Brittany Ferries will add Portsmouth-Bilbao to is list of ferry routes from 27 March 2011 – The twice weekly service will be in addition to the existing ferry services to Santander from Portsmouth and Plymouth and will be operated by mv Cap Finistère.
Although the destinations are on Spain’s north east coast they do offer another option for getting to the Pyrenees, Bordeaux and the Landes and South West France. Although the fares may look relatively expensive the ferry cruise (24 hours) can be a relaxing end enjoyable way of avoiding at least one of the long arduous journeys from southern or southwestern France to the UK – and avoids wear and tear on the driver and passengers, fuel and autoroute toll costs and an overnight hotel.
It would be great however if one of the ferry companies could negotiate a UK to Bordeaux ferry route which would be very attractive for many UK visitors and would really open up the whole of the south west of France. My understanding is that there are some bureaucratic issues with the Port of Bordeaux.
Brittany Ferries