Ferries
Ferries are a really good option in several situations in the
UK. If you live in the south east of England, it is a short crossing over
the English channel. If there are several passengers in the car, it
can be much cheaper than flying. You can take a lot more
luggage, especially useful if you have kids. Also you
don't need to hire a car on arrival. Check that your
insurance covers you for the countries which you will visit and it
is a probably a good idea to buy breakdown cover. I would
recommend taking your car if your destination is not too long a
drive from your arrival port. It's a good idea to buy European breakdown cover if you decide to take your own car.
Once the ferry crossing becomes longer, e.g. to Santander in northern
Spain, the cost of transporting your car can become high. It may be
cheaper to fly with a low cost airline to Bilboa. There is
also the risk of sea sickness on longer trips. I had a very
rough overnight crossing from Holland to Newcastle over the North
Sea one Easter. It took me 2 days to recover from this!
A ferry crossing is a great way to visit the Scottish Islands.
There is not much public transport on the islands, such as
the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland, so you will be able to see a lot
more if you take your car over on the ferry. Some of the roads are
single track and full of sheep, so your progress will not be fast
but there will be plenty time to see the scenery. You can also do a day
trip as a foot passenger if the island involves a fairly short
crossing, e.g. to Mull from Oban.
The crossing from the UK to Ireland is fairly short and could fit
in well with a touring holiday of the UK and Ireland.
