Ever since the halcyon days of the booze cruise at around the turn of the century, when a pound would get you about €1.70, the past decade has been demoralising for booze-loving Brits. Just 5 years ago the exchange rate was still a very acceptable £1 = €1.50, however nowadays the two currencies are close to parity, and combine that with the effects of the recession and the UK supermarket price wars on alcohol, and there really is little incentive now to drive to Calais and load up your boot with cheap beer & wine.
One thing that hasn't changed though are the cheap fares offered by ferry companies for travel to Calais and elsewhere in France, and so when we saw a P&O deal for a £30 day trip (+ free bottle of wine), that was enough to entice us across the channel. One of many advantages of living in SE London, close to the A2, is that escaping from the city to the Kent coast is very straightforward. In just an hour, we were through passport control and in line for a 9am departure to Calais.
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| Ruth & Rosie a little windswept on the crossing |
One thing that hasn't changed though are the cheap fares offered by ferry companies for travel to Calais and elsewhere in France, and so when we saw a P&O deal for a £30 day trip (+ free bottle of wine), that was enough to entice us across the channel. One of many advantages of living in SE London, close to the A2, is that escaping from the city to the Kent coast is very straightforward. In just an hour, we were through passport control and in line for a 9am departure to Calais.
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| Heading for a picnic, baguette in hand |
At this point in the blog, it's time for a couple of tips for those uninitiated to ferry travel to the continent with a car. First off is be prepared: we weren't, and didn't realise there's a raft of local and EU road regulations that need to be considered. For instance, all UK cars have to carry a GB logo on the back - many newer cars have this already integrated into the number plate, but older cars like ours need a magnet sticker, and this cost us £4 on the boat. You also need high visibility jackets, red triangles, etc - for a full list of what you prefer to heed or ignore, see this link. Secondly, and on a lighter note, I would really recommend giving the standard food court on the P&O ferry a swerve for breakfast, and opting for Langan's Brasserie instead. The continental breakfast is £8.50 and the Full English is £13 (both come with fruit salad, grapefruit or cereal to start), but given the large portion size, great service and lovely white tablecloths, we did surprisingly feel like we were travelling in style.
Another surprise for us was how wonderful the beaches are close to Calais. Heading in the direction of Sangatte, there are plenty of opportunities to park up, grab your towel and head over the sand dunes to the stunning, white sand beaches. Having ferries pass by regularly does make for a unique backdrop, but otherwise it's a lovely spot to spend a sunny afternoon. The other highlight was an hour or two in a French supermarket (yes, I know that sounds odd), but I just love the variety of cheese, wine and bizarre snacks available in Carrefour, Auchan and the like. On this trip, we picked up a 3L box of Cahors wine for €8 (much cheaper than in the UK), a bottle of Armagnac for €13 and a Pouilly-Fuissé bottle of white wine for €7 (again, much cheaper than the UK). So there are deals to be had, and coming home with some good value Comte, Camembert and Bleu d'Auvergne always makes me smile. So, all in all, it's fair to say the booze cruise is now alive and well again chez les Redfords.
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| Rosie leads the way |
Another surprise for us was how wonderful the beaches are close to Calais. Heading in the direction of Sangatte, there are plenty of opportunities to park up, grab your towel and head over the sand dunes to the stunning, white sand beaches. Having ferries pass by regularly does make for a unique backdrop, but otherwise it's a lovely spot to spend a sunny afternoon. The other highlight was an hour or two in a French supermarket (yes, I know that sounds odd), but I just love the variety of cheese, wine and bizarre snacks available in Carrefour, Auchan and the like. On this trip, we picked up a 3L box of Cahors wine for €8 (much cheaper than in the UK), a bottle of Armagnac for €13 and a Pouilly-Fuissé bottle of white wine for €7 (again, much cheaper than the UK). So there are deals to be had, and coming home with some good value Comte, Camembert and Bleu d'Auvergne always makes me smile. So, all in all, it's fair to say the booze cruise is now alive and well again chez les Redfords.
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| Chilling by the Channel |
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