The appaling weather that we have seen over the last week here in the UK continues to have a severe effect on ferry crossings across the country. 11 CalMac routes on the Clyde and around the Inner Hebrides were hit by strong winds and high tides.

Sailings to Arran, Bute, Cumbrae, Gigha, Iona and Lismore, and between Gourock and Dunoon, were among those cancelled.

Several Stena Line ferry sailings between Stranraer and Belfast were also cancelled as well as numerous sailings accross the English Channel.

Gale force conditions and torrential rain swept east across the country leaving a trail of damaged property and flooded communities.

The best thing to do in these uncertain times is to keep up to date with the latest situation. Here are some helpful websites:

• BBC Ferry Travel page
• Environment Agency
• RAC Ferry Travel

Most of the major ferry operators will have up to date information on the latest weather developments as well:

• Stena Line
• Aferry News
• DFDS Seaways Ferry Bookings
• P&O

Safe journeys folks!

Here we have an exciting poll for you to take part in. In our previous post we highlighted the growing popularity of Festive Breaks to the continent, as opposed to staying put here in the UK. What we would like to find out is where your ideal festive break would take you?

We’ve included destinations throughout the continent so most of you should have been to at least one of these places over Christmas and New Year. The winner will be crowned with the coveted Cheap UK Ferries ‘Best Festive Breaks Destination’ champion  -a title that they are all desperate to get their hands on, so make sure you vote for your favourite!

Thanks for taking part.

There are definitely an increasing number of people choosing to eschew the ‘ordinary’ celebrations here in the UK and head to the continent over the festive period. If you are looking for some options, ferry operator DFDS Seaways has a number of specially tailored short breaks to a variety of destinations throughout Europe – including Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Hamelin, Copenhagen and Cologne. Ferry Bookings for these trips are still on offer.

Amsterdam

Bruges

Brussels

Are you heading to away this festive period? Let us know where you are off to!

It’s truly amazing what you can purchase on the internet these days. The good news is that if you are a budding ferry baron you van purchase your ferry fleet online and get your company up and running. We thought that it would be interesting to take a look a some of the ferries available to buy online at the moment.

What types of Ferry can i buy?

There are all concievable types of ferries available to buy online. Here’s some examples:

Got a spare £1.7m floating around? Then why not invest in this 2004 Passenger/Car Ferry – originally based in Greece, this would be an option for short crossings on relatively calm seas – which rules out most routes in Northern Europe.

Ferry for sale

Fancy operating a loch-based tourist route? Then this could be the boat for you - complete with lovely on-deck seating! A bargain at $1.6mUSD.

Tour ferry?

Lovely table and chair arrangment

For those of a slightly more ambitious nature, what about this 1982 Ro-Ro passenger ferry? Its specs are pretty tasty:

• Passenger Cabins : 302
• Passenges berths : 766
• Crew Cabins : 97
• Crew berths : 167
• Car capacity: 430 cars
• Cars on car deck only: 400 cars

Starting you own ferry company? Try this

No price is supplied for this boat.

As you can see, there is a diverse range of ferry boats available to buy online. Hopefully we have inspired some of the budding Shipping Magnates amongst to to get invloved in the ferry industry!

We’ve all enjoyed playing with Lego at some point in our lives, it truly is one of the greatest toys ever invented and has doubtlessly inspired genrations of engineers, architects and many more professions in-between. Believe it or not, there is even a Lego Movie on the way!

For those that possibly haven’t looked at the Lego range for a while (like us) – it is quite bewildering to see the sheer scope of what is on offer.

Well, now we can add ferry boat-buildiers to that list with this very cool 3 in 1 lego ferry kit. Yes, this Lego kit can be made into two ferry types and a plane.

3 in 1 Lego Ferry Kit - Re-live your childhood!

Here’s a great little video on constructing your Lego ferry:

After you’ve constructed this boat, and have become suitable enthused you can visit Legoland Denmark for real. A massive tourist atraction for almost 40 years now, not only can you see some incredble examples of Lego (see Mount Rushmore below), there are also rides and rollercoasters and all sorts of other great fun things to get up to. Well worth a visit.

Mount Rushmore at Legoland Demark

Norovirus on cruise ship

A boat on a mini cruise – that is berthed in Scotland has had a deadly outbreak of a vomiting bug; one unlucky passenger has died whilst another 150 were last night ill. The vessel that has been hit with the norovirus is a British registered ship called the Macro Polo. Police have said the passenger that passed away had underlying health problems.

The ship is docked in Ester Ross at Invergordon while passengers receive treatment for the better known name of the winter vomiting bug.  All steps are being taken to ensure the safety of all concerned.

As fans of ferry travel you are probably well aware that there is more than one type of ferry boat. Infact, there are various distnct styles of ferries  in operation across the world. Of course, each boat is each adapted to its own particular route, which is dependendent on various factors including:

• The length of travel required
• Capacity of passengers or vehcles needed on any given route
• Any restrictions on rate of travel (speed, direction)
• Environmental conditions that are likely to be met (rough seas etc)

The principal types of boats that are in operation include:

• Docking ferry – Traditional style ferries that lock directly into ports allowing vehicles to exit quickly and easily

A docking ferry coming into port

• Roll on, Roll off Ferries (Ro-Ro) – Conventional ferry used on many of the major routes

A Ro Ro in action - easy access

• The Hydrofoil – Capable of cruising at high speeds

High speed hydrofoil - Norway

• Catamaran - Gracefully designed boats -  Catamarans that can sail at very high speeds

A sleek and rapid Catamaran in port

• Cable ferries – Pulled by cables across short distances between shores

A small cable ferry pulling from shore to shore

Hopefully that was some use to you. If anyone has any fantastic ferry images of their own don’t hesitate to point us in their direction!

The Scottish Government has launched an online survey, seeking the views of businesses on the current situation reagrding island ferry routes. In their own words the survey is designed to….

……research into travel needs within Scotland’s island and peninsular communities with the intent of using the findings to help shape future strategic plans for transport services

The questionnaire is part of a wider government review of ferry crossings.

This is an interesting development from the Scottish Government. Hopefully many other local authorities will take heed of this example and improve ferry travel in line with both individual and business requirements wants and needs.

• Information on the survey can be found here.
• The survey itself is here.

Why choose short breaks?

For the few of you out there who haven’t heard of the term, mini cruises are essentially short breaks to destinations within a short reach of the UK. Short breaks of under four nights are generally the timescales involved.

The great aspect of mini cruise breaks are that for ferry fans like oursleves they provide the best of both worlds. Not only do you get to spend  time on the boat itself, but you also have the chance to explore your destination in full when you arrive. Mini Cruise breaks also give the feeling of escape even over a short period of time. Many people are now choosing to holiday in shorter timescales but more often.

Which cities in Europe are best for short breaks?

Many of the major ferry operators have a range of mini cruise breaks and offers. If we were to recommend destinations that are ideal for a short break from the UK, we would probably go with Amsterdam, Belgium, Northern France and possibly Scandinavia (Denmark is not too far). These are destinations that would fulfil the majority of our criteria for a short cruise break.

• Amsterdam short breaks – we have spoken of our love for Amsterdam before. A few hours in the ferry is all thats needed and you will be in one of the most fun and diverse cities in Europe. Amsterdam offers a great short break, you can relax by day, walking, cycling or saling along the canals – visit some of the best museums in Europe, enjoy the unique atmosphere of the coffee shops. At night, you can choose from a huge variety of restaurants and bars in a vibrant and friendly atmosphere. Amsterdam is our top mini cruise break destination from the UK.

Amsterdam - Great Short Break Destination

• Belgian city break - The capital Brussels is well worth a visit for a short break, it is a cultural and architectural gem. Also, well worth a visit is medieval Bruges, a beautiful city dripping with culture and interesting things to do.

Bruges at Night - Medieval Wonder

• France – Brittany Ferries operate a great service to this beautiful area of Europe.

Brittany Beaches

• Denmark – The western coast of Denmark is a very underrated short break destination (perhaps people fear it is too far to travel). We have posted before about the Esbjerg region.

Satues on Esbjerg Beach

These are a few of the reasons why we love short breaks. Where is your favourite short break destination, please let us know – all comments are welcome.

Ferry Fortnight - Our Favourite Offers

This years National Ferry Fortnight kicked off on the 9th of May and will last until the 22nd. The Passenger Shipping Association, which represents cruise and ferry operators feels (rightly!) that we should take to the ferries more often and has launched national ferry fortnight to try and raise awareness of the benfits of ferry travel.

William Gibbons, director of the PSA told The Times:

“We are hoping this promotion will inspire a new generation of travellers to discover the treasures on our doorstep and remind those who have forgotten how accessible and easy ferry travel can be.”

Most of the big ferry operators are offering special deals during this period, here are a few of our top deals for ferry fortnight:

DFDS Seaways – A couple of offers are available from DFDS, including taking your car for free on their ferry crossings to Holland and Denmark. DFDS are also offering 2 for 1 on their Mini Cruise Breaks to Amsterdam and Esbjerg in Denmark. Head over to the DFDS website for more information.

Caledonian Macbrayne – hopscotch around the Scottish Islands with CalMac – some beautiful salings on offer here.

Brittany Ferries - offering 25% off selected gites, cottages and apartments in France, 20% on casas in Spain (15% on apartments) and a free night in a parador in Spain in June and Sep-Dec.

Irish Ferries – Offering a visit to Ireland from £79 with your car and 2 adults one way, including taxes – no hidden fees or luggage limitations.

Those are just a few of our best offers from the Ferry Fortnight. We sincerely hope that this initiative will lead to a increase in ferry travel. If you are curious about travelling by ferry – now is the best time to book and find out what its like, we think that you’ll be impressed. If anyone discovers any more great ferry fortnight offers please don’t hesitate to let us know.