Jump to content

Brittany Ferries strikes on horizon


Val_2
 Share

Recommended Posts

[quote user="Gardian"]

The Unions and employees have made their point and as I understand it, have agreed to return to work. [/quote]

I can't find anything about an agreement to the past week's dispute? There was an agreement reached a week ago that was presumably misinterpreted by both sides and led to the wildcat strikes and the shutdown.

What's needed is an agreement to the agreement [:)]

Steve

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 94
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I've just got back from my long weekend break in Brittany . The strike pretty much ruined it, it's hard to relax when you know you have an unplanned 11 hour drive ahead of you. Especially when some of it was in areas we were unfamiliar with. We arrived back in Dover in very heavy rain and lightening so that didn't help, instead of being relaxed we're exhausted......
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Val_2"]Be thankful you didn't sail overnight, it is very very rough here and has been all night.[/quote]

Absolutely! Our shutters are closed tight and according to the radio news the wind's blowing at 110kms per hour. So pleased I wasn't sailing through the bay of biscay last night![+o(]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Georgina"]Glad I wasn't on that Sunday boat too, thunder and lightening  at 8am Sunday yikes..... 

Anyhow upshot is the staff had agreed to go back to work on Friday but the boats got pulled anyhow.   Management showing muscle then plain old fashioned chaos.?

[/quote]

Georgina, I imagine the ferries all need to reposition before normal service can be resumed, It's not unlike the airline industry when flights have been cancelled due to fog / ash cloud / strikes whatever, aircraft are out of position.

RH you have my sympathy, what an awful experience for you.  It's a pity I wasn't in touch with you, you could have had an extended holiday and come to us for a few days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't see you mention why it is taking you so long to get to Calais. We live just north of the M25 (St Albans) and always take the tunnel to Calais for shopping trips and Wine Society events near Montreuil. I can't remember the last time we crossed by ferry. At the best of times, in my opinion, most of Calais isn't much to look at. 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you mean me? Google give Dinan Calais as a 5 hour plus trip, we stopped three times for comfort breaks, petrol and for the driver to stretch his legs, then this side the conditions were dreadful, thunder, lightening etc, and we stopped at Clackets Lane for petrol too.

We used to do Calais quite a lot too, and we've done it much quicker. But that was in a much bigger car, not the Citroen C3 Picasso we have now
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On Saturday lunchtime, I was shutting down my computer before leaving and saw an email from Brittany Ferries telling me our booked crossing to Portsmouth via the late night sailing from Caen, was cancelled. I am grateful they let us know.

We had an eight hour drive to Calais (in good conditions) and were on a P&O ferry within an hour. The crossing was free and we are due to get a refund the Caen ferry trip.

The meal on the P&O boat was better than we would have got in the cluster of restaurants around the square in Ouistreham.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gus,

They should refund your petrol costs as well. Nothing like driving from Caen (or wherever) to Calais. The restaurant we usually use near the Ouisterham port is called Broche D'Argent. It has gone downhill the last two visits and we won't be using it again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="dwmcn"]

They should refund your petrol costs as well. [/quote]

Ummm - I think not.

Whilst everybody will have suffered quite a bit of inconvenience, they'll have had a free crossing and a refund of their original BF fare.  The latter would be worth anything from £100 - £250 depending on the tariff and whether a cabin was booked.

I reckon that's a more than fair offer. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Talking to my neighbour about the situation he said  " Buy a cheap old  car leave it here I will drive it to La Rochelle airport and pick you up " As the airport is 34 km down the road from here and I can use Flybe from Southampton . If  I have to use P&O as BF suggest and then drive Dover to Dorset I am lilely to be so brassed off  I may just take up my neighbours suggestion and offer .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Gardian"][quote user="dwmcn"]

They should refund your petrol costs as well. [/quote]

Ummm - I think not.

Whilst everybody will have suffered quite a bit of inconvenience, they'll have had a free crossing and a refund of their original BF fare.  The latter would be worth anything from £100 - £250 depending on the tariff and whether a cabin was booked.

I reckon that's a more than fair offer. 

[/quote]

As far as I know BF are refunding the cost of the ticket that we didn't use ( the return leg of the journey) have provided a ticket for the Calais, Dover crossing and will pay for extra petrol, I'm going to include the tolls in my claim too. After that it's between you and your travel insurance.

You may think its a fair offer, but it in no way makes up for having your break wrecked, I can assure you......we don't get much down time and the little we have is valuable.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And so it continues all ferries cancelled again today...... and all Cherbourg full practically.... and that service ends on Sunday.

Poor holidaymakers.  Glad I didn't go to Calais then. Wouldn't have wanted another 11 hours drive...Phew.

Updated on Tuesday 25th September

The following sailings are confirmed as cancelled:

Tuesday 25th September

Departing from: PORTSMOUTH

  • 08:15 to Caen
  • 09:00 to Cherbourg
  • 14:45 to Caen
  • 17:00 to Santander
  • 20:15 to St Malo
  • 22:45 to Caen

Departing from: PLYMOUTH

  • 08:00 to Roscoff
  • 23:00 to Roscoff

Departing from: CAEN

  • 08:30 to Portsmouth
  • 16:30 to Portsmouth
  • 23:00 to Portsmouth

Departing from: CHERBOURG

  • 17:00 to Portsmouth

Departing from: ST MALO

  • 10:30 to Portsmouth

Departing from: ROSCOFF

  • 16:30 to Plymouth

Departing from: BILBAO

  • 10:30 to Portsmouth

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Russethouse, It looks pretty straighforward once you get around Rouen and on the E402 according to my Michelin France map  2011, although getting around Caen can be tricky. I assume no ring road around Rouen has been improved since 2011. We have driven bits of that trip in various years, the most recent being Calais to a campsite near St Valery.   
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was nervous about going through Rouen as I have read about it frequently on here, however the instructions on the BF web site were very good and that's what we stuck too.

The irony was that because we don't do much driving in France these days we plan these shortbreaks to keep driving to a minimum and to give Mr RH a proper break, thats why we stay in Dinan and just drive to Caen, it was busyish through Rouen and on the A16, and the weather was pretty bad this side of the channel.

We used to drive down to the Vendee or even to Bayonne and not give it a second thought, but that was for longer breaks and in a bigger car.

We Eurocamped too and really enjoyed it!

We're going to Cornwall in October, I expect there will be a fuel strike.....[;-)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...