Why do I keep on forgetting about LD Lines?

This week I've been sorting out ferries for the February half-term holiday as Liz is going over to our Gite for a week's holiday, and taking the kids and her parents as well. I can't go as I've not got enough holiday left for this year :-(

I was intending to make the booking on SpeedFerries high speed catamaran as I'd already paid in advance for 10 Speedferries open tickets for £24 each way but some 'concerns' were expressed about it being a long drive from Boulogne to Brittany so I was 'advised' (by the boss) to look at some other ferry options.

St Malo is the closest port to our Gite, about 60 miles away, but Brittany Ferries only run one boat a day there which is overnight out and daytime back, but for half term, both Saturday crossings are overnight, which wasn't acceptable as "I can't sleep on the boat". Going Portsmouth/Caen was a possibility but it was going to cost £313 for the return journey and Poole/Cherbourg was another which was cheaper at £297 return.

Both of these prices were more than I really wanted to pay. So back and forth with looking at different options we agreed to go out with SpeedFerries and back with Brittany Ferries, Cherbourg/Poole which was £183 for the single.

And then I remembered, LD Lines!

Last year LD Lines took over P&O's Portsmouth/Le Havre route and run one boat a day (out overnight from the UK at 11pm, return from France in the evening at 5pm). For some reason we've never got around to using them yet but we had heard positive reports that they provided a good straightforward service and at a reasonable price.

A bit more surfing later and the deal was done, out via SpeedFerries (for £24) and back via LD Lines (for just £100). Considering I'm booking with only a month to go, £100 is I think a good price to pay and it's eighty quid cheaper than BF.

I'll write about what the family think of the LD Lines service after they've travelled but I suspect we will be using them again (well if I manage to remember them again that is!)