Can't pay the ferryman...

Marmalade

Marmalade

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 Feb 2005
Messages
2,362
Location
Essex
Visit site
Can\'t pay the ferryman...

A friend and long time sailing buddy wants to join us in Oostende on the Monday and sail back with us.

Would you believe that the ferry company serving Oostende won't accept passengers on foot - only in cars???!!!

Does anyone know of any other way of getting to Oostende to join up with a boat there?

Simon
 
Re: Can\'t pay the ferryman...

We were stormbound in Ostende a couple of years ago, and had to get home at the end of our holiday. We left Francis Fletcher (a boat, not a person) in the care of Robert at Ostende.

We booked a bus/ferry together. The bus went from outside Ostende station to the ferry terminal at Calais, and the ferry was the Seacat across to Dover. The National Express buses back to East Anglia were a nightmare, and when we we went back a week later we opted for one way care hire to Dover, but the same ferry/bus.

The coach trip along the coast is only an hour or two.

I'm afraid I now have no record of who we made the bookings with, but I think it was the Seacat operaters, and I know we were given a UK number at Ostende Station.
 
Re: Can\'t pay the ferryman...

[ QUOTE ]
There used to be a Dover-Oostende fast hydofoil (pedestrians only. Not sure if it still runs.

[/ QUOTE ]
No it doesn't.
There is a ferry Ramsgate-Oostende (Transmanche Ferries) which is mainly freight but takes cars on several sailings each day. BUT it's cars and occupants only, no foot passengers.
 
Re: Can\'t pay the ferryman...

How about Harwich/Hoek van Holland foot ferry? Not sure about the distance from Hoek to Oostende but I gather the foot ferry was working at least last summer.
 
Re: Can\'t pay the ferryman...

One of our crew was planning to do this last year and join us in Ostend - in the event we called off the trip after a few hours battling it out in the North Sea --- remember last summer.

Anyway a lot of research went into the on foot trip and without a doubt the easiest route was Eurostar London to Brussels and then change trains and on to Ostend. Or vica versa. A tip - though a one way rip on Eurostar is expensive, a return can be as little as £59. The cost is the same no matter where you are travelling to in Belgium.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top