Channel Crossings for Motorhomes

Using the Channel Tunnel or Cross Channel Ferries

Due to their size motorhomes are often charged quite a substantial premium over cars on ferries and through the Channel Tunnel. All those tempting special offers widely advertised at anything from £20 upwards will say 'cars only' somewhere in the small print.

Typical list cross channel ferry prices for high season are £3-400 return for a short crossing and maybe £7-£800 for a return to Spain with a reasonable cabin. Eurotunnel have been very expensive until recently with peak fares in the £5-600+ range. The fierce competition in early 2004 seems to have brought those fares down to around the £300 mark.

This whole topic is a bit of a thorny one since fares can vary enormously with the booking method and can also be very high compared not only with cars but also against caravans. Even worse the fares have been impossible to fathom in recent years as the ferry companies play strange marketing games with each other sometimes under somewhat concealed identities on the web.

Norfolkline concentrate on commercial traffic and seem to charge less for motorhomes - maybe they're babies compared with the trucks they mostly carry! They operate the Dover to Dunkerque route rather than Dover to Calais. On-board they are pretty much gimmick free, but who cares?

SeaFrance Channel Ferries operate the classic Dover to Calais route which is the shortest crossing there is, which is ideal if you just need to get a ferry to France in the minimum amount of time.

Other than the ferry companies' own websites some good deals are usually available from the Caravan Club, the Camping and Caravanning Club and the Motorhome Ticket Club. The best deals vary from club to club depending on the routes chosen. Shareholder deals can be attractive too but often pale into insignificance compared with the highly competitive short crossing discounts as above. The longer crossings are not subject to the same fierce competition and are not usually discounted by much, shareholder discounts can be quite significant here.