Channel island considers more ferries on Cherbourg route
Alderney also has an airport, which operates regular flights to both Southampton and Guernsey
Alderney wants a service carrying a maximum of 12 people
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The small Channel island of Alderney is considering increasing ferry services to Cherbourg (Manche) this summer.
The island’s parliament, the States of Alderney, called for expressions of interest to determine whether a ferry operator could provide a service carrying a maximum of 12 passengers from the end of May to the end of September.
“It is envisaged that a minimum service for the Alderney–Cherbourg route would involve double rotations on at least three days per week, including Fridays and Sundays, to facilitate overnight visits to Alderney,” the States wrote in a document setting out the plan.
Last year, Alderney Ferry Services, which offers a Guernsey route, introduced twice-weekly sailings to Cherbourg on Mondays and Fridays.
Its website states that these will resume on April 27 and run until the end of September.
“We do not know if they will be interested in responding to our call for more operators,” said Sue Price, the head of government support on Alderney.
“The States felt that having a regular ferry would be a boost to tourism on the island, and so we decided to see if anyone was interested and, if they are, what sort of support we can give them.”
The island has one harbour at Braye, which the States owns and runs, and from where the ferry service will operate.
Alderney also has an airport, which operates regular flights to both Southampton and Guernsey.
The 8km² island is closer to France (16km from Cap de la Hague) than it is to Guernsey (32km to the south).
It has a population of around 2,160. Tourism plays a large part in the island’s economy.
Road scheme
In Cherbourg, a long-awaited road scheme to improve links with Cap de la Hague and Caen looks set to finally move forward.
Engineers are due to finalise the route of the road this year, ahead of public consultations on the €100million project in 2027.
It is hoped the 11km two- and three-lane road will finally open in 2034. Once completed, it will connect with the RN13 upgrades, which have already made travel to and from the port east of the city significantly easier.
It will effectively give Cherbourg a rocade – or bypass – allowing traffic to avoid the centre.
Cap de la Hague is home to France’s main nuclear fuel treatment centre, which employs 4,500 people. Orano, the state-owned nuclear fuel company, has announced plans for two more factories by 2040, which will employ another 10,000 workers.
It is thought that this spurred the road project – long proposed over the past 20 years – to finally be approved.
