About This Guide
Every Crossing. Twenty Years. One Family.
The story behind the UK’s most comprehensive Portsmouth to St Malo ferry guide — written by a family who has sailed every UK to France route there is.
Our Story
A Family With France in Their Blood
We’re a British family with a passion that’s taken us across the Channel more times than we can count. Over the past 20 years, we’ve made it our mission to experience every UK to France ferry crossing there is — from the short Dover to Calais sprint to the long overnight runs deep into Brittany and Normandy.
We’ve done them all — Newhaven, Dover, Poole, Plymouth, Portsmouth. Every port, every route, every season.
Along the way we’ve travelled with small children, teenagers,, bikes, and fully loaded vans. We’ve crossed in glassy summer calm and in proper April swells. We’ve changed ferries last minute, caught last-minute sailings, upgraded cabins on a whim, and eaten far too many Breton crêpes.
Having sailed every UK to France route, we’re uniquely placed to say why Portsmouth to St Malo stands out. We built this site because we couldn’t find one place that brought it all together honestly — not just timetables, but the real details that only come from doing it over and over again.
20 Years of Channel Crossings
20+
Years Travelling to France
Two decades of Channel crossings as a family.
Every
UK–France Route Sailed
Dover, Newhaven, Poole, Plymouth, Portsmouth.
56
Comprehensive Guides
Covering every aspect of the Portsmouth to St Malo crossing.
181k+
Words of Advice
The most detailed ferry guide you’ll find anywhere.
What We Cover
Every guide is written from first-hand experience — no sponsored filler, no copy-pasted timetables. Just honest advice from a family who has done it all.
Why Trust Our Guides?
There’s no shortage of ferry travel websites. Here’s what makes ours different.
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We’ve Sailed Every Route
Dover, Newhaven, Poole, Plymouth, Portsmouth — we’ve done them all. That context means we can genuinely say why Portsmouth to St Malo is worth choosing, not just describe it in isolation.
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Real Family Experience
Every guide is drawn from actual crossings — not press trips or promotional materials. We’ve travelled with babies, teenagers, bikes,, cars and vans.
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The Details That Matter
Which deck to park on, when to arrive, which cabins are worth the upgrade — the practical stuff that only comes from repetition, not from reading the Brittany Ferries website.
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Genuinely Independent
This site is family-run. We link to Brittany Ferries as an affiliate partner, but our advice is always honest — including when things aren’t perfect.
Our Mission
We’ve crossed the Channel on every route the UK has to offer. And having done them all, we keep coming back to Portsmouth to St Malo. It is, in our view, one of the great underrated travel experiences available to a British family.
Our mission is simple: to help every traveller get the very best out of this crossing. That breadth of experience across all UK to France routes is what shapes our advice — we’re not just describing this ferry, we’re recommending it because we genuinely believe it’s one of the best ways to get to France.
We’re not a travel agency. We’re a family who has crossed the Channel every way there is — and wanted to share everything we know about one of our favourite routes.
A Note on Affiliate Links
Some links on this site — including our booking links to Brittany Ferries — are affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you.
Our opinions are never influenced by this. If something isn’t worth booking, we’ll tell you. The affiliate arrangement lets a family-run site stay independent — without relying on advertising.
Start Planning Your Crossing
56 comprehensive guides covering everything from the hybrid Saint-Malo ship to Brittany day trips. Your complete Portsmouth to St Malo resource.
56 comprehensive guides • 181,000+ words • Real ferry experience