Recap: Ferry updates for travel to and from France

New Plymouth–Saint-Malo route announced

Brittany Ferries has published its schedule for 2025–2026. It includes a new connection between Plymouth and Saint-Malo, operating in December 2025 and again in February and March 2026.

Other timetable changes include:

• The Poole-Cherbourg route, which will now continue through the winter months (November to March).

• The Portsmouth-Le Havre crossing will be suspended for winter. There will be no service from October until March 30, 2026.

Up to 20 sailings per week from Guernsey are also included in the new schedule, via affiliate company Condor Ferries. These link the island to Saint-Malo, Poole, and Portsmouth.

Stena Line to end Cherbourg–Rosslare route

Stena Line will permanently cancel its Cherbourg-Rosslare route at the end of September 2025. The company said the decision followed “an extensive review” and forms part of a shift to strengthen operations in the Irish Sea.

The crossing currently runs three times per week. All tickets for travel up to the end of September remain valid. Stena Line said it will assist customers who have booked after that date.

The company will now focus on services between the UK and Ireland, in particular those from Liverpool and Belfast.

Brittany Ferries continues to serve the route with sailings in each direction fives days a week.

Day trips to Jersey from Saint-Malo

DFDS has launched a short-return ferry service between Saint-Malo and Jersey. The ferry departs Saint-Malo at 07:30 and takes just over an hour to reach the island.

Depending on the day, passengers can spend four to five hours ashore before returning to France in the late afternoon. 

The service runs every Friday to Sunday and on alternating Thursdays. Return day-trip tickets are available online for dates up to September. Prices start from €34 one way without a vehicle, or €82 with a car.

The service does not replace standard tickets for longer stays on the island.

Rosyth–Dunkirk route faces further delays

Plans for a new passenger route between Rosyth in Scotland and Dunkirk have been pushed back again. 

DFDS had originally planned a three-times-weekly service beginning in spring 2025 but said earlier this year that the launch had been delayed.

The company is reportedly in discussions with the Scottish government about funding infrastructure improvements at Rosyth port. These include passenger-handling and customs facilities.

A DFDS spokesperson told The Connexion there had been no update since January. “Given the time that it will take to get the service up and running, that means I do not see the service starting this summer,” he said.