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Western Channel

Plymouth to Roscoff, straight into Finistère.

Cross from Plymouth and you land in Finistère, with no transit driving at all. It sails roughly March to November, and not at all from December to February.

FranceNewhavenDieppePortsmouthCaenCherbourgLe HavreSt MaloPoolePlymouthRoscoff

Timetables checked August 2026, and how they are checked

6 hat sea1sailing a daySeasonalBrittany Ferries

The crossing

Brittany at the ramp, with no transit driving at all.

Operator
Brittany Ferries
Sailings
Up to 2 a day in summer; no sailings December to FebruaryThe route doesn't run all year.
Crossing
About 6 h
Accommodation
Nothing on the day boat, a cabin or reserved seat overnightMost sailings are overnight outside the summer.
Check-in
45 minutes before departure with a vehicle, 90 minutes with a pet.
Gas bottles
Up to three butane or propane cylinders, 47 kg between them, with no limit on any one bottle. Caravans and campervans only, and for the vehicle's own lighting, heating and cooking. Secured against the movement of the ship, kept away from heat, and shut off at the cylinder for the sailing.
Pets
Which ship you get decides this, and it isn't the flagship that's more flexible. The Armorique, which runs most sailings here, has 19 pet-friendly cabins and no kennels, and lets a pet stay in the vehicle. The Pont-Aven has 28 pet-friendly cabins and 66 kennels with an exercise area, and doesn't let a pet stay in the vehicle. Check which one you're on before you plan the dog.Paperwork: an EU pet passport or a GB Animal Health Certificate, a microchip, and a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old. A dog also needs a vet-administered tapeworm treatment 24 to 120 hours before it comes back into Great Britain. An Animal Health Certificate has to come from an official vet within ten days of travel, so it's booked well before the crossing is.
Book with
Brittany Ferries (opens in a new tab)Fares and availability live with the operator, not here.

Seasons, weather and operators all move these, so confirm with the operator before you book.

Getting there

Bristol is 2 h away, Newcastle upon Tyne 7 h 10.

Typical driving hours to Plymouth with light traffic
Starting fromDriving hours
Bristol2 h
Birmingham4 h
London4 h 20
Leeds5 h 50
Newcastle upon Tyne7 h 10

Ashore

You're in Finistère the moment you drive off.

The D58 runs south to Morlaix in about 25 minutes and joins the N12 dual carriageway, Brest one way and Rennes the other. Brittany has no toll motorways, so the whole region is free driving. Brest, the Monts d'Arrée, Huelgoat, Morlaix bay and the north Finistère coast at Plouescat and Kerlouan all sit inside 90 minutes. The port is beside a big Intermarché, and the old onion-trading town is worth the first hour before you drive anywhere.

If not this boat

St Malo lands further east. Caen and Cherbourg run through the winter.

Every crossing on the map

Still asked

Three months closed, and the frequency depends on when you go.

There are no sailings through December, January and February. This is a closed route in midwinter rather than a thin one, so a winter trip to Brittany has to cross elsewhere. Portsmouth to Caen runs every day of the year.

It builds through the season, which is why you'll see the frequency written three ways. Up to about eight sailings a week in July and August, which is a little over one a day with two on some peak days; four or five a week in spring and autumn; and around two a week at the very end of the season. The one-a-day figure at the top of this page is the year-round average, not a promise of a daily boat on your dates.

The day crossing takes about six hours out of Plymouth and a little over five coming back, which is why the two directions are quoted differently. The overnight runs to a slowed schedule of eight to eleven hours and needs a cabin or a reserved seat. Outside summer most sailings are overnight and the day boat isn't daily, so the choice is often made for you by the date.

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