Push the boat out

It’s ferry good news for travellers going on holiday by sea to Europe, Ireland and around the British Isles. The UK industry says it’s looking shipshape with 12 new and refurbished vessels coming into service by 2023 as part of a £1billionplus investment.

Last year, Brits made 38 million passenger ferry trips around the British Isles and to France, Spain and the Netherlands.

And climate-conscious travellers will be glad to know the new ships feature three state-of-theart, environmentally-friendly vessels for greener getaways.

They include Brittany Ferries’ €175million Honfleur, which enters service on the Portsmouth-Caen route in 2020 and is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), with lower carbon emissions than diesel engines and no smoke.

The 1,680 passengers will also have free wi-fi across the ship, with a digital information lounge as the vessel’s focal point.

A second ship, Galicia, is set to be deployed on Brittany’s longer routes, connecting Portsmouth to Santander and Bilbao in northern Spain at the end of 2020.

Sister ships Salamanca and Santona will then arrive in spring 2022 and 2023 respectively. All three will carry around 1,000 passengers and feature Spanish- style shops, restaurants, bars and cafes.

Later this year, DFDS is to replace King Seaways and Princess Seaways on its Newcastle-Amsterdam service with two newer, refurbished vessels. Then in 2021 it will unveil 1,000- passenger Côte D’Opale, the largest ship it has operated on the Channel crossings.

On the Holyhead-Dublin service, Irish Ferries is planning a € 165m superferry, while P&O has ordered two new ships for its Dover-Calais route.

Like Côte D’Opale, they will be highly fuel efficient and sustainable.

A spokeswoman for umbrella body Discover Ferries said: “The continued investment in new passenger ferries and port facilities is not only great news for the millions of holidaymakers who value comfort and space, it also underlines the industry’s commitment to providing a high-quality, efficient service regardless of what happens post-Brexit.” discoverferries.com

rct.uk, 0303 123 7339

taronga.org.au/retreat

Explore has just launched some inspiring new cycle trips for 2020, including a visit to the iconic Roman ruins at Baalbek in Lebanon – eight days from £1,375pp, B&B. explore.co.uk, 01252 379 518

ship-shape The Honfleur and DFDS ferry Take a peek into real royal life at half term. The Royal Collection Trust has organised fascinating activities for children, such as creating an immersive artwork in The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, and hearing the story of healer Agnes Sampson, a 16thcentury “witch”, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. Spend the night at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. The Wildlife Retreat offers a luxury sleepover, from £436 (two adults), dinner, B&B and immersive experiences.