Getting there

MOST people arrive in Dieppe, as they have for centuries, by the ferry from Newhaven. It’s an all-year service, run efficiently by LD Lines on behalf of the Seine Maritime council, which saved the line from collapse in 2005 by buying the crumbling Newhaven ferry port as well as two new ferries. One of them, the Seven Sisters, sails on the Newhaven-Dieppe route. The other, le Côte d’Albâtre, currently serves Portsmouth-Le Havre.

Sailing times from Newhaven are normally at 9.30am and 10.30pm, and from Dieppe at 5am and 6pm. BUT ALWAYS CHECK: the timetable is amended when tidal changes affect entry into the ports. Try Sue’s big English breakfast while waiting at the Newhaven terminal.

The crossing usually takes under four hours. When the ferry is full, disembarking with a car can entail a frustrating wait, particularly at the Newhaven end where the narrow ramp in the dilapidated port allows only one exit from the ship. Foot passengers escape faster.

Cabins are spacious, clean and comfortable, though expensive for a single person. The bar staff are friendly and the cafeteria serves passable meals (not cheap); the television has, peculiarly, only French channels; small children have a delightful romping area (sometimes less appreciated by adjacent and non-romping adults); there is wi-fi for computers at a price, if you can manage to find a spot to access it with the help of the information desk. Outdoor seating on the top deck in summer.

To book a crossing, you can ring free on 0 800 9171 201 from the UK or 0 800 650 100 from France. Or email tourism.booking@transmancheferries.com Wrinklies over the age of 60 get 20 % reduction if they proclaim their age when booking. Frequent travellers can also earn reductions.

TUG-Horizon is a Franco-British association of ferry users. For information or observations on the service, contact tugnews@dbmail.com and Brian Collinge, a shrewd British polymath living in Dieppe, will reply.

Coming by road from Calais or Boulogne, follow the uncrowded motorway towards Paris and Rouen, leaving it before arriving at Abbeville, and then follow the D925 through Le Tréport to Dieppe. About two hours’ journey from Calais.

Travelling by train from Paris St Lazare, change at Rouen. Journey time upwards of two hours. The service is not frequent and the last train from Paris leaves at 7.50pm.