Destination: P&O Ferries, Dover
For this trip, I had decided to take a ferry over to Calais, largely due to the timetable. As with my previous trip, I was intending to get the Channel crossing done as part of my last working day. Then my first day of ‘holiday’ would be my first day adventuring!
Overnight: Coxhill Camping, Shepherdswell
As I’d be having quite a long drive the following day, I had decided to drive down to Dover earlier in the evening and try to get some sleep before my crossing. There are quite a lot of campsites around the Dover area if you are looking to do the same. I had picked one called Coxhill Camping, just off the main road to Dover at Shepherdswell, as it had a really good rating on Pitchup.
If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts you’ll know I really rate Pitchup for booking sites. It is typically my go-to, unless there are no sites in the area I want to stay. In those cases, I would book directly with the most local camping, but Pitchup would definitely always be my preferred option.
This particular campsite is located on a working farm, which being very much a country mouse, I really liked. I was able to drive past the farm and onto the gravelled motorhome pitches and set up in no time. The site is very well lit and there’s a great self check-in system in place so that you can come and go as you please really easily. After a quick wash in the lovely facilities, it was straight to sleep so that I could be up for 3.30am and head to my ferry.
P&O Ferries Dover
This would be my first trip on P&O ferries with the TentBox and I was really looking forward to the crossing. The Dover to Calais crossing is super quick at just under an hour and a half. Although this is longer than the tunnel crossing, I thought it would be a really good opportunity to get some fresh air. And hopefully it would also ensure I was fully awake for my forthcoming drive!
The ferry port of Dover is incredibly busy, as it has several operators running out of it and lots of routes. So it is a little bit more confusing than Portsmouth but there are lots of stewards there to help you along.
I hadn’t really been paying attention to where I was being directed, until I realised I had been diverted to a ‘search’ facility. Along with quite a few other vehicles, mine was quite thoroughly searched. It hadn’t occurred to me before the trip that I might want to strategically position some of my more personal items. Although tbh, there was very little they didn’t want to check!
Search cleared, I was forwarded to the ‘check-in’ where I had my details checked and was given a ‘lane’ to head for. An indication of how busy the port is, is that I was in lane 224!
The lanes around me soon filled up and it wasn’t long before we were loaded onto the ferry. Unfortunately due to some very late arrivals we had missed our slot. This meant we had to wait until another crossing time became available, which really messed up my schedule. But it couldn’t be helped, so there was no point stressing. Having boarded I had a wander round the ferry, then went out on deck to wait until we left Dover.
I had specifically picked this crossing to catch the sunrise and I’m so glad I did. It was absolutely glorious, and made the wait for our crossing worth every minute!
As we made our way across the Channel, the sun rose higher and higher. Eventually it shone upon the White Cliffs of Dover, lighting them up like a beacon. It was quite sobering to think how much hope that might give to those wanting to cross in the other direction. The Channel is exceptionally busy, and not always as calm.
