My first ferry ride was last July when I took the car ferry from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight. I assume the link below is for a similar ferry to St Malo. I really like the area, and have been to St Malo, Dinard, and Fougeres several times. In fact, my favorite base camp is a Gite in St James, about 30 Km from Mont St Michel. I have a friend who came from Guigamp, and his mother still lives there. Perhaps my next trip, I will explore the western half of Brittany with my wife, as my previous experience 8 years ago was driving directly from St Malo to the Carnac area for several days, and then exiting to the Loire valley.

The Channel is not exactly the North Atlantic Ocean. Still, if you are unlucky, you can experiment rough conditions for the crossing. October is not the worst season, but don’t expect much sun. Normandy and Brittany are known for being rainy regions. From Cherbourg, it takes only 3 hours to reach England (depending on the boat). It's a bit longer from Caen, but the Cotentin (the peninsula where Cherbourg is) and Cherbourg itself are not very interesting to visit, so going from Caen is not a bad idea.

There are night crossings, which can be a good idea if you fear seasick. Sleeping helps.

On the contrary, if you plan to visit the Mt St Michel, you can take the boat at St Malo, it will save you a 3 hours drive and Dinard and St malo are very beautiful cities.

More details here : http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/

Does anyone have any experience taking the ferry between UK and either Brittany or Normandy (Cherbourg). I am starting to think about my next trip, and am wondering if anyone in BP has experience with a trip in October, since this October is my target date. Is this a high sea state month, or is it likely to be more calm. Also, can anyone recommend which would be a better port in France?