London to Normandy

My son needs to travel from London to Normandy to meet the rest of the family at our Gite in Normandy outside of Bayeux in mid September. He will be making a one way trip as we are all leaving from CDG later in the week. What would be the most direct and least costly route? The Eurostar esp. one way seems expensive. Can he fly to ?? then go into Paris to catch the train to Bayeux?

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Another possibility, if you%26#39;ll have a car to pick him up, might be to use Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Caen, as a foot passenger. http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/

I don%26#39;t know Portsmouth, but there is a railway station called %26#39;Portsmouth Harbour%26#39; with direct trains from London. You can check UK train times on http://www.thetrainline.com/

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Oops, should have checked a bit more before posting - it looks like Portsmouth Harbour station serves the Isle of Wight ferries, so there might be a walk / taxi ride from Portsmouth station to the cross-channel terminal. And although it would be convenient (for your son, anyway!) to be met by car in Caen, there%26#39;s a train service from Caen to Bayeux, depending on when the ferry arrives.

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You%26#39;ll actually need to meet him at Ouistreham which is the port where the ferry comes in - about 15km north of Caen which confusingly is some way inland.

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It looks like Brittany Ferries have 4 boats per day to Caen. One of them is the fast catamaran which only takes 4 hours. Your son will probably need to take Southwest Trains to Portsmouth and then take a taxi to the ferry terminal.

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Many thanks the advice...i will look into the ferries..

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Hi Audrey- we too are staying in a gite near Bayeux (Calvados) - perhaps it%26#39;s the same one? Anyway, the owner advised me that the express ferry (catamaran) can be exceedingly painful if the weather is anything but very smooth. Apparently it bounces a lot and really, REALLY jars your back. So whilst it%26#39;s fast, the 4 hour crossing is more reliable. Also, the owner of the property we are staying at is a member of the Brittany Ferries something-or-other (tourist operators) and has offered to buy our tix for us, at a discount of 15%. You might want to ask about that at the place you%26#39;re staying. The property owners have to order them, to get the discount.

Good luck - and have a great holiday - how long are you staying in Normandy - please post a report.

Sandra