ferry?

Are most planning on taking the train most or all the way to Paris?

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #31 on: 08 July, 2019, 01:19:51 pm »
Anyone on the Wednesday ferry,  team audax club Portsmouth. Plus guest will be ( 10 of us) enjoying a gentle two day ride down  :thumbsup:

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #32 on: 08 July, 2019, 02:12:00 pm »
Anyone on the Wednesday ferry,  team audax club Portsmouth. Plus guest will be ( 10 of us) enjoying a gentle two day ride down  :thumbsup:

With hindsight that would have been a better idea.

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #33 on: 09 July, 2019, 12:47:53 pm »
So there appears to be a few of us on the Thursday night ferry?

Are most planning on taking the train most or all the way to Paris?

No idea what the majority will be doing but I'll be riding. It's only just over 200k after all and my I aim is to treat the whole thing as a cycling holiday.

FifeingEejit

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Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #34 on: 09 July, 2019, 01:19:21 pm »
Planning to ride down, collecting 2 AUK points on the way seems to make sense, returning over a couple of days afterwards with train options if I'm totally f-----.

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #35 on: 21 July, 2019, 06:52:30 am »
I'm on the Thursday night ferry, then trundling down to Evreux where I have booked a B&B. Slow ride Saturday to Rambouillet for the bike check and then hanging around until 19.45 Sunday (Q slot). Currently pondering bike choice: the newly built-up Holdsworth s/s or the tried and tested Van Nic. Heart says Holdsworth, head says Van Nic...my knees won't forgive me if I go s/s! 

Bianchi Boy

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Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #36 on: 03 August, 2019, 08:21:46 am »
So there appears to be a few of us on the Thursday night ferry?

Are most planning on taking the train most or all the way to Paris?
I am on the Thursday ferry and will be catching the train to Evreux the riding about 80km to Romboulet where I have a room booked fot the Friday and Saturday nights.
The trains appear to radiat out from Paris.

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Set a fire for a man and he will be warm for a day, set a man on fire and he is warm for the rest of his life.

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #37 on: 04 August, 2019, 07:08:22 pm »
Anyone on the Wednesday ferry,  team audax club Portsmouth. Plus guest will be ( 10 of us) enjoying a gentle two day ride down  :thumbsup:

The usual Merc boys (sans Mr Hopper  :-[ ) will be on the crossing. Are you meeting up at a pub to ride to the ferry? Will be riding down on the Wednesday from Oxford. Making a a tour of it this year, so can meet up with you guys before the pub at the docks.

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #38 on: 04 August, 2019, 09:26:17 pm »
We will be meeting at the fox and hounds denmead from 8pm ready for the short ride (5 or so miles to the ferry port. Come join us.

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #39 on: 14 August, 2019, 01:21:36 pm »
Like quite a few others I'm on the Thursday night ferry, just realised the rush hour SWT bike restriction means arriving very early or uncomfortably close to departing.

Anyone else planning on losing a few hours in Portsmouth?

I see above the Wednesday leavers are meeting in a pub.

Bianchi Boy

  • Cycling is my doctor
  • Is it possible for a ride to be too long?
    • Reading Cycling Club
Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #40 on: 14 August, 2019, 03:23:34 pm »
I will be arriving in Portsmouth at about 8:30pm. Don't know the place at all. Name a pub and I will see if it is practical.

BB

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Set a fire for a man and he will be warm for a day, set a man on fire and he is warm for the rest of his life.

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #41 on: 14 August, 2019, 03:30:14 pm »
I'll be in Portsmouth at 6pm..
Never managed to find a nice place to rest before a ferry.. suggestions welcome🙂
Note that bicycles are not allowed in the ferry terminal.
Security is a pita on this.

Davef

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #42 on: 14 August, 2019, 04:09:11 pm »
After hijacking Phil W's post I realize I should have posted separately.

I decided that the Portsmouth to Caen ferry suited me better as coming from the frozen north I've no way of avoiding that London place.

There is a direct Newcastle to ?Reading train that avoids going into London. You can then change and head down to Portsmouth avoiding the metropolis.


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FifeingEejit

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Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #43 on: 14 August, 2019, 04:15:39 pm »
Arriving some point mid-afternoon erm... 1630 ish
Plenty of time to waste

Just got the e-mail from Brittany ferries
Check In by 2200
Boarding 30-60 mins before departure (2245)


FifeingEejit

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Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #44 on: 14 August, 2019, 04:25:14 pm »
After hijacking Phil W's post I realize I should have posted separately.

I decided that the Portsmouth to Caen ferry suited me better as coming from the frozen north I've no way of avoiding that London place.

There is a direct Newcastle to ?Reading train that avoids going into London. You can then change and head down to Portsmouth avoiding the metropolis.


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That's just the North, not the Frozen North.

Looks like the options were
Dundee/Leuchars->Newcastle->Reading->Southampton or Guildford ->Portsmouth
Or Dundee/Leuchars->London faff->Portsmouth

Although since the sleeper costs the same from Dundee/Leuchars as Aberdeen, I'm on a train north in 3hrs time.

Davef

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #45 on: 14 August, 2019, 04:26:43 pm »
I will  be arriving about 18:30 and so a suggestion of somewhere to eat and drink would be good.


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Davef

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #46 on: 14 August, 2019, 04:31:33 pm »
After hijacking Phil W's post I realize I should have posted separately.

I decided that the Portsmouth to Caen ferry suited me better as coming from the frozen north I've no way of avoiding that London place.

There is a direct Newcastle to ?Reading train that avoids going into London. You can then change and head down to Portsmouth avoiding the metropolis.


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That's just the North, not the Frozen North.

Looks like the options were
Dundee/Leuchars->Newcastle->Reading->Southampton or Guildford ->Portsmouth
Or Dundee/Leuchars->London faff->Portsmouth

Although since the sleeper costs the same from Dundee/Leuchars as Aberdeen, I'm on a train north in 3hrs time.
Ah one of the freefolk from beyond the wall.


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FifeingEejit

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Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #47 on: 14 August, 2019, 04:35:04 pm »
There appears to be a couple of pubs the other side of the motorway from the international ferry port.
The Admiral Drake appears to be a pub, and The Sovereign a chain food pub

And also the Ship and Castle in the port area.

I'll try to remember to post in here what IroIroMono and I decide to do.

FifeingEejit

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Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #48 on: 14 August, 2019, 04:58:28 pm »
Who's sailing tonight?

Wight - From 1200 UTC 14th to 1200UTC 15th
WIND
South or southwest, veering west later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 for a time.
SEA STATE
Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
WEATHER
Rain or showers, thundery at first.
VISIBILITY
Good, occasionally poor.


Davef

Re: Brittany Ferries - Pompey to Caen and back
« Reply #49 on: 14 August, 2019, 05:29:30 pm »
There appears to be a couple of pubs the other side of the motorway from the international ferry port.
The Admiral Drake appears to be a pub, and The Sovereign a chain food pub

And also the Ship and Castle in the port area.

I'll try to remember to post in here what IroIroMono and I decide to do.
Admiral drake looks good. Thursday is curry night. It looks to have a large outdoor area too.


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