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Transmanche's Newhaven-Dieppe service is now the sole remaining mid-length service to France. So how does it measure up? Craig Sheer made the round trip.
With the closure. of P&O's Portsmouth-Le Havre service at the end of September, the Transmanehe sailing between Newhaven and Dieppe has become the sole mid-length service into France.Aside from this crossing, freight customers destined for France and beyond have the option of one of the longer sailingss arriving in Western Normandy or Brittany, or the ever-popular short services across the Dover straits.
Transmanche has served the NewhavenDieppe crossing since 2001 and has two vessels permanently engaged on the route. For our outward sailing, timed to coincide with an exclusive Eurotest appearing in a forthcoming issue, we took the Sunday morning service, departing from Newhaven at Sam. Unlike Dover, the port of Newhaven_ lies at the end of a variety of routes, all involving a bit of single-carriageway driving, so this needs to be factored in when making the trip down to the Sussex coast.
Coming from the M25 we opted for the A21, via East Grinstead, probably the most direct, if not the fastest route, including just a few fuel guzzling hills.
More relaxed The port is clearly marked from the town's outskirts, and upon arrival it appears more relaxed than the bustle of Dover, although as Dover handles around 4,000 more trucks each day that's hardly surprising. On first encounter the port staff seem reasonably friendly, efficiently lining up the vehicles on the modest sized port, although on this Sunday morning the freight traffic is limited to just two arries and a handful of medium weight vans.
Boarding begins at 7.40arn, and by the official sailing time the doors are shut and the vessel has begun its manoeuvres.Whi le the port staff are an affable bunch, the ferry crew. L. on the vehicle decks don't seem to share theii cheerful demeanour,although if I were working in the belly of a ferry every Sunday morning! don't know if I'd be any happier about it. An unusual detail that immediately catches my eye is that most of the crew wear overalls or uniforms in the livery of Corsica and Sardinia Ferries. Either the ferry is on charter toTransmanche from that Mediter ranean firm or were in for a long crossing...
I've sailed on a pretty diverse selection of ferries during my time on the road, from TT line's magnificent new vessels crossing the Baltic Sea, through to the large ferries which cross the Bay of Biscay, and down the scale to tiny freighters with just enough room for two dozen trucks and trailers. Compared with the old ex-Sally Line freighters the Sardinia Vera isn't too bad, although its timeworn feel indicates that its best years were probably long gone.This ferry first saw service as the Siena Adantica, making its maiden voyage in 1975, but has become a mainstay ofTransmanche's operation during the past four years, boasting a 40-tractor/trailer capacity.
A hasty makeoverjob.consisting of a few taped-up posters of Normandy. attempts to bring the boat into line with the Anglo-French theme, but when I speak in French to the Mediterranean gentleman serving breakfast he swiftly replies that he and the crew are of Italian origin, and happier speaking English.
Cooked breakfast Breakfast consists of the traditional cooked English menu but with a Franco-Italian edge, including potent coffee and spicy saucisses, the like of which I've yet to encounter in any British B&B or truckstop.The food is served piping hot. and for holders of the yellow freight driver's ticket the cost is a reasonable £2.50.
Drivers eat alongside tourists on this boat and I'd like to have asked the other truckers what they thought of thisTransmanche crossing, but as my Slovakian is non-existent and my grasp of Portuguese extends only to hello and thank you I'd have been on a hiding to nothing.
Having attended to my nutritional needs I wandered around the ferry.
There's a second separate dining area located at the stern, Chez Max, which is apparently designated for 'chauffeurs routiers' but this hasn't opened and, like the taped-off children's play area, doesn't look like it sees a great deal of use now. A small glass-lined boutique offers a moderate range of duty-free shopping, however anyone expecting the variety of products on the better Dover-Calais crossings may be disappointed with the range here.The smiling young assistant is only too pleased to help but with few passengers onboard she's probably glad of any distraction during the four-hour crossing.
Truck drivers are allocated cabins for the duration while all around the vessel, tourists are stretched out along cushioned benches. Happily the sea is fairly calm, yet the grey skies do little to lift the spirits. Clearly those who have taken off to their cabins have the right idea, although one consolation for passengers remaining in the main area is that the ferry is free from the wild school parties which seem to have afflicted all of the many Dover crossings I've taken in the past couple of years.
The duration of the Newhaven-Dieppe crossing is pinned at four hours and the ferry makes steady progress, arriving at the coast of Normandy bang on time. P&O Siena left this port in 1999 and since the end of Hoverspeed's light vehicle service some months ago, Transmanche has become the only ferry docking at Dieppe,so it's no surprise that we sail straight into the harbour and are on the berth within moments.There is little delay in opening the hull doors and the Sardinia Vera quickly discharges its wheeled cargo onto French soil. With minimal attention paid by the French customs service we're free to motor up the hill leading away from the port and on through the quiet country roads of Normandy. DIEPPE TO NEWHAVEN The other half of the Transmanche double act is the M/F Dieppe, built in 1981 and capable of carrying 70 artics across the Channel. Even from the outside one can see that the Dieppe is a newer vessel than its opposite number, however I have to wait some time before gaining permission to board, having attracted the zealous attentions of a trio of French `douanes' who rifle through every one of my personal bags and give the vehicle a pretty thorough turning out. I can't really blame them as alongside the frenzy of Calais the sleepy port of Dieppe might look like a perfect exit route from the Continent for those of less honest intent than my own.
As at Newhaven this ferry is scheduled to leave at Sam, but we don't actually start loading until some minutes after eight,and eventually set off for the UK at 8.40am.The Dieppe's crew is predominantly British with a smattering of French colleagues and they are of more cheerful disposition than those aboard the Sardinia Vera. Again the yellow freight ticket scheme comes into play, with half for the cabin,the other portion granting reduced cost meals:This time round I skip breakfast, preferring to catch up on sleep, waking an hour before the ferry's now rescheduled arrival time. tourists in this boat too, to which he replies brightly: "Of course, there is no discrimination aboard this ferry."The lunchtime offering in the restaurant is fairly broad, including main dishes of pasta, lamb curry, pork balls and breaded fish. Drivers can settle their bills in sterling or euros (€3.75 indicating a reasonable €1.5 toil exchange rate), and for this tariff you have the full selection including starter, main course, deserts, drinks and the traditionally French option of cheeses. I went for the pork and rice, which tasted as good as it looked, plus a low-fat dessert and respectably strong black coffee. Not having eaten at lunchtime on the outgoing sailing I can't make an objective comparison between the quality of the food, but the Dieppe's dining area looks vastly better than the somewhat drab surroundings of the Italian boat.
It would seem I'm not the only one who shares this preference for the Dieppe.After one or two false starts! eventually locate a British driver (actually a German ex-pat who moved to the north of the UK two decades ago) who takes this ferry every week. He tells me that for him there's no choice between the ferries:"I try to take the Dieppe whenever possible.The cabins in the Sardinia Vera have a reputation for being scruffy and the crew doesn't make a lot of effort to accommodate our needs.They'll try and squeeze all the drivers into a couple of cabins rather than let us have a cabin each, so you often end up sharing with people who don't even speak the same language as you If there's a lack of cabins that's fair enough but they're still the same, even when there's hardly anyone aboard. I only take the Sardinia Vera when our timetable means there's no other choice, but I'm never very happy about it."
This driver adds that his firm much prefers Transmanche because arriving in Normandy gives him an advantage for his deliveries in the Paris region:-I can usually make Orleans in a four-and-a-half hour stint from Dieppe, meaning [can unload and reload there and still get back to the port within a nine-hour driving shift." For many central or western French destinations Dieppe looks a reasonable choice, located almost 100 miles down the coast from its rival at Calais. An operational downside is the reduced frequency of sailings, three a day in each direction during the week with hours varying according to the season, and the need to tramp to the coast along some single-carriageway roads from certain areas.
Not unappealing
For drivers the downside includes a smaller selection of duty-free goods than at Calais. either on the shore or once afloat, and the longer, more exposed crossing.The difference between the quality of the two ferries can't be ignored either, but in comparison with some vessels of the past even the Sardinia Vera isn't such an unappealing proposition. Next year this ferry, and the Dieppe in due course, will he replaced by new vessels capable of making the crossing in slightly less time, and offering improved standards of service.
For my part !couldn't complain about the liansmanche crossing, and once we reached Newhaven the wait to disembark from the ferry was commendably short,Despite berthing more than 30 minutes behind schedule, the shorter exit queues at the British side meant I was soon out of the pony and ready toreengage with the crowded British roads. • Four days have elapsed since my outward journey, and this crossing sees a significant increase in freight traffic. I ask a helpful French steward whether truck drivers eat alongside