[category]
[title]
How committed are you to slow travel? So committed that you would swap a swift two-hour flight from Scotland to France for a 20-hour ride on open water? Soon, that could be a very real option.
Danish company DFDS wants to launch a brand new ferry service from the port of Rosyth (around half an hour from Edinburgh) to the French city of Dunkirk this year.
Plans for the new ferry, titled ‘Project Brave’, were brought to the table in 2022 and the service was lined up to launch in spring 2025. There were delays due to lack of funding and the need to build a new border control facility process certain goods at Rosyth. But now, officials are working on removing the need for the facility. If everything goes to plan, the service could launch this as soon as the spring.
The boat would run three times a week and take a total 20 hours to get from one port to the other, making it one of the longest ferry routes in Europe (second only to the Portsmouth to Bilbao service, which lasts between 27 and 30 hours). Initially, it’ll be able to carry 51,000 passengers a year, with hopes to increase that to 79,000 later down the line. MPs estimate that it could bring a £11.5 million of boost to the Scottish economy.
Back in August, Scottish MP Graeme Downie, said: ‘A regular passenger and freight ferry service from Rosyth to Dunkirk would be an incredible boon for the Dunfermline and Scottish economy, making trade easier as well as making it simpler for people from Europe to visit the Kingdom of Fife.
‘These matters can be complex but we have taken a huge stride towards making this ferry service a reality. I want to thank the secretary of state for Scotland and his officials for their work and assistance in finding a way to ensure a Border Control Post is not required at Rosyth. Their efforts make it more likely a passenger and freight ferry to Dunkirk could begin as soon as next year
‘We are not quite there yet and, in particular, a small amount of infrastructure is needed at the Port of Rosyth. However, as the ferry is one of the projects in the strategy of the Forth Green Freeport I am hopeful we can overcome this problem as well.’
It wouldn’t be the first time that a ferry has run from Scotland to mainland Europe. There was previously a service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge in Belgium, which took 17 hours and ran four times a week – but that was permanently axed as a passenger service in 2010.
The best places to visit in the UK in 2026.
Did you see that a ‘Museum of Failure’ is coming to the UK in 2026?
Plus: The beautiful north African city that is getting its first ever direct flights from the UK.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.