A few years ago, we went to live in England, in Brighton. Obviously, Kitsune came with us, but we were quickly faced with a problem. It is very difficult to get to England by public transport (neither of us has a driving license). In this article, we detail how to reach England without a car.
N°1: THE PLANE
Our first idea, as I mentioned in my first article, was to go by plane and land in London, preferably Gatwick. We did quite a bit of research on the British government website to see if it was possible, and there didn't seem to be a problem. We just had to land at Heathrow. However, it turns out that no airline accepts to take a dog bound for England. This is strange given that the British government website has a list of airlines approved to land in London.
We even called the British embassy as well as the Swiss embassy in England for confirmation. Both assured us that you can land in London with a dog as long as it meets the conditions (microchipped, vaccinated against rabies, deworming treatment...). Swiss, Air France & British refuse categorically. As for Lufthansa, the first agent told us it was fine, but right when we were about to click book, we called back for confirmation and the second person stated that it was impossible to board with a dog. In short, very complicated, so we went to Geneva airport to inquire and the airlines didn't seem to know whether it was possible or not.
We also looked into cargo transport. British and Swiss told us that they do not transport animals this way. I must admit we were uncomfortable with the fact that Kitsune wouldn't be on the same flight as us, so we didn't dig any further. Moreover, from what I read on the internet, it is a very expensive solution. As a result, we gave up on the plane option pretty quickly.
N°2: THE TRAIN
The second solution was to take the TGV Lyria from Lausanne to Paris, then from Paris to Folkestone, Dover, or London. The TGV Lyria accepts dogs, but Eurostar does not. Next.
N°3: THE BUS
The third solution was to take the TGV to Paris, then a train to Calais and take a bus. However, buses do not accept dogs. It's starting to look very complicated...
N°4: THE FERRY
Then, we came up with the idea of taking the ferry from Calais to Dover or Folkestone. Dogs are allowed on board, but they must remain in the owner's car. This means that if you are a foot passenger, you are forbidden from taking a dog. And there, we realized we had exhausted all the solutions that allow us to get to England by public transport... Crazy, right?! The chosen destination isn't even that far away, yet none of the vehicles allow dogs with the passengers, regardless of their size... We thought that since Kitsune is a small dog it would be easier, but not at all.
It seems there is now a ferry company that accepts dogs departing from France. We will test it the next time we go there.
N°5: TAXI / CARPOOLING
But we weren't going to give up! So, we finally came to the conclusion that we would cross via the Eurotunnel by taxi. While researching taxis crossing the Channel, I came across the company Folkestone Taxi. They are a taxi agency specializing in crossings with pets. They handle the bookings (the slot in the Eurotunnel) and take you and your animal. It was the only solution we found and one of the only ones where Kitsune would stay by our side and in decent conditions.
In terms of price, we paid £200 per crossing (Calais – Folkestone), but at least Kitsune was by our side. From Folkestone, we took the train to Brighton, which is apparently free for small dogs. The price may seem high, but you have to know that flying with a dog was also very expensive. Her ticket was more expensive than ours and we had to buy a IATA-approved crate, which is quite costly.
Our trip went very well, the service was of high quality, and the driver was punctual and friendly. We plan to use this service again when we return to Switzerland.
Here is a summary of how it went. The driver picked us up at Calais train station. They took us straight to the tunnel's Pet Reception. Checking the paperwork and the microchip takes 5 minutes if all your documents are in order. The vet had also prepared a health certificate for us just in case.
After the check, nothing more is required for the dog, and the crossing takes about 35 minutes. Once you arrive in England, public transport is free for dogs, and that is fantastic!
