Stena Britannica

 

HOEK VAN HOLLAND TO HARWICH

Driving across Europe can be a beautiful thing, imagine the French Riviera, Monte Carlo, the Italian Lakes, beautiful countryside bathed in glorious sunshine! Now think German autobahn and 335 miles of motorway driving from Hamburg to the Dutch port of Hook of Holland.

We had been on the road for three and a half hours and had covered 210 miles, some of it at high speed on excellent motorway, but much of it through slow moving road works, it seems motorway driving is pretty much the same the world over.

We needed a break and had stopped at the AC Hotel at Holten in Holland, we stretched our legs, had a cup of tea and made use of the facilities for approximately an hour before once again nestling down behind the wheel for the final 125 mile drive to our destination.

We had only one reason for wanting to get to the Hook of Holland and that was to catch the overnight ferry back to England, it sailed at 22:00 and it was now 17:15 and we had been on the road since 12:45. All in all it had been a good drive, a little slow at times due to road works but the weather was good and, as it was a Saturday, there were very few lorry’s on the road.

The rest of the drive was pretty much uneventful and we arrived at the port at 19:00 just as they had started check in, we presented our passports and internet booking confirmation and was handed a map of the ship, along with our boarding cards which would also act as the  keys to our cabin. We were then waved on to the next box where a Dutch immigration officer once again checked our passports. We then proceeded along the car lanes  stopping briefly whilst they loaded some lorry’s on before us, we eventually got on board at about 19:30.

We parked the car as instructed by the crew member and applied the handbrake as well as putting the car in gear (better safe than sorry, you don’t want your car rolling into the car in front or behind if the ship starts rocking). I also remembered (unlike a previous occasion) to lock the doors but not put on the alarm, evidently it can get a bit annoying for the crew to have car alarms sounding all night long once the motion of the ship sets them off.

On leaving the car deck I took one of the tickets from the pad by the stairs/lift which indicates which car deck you are on and which colour staircase to take the next day when you return to your vehicle. We were on car deck 3 and would need the green stairs. We took the lift to the ninth deck where our cabin was situated. As we were only on board for one night and it was a short crossing lasting only seven hours, we had decided to opt for the cheaper option of an inside two berth cabin, there are also outside cabins and higher grade cabins to suit all budgets.

Our cabin had cost £37 plus the fare of £100 for the car and two passengers, making a one way fare of £137, the cabin was clean and bright and had everything we would need for our journey, a shower with WC, a dressing table with mirror and hooks and hanging space for our clothes. The sleeping arrangements were in bunks with access to the top bunk gained via a small ladder.

Having checked out our cabin we went in search of food, we first checked out the Food City on deck 8 which serves individually priced items and smaller snacks, ideal if you are in a hurry or on a budget. We decided to push the boat out (no pun intended) and went to the Metropolitan Restaurant on deck 7 where there is a buffet/grill with a set price of 25 euro for all you can eat.

A crew member welcomed us, as we entered the restaurant, and suggested that we look around the restaurant and the food on offer before making up our minds. This we did, and as the food looked so delicious we asked to be seated, requesting a table with a view at the front of the ship, overlooking the bow. Once seated, the waiter took our drinks order and then left us to choose our starters, main courses and deserts at our leisure throughout the evening, only stopping by now and then to enquire on whether any more drinks were required.

The food was of a very good standard and the ambiance of the restaurant very relaxing, we sat enjoying the meal for about two hours as the sun set on the Hook of Holland. We finished our meal with a cup of tea, and watched the deck hands  casting off as the ship turned around and headed for England.

After dinner we explored the rest of the ship starting with the shop which was very well stocked with the usual booze, fags and perfumes as well as souvenirs of Holland and sweets and the like. Having sailed on these sort of ferries many, many times before over more years than I care to remember, I can tell you that there are very few bargains to be had these days. The tax break that we Brits use to get from Duty free went several years ago and now with the pound being so weak against the euro the prices on board are pretty much the same as in the UK.

After a little window shopping we went on to explore a little more of the ship. The Stena Britannica is what is known as a Ropax Seamaster and is predominately a freight ship but which will also take car and foot passengers in some comfort. She is 240 metres long, 29.3 metres wide, can carry 900 passengers in 395 cabins, 300 cars and can maintain a speed of 22 knots, taking seven hours to get from Holland to England.

Amenities on board include: a 24 hour reception, a bureau de change, a kids area, a teenage area, a cinema, a casino, the Stena Plus Lounge, as well as two bars and the two restaurants already mentioned. Everything you need for an enjoyable North sea crossing.