Thanks for your comment above. That’s a good thought, but one important point should be borne in mind. Ferry routes are famously volatile, and change so very frequently. The fixed pattern of railway tracks across the landscape means that a train cannot suddenly change to serve another city, but ferries are by definition much more flexible. Routes change, often by the season. Operators come and go.

Your comment prompted us to dig out the 2004 ferry timetables for your hypothetical route from Nice to Malta. Although the patterns of service and operators have changed little on the short hop from Nice to Corsica, the other routes have altered dramatically. That is precisely why ferry journeys need to be planned using a bang up-to-date timetable. For some areas, there are decent guidebooks which are updated annually – and that’s sufficient in regions whey there is some stability in service patterns. One example is Frewin Poffley’s excellent book Greek Island Hopping, which has run to over 20 editions over two decades. And it works bcause the book has an excellent website to accompany it. It is at http://www.greekislandhopping.com.

We have a copy of Gorvett’s 2004 book and think the idea was a great one, but to be of real use it would have needed to be updated twice each year since.

Hope these thoughts help. So good to hear from someone who shares our enthusiasm for long-distance ferry travel, Libbie.

Nicky and Susanne
http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk