Poole to lose Barfleur ferry link with France (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Poole to lose Barfleur ferry link with France
8:00am Saturday 19th December 2009 in
BITTER disappointment has greeted the shock news that Poole is to lose the Barfleur and its year-round ferry link with France.
The Barfleur, which for 17 years has been plying the route from the port to its twin town Cherbourg, is to be withdrawn in the spring.
The loss of the conventional ferry will leave the high-speed May to September service on the Normandie Vitesse, alongside the freight ferry Cotentin sailing to Cherbourg and Santander, Spain.
Brittany Ferries says there will be no immediate job losses in Poole but the Barfleur, which carries 1,212 passengers and 590 cars, has been haemorrhaging money.
“The Poole to Cherbourg route using the Barfleur has lost us money since 2003,” said spokesman Steve Tuckwell. “We are trying to stem the losses by withdrawing that ship from service.
“Although the Barfleur is being taken out of service we are going to be offering more crossings from Portsmouth.”
But that is scant comfort to Poole Harbour Commissioners, whose chief executive Jim Stewart said: “This came completely out of the blue.
“It’s a disappointment and it will certainly impact on the port. There will be a substantial reduction in the number of ferries coming in and out of Poole and a substantial drop in revenue for the port.”
He said they had not seen the schedules and as they had only had the news for 24 hours, it was too soon to know the consequences for jobs and the port.
Cllr Ron Parker, Borough of Poole cabinet portfolio holder for the local economy, said: “We are bitterly disappointed.
“While we understand that the ferries are going through a difficult period at the moment, there is extreme disappointment here at Poole both for tourism and the economy of the two towns.”
Bruce Grant-Braham, chairman of Poole Tourism Panel said: “Poole Tourism is trying to increase business in the shoulder times of the year so that is a blow.”
Mr Tuckwell said there was a possibility of job losses in the future, hopefully on a voluntary basis. And they were looking at increasing the number of sailings of the Cotentin.
The Barfleur will sail the route for the last time at the beginning of February and the Armorique will make the crossing until March 8.
Comments(53)
poole man in france
says...
8:32am Sat 19 Dec 09
John T
says...
8:44am Sat 19 Dec 09
C'est la vie!
Afcbpete
says...
9:46am Sat 19 Dec 09
Devjon
says...
10:02am Sat 19 Dec 09
Must have a grasp of English grammar, context and HTML.
To replace incumbent who is on secondment from the Grauniad.
Celestine71
says...
10:29am Sat 19 Dec 09
John T
says...
10:50am Sat 19 Dec 09
jon the observer
says...
10:59am Sat 19 Dec 09
John T
says...
11:01am Sat 19 Dec 09
Devjon wrote:Well, at least our journalist was able to make it in through the snow today. Our proof reader was last seen checking a bottle of whiskey at last night's Christmas Party.
Wanted: Proof reader. Must have a grasp of English grammar, context and HTML. To replace incumbent who is on secondment from the Grauniad.
Merrry Krishmus from awl at the Echohoho!
rook
says...
11:06am Sat 19 Dec 09
Real shame to see it go, though.
John T
says...
11:51am Sat 19 Dec 09
I agree with you. The A350 between Poole and M4/Bristol is the only part of the Trans Europe Road Network between Gibraltar and the North of Scotland that is not dual carriageway.
You would have thought that Poole's MP, with one of his homes in Chippenham, would have done more to get improvements to this section of road over the last 13 years he has been our MP.
PatinPoole
says...
12:01pm Sat 19 Dec 09
Derf
says...
12:30pm Sat 19 Dec 09
Lord Spring
says...
1:01pm Sat 19 Dec 09
John T wrote:Must have been Irish whiskey and not Scotch whisky
Devjon wrote: Wanted: Proof reader. Must have a grasp of English grammar, context and HTML. To replace incumbent who is on secondment from the Grauniad.Well, at least our journalist was able to make it in through the snow today. Our proof reader was last seen checking a bottle of whiskey at last night's Christmas Party. Merrry Krishmus from awl at the Echohoho!
rayc
says...
1:10pm Sat 19 Dec 09
The traffic was of course 'one way' with not many continental holiday makers using it. despite what Poole Council would have you believe Poole is not an attractive place for continentals to visit, there are much better attractions and facilities on the continent + no dracomnian parking enforcement and costs.
baldyn
says...
1:38pm Sat 19 Dec 09
let-it-loose
says...
1:52pm Sat 19 Dec 09
sea poole
says...
4:05pm Sat 19 Dec 09
Tig
says...
4:25pm Sat 19 Dec 09
Tig
says...
4:26pm Sat 19 Dec 09
[Chris]
says...
4:43pm Sat 19 Dec 09
.
We are travelling out with the Normandie Vitesse High Speed ferry, but because of timings and distance in France, to Cherbourg, we are returning with Balfleur on the evening run.
.
Certainly Brittany Ferries did not mention anything of this when I booked 3 weeks ago. I do think a telephone call is required.
.
The French services have been renewing a lot of road on the route out of Cherbourg, and in particular down to Brittany.
.
I do believe it is down to costs on this route, but as already pointed out what one spends on this route is saved in travelling to other ports, and greater distances in France.
christophe1
says...
5:46pm Sat 19 Dec 09
I first traveled on Barfleur when it was brand new and I travel 10+ times a year I have found this article on a French website which is interesting.
http://www.lamanchel
ibre.fr/Un-nouveau-f
erry-pour-Cherbourg,
2.media?f=3534
AFCB_REPUBLICAN
says...
6:02pm Sat 19 Dec 09
pipistrollers
says...
7:00pm Sat 19 Dec 09
Henry Bear
says...
7:07pm Sat 19 Dec 09
Now I have no reason to buy the Echo for it £10 fare offers, I would imagine the Echo are also sorry to see this money spinner go...
I went on the ferry recently when all the wind and rain was about, felt sick for days after, very very bouncy.
The timings of sailings in winter are not great for day trippers, perhaps if sailed les often it would be more cost effective?
To sail out at 11pm and arrive at 6am then do not leave port to come back until 7pm makes it a long day and not ideal for familys.
Echo men - Can we have one last £10 offer to say goodbye with a trip?
X Old Bill
says...
9:41pm Sat 19 Dec 09
christophe1 wrote:So, in the space of exactly 12 months Brittany Ferries have gone from 'opening a new service with a new bigger ship' to 'taking the existing ship off the existing route'
I am quite shocked .
I first traveled on Barfleur when it was brand new and I travel 10+ times a year I have found this article on a French website which is interesting.
http://www.lamanchel
ibre.fr/Un-nouveau-f
erry-pour-Cherbourg,
2.media?f=3534
That's some turn around!
When they had a respectable ferry service from Weymouth then Poole could always claim to have better transport links, looks like the lack of Motorways in Dorset is picking off the ports one by one.
rotcoddam
says...
12:01am Sun 20 Dec 09
I used to travel on the Barfleur regularly ( couple of trips per month)having busness interests in Cherbourg at the time. Since the end of duty free and the meteoric rise in french tobbaco taxes the volume of customers on the Barfleur(even on echo voucher day trips) was getting rapidly less every year. For the last two or three years being on the Barfleur was often like having ones own private super yacht. Only on that one would probably have more company. For years now there has rarely been enough customers even in the summer for them to open the resteraunt or even the tea bar. I can remember when in the summer you would be very lucky to even find a seat on many trips. Last year you could rarely spot a fellow passenger on most trips.
Cherbourg itself has gone rapidly downhill with many of the cafe bars closing or opening greatly reduced hours. Loads of empty shops and shop and hotel businesses closing and being turned into flats.Due entirely to the lack of english trippers and holiday makers who spent freely on the many lower priced and better quality goods.
So someone tell me what sort of halfwit could not see this coming..
Derf
says...
4:23am Sun 20 Dec 09
Brittany have recently sold the Pont de Abbie from it's plymouth - roscoff route, and is likely to charter the Barfleur to another operator in order to help fund the purchase of Superfast V (and subsequent re-fit)from Greece for a Portsmouth - Spain route. None of this helps Poole of course, however, it would suggest that axing the Barfleur was an option Brittany had been mulling over for some time, and maybe early discussions with PHC about their options could have allowed them (PHC) to maybe revise berthing fees, facilities (the berths are not long enough for Brittany's other tonnage) etc... and thus made Poole an attractive option.
Henry Bear
says...
5:55am Sun 20 Dec 09
rotcoddam wrote:Our supermarkets are yet again to shoulder some of the blame for falling numbers.
The harbour commissioners and council say this came right out of the blue and was totally unexpected. Really well this just shows how totally out of touch with reality these officials are, they are unfit to be in the jobs they have. I used to travel on the Barfleur regularly ( couple of trips per month)having busness interests in Cherbourg at the time. Since the end of duty free and the meteoric rise in french tobbaco taxes the volume of customers on the Barfleur(even on echo voucher day trips) was getting rapidly less every year. For the last two or three years being on the Barfleur was often like having ones own private super yacht. Only on that one would probably have more company. For years now there has rarely been enough customers even in the summer for them to open the resteraunt or even the tea bar. I can remember when in the summer you would be very lucky to even find a seat on many trips. Last year you could rarely spot a fellow passenger on most trips. Cherbourg itself has gone rapidly downhill with many of the cafe bars closing or opening greatly reduced hours. Loads of empty shops and shop and hotel businesses closing and being turned into flats.Due entirely to the lack of english trippers and holiday makers who spent freely on the many lower priced and better quality goods. So someone tell me what sort of halfwit could not see this coming..
Their alcahol prices are cheaper than going to France when the deals are on.
twynham
says...
9:00am Sun 20 Dec 09
I travel to the Flanders coast in Belgium frequently and use Norfolk Line from Dover-Dunkerque. (lovely area and cheap wine & tobacco)
3 hours drive to Dover, £50 in fuel, 2 hour crossing with sailings every 2 hours; £30 for car & 4 people. (last week I paid £19)
Brittany Ferries £224 for the same dates!!!
MJD
says...
9:26am Sun 20 Dec 09
samsmith
says...
9:34am Sun 20 Dec 09
.
Depending on where the freight is originiating from on the continent then there is a whole range of ports along the south coast with better road and rail links to the north than Poole. If you are going to the west of England then Plymouth is probably a better port to use.
.
In fact if they were to use a port to get to Wales and the west, then Weymouth is probably a better option than Poole as you're straight onto the A37 which can take you up to Yeovil and on to the M5. There is also the rail link to Westbury and beyond.
l'anglais
says...
9:43am Sun 20 Dec 09
It takes less time for a foot passenger to travel from Poole/Bournemouth to Paris by ferry & SNCF than via Waterloo & Eurostar.
"Poole it's a Beautiful place" you just can't get there.
Then when you do, the south west road network is so poor, you can't get anywhere else.
As for those on here moaning about the cost, when Thomson & Ryanair were running low cost flights out of Hurn, they both were both scrapped due to lack of use.
Ferries from Marseille/Nice to Corsica, Tunis & Algiers are packed & passengers pay far more than the £350 from Poole to Cherbourg.
You get what you pay for!
Gastines
says...
9:51am Sun 20 Dec 09
[Chris]
says...
10:15am Sun 20 Dec 09
.
What we must realise is that the Normandie Vitesse will still be running from May to September. This carries 750 passengers, and 154 cars. In addition to this, the Contentin will still operate from Poole as a freight transporter, carrying 120 lorries/units.
.
It is a mas reduction on services removing the Barfleur, but it is not the end of the road as yet. Plus 50 miles or so to the east we have Portsmouth, with both BF and PO to Cherbourg and LeHavre. And of course Condor Ferries from Weymouth to St. Malo. This routes cuts a great deal of driving if driving to Brittany.
John T
says...
11:01am Sun 20 Dec 09
jon the observer wrote:And good news for those Conservatives and UKIP who want to cut our links with Europe!
Positive note: - Less illegal immigrants descending on Poole.
sea poole
says...
11:14am Sun 20 Dec 09
chatsworth
says...
12:01pm Sun 20 Dec 09
1 Dont make fares complicated-sw trains please also note!!
2 Make the service competitive-see earlier comments
3 Give the customers what they want ie timetable user friendly for fare structure
4 make the most of the current eurotunnel /dover ports situation
5 explore other routes-perhaps Spain?
What poole has in its favour is a rail link to London(why not have a Boat train direct from london/poole in the early hours?)
Listen to your customers/find out who they are and offer them a service that they want----repeat business!!
rook
says...
12:21pm Sun 20 Dec 09
Gastines
says...
2:10pm Sun 20 Dec 09
Kevicious
says...
3:29pm Sun 20 Dec 09
I hear from an inside source that they are going to fill the entire harbour in with concrete, and build 100,000 luxury flats to 'boost the local economy'.
Emulated
says...
3:46pm Sun 20 Dec 09
bofors
says...
4:20pm Sun 20 Dec 09
Kevicious wrote:Are you sure its not the harbour,but branksome rec ?.Did you get your info from BRAG.
Don't worry, the tourist board and council have come up with a visionary solution.
I hear from an inside source that they are going to fill the entire harbour in with concrete, and build 100,000 luxury flats to 'boost the local economy'.
John T
says...
4:52pm Sun 20 Dec 09
Kevicious wrote:And they are going to call it Sandbanks to help the Echo with their geography and help Tom, Dick and Harry hide from the taxman!
Don't worry, the tourist board and council have come up with a visionary solution. I hear from an inside source that they are going to fill the entire harbour in with concrete, and build 100,000 luxury flats to 'boost the local economy'.
John T
says...
5:32pm Sun 20 Dec 09
Gastines wrote:In December 1999, Robert Sins was appointed as a Shadow Minister for Transport and for the Regions. After 2 years of intense work as a Shadow, he found his time taken up with more important matters. From 2001-2005, he was Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party. This position held him in good stead when he embarked on his next important mission for the following 4 years, i.e. becoming joint leading claimant of MPs' second home allowances!
I hope to see an article in the Echo early next week pointing out what the Poole and Bournemouth Councillors.Local M.P's and M.E.P. are doing to rectify this loss or in fact if they've ever done anything to try and raise the profile of the service!!
As for the local Conservative MEPs, no-one knows who they are;although I believe the father of one of them sailed round the World once, but I don't know if the son has ever even sailed round Poole Harbour!
John T
says...
6:01pm Sun 20 Dec 09
John T wrote:Sorry, that Dick should be Richard!
Kevicious wrote: Don't worry, the tourist board and council have come up with a visionary solution. I hear from an inside source that they are going to fill the entire harbour in with concrete, and build 100,000 luxury flats to 'boost the local economy'.And they are going to call it Sandbanks to help the Echo with their geography and help Tom, Dick and Harry hide from the taxman!
dribble
says...
6:48pm Sun 20 Dec 09
..
She is part of the Poole Bay landscape to me and was a lovely ship to travel on.
..
RIP Barfleur - thank you for the wonderful trips I travelled on your decks.
braddan76
says...
7:24pm Sun 20 Dec 09
sea poole
says...
8:31pm Sun 20 Dec 09
Some people say he's Poole's answer to Father Christmas i.e. do we believe he really exists?
kerbut
says...
9:28pm Sun 20 Dec 09
Derf
says...
10:52pm Sun 20 Dec 09
Me thinks Barfleur will be stretched and plying Dover - Calais soon.
jeebuscripes
says...
11:52am Mon 21 Dec 09
Seemed silly driving all the way to Dover when we could go from Poole but we couldn't afford the nearest option. I wonder how many other people do this too.
born2bongo
says...
1:36pm Wed 23 Dec 09
LD lines was a fantastic discovery though. Portsmouth is an easy drive and Le Havre is just across the river from the beautiful Honfleur.
The price has always been at least £200 less than the Poole-Cherbourg run (even though the latter is a shorter stretch of water).
The LD boat is much nicer than the Barfleur in our opinion, and the food is infinitely better.
Please, please, please come to Poole LD Lines
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Lord Spring says...
8:31am Sat 19 Dec 09
I imagine it will back to home brewing wine for me.