Trike on a ferry

DIscuss anything relating to non-standard cycles and their equipment.
User avatar
dkmwt
Posts: 464
Joined: 15 Jun 2007, 11:02am
Location: Plymouth

Trike on a ferry

Post by dkmwt »

I'm thinking of doing a bit of cycling in France. My incentive for this is an Archery club in Pontivy. As I'm a member of Tavistock Co. of Archers and Tavistock is twined with Pontivy we have an exchange each year. Last year they came to us, this year we go there. All of the arrangements are made for car travel this time but in two years time I'm thinking of cycling over.
As I live in Plymouth getting to the ferry is easy so I could go on day trips to France. Booking it is another matter. I could just book it as a bicycle but I don't want to get there and be told you can't bring that on as a bicycle it's too big. Especially with the trailer that I would need for camping. I looked through the FAQ and it says book a trike/tricycle as a car. This makes the cost totally prohibitive. It would cost (one way) £50 as a bicycle but £180+ if I booked it as a car which thinking about it, it wouldn't let me do it as my trike doesn't have a number plate.

What do you do??
Cheers, Donald
Trice "Qnt 26" 26/39/55 F 10sp 11/36 R, now with Windwrap fairing.
ICE B1 34/50 F Capreo 9/32 R.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkmwt/78674512/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1188814973
User avatar
[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Cycle down to the dock with trailer one idle afternoon and ask....
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
User avatar
Tigerbiten
Posts: 2503
Joined: 29 Jun 2009, 6:49am

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by Tigerbiten »

Over the last 5 summers I've probably been on over 50 ferry's when on tour with my trike-trailer.
This includes two trips to the continent and back, one trip Denmark-Iceland and back, umpteen Calmac ferries, ferries on the Danube etc, etc.
On every ferry, I've been charged for a bike not a car.
I just say I've a "funny" bike if I book it in person otherwise I just book it as a normal bike if online.
I wouldn't worry about it ......... :D
4wils
Posts: 73
Joined: 20 Mar 2009, 9:56pm
Location: Teesside

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by 4wils »

Always just booked the trikes as bikes when using DFDS. Never had any problem. I suspect the trikes they refer to are motorised.
User avatar
dkmwt
Posts: 464
Joined: 15 Jun 2007, 11:02am
Location: Plymouth

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by dkmwt »

Many Thanks, I shall venture to France at some point in the future then. Is there anything else I need to know about cycling in France? Apart from the obvious, other side of the road. How about roundabouts? Sorry to sound daft but I've not been abroad very often. I've only been in the archery club three years so this will be my second time to France.
Cheers, Donald
Trice "Qnt 26" 26/39/55 F 10sp 11/36 R, now with Windwrap fairing.
ICE B1 34/50 F Capreo 9/32 R.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkmwt/78674512/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1188814973
User avatar
BeeKeeper
Posts: 1265
Joined: 29 Apr 2011, 6:45am
Location: South Devon

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by BeeKeeper »

France is a great place for cycling with generally much less threatening drivers. I can only suggest Google for "driving in France " and read up. It is almost the same as the UK but beware the dreaded priorite a doite in towns and you can get breathalysed on a push bike and lose your car license IIRC.. Avoid roundabouts until you are happy driving on the right as going the wrong way round just feels odd to begin with! :D
User avatar
Tigerbiten
Posts: 2503
Joined: 29 Jun 2009, 6:49am

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by Tigerbiten »

I haven't cycled in France yet, that's for this summer.
In the parts of Netherlands/Germany where I've cycled, if the roads are busy then you'll normally find a good useful cycle path running parallel to it.
Getting through towns tends to more tricky than travelling between towns as the cycle paths tend to stop/start at town borders.

The one thing I find I have to be careful with on the continent is coming out of the likes of supermarket car parks, I don't end up on the "correct" side of the road by mistake ...... :D
Apart from that it's easy as cars tend to give way to you more readily.
User avatar
[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Try in the states, where coming out of a petrol station I turned left, and ended up on the wrong side of the concrete barrier in the middle of the road.

In my defence I then executed a U turn easily - it was a minor suburban road.... 4 lanes in each direction!
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
User avatar
Cunobelin
Posts: 10801
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by Cunobelin »

Chance it?

I always use a "cycle" booking even using the tricycles

i get a few funny looks, but never been refused when I get there
User avatar
Tigerbiten
Posts: 2503
Joined: 29 Jun 2009, 6:49am

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by Tigerbiten »

The closest I've been to being refused was on the Shetland ferry, but it wasn't the trike.

I got to Shetland OK, but on the way out I wasn't asked for any ID (driving licences or passport) to prove who I was.
So leaving the island I was asked for a form of ID.
I'm not carrying any.
Now by law you need ID to get onto the ferry.
So in theory, I'm stuck on the islands until I can produce some form of ID ...... :(
But to get ID I must get off the island ........ :shock:
I was able to talk my way into getting a ticket due it being the Orkney office fualt I was let on the ferry out without ID ....... :D
tatanab
Posts: 5033
Joined: 8 Feb 2007, 12:37pm

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by tatanab »

Over the last 15 years in particular I have used several ferry companies from Portsmouth and from Dover. My trike has never been a problem, admittedly I am talking upright here hence shorter than your Lay-Z-Boy model let alone with a trailer. I use Brittany Ferries more than any other company, and since you are travelling from Plymouth I expect you too intend to use them. Trike in the booking means motor tricycle. I have always booked a bicycle. No problems. I do not see the extra length of a recumbent with trailer being a problem, it's not as if they are short of cycle storage on these ferries.
ambodach
Posts: 1023
Joined: 15 Mar 2011, 6:45pm

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by ambodach »

I think the Shetland/Orkney ferries have abandoned the photo ID requirement but better have something just in case.Calmac do not seem to have a problem.
TimP
Posts: 106
Joined: 25 May 2015, 6:15pm

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by TimP »

BeeKeeper wrote:France is a great place for cycling with generally much less threatening drivers. I can only suggest Google for "driving in France " and read up. It is almost the same as the UK but beware the dreaded priorite a doite in towns and you can get breathalysed on a push bike and lose your car license IIRC.. Avoid roundabouts until you are happy driving on the right as going the wrong way round just feels odd to begin with! :D


You clearly haven't tried Paris! To find anywhere worse than Paris for being on the road you have to go to Asia or Central America!
triker131
Posts: 21
Joined: 29 Aug 2012, 10:23am

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by triker131 »

I had the same concern about being allowed on the ferry as a "bike" only more so as I now ride a Trisled Rotovelo velomobile which is a recumbent trike covered by a full weatherproof polythene body shell. I rode into Portsmouth a couple of month's ago to the Brittany Ferries office and was told by the guy that I saw there that there would not be a problem, it's pedal powered therefore it's counts as a bike.

He was absolutely amazed that anyone could have ridden just over 20 miles to get into Portsmouth - obviously not a cyclist himself. I didn't actually make the trip but have the reassurance that at least one employee wouldn't have a problem booking me on as a bike.

My concern is that some ars*y jobs-worth in France might give me grief about getting on the boat for the return crossing! Hoping to do my postponed mini-tour starting in mid August so I' suppose I'll find out then.
Barogerl2
Posts: 8
Joined: 28 Oct 2015, 7:58pm

Re: Trike on a ferry

Post by Barogerl2 »

Such a shame thatthe Ferry companiesmightputobstacles in the way of a foreign tour. When I went to Holland, via Harwich no problem at all.What alsomade it good was that on the "fast fery from Rotterdam to Dordrecht, bikes and trikes are permitted on board as these boats are used for commuting and at NO CHARGE EITHER
Post Reply