Plymouth - Santander

Brittany Ferries offer the fastest sailing time between the UK and Spain, completing the crossing in as little as 18 hours. Their flagship, the Pont-Aven, operates on this route departing Plymouth every Sunday. Since her introduction in 2004 the Pont-Aven has set new standards of luxury on the line. During the winter months the route is operated by the Bretagne. 

The route opened on the 17th April 1978 with the original Armorique. Previous routes had operated between the UK and Spain, but all had failed due to the length of the crossing. By sailing from Plymouth (as opposed to Southampton as previous operators had done) it was possible to reduce the sailing time to just 24 hours instead of 37 hours making the route much more attractive for passengers.

In 2008 169,000 passengers travelled between Plymouth and Santander. 2009 saw 82,000 passengers travel following the reduction to one sailing per week.