Popular UK–France ferry link to resume after 14-year gap

A daily ferry service between Poole and Cherbourg will resume this winter for the first time in over a decade, Brittany Ferries has confirmed.

The route, suspended each winter since 2011, will operate uninterrupted from Sunday, December 14, 2025, to Sunday, March 29, 2026. 

The MV Commodore Clipper will provide the link during this period, handling both passenger and freight traffic.

Brittany Ferries’ chief executive, Christophe Mathieu, said the route’s full-year return coincides with the launch of a new “rail motorway” from Bayonne to Cherbourg. 

The service, which began carrying its first trailers this month, allows goods to be transported by train from south-west France to Cherbourg, then shipped to the UK via Poole.

“This marks a new chapter for our operations,” he said. “Poole will be the UK hub for our intermodal freight route, connecting French Atlantic ports with southern England.”

The Commodore Clipper (14,000gt), a former Condor Ferries vessel, will operate the winter sailings until late March, when the regular ship Barfleur (20,133gt) is due to return. 

The return of the winter service comes as the company phases out its twice-weekly Poole–Bilbao freight route, currently operated by the MN Pelican, following the opening of the Bayonne–Cherbourg rail corridor.

The most recent winter sailings between Poole and Cherbourg were operated in 2019 by the Connemara. However, a full-season daily service has not run since 2011.

Poole Harbour’s chief executive, Captain Brian Murphy, welcomed the development, stating: “We remain committed to supporting reliable, year-round cross-Channel connectivity and a thriving regional economy in partnership with Brittany Ferries.”

The crossing between Poole and Cherbourg takes approximately four hours 30 minutes. Details of passenger bookings and timetables are expected to be released later this year.