The
Brittany Ferries weeky car ferry from Portsmouth to Santander makes it easy to
take your car to Spain. The ferry service between Portsmouth and Santander is operated by the flagship of the
Brittany Ferries' fleet, the Pont Aven. Brittany Ferries has also acquired a new
luxury cruise ferry and this will operate the service along with the Pont-Aven.
So as from March 2010 there will be three ferry crossings from Portsmouth to
Santander.
The Pont-Aven also operates between Plymouth and Santander, sharing the journeys so that effectively there are four
journeys a week between the UK and Northern Spain. So you could sail out from Plymouth and return to Portsmouth, or vice
versa, giving you greater flexibility in your choice of crossing dates.
The
Portsmouth to Santander ferry crossing does not operate during the winter, so
you would need to sail from Plymouth during this period. From mid March until
the end of October the Pont Aven leaves Portsmouth at 11 am on Wednesdays and
leaves Santander on the return journey at 16.30 on Monday afternoon. The
crossing takes just 24 hours making this the speediest way to get from
Portsmouth to Northern Spain.
Because the Pont-Aven is such a magnificent ship, perhaps the most highly
specified ferry sailing from the UK, your trip is not only easy, it's a holiday
in itself. You can enjoy the onboard
facilities, take in some whale-spotting and enjoy a good night's sleep. Being on
this ship is a bit like being at the seaside, with a fabulous swimming pool
complex and leisure area and a wrap-around promenade deck. The ship is very
light and airy inside with a 5 deck atrium.
Catering facilities are up to the standard you would expect from a French owned
company, with a full table service restaurant, a
self-service restaurant, a café, two bars and an additional pool-side bar.
Onboard accommodation ranges from comfortable reclining seats to the luxurious
Commodore Cabins with a standard of comfort and amenities usually associated
with up-market hotel rooms.
The new vessel which will start sailings in March is not even named yet, but we
are assured it has a similar high specification to the Pont Aven.
The journey to Santander crosses the Bay of Biscay, a great place for whale
watching and dolphin spotting. Brittany Ferries offers special whale watching sessions in conjunction
with ORCA, a leading marine conservation charity. This is a great opportunity to
get up close to species ranging from Harbour Porpoises to the mighty Fin Whale,
the second largest animal on Earth.
Portsmouth has recently re-invented itself
as a trendy waterside city, so if you can't make it to the ferry terminal
without an overnight stop you could do worse than spend an evening in
Portsmouth. The waterfont area has plenty of restaurants and bars to while away
the time. The ferry terminal is right at the end of the M275, making it one of
the easiest of all ferry terminals to access. The M275 links directly to the M27
which in turn links into the rest of the UK motorway network, so wherever you're
coming from, Portsmouth is very convenient.
Santander is the gateway to Northern Spain, often called Green Spain because its
proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and Bay of Biscay means the area enjoys a more
temperate and sometimes wetter climate than the rest of Spain. It is a region of
empty sandy beaches, majestic mountains with fabulous walking, and is steeped in
history tinged with a Celtic feel. Santander is a pleasant seaside town with
great beaches.
A car makes a big difference to a holiday in this area, as public transport is
not great. It enables you to explore the fantastic coastline of Asturias,
Cantabria and Galicia, as well as venturing inland to the stunning scenery of
the Picos de Europa. So save yourself the trouble of driving dowm through
France, enjoy the crossing on the Pont-Aven and explore this still largely
unspoilt corner of Europe.
Onboard accommodation ranges from comfortable reclining seats to the luxurious
Commodore Cabins with a standard of comfort and amenities usually associated
with up-market hotel rooms.
