Drax Sports & Social Club to Hull and overnight ferry to Rotterdam

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Drax to Hull and ferry to Rotterdam

Overnight ferry Hull to Rotterdam

Our ‘usual’ route to Europe is via Le Shuttle (the Channel Tunnel), so it was quite a change for us to make the short drive from Drax to Hull to board the Pride of Rotterdam ferry for an overnight crossing from Hull to Rotterdam. Our minds go back nearly ten years to 2017 when we were last in Rotterdam; since then we have travelled more through France and Spain which has meant that either the channel ferries or Le Shuttle has been more convenient. What changed our minds about using the tunnel was a couple of really bad channel crossings on ferries, absolutely packed with people, delays boarding and lack of a quiet space. After trying the tunnel we liked the smooth operation and quick transit time, all without getting out of your vehicle.

However, we really appreciated the shorter journey from Lancaster to Hull compared to driving all the way to Folkstone. When the government talks about ‘levelling up’ they ought to consider that people who live close to the south coast, and especially those within an hour’s travel of Folkstone have a great advantage. Therefore, a sensible policy to level up the travelling difference would be to have a subsidy for people from the North to iron out the cost difference in getting to France. At the time of writing (August 2026) the cost of driving our motorhome from home to Folkstone is nearly £100, so a subsidy of around £70 each way would ‘level up’ the travel cost; this could be paid as cash or a tax credit. Now that we have a prime minister who originates from the area north of Watford maybe this idea will gain traction.

We arrive at Hull in good time, check in, board then find our cabin. We have booked the first sitting for dinner, so go straight to the dining room for the evening buffet. As usual it is a sumptuous affair with every kind of food available: starters/mains/desserts, hot, cold and salads, this year Ramen has been added, but at the noodles contain gluten so we do not have any. Plenty of other choices in the fresh seafood, meats and every kind of salad. As we eat we watch as the ferry passing through the Humber estuary and out into the open sea. It has been a busy weekend, so an early night is in order in readiness for a longish drive tomorrow.

The ferry was comfortable, food on board is expensive with inflexible menus; you are captive customers, there is nowhere else to go unless you planned ahead and brought your own. We always take our own wine to drink as an aperitif, there’s no point being the Wandering Winetasters if we don’t.