Channel change

In National Ferry Fortnight, which runs until March 16, the ferry firms promise a range of special deals to slash travel costs.

They include “kids free” offers on Brittany Ferries sailings to France, Irish Ferries and on Stena Line sailings to Ireland and Holland.

Brittany Ferries reckons its “kids free” offer, including the peak school holiday period on all its four cruise-ferry routes between the UK and France, could be worth a £180 saving, including the offer of free day cabins for some travellers.

Mike Bevens, a Brittany Ferries director, says: “Our offer focuses on the family and provides very meaningful savings. This is important because we know how stretched many family budgets are.”

One leading operator, DFDS Seaways, offers 20 per cent off all ferry crossings to France, Holland and Denmark; valid for all bookings by March 16 on Dover-Dunkirk, Dover-Calais, Newcastle-Amsterdam, Harwich-Esbjerg, Newhaven-Dieppe and Portsmouth-Le Havre crossings, on selected departures until October 31.

This deal means ferry tickets for a car and up to four passengers start at less than £24 each way on the Channel and £116 each way for a car and four passengers on the North Sea.

DFDS Seaways also offers a 40 per cent discount on two-night mini cruises to Amsterdam (ex-Newcastle) and to Esbjerg in Denmark (ex-Harwich), so short getaways start at £47 per person.

DFDS Seaways director Max Foster says: “Many people new to ferry travel, or who haven’t used a ferry for a long time, are pleasantly surprised by the smooth, hassle-free experience, compared to other international transport these days.

“The convenience of taking your car away with you means you not only have no baggage restrictions, but your luggage is tucked safely in your car and doesn’t have to be carried everywhere.”

Britain’s ferry network of 75 routes provides more than 178,000 sailings annually across the Channel, North Sea, Irish Sea and Bay of Biscay, linking mainland Britain to France, Denmark, Holland, Ireland and Spain, plus the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight, Isle of Man and the Scottish islands.

In 2012, the top ferry firms carried nearly 33 million passengers, 7.8 million cars and 140,000 coaches and those numbers are expected to rise in 2013 as more passengers seek to trim travel costs.

Ferry travellers also dodge the pernicious Air Passenger Duty (APD) which costs £104 even for a family flying to France. Ferry users departing from Hull or Newcastle also avoid the long drive to Southern England departure ports.