Crossing from Santander to Portsmouth as a foot passenger

Katie's More Sustainable Adventures #2

Last week, my home and office for 28 hours was the Salamanca, already decked out with sparkly Christmas decorations and steaming across the Bay of Biscay from Santander to Portsmouth.

And two posts ago, I told you all about why I bother with foot passenger ferry travel at all.

This week is for those of you who are curious about the practicalities of what the trip is actually like.

• Is the WiFi up to a day of remote work?

• Does the onboard food cost an arm and a leg?

• What’s it like if you don’t fork out for a cabin?

• And perhaps most importantly, what are your chances of spotting a dolphin?

Most of what I’ll talk about here applies to any of the long ferry crossings with Brittany Ferries.

As well as Santander<>Portsmouth, I’ve done Santander<>Plymouth more times than I can count, and even did Bilbao>Rosslare (Ireland) earlier this year. It’s all much of a muchness; all that changes from ship to ship is the best dolphin watching spots.

Is the WiFi good enough for a day of remote work?

You get 90 minutes of free WiFi on board for each of your devices. So if you’ve got a phone and a laptop with you, that’s 90 minutes for each.

But it’s pretty patchy depending on where you are on the boat (there’ll be no signal in your cabin) and is only up to basics like email, so make sure you come prepared with anything you’re going to need pre-downloaded.

I always make sure I can work on my Google Docs offline (and download a film or two to watch in the evening).

I tend to get a surprising amount done, as there are minimal distractions when you’re travelling alone, don’t have access to the endless procrastination opportunities of the internet, and don’t have to quickly hang out the washing, or get on with that day’s positive procrastination of choice.

Depending on the timings of the trip, I sometimes put on an OOO message so anyone emailing knows why I’m slow getting back to them.

There’s also paid-for premium WiFi if you need to stay properly connected all crossing long, but even then, you’ll have to be in the main public areas for the best connection.

Another thing to bear in mind (but not count on), is that depending on the timing of your crossing and where you’re going to and from, you might spend quite a lot of time close to the French mainland.

On this last Santander > Portsmouth trip, we set off from Spain at 6 pm, meaning we hit the northeast corner of France at around 9:30 am (they use British time on board). With roaming activated, I was able to hotspot from my phone and had a bonus hour of internet.

If you’re heading for Plymouth or Rosslare, you won’t have coverage for as long, as you don’t hug the French coast.

What’s the food like?

There is perfectly good food on board, and although it can feel expensive by Spanish standards, as soon as I set foot in the UK, I’m reminded it’s really very reasonable. But on a 24-hour trip there are a lot of meals to cover, so if you’re on a budget, make sure you come prepared with meals and snacks.

Any seasoned traveller knows just how important the right snacks are, so don’t skimp on this. You’ll be surprised how much you get through.

A main meal on the Salamanca is currently €13.60, and there’s always a vegan option. Lighter meals (salads, mini pizzas) are around €8-9, and a full English with a view (veggie option) is €9.

There’s also a fancier restaurant on board, should you want to treat yourself.

In terms of entertainment, there’s normally something happening in the main bar, like a pub quiz or an evening show, and there’s also a cinema with fairly up-to-date films for €9 a ticket.

Can you get away without booking a cabin?

Absolutely. The cheapest option on board is always a reserved lounge seat.

I did just that for a few years, and it was great for keeping costs down.

On the Pont Aven and the Salamanca, these seats are in a room resembling a cinema without the screen. You can try and kip in the chairs, but I really struggle to sleep upright, so I tended to take things with me to fashion a makeshift bed on the floor between two rows of seats (fine out of season, when the room is pretty empty).

Top tip: Bring a blanket/towel for the floor, and a pillow case to stuff clothes in for a comfy place to rest your head. This is a great space-saving hack for any long trip involving less-than-ideal place to sleep.

I never slept particularly well on the floor, but budget always came first.

For the last two years or so, though, I’ve had some health issues, so I’ve splashed out on a cabin every time I’ve caught the ferry. It will come as a surprise to no one that being able to close a door on the world makes the whole experience an awful lot nicer.

It’s particularly worth it on the Portsmouth > Santander ferry when you’re sometimes onboard for two nights, which would be a total marathon without a bed.

I did brave the reserved seat option on the ferry from Barcelona to Mallorca earlier this year with Trasmed, so I’m not entirely betraying my budget-traveller roots just yet.

But somehow it’s one thing sleeping in a chair for eight hours, and quite another spending 24+ hours on board without a quiet space to retreat to.

Will you really spot dolphins on the crossing?

In the last few years, whenever I’ve been on board between March and October, there’s been an expert from the organisation ORCA to share their wisdom and lead a few whale and dolphin spotting sessions out on deck.

Make a point of catching the talk they run, always in the main bar towards the beginning of the crossing. Then go out on deck during the spotting sessions and keep your eyes peeled.

I’ve seen whales and countless dolphins from the decks, but I’ve also spotted plenty from the windows, especially from the tables at the front of the main lounge on the Pont Aven (very popular and often nabbed early in the morning on busy crossings), and the window tables in the Taberna bar on the Santander.

Out of season, you’ll be very lucky to see any marine mammals (none for me on this trip, or when I crossed in February), so there’s no ORCA representative on board.

Should you be concerned about sea sickness?

I’ve never really suffered from seasickness, but I have had a couple of pretty rough trips. I find that as long as I don’t move around too much, it’s fine.

I’ve had some trips when it’s been wonderfully calm, with incredibly glassy seas (making dolphin spotting incredibly easy) and sunbathing opportunities.

But if you don’t have good sea legs, then you might want to stick to the trains, as it’s always a lottery in the Bay of Biscay, especially in spring or autumn.

Are there any other drawbacks?

The dolphin spotting is wonderful, and when it’s calm, it really does feel like you could be on a Mediterranean cruise. I’ve seen some sunsets that are to die for and had some glorious naps in sheltered spots out on deck.

But it’s not all sunshine and performing whales.

Unsurprisingly, the main drawback is that it’s a really long way, and it really takes it out of you.

But hey, for the sake of doing your bit for the planet, and the feeling you’ve been on a proper adventure, I reckon it’s worth it.

The other issue with travelling as a foot passenger is that you can’t take pets with you (they have to travel in a vehicle).

What will it cost me to cross as a foot passenger?

Taking a vehicle on these ferries is steep, but travelling as a foot passenger is generally pretty reasonable, even if you add on the cost of a cabin (the price of which also varies from sailing to sailing).

I’ve paid as little as 100 GBP for the crossing, complete with a cabin, in February, when they’re trying to fill up the boats. That being said, though, I paid 250 GBP one-way in May 2024, and they hike the prices up even further in the summer. The trick is to always book at least two months in advance, when the early-bird rates are still available.

If it’s too expensive to take the ferry both ways or you’re short on time, you could always do it just one way, as something’s much better than nothing.

I myself will be hopping on a flight to take me back to Spain next Sunday.

Any questions?

As you might have noticed, I’ve got plenty to say on this topic.

So if there’s anything you’d like to know about taking the ferry from the UK to Spain and back, I’d be more than happy to chat.

Feliz viaje.