Overview of European Ferry Routes
Ferry Routes from the UK
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The UK, being an island nation, is covered in ports. Ferries travel from the UK's mainland across to Ireland and also across to mainland Europe, namely countries like France, Spain, The Netherlands and the Baltic states and Scandinavia. This site looks at the major ports and the major destinations in the UK and mainland Europe, and this page looks at the routes that operate between them.
Let's start with Dover, which is probably the most famous ports in Britain, particularly since the second world war when Dame Vera Lynn reminded the soldiers what they were fighting for with her song "The White Cliffs of Dover". Ferries leave Dover to go to Calais - which is the shortest route possible across the channel - Ostende in Belgium and also to Dunkirk, which is along the coast of France to the west of Calais, as an entrance to the beautiful countryside of Normandy.
Along the south coast of England from Dover is the port of Newhaven in Sussex, from where boats go to Dieppe, again in Normandy, and famous as the site of many of the D-Day landings in June 1944, when the allies reached France to try and win back Europe.
The port of Portsmouth in Hampshire is famous as the departure point of the ill-fated Titantic on her first and last journey in 1912. Portsmouth is the departure point for many ports in France as well as one in Spain. Ferries leave Portsmouth to go to Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre and St Malo, and you can also take the 24 hour journey to Bilbao as a gateway into Spain.
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Map of European Ferry Ports
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The port of Poole is further along the south coat of England towards the west. You can catch a ferry to Cherbourg from Poole. Then there is Plymouth, which is easily reached from many motorways and offers trips to Roscoff in France and Santander in Spain from the South West of England.
Not to be forgotten is the route from Harwich in Essex, on the eastern side of England, to the Hook of Holland, which offers great links to much of Europe .
Moving into Wales, there are ferries that leave from Fishguard and Pembroke in the South West of Wales towards Rosslare in Southern Ireland, and you can leave Holyhead - at the North Western tip of the island of Angelsea, which itself is on the North Western tip of Wales - to go to Dublin and Dun Laoghaire.
From Scotland you can leave from Stranraer on the west coast to go to Belfast, the biggest port in Northern Ireland.
Finally, if you really don't want to take a boat, we remind you of the Eurotunnel, down which trains and cars can travel at speed from Folkstone in Kent to France.
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