What's the deal with ferries?

[p0bber]

Hi all,

Me and 3 mates are about to set off on a charity ride from Durham to Central France at the end of the month and I was just wondering what people's experience of taking bikes on ferries has been.

We'll be crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe with LD lines and it's the first time any of us have done the bike on ferry thing. We've all got half decent bikes and are obviously keen that that they don't get damaged or worse, nicked.

Do you just lock them to designated racks or is there a separate garage/room for bikes?

I've looked on their website but there is little or no information about the facilities on offer.

Any general advice or experience would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks.....

 

[YahudaMoon]

Never been to France. My experience in the UK is you walk on with your bike as with the cars / vehicles and tie your bike up using the provided rope leaving your bike with the cars.

 

[snorri]

Do you just lock them to designated racks or is there a separate garage/room for bikes?

I've looked on their website but there is little or no information about the facilities on offer.

I've not sailed with LD, but none of the ferries I have used have separate cabins for bikes. There is usually a space on the car deck set aside for bikes. There will be short lengths of rope there for you to tie up your bike to prevent it moving if the sea crossing is any more than calm. If you are inexperienced with lashing techniques, the crew will usually check over the bikes before the ship sails. I've never seen bikes locked, there seems little point, on arrival you usually find you have a wait on the car deck before the doors open, so little chance of anyone cycling away with your bike.

Before boarding the ferry, do a little preparation by placing any items you require on passage in a bag that you can take off the bike when you have parked it on the car deck. The rest of your luggage can be left on the bike. You will not be permitted to return to the car deck during the crossing.
The crew will be well used to dealing with cycle traffic so just ask them when you board if you have any concerns.

 

[rich p]

Just as Snorri says. The crew will direct you to one side of the cardeck and lash it using the ropes and ties provided. I'd do your own if you can to avoid some popeye-muscled sailor putting too much effort into it.

No-one is going to nick it! Nobody will be on the car deck en voyage and where are they going to go with it anyway? Most car drivers will be looking at you with pity as a poor sap who can't afford a car

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If they use loading ramps, not sure about Newhaven, go steady and if they have signs saying get off and walk/push do so. Wet steel coated in a film of diesel set to a 20% incline ain't much fun.

 

[Crackle]

As above really. Take off anything you need before you reach the point where your bike needs to be stowed as you probably won't be able to get to it once all the bikes are stacked, assuming there's a few going on. Panniers left on will cushion it from the stacking but in the past, ferries have been the source of a few frame scrapes, normally minor. So if that worries you, something light wrapped around the mainframe or get yourself some helicopter tape and that will protect it. That said, I've just used 4 ferries this year and picked up no scratches.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Last time i when on the newhaven ferry a few years ago, they boarded the cyclist before the Cars, and directed us to the front end of the car deck, where there are railings and ropes to secure the bike with. Best to walk the bike onto the boat, depening on the tide the ramp can be quite steep and greasy.

 

[philk56]

We did the Newhaven route this summer and as has been said, the crew just direct you to the racks and leave you to it. They seemed more concerned with sorting out the cars and motor bikes. There are various ropes and cords provided for tying up.

 

[vernon]

The bikes will not get stolen. Who is going to steal them and where are they going to put them? The decks are cleared and secured before departure and are only opened to the passengers again once the ferry has docked.

Scratches - that's up to the cyclist to avoid.

All of the ferry services that I have used have provided webbing and/or quick release straps to secure the bikes to railings or anchor points. At busy times bikes do get stacked against each other so it might be worth taking something to prevent bike to bike contact.

I've yet to cycle onto a ferry. I've always been directed to dismount and push the bike on. To be honest I'd balk at the idea of pedalling on as the steel surfaces have a low coefficient of friction when wet and/or coating in spilled diesel and there's scope for dropping the wheel into gaps between the plates forming the ramps.

 

[onlineamiga]

Absolute pleasure taking a bicycle onto a ferry.

I did the Caen to Portsmouth overnight, and I also put my bike on the Verdon - Royan ferry in France.
I found them both extremely acommodating. There is plenty of room. You just put your bike to the side, tie it up (lock it up if needed, i did to a pole thing!). Grab the panniers off it (if needed) and head up and enjoy viewing sea. (makes a nice change to the road!)


As the others have said, you basically sit in with the cars, then you get off and wheel the bike up the ramp onto the ferry at the side. (Royan -> Verdon ferry had a specific cycle lane for this!). Roll the bike off the ferry as well, then cycle out of the port via passport checks etc if needed. Its really easy. No one seemed to bat an eyelid at me either. Totally normal.

Now as for taking your bike on an aeroplane...... Well thats an utter nightmare, and is another story for another thread!!!!

 

[MsLDN]

I've taken my bike on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry twice. The crew direct you on (we wheeled our bikes over the ramp, but then rode them across the empty ferry) and indicate where to go. Cyclists went on first, before the cars, which was nice. The crew indicated they'd rope our bikes for us, they did all the bikes together - I didn't see one person tying their own bike, either time. The first trip was fine. On the second my bike must have had a knock - the gears were misaligned and most worryingly the back wheel became loosened. I wasn't enormously pleased to realise that on a Dieppe roadside at 4am. Having read this thread I think that, if we go to France again later this month, that I'll try and tie my bike myself.

 

[p0bber]

Thank you very much for all the useful info. Really appreciate it!

I take the point about there not being much of a risk of theft. I guess I was just cynically imagining some opportunist rogue on a booze run with space in the back of the van for some bonus cargo.

Definitely won't attempt the diesel soaked steel climb up the ramp, sounds like it can only end one way.

Thanks again for your posts.

Cheers,
Si

 

[Sittingduck]

Is it just me who thinks ferries are a real rip off?

 

[Falwheeler]

My trips on the ferry are usually with a group of cyclists and the bikes tend to get piled up against each other and lashed to the bulkhead so I leave my panniers on to give some protection.

 

[tbtb]

I was just cynically imagining some opportunist rogue on a booze run with space in the back of the van for some bonus cargo.

This is very unlikely, but not impossible - car drivers have no issue with removing their car keys, and locking their cars up, and some set the alarm, so you'd be perfectly reasonable to throw a lock across your bike if you want to. It occurred to me that maybe the Athens Convention makes it the ferry company's problem if a bike went missing en route but nope - after a quick read I'm left thinking the Athen's Convention is to limit their liability, not anything else. There's usually a line like this on the terms and conditions of your booking:

You are responsible for the security and safekeeping of your possessions and Brittany Ferries cannot be held liable for the loss or theft of any items

So there we are, though as we all agree, it's very unlikely to become an issue.

Last time I went aboard, I was more concerned about leaving a brand new £300 tent on my rack, secured only with a bungee. So I popped my panniers and tent into an ikea bag and kept them with me.