Of 197 ferry-interested travellers surveyed between 4 and 31 May 2026, 74.1 per cent named a lack of direct routes as one of the biggest barriers to taking the ferry more often. Price ranked far lower, cited by just 27.4 per cent.

Scandinavia topped the route wishlist. Asked which direct crossing they would most like to see launched or return, 56.9 per cent chose a UK–Norway link, such as Newcastle to Bergen or Stavanger, while 74.6 per cent picked a Scandinavian destination overall. At present, UK travellers heading to Norway typically cross to the Netherlands or France first, then drive north through Europe.

The survey also underlined the ferry's practical and comfort advantages over flying. Two-thirds of respondents (67.5 per cent) said the ability to bring their own car, campervan or motorhome was a main reason for choosing the ferry. Ferry travel scored an average of 8.0 out of 10 for comfort, against 5.0 for flying, with 77.6 per cent rating the ferry more comfortable. Overnight sailings were preferred by 39.1 per cent, compared with 12.7 per cent favouring day crossings.

Ferrygogo cautions that the results reflect a self-selected audience of ferry enthusiasts rather than the wider UK public, with 86.8 per cent of respondents aged 45 or over. Even so, co-founder JW van Tilburg argues the findings point to a network issue: demand depends on routes that work door-to-destination, combining shorter driving, overnight cabins and the freedom to bring a vehicle into a single journey.

Full survey https://ferrygogo.co.uk/uk-ferry-survey-2026/