Need cheap ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Cherbourg/St,Malo.
 

Help! All the prices I have come across so far have been approx.£500..!!..!!!...to cross a little bit of water....! Don't wan't to use Eurotunnel as will have a 4 hour drive on the French side.
Any suggestions please?

There's no alternative from the Solent to Normandy. And it's not a little bit of water: it's the boundary between civilisation and the Eurozone.

All Channel crossing prices vary massively by how far in advance you book, your accommodation and what time of day you travel. None of us has the faintest idea whether the price you're quoting is for one walk-up passenger booking six months ahead or for a car and four passengers buying a ticket for immediate travel and expecting cabins for the journey.

Play round with alternative times etc. But you've posted a simultaneous question about going to Brussels. There is absolutely no routing for a car from the British Isles to Brussels where a Western Channel journey from England (like Solent-Normandy) makes sense. If, as your name implies, you're starting from Ireland a Rosslare-Normandy ferry is almost certainly the fastest and cheapest option to almost any Continental destination.

I think it was the Romans who civilised us....never mind all the other invaders...
I will keep searching the ferry websites for deals. Cheers.

Flanneruk, the info. regarding travelling to Brussels is irrelevent as we are not driving there and I'm not from Eire.

siobhain: But flanner's main point is valid. You have given us nothing to work w/. When are you traveling? Foot passenger or car? How many of you? Little details like that. Otherwise we are working in a vacuum

Point taken. We will be travelling in August on a Saturday for 2 weeks. 2 adults, 2 children. Car. Preferably to travel early in the day but would consider the Friday night for overnight travel. All very costly. If anyone does know a cheap ferry service or know when they reduce their prices for a short period, would very much appreciate the info.

A Saturday in August is going to be among the busiest and most expensive time of year for any kind of transport. As Flanner said, there are no alternative ferry companies for this route. And you've also discounted using the shorter Channel crossings.

If this is the route you want it looks like you need to pay the price.

The ferries are used mainly by British people going to France on holiday. The peak time for summer holidays is from the middle of July to late August. Saturdays are the busiest days. This will apply to any ferry route and any other means of transport. If you want a cheaper fare, go mid week.
The only ferry operators on the western English Channel are Brittany Ferries, Condor Ferries and LD Lines.
www.brittany-ferries.com
www.condorferries.co.uk
www.ldlines.co.uk