Cruising to Spain with Brittany Ferries

We always flew to a destination before POD came along as we wanted to begin our break by the quickest means possible. Since we’ve become parents however, the journey has formed an integral part of our overall holiday experience. Now aged five, POD is a true adventurer with her inquisitive nature undeniably infectious. Luckily for us she loves to discover new places too and is pretty much up for anything. Over recent months we’ve taken the car to the Isle of Wight, the Côte d’Opale in France and Ghent in Belgium. Road trips are amazingly good fun and they’ve enabled us to do even more exploring that we might have done otherwise. This summer we’ve decided to do something we’ve not done before – travel to Northern Spain on board a Brittany Ferries’ cruise ship.

Brittany Ferries offers the widest choice of routes to the most popular holiday destinations in Western France and Spain with departures from three ports in the UK. There are high-speed services that get you to France in around 3 hours with crossings on their cruise ferries taking from just over 4 hours up to a leisurely 32 hours. The privately-owned company has a fleet of 7 luxurious ferries which are comparable to cruise ships in that they offer elegant surroundings, superb restaurants, stylish bars and on board facilities. The accommodation options available range from 2-berth inside cabins to luxury Commodore suites, some of which even have their own balconies.

If you’re heading towards the Alabaster Coast, Nord Picardy and Ile de France, Le Harve is the most suitable port with Paris just a two hour drive away. Caen is in the heart of the coastline made famous by D-Day, with nearby Bayeux famous for William the Conqueror, whereas Cherbourg will take you to the western edge of the D-Day sites and the Cotentin Peninsula gateway. Roscoff is great for those holidaying in western and southern Brittany destinations such as Brest, Quimper and Concarneau with St Malo ideal if you’re heading to the Loire Valley or Brittany. For the likes of Bordeaux, Biarritz and the French Riviera, some of the Spanish routes are worth considering so you’re driving less.

We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our recent exploits in France. Our trip along the Côte d’Opale provided us with the opportunity to explore the likes of Cap Gris Nez and Cap Gris Blanc including the imposing Batterie Todt. Having wheels meant we also got to visit the fishing village of Audresselles, the relatively undiscovered Wimereux, Boulogne-sur-Mer and the incredible NAUSICAA, as well as the pretty seaside town of Wissant. We drove through France again over the Easter holidays, when we visited the medieval city of Ghent, and we’re spending a few days in Le Touquet next month.

We were thrilled to win a ferry trip last month as part of National Ferry Fortnight. It provided us with the opportunity to better understand what’s on offer especially as we’ve only taken POD on short ferry journeys before. She’s always enjoys it though, spending much of her time on board looking out of the window, making monsters or sticking googly eyes to her forehead! Of all the destinations to choose from on the Discover Ferries site, we totally fell in love with the beauty of Northern Spain which is accessible from the Bilbao and Santander ports. Both provide the perfect base from which to explore the coast of Asturias, the greenery of Galicia and the incredible Picos de Europa.

Our crossing will be like nothing we’ve experienced before and that’s what makes it all the more exciting. The summer cannot come soon enough, we itching to get on board! Brittany Ferries believes a holiday begins the minute you arrive on board and we’re very much of the same opinion – we can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store for us. It’s going to be one big adventure travelling from the UK to Bilbao.

We’ll be on board Cap Finistère which is the latest addition to the Brittany Ferries cruise fleet. There’s a cinema, games rooms and resident entertainers along with spa treatment rooms and boutique shops. There’s plenty to occupy POD too from the open-air swimming pool, which has its own sun deck, to a children’s games room and entertainment with Pierre Le Bear. Having missed seeing dolphins and whales in their own habitat when I lived in Australia, I’m hoping we’ll get to spot a few when we’re in the Bay of Biscay.

The food options on board include an à la carte restaurant serving French cuisine and light snack option if we don’t fancy a full meal. There are also two bars – one of which is outdoors and hopefully a great place to relax (as much as you can do with a five year old!). Our accommodation for the duration of the crossing is an inside large 2 berth/4 berth cabin with an ensuite.

Our return journey sees us on board the Pont-Aven which is the largest ship in the Brittany Ferries fleet. It boasts an indoor pool and leisure area, wrap around promenade and five deck high atrium with panoramic views. Entertainment is much the same as Cap Finistère albeit on a larger scale with two cinemas and three lounge areas. There’s an à la carte restaurant where you can see the chefs in action, a self-service restaurant and another for light snacks. In addition, there are three bars – one with a cruise feel, a stylish looking cocktail back and the pool bar. Our accommodation en route back to the UK is two inside 2 berth cabins with ensuite facilities and bunk style beds.

From Bilbao to Trillayo 

While we’ll be checking out what Bilbao has to offer, we’re staying two and a half hours drive away in the Valley of Bedoya. Situated ten minutes from the market town of Potes, the cottage we’ve booked is just 35 minutes from the Fuente De cable car which boasts spectacular views of the Picos de Europa. Given this is our first holiday in the peak summer season there’s something very appealing about Trillayo. This quiet village is said to be a place where old people stop to chat and children get to play with frogs at the fountain. The cottage may be small but the views will more than make up for it and it seems to be the perfect base to discover what some of ‘green Spain’ has to offer.

Photographs courtesy of Brittany Ferries / iStock / Rustical