Great ‘green getaway’ in hybrid car and new ferry

The good news for British drivers who support sustainable motoring is there is now a great “green” way to cross the English Channel.

Brittany Ferries has upped its game considerably by introducing two new ships, the Saint-Malo, sailing the Portsmouth to Saint-Malo route, and Guillaume de Normandie, sailing between Portsmouth and Caen.

These are the first cross-Channel ferries to be powered by both fuel and electricity, and our recent trip on the new Saint-Malo was a revelation.

Any British motorist who back in the day struggled across the Channel in ferries of indifferent quality can rest assured this new Saint-Malo ship offers good food, a much-improved loading and unloading system for cars, caravans and motor homes and a lot more space on board.

In fact, the latter element of more space was what struck me most: more space for cars, more space in cabins, and crucially more space for families (great play areas for children).

Each ship combines liquefied natural gas (LNG) — currently considered the most eco-responsible fossil fuel available — with electric-power, a little like a hybrid car. This combination means the ship consumes less fuel overall. Greenhouse gas emissions from the funnel have come down by up to
10 per cent, while cleaner combustion means air quality pollutants like soot and sulphur dioxide are cut to almost zero.

There is a wider choice of cabins, a desk area and video on demand (VOD) service, plus premium bedding and cosmetics.

All have USB charging points, UK and European sockets. There are cabins with features such as tea- and coffee-making facilities, a hairdryer and mini fridge.

Most are four-berth, but there are also two-berth standard cabins, with twin or single beds or fold-down upper beds — as well as wheelchair-accessible options.

This new LNG-hybrid ship has three restaurants: Le Jardin is a counter-style servery “focused on healthier living and sustainability — at an affordable price”.

Le Littoral is described as a “French brasserie at sea”. The larger of the restaurants on board, there are sea views, and copious menus — including a buffet dining experience. CClub is a luxurious lounge-restaurant with great panoramic sea views over the ship’s bow. I enjoyed a few meals there in its refined atmosphere and it is a service for those who want extra luxury and exclusivity.

The “beating heart of Saint-Malo” is its bar, named Breizh Ma Bro (“Brittany, my country” in Breton). Here, passengers can enjoy performances by the singers, musicians and magicians on stage.

We were travelling in a new Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid, a nice big SUV ideal for touring around Brittany and the environs of the Emerald Coast.

I never tire of visiting Brittany’s Côte d’Émeraude. By way of this new green ferry service, we have always been able to access its seaside towns without an arduous drive south to find sunshine.

True, most people head south — often to the deep south of France and beyond — to seek the sun but in recent years the summer heat has been so intense the cooler Brittany region has seemed a better bet.

I am writing this article in two parts because I want to give you as much information as possible about the Kia Sorento and the Brittany Ferries service.

So, well placed with the seven-seater Sorento and a new hybrid ship, upon landing in Saint-Malo we quickly crossed the River Rance, a semi-tidal river that flows into the Channel between Dinard and Saint-Malo.

I fell in love with Dinard a long time ago and each year it delivers a lovely nostalgic air of a classic English/French seaside town.

With its international film festival — an homage to the great British director, Alfred Hitchcock — and period villas, Dinard is still regarded as one of the most prestigious seaside resorts in France. It is effortlessly stylish, a great place to eat and two favourite spots were Le Glacier, a café/restaurant on the Promenade Pablo Picasso and the three-times-a-week Dinard market, one of the largest in the region. The markets at Dinard, Dinan, Saint-Lunaire and Saint-Enogat are within easy reach of one another.

We packed four adults and a small child and all our daily holiday gear into the Kia Sorento PHEV 2 1.6-litre T-GDi six-speed automatic and were able to fully exploit the advantage of a plug-in hybrid. (See panel for details of test car.)

Next time, more on touring in France in the Kia Sorento.