Reopen the Harwich to Esbjerg ferry!

Are there any updates on the UK to Scandinavia ferries situation? The quick answer is no.

I’ve just returned from a 2,224 km drive from Norway and feeling not only tired but perhaps more upset than ever that there are no ferry crossing between the UK and Scandinavia.

One of the most popular posts on this blog is how you’ll get ‘from the UK to Norway by car and ferry’. And sadly, it’s not a happy reading. The only help you’ll get on milage is the crossing between England and France. The next possible ferry is from Germany or Denmark onwards to Norway or Sweden. But this still involves a good drive from Calais.

DFDS’ historic passenger ferry route between Harwich and Esbjerg was closed down after struggling for a long time with high costs, loss of passengers and freight being switched to road transport.

Our last loophole was the freight ship from Ingham to Larvik. But this option is now ruled out as well as DFDS has made a strict no passenger allowed on board policy. You can send your car as freight but this comes at a rather high cost as well as the task of bringing it to Ingham and collecting it in Larvik.

The best solution for all travelling from South England, going to Norway, Sweden and Denmark would be if the Harwich – Esbjeg route would reopen. This could save us a drive of more than 1000km per way! Some of you in the comments section on my old posts have asked me to start a petition. But as such a petition already exist and I belive we are stronger together, I suggest signing the ongoing petition Reopen a direct ferry from the UK to Denmark.

Let’s hope this petition will get the attention of DFDS and its CEO, Niels Smedegaard. And that DFDS will reconsider their routes for 2018!

76 thoughts on “Reopen the Harwich to Esbjerg ferry!

  1. I think this is the perfect time to start thinking about a ferry from Scandinavia to England. Flights will be more expensive and driving through the whole of Europe to get to one of our neighbouring countries is absurd. Please give us a ferry and link our countries together again. It will also save the pollution through Europe and remove a lot of trucks away from the roads. It’s high time to do this.

  2. My children loved their trips to Denmark on the ferry – the comfy cabins, the freedom to roam around the ship and the fresh air – none of which you can get in a stuffy car on a packed autobahn.

  3. I keep answering with the links to our group as asked but they are not being published. Is it the spam filter in all it’s glory? Just google Reopen the Harwich to Esbjerg Ferry.

  4. Still working on this campaign, check our websites and join our group, the bigger our voice the more likely we may be heard.

  5. We used to travel a lot from Newcastle to Stavanger and after 2014 Harwich to Esbjerg up until 2016 as we have family in Norway, we still travel back and forth twice a year but by air, I think they should definitely bring it back, to save our air miles.
    If you have an electric vehicle tolls roads/tunnels & internal ferries are currently free and bus and taxi lanes can be used.
    Come on Ferry companies sort it out as it will be well used, twice a year by us and in return twice a year by our Norwegian fam. as we do alternate Christmas’s.

  6. We in our group would really love a ferry back Harwich Esbjerg, we miss it so much most of us travelling a few times a year, also the motorbike clubs and classic cars clubs. We need it A S A P, we have only been once since ferry ended in 2014, we flew but never again. So relaxing on ferry. SO PLEASE PLEASE PUT ONE BACK ON.

  7. I travelled from England to Norway, Sweden or Denmark every summer for some 20 years .. but now I don’t go and DEEPLY regret losing my favourite holiday destinations.

  8. There are some amazing driving roads in Scandinavia, but with no direct ferry link a two day drive just to get there means it’s not worth the trip. How many tourists are these countries losing out on – surely worth subsidising a ferry link?

  9. I have family in Norway and Sweden and taking your on car to enjoy both beautiful countries again would be fantastic

  10. I live in Boston Lincolnshire and we used to frequently use the Harwich to esjberg service and have missed it ever since . I’m willing to pay that bit more just to have it back in service and I’m sure there are thousands out there also willing . Whoever is in charge please reconsider this ferry route again .

  11. Please bring harwich to esjberg ferry back , this is missed a great deal more than I think the ferry services realise. Have family over there and it’s an excruciating journey by car not to mention mental exhaustion too.

  12. We desperately miss the ferry from harwich to esjberg It’s impossible not to mention the exhaustive journey to drive to Denmark . We used the ferry regular due to having children in Denmark and it’s been nightmare ever since they stopped. Please bring the harwich to esjberg ferry back don’t even mind having to pay more .

  13. We live in Northumberland and have had to travel on an expensive overnight ferry via Amsterdam, through the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark to visit our family in Sweden followed by a holiday travelling through Sweden and Norway. At the moment we are sitting in our tiny campervan on a random campsite in Germany having caught an overnight ferry from Oslo to Copenhagen then travelled a full day with another day travel ahead of us tomorrow before reaching Amsterdam for our overnight sailing home to North Sheilds. THIS IS CRAZY! Why don’t the ferry companies recognise that the North of England and Scotland desperately need access to the rest of Europe without having to drive excessive distances to get there. The North East used to have direct ferry access to Scandinavia but closed those routes several years ago in favour of making travellers go south. From the North of England access to ferries from Scotland, even Shetland would be preferable to having to travel south to sail back up the North sea to Scandinavia!!

  14. I have relations in Tromso. A ferry to Norway would be a Ideal for me and the Motorhome. Unfortunately the not so popular Norwegian government has decided to Toll many of its routes, ignoring the effects its had on tourism throughout Europe. Its now reached Tromso. This has put an extra £200 on my visits. I have to bypass Norway and travel up through Sweden. I suspect they stopped the Ferries to prevent the Hoards of angry Vikings; who are now heavily taxed (£4 for a small loaf of bread), having great shopping trips to the UK, thus starving their own of commerce.

  15. Little Englanders dragging the rest of the UK behind it was it closes the doors pulls the curtains, dims the lights, puts loud music on the stereo, switches off the phone, lines up the contents of the pill bottle and pours one last large drink….

  16. Please start up Harwich to Esbjerg sailings. Used the previous DFDS many times, and the boat was always full. Very profitable I gather.

  17. I used to travel a lot from harwich to esbjerg and vice versa. I learned in 2017 that this was no longer in route anymore I still have family in Denmark and we still travel back and forth but I think they should bring it back

  18. On Dana Anglia every year since 1985, and then the later smaller ships till the last one. It is horrendous having to drive thru Holland and germany to reach denmark…..you get exhausted and its no longer a relaxing holiday. I always rent a summerhouse so I wish DFDS would do the crossing Harwich to Esjberg again. I miss waving my Danesbrog flag when arriving in Esjberg. Maybe if Brexit happens the duty free shop will offset the extra fuel charges….. or just charge us more to travel……it costs a huge amount to drive all the way….so i would rather pay an additional fuel levy…..also greener than driving all the way. Hope dana Anglia is okay since you flogged her off to sail in Polish waters. She was a grand old lady.

  19. I THINK IT IS SHOCKING SCOTLAND HAS NO FERRIE LINKS TO SCANDANAVIA, PARTS OF WHICH ARE CLOSER TO PARTS OF SCOTLAND THAN IS LONDON, THIS WOULD BENEFIT ALL CONSCERNED ECONOMICALLY AND CULTURELY . COME ON SCOTTISH GOV AND PUSH FOR THIS….

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