Delays at Dover cause holiday misery

BRITISH holidaymakers heading to France via Dover are being warned to allow extra time –a great deal of extra time – for their journey to the port amid long delays caused by heightened security checks.  

There have been major tailbacks on the M20/A20 since Friday with some motorists complaining of being in queues for up to 14 hours. 

The delays, at the start of the school holidays, are being worsened by tighter security checks by French border police at Dover and Eurotunnel following recent terror attacks in France. 

Tourists are being advised to try to avoid the M20/A20 and use the M2/A2 where possible. 

On Sunday morning, the Port of Dover was warning of waiting times of three to 3.5 hours from Roundhill Tunnels.  

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke said it was a 'very serious situation' with families 'suffering out there in massive tailbacks'. Other MPs said the tougher security checks introduced by the French were understandable and necessary, but that more police were needed to make them.

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P&O Ferries launches night travel promotion

P&O FERRIES is offering a 25% discount to passengers who travel between 6pm and 6am in May or June. 

The offer is for anyone taking a holiday of more than five nights away. 

Passengers must book before June 15 and travel between May 1 and June 30. 

Terms and conditions apply as certain vehicle types and durations might be exempt. 

Prices between Dover and Calais for a long break start from £39 each way. 

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Ferry numbers dented by Calais-Dover disorder

FERRY operators have attributed a slip in passenger numbers to the much-publicized disruption on the route between Calais and Dover. 

The number of passengers who travelled on the 75 ferry routes in 2015 was 38.9 million, a drop of 0.6% on 2014. However, the number of cars that travelled on that route was up 1.3% to 8.61 million. Discover Ferries insisted that despite the drop, the number of passengers was still 800,000 up on the 38.1 million who travelled in 2013.

The total passengers carried by P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways on routes to Calais and Dunkirk were down by 2.2% last year from 13.2 million in 2014 to 13.01 million in 2015.

Ferry routes to domestic destinations such as the Isle of Wight, Isles of Scilly, Isle of Man, Channel Isles, and Scottish Islands were the top performing sector in 2015, with the total number of cars travelling up 4.5% to 3.69 million. Passenger numbers were also up by nearly 0.4% to 16 million. Isle of Wight ferry routes carried 1.2% more passengers than in 2014, with figures reaching 8.74 million.

The number of cars travelling on the North Sea ferry routes run by Stena, DFDS, and P&O Ferries increased by 3.9% to 445,000 in 2015.

Passengers on the three Irish operators of Irish Ferries, Stena Irish Sea, and P&O were marginally down by 1.9% from 4.87 million in 2014 to 4.78 million in 2015.

Discover Ferries’ director Bill Gibbons said: "The 2015 figures show the ferry industry is resilient and adaptable. Domestic ferry routes carried nearly 16 million passengers – their best year since 2011 and despite the summer issues at Calais last year, P&O Ferries and DFDS operators adapted their capacity and sailings to great effect, and other continental ferry operators took up any car customers who were able to re-route.’

Mr Gibbons said other challenges included the introduction by the UK government of exit checks.

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New DFDS ferry enters service on Dover-Calais route

DFDS SEAWAYS has welcomed its new Côte des Dunes passenger ferry into Dover, following her inaugural sailing from Calais.

Côte des Dunes has undergone a complete transformation since DFDS took delivery of her at the end of last year. Facilities include a self-service restaurant, a large shop, a dedicated children’s area, and a Road Kings area for commercial drivers, which has showers, a restaurant, and a lounge.

Côte des Dunes is the first of two new ships scheduled to enter service on DFDS’ Dover-Calais route this month. Both vessels will join Calais Seaways on the service, boosting DFDS’ daily sailings up to 30. When combined with DFDS’ three ferries on the Dover-Dunkirk route, the company will operate the largest fleet on the Dover Strait, with up to 54 daily sailings to the two French ports.

www.dfds.co.uk  


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UK ferry sector records consecutive annual growth

A TOTAL of 21.3 million short sea ferry crossings were made last year, mainly on cross-Channel routes, latest official figures show. This was up by 4% year-on-year and was the first time since the mid-1990s that two years of consecutive growth had been recorded.

The number of travellers using the Channel tunnel was also up, by 3% to a record 21 million in 2014. 

The figures released by the Department for Transport suggest demand for travel to and from the Continental Europe remains strong despite competition from budget airlines. 

Dover-Calais remains the busiest route, with 10.8 million passengers, although increasing numbers are travelling between Dover and Dunkirk. This is now the second most popular international ferry route out of the UK, with more than 2.5 million passengers last year. Portsmouth-Caen was the third most popular route, accounting for 967,000 passengers in 2014.

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Saga promises ‘best ever’ UK and Ireland cruise

SAGA #CRUISES has launched what it claims will be the best ever cruise around Britain and Ireland … from the Jurassic Coast to the Scottish Highlands.  

The 14-night cruise aboard the #SagaSapphire will start from Dover, Kent, on August 18 next year.

The cruise is priced from £2,972, which includes a UK travel package to and from Dover, all meals and entertainment, afternoon tea, 24-hour room service, welcome cocktail party, unlimited tea and coffee in selected venues, free Wi-Fi, all on-board gratuities, porterage, optional travel insurance and additional cancellation rights, or a discount of £53 when passengers have their own insurance.

The Saga Sapphire carries a maximum of 720 passengers.

Key highlights will include calls at Poole, Guernsey, Cobh and Kill begs (Ireland), and in Scotland: Hollyhock, Kirkwall in the Orkneys, and Inver Gordon.

Prices are based on two people sharing an R grade cabin.

www.saga.co.uk

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WW2 tunnels in Dover’s white cliffs open to the public

A NETWORK of forgotten WW2 tunnels inside the #WhiteCliffsofDover has been opened to the public by the #National Trust. 

The Fan Bay Deep Shelter was carved out of chalk in just 100 days in 1940 on Winston Churchill's orders as part of Dover's connected offensive and defensive gun batteries, aimed attacking German shipping in the English Channel.

At 75ft below the Kent coastline, the 3,500 sq feet of interconnecting tunnels, which are reinforced with iron girders and metal sheeting, accommodated 200 men.

The shelter – which was inspected by Churchill in 1941 – was decommissioned in the 1950s and filled in with rubble and soil during the 1970s.

The National Trust say the well-preserved tunnels are a time capsule, giving insights into war-time life, with graffiti-covered walls, discarded ammunition, and even a football pools coupon found in them. 

Tons of rubble and soil were removed by hand from the tunnels in an 18-month project involving more than 50 National Trust volunteers, archaeologists, mine consultants, engineers, and a geologist.

Jon Barker, visitor experience manager at the White Cliffs, said: ‘This re-discovered piece of the country's Second World War heritage is a truly remarkable find. There has been no public access to the tunnels for more than 40 years, and so they remain much as they were when they were abandoned.

‘We've carried out extensive conservation work to preserve both the natural decay and authentic atmosphere of the space."

The shelter was carved out of the chalk by Royal Engineers from the 172nd Tunnelling Company, and had a hospital, secure store and five large chambers providing bomb-proof accommodation.

Tickets are not available at the tunnel entrance. Book a space at the visitor reception centre before walking the 1.5 miles to the tunnel entrance and the 125 steps down into the network.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/87920827@N06/8044663115">Dover Cliffs</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license), National Trust

Kent at war

2014 sees three momentous anniversaries: 100 years since the outbreak of World War One, 75 since the outbreak of World War Two, and 70 since D-Day. Kent has a wealth of connections to these significant periods in British and European history, including the house that hid code breakers, the coast where bouncing bombs were tested, the tunnels from which Operation Dynamo was masterminded, and the airfields from which Spitfires and Hurricanes flew.

A programme of events and activities in Kent marking these anniversaries includes:

Ramsgate Blitz Walks – A guided walk around the heaviest bombed seaside town in the UK. Various dates through to December.

WWII Weekend, Dover Castle – Witness an explosive battle and soak up the atmosphere as the castle returns to the 1940's. Walk through military encampments and get up close to a full size replica Spitfire. Step inside Mr Smith's bombed-out shop and discover the austerity of the war years. Get tips on the latest period fashion. Witness the firepower display. With a live band playing music from the 40's and plenty of hands-on activities for children. May 24-26. www.english-heritage.org.uk/dovercastle

Plant a REAL Poppy Day, Kent-wide – A unique campaign has been started to plant real poppies to coincide with the centenary of the start of WW1. Bright red Flanders poppies, also known as corn poppies, will be planted by thousands of people across the nation during spring 2014, for flowering late July/early August. The 2014 Real Poppy Campaign is the brainchild of The Greenhithe (Kent) Royal British Legion. Seeds are available direct from the Royal British Legion or from B&Q and many garden centres nationwide. Plant a REAL poppy day is Sunday, June 1. http://realpoppy.co.uk

Ramsgate Tunnels Explorer – Ramsgate's Tunnels Explorer takes visitors on a journey into a network of tunnels which became a town below the town. As World War II approached, the borough council embarked on plans to construct more than two miles of bomb-proof deep shelter tunnels to protect the town’s civilian population. Learn about life underground from recordings of those who took refuge from the bombardment of a front line town. June 1. www.ramsgatetunnels.org

Open air classical concert, Leeds Castle – The concert features The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Military Wives Choir, a military band, field guns, and air displays. July 12. www.heritage-events.co.uk

The War & Peace Revival, Folkestone Racecourse – The Greatest military show on earth is at Folkestone Racecourse for the second year. Highlights include the Vintage Village, an RAF camp, the Women's Voluntary Service providing tea to bombed-out householders, and even cows at the Land Army display! July 16-20. www.warandpeacerevival.co.uk

Valour, Loss & Sacrifice: Chatham, the Royal Navy, and the War at Sea, 1914-1918, Historic Dockyard Chatham – Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of the WW1, this exhibition portrays the significant role played by Chatham Dockyard, its workers and the Chatham Port Division of the Royal Navy, shown through the eyes of those who served.  Four years of sacrifice and loss will be depicted using objects and artefacts drawn mainly from The Historic Dockyard's own collection. July 26-November 30. www.thedockyard.co.uk

 

www.visitkent.co.uk/frontlinekent

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