The UK is an island nation of great economic importance; therefore freight ferries to UK are in huge demand. There are a large number of routes to various ports along the UK’s lengthy coastline. The English Channel is the narrowest body of water between the UK and mainland Europe; therefore it is no surprise that sailings across the English channel are among the most popular routes.

Visitors looking for the shortest and most convenient route across the Channel should look no further than Calais to Dover. The journey takes only 1 hour 15 minutes to cover the distance of 25 miles. This route is useful for travellers without an advance booking; there are 50 crossings per day.

Travellers who are looking to arrive at another of the UK’s south coast ports will find that freight ferries to UK also sail from France to the ports of Portsmouth Plymouth and Poole. The North Sea is another important trade route; Hull and Newcastle in particular receive freight ferries to UK from countries in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, as well as some of the Baltic States.

Ireland is a close neighbour of the UK and offers several freight ferries to UK from ports such as Dublin, Rosslare and Cork. Most routes offer more than one crossing per day and the crossing time varies from 1 hour 45 minutes to Holyhead up to 9 hours for other crossings.

These are the shortest crossings but there are longer crossings that may interest some travellers. Travellers who are looking to avoid a long road journey from Spain to the UK might be in interested in the Santander to Plymouth route, operated by Brittany ferries. Alternatively, P&O Ferries offer sailings from Bilbao to Portsmouth.

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