When we planned our motorhome trip to Europe, our only fixed points were a ferry from Portsmouth to St-Malo in France and a ferry back a few weeks later from Bilbao in Spain. We traveled with P&O on the former Pride of Bilbao and this particular ship and route were withdrawn by P&O in September 2010.
Boarding for the P&O ferry departure went smoothly, as is usual for ferry crossings, no luggage to worry about weighing, no security lines, just check paperwork and get in line.
Sailing with The Pride of Bilbao, it was a 36-hour voyage over the Bay of Biscay, a tricky stretch of sea with variable weather, though newer ferries now cross in around 24 hours.
The day we set sail in early October, after the torrential rain we had experienced for about 18 hours in San Sebastián, the weather in Bilbao was sunny and calm; however this did not last long as we encountered bad weather in the Bay of Biscay making our transit even slower and longer.
P&O used to market the Bilbao Pride cruise to passengers as a 3-day “mini-cruise”: when we boarded, you could see plenty of drunken souls taking a breather or sitting at the bar ready for the next round of drinks outside the port. This is not necessarily the environment you are looking for if you are traveling with a young family.
However, after a difficult sail to Spain, the return was no easier for these strong souls and few passengers were seen in the restaurant, bars or walking around the ship once we were in the midst of the storm.
Compared to our experience with Brittany Ferries across the Channel to St Malo it was very different, the ship was old, its cabins and facilities dated and showing signs of wear.
We did enjoy a movie screen though, seeing the movie “Mamma Mia” for the first time, once I got used to the screen bobbing up and down with the ocean waves as we headed into the storm. The ship also had a Jacuzzi and swimming pool, although these were not available on this occasion and a series of restaurants including a la carte, bars including an Irish bar and a variety of cabins to suit the pocket.
If you are looking to cross a similar route between the UK and Spain now, then Brittany Ferries comes to the rescue from Santander or Bilbao to Portsmouth with a turnaround time of around 24 hours on board the beautiful Cap Finisterre, their latest addition to the fleet. to enjoy!
