Rising oil prices and the economic downturn are blamed. Thus DFDS held their hands up in surrender and used the excuse of generations of Scottish schoolboys: "It wisnae me."

In fairness DFDS did produce a third, and arguably more persuasive reason, of falling passenger numbers. But at the same time officials in Bergen can boast of 200,000 British tourists each summer so there remains a market. And the closure of the route, at the beginning of September, gives DFDS no time to see if last years trend of increasing passenger numbers over the summer months continues.

So 350 people lose their jobs. Tourism in Norway and Newcastle suffers. And ferry passengers, especially the North Britons amongst us, lose another valuable route.

What worries me is that DFDS seem to have capitulated awfully early. Granted oil prices are not great. And I’ll concede – although it’s a field I am not an expert in – that the economy has looked stronger. But would European ferry holidays and short breaks not become more viable and attractive to travellers as the economic pinch starts to nip?

Have DFDS set a precedent? Will other operators take a look at their less busy routes and decide the time has come to scarper? The escape route is there now. The regretful nods in the direction of the local area, the resigned shrug of the shoulders as they point at the global economy and the rise in oil prices as the reason for their departure.

Of course closing routes is the last resort. Before then can we expect rising prices for tickets? Will those little extras that make for a more comfortable journey bear the brunt of escalating prices? All, or any of this, will be carried out with the same excuses: oil prices and economic downturn.

Of course I might be scaremongering. I might, despite my best intentions, simply have fallen prey to the current media mantra that things can only get worse.

But it strikes me that, if nothing else, the announcement by DFDS (studiously ignored on their own website) could be indicative that a change is going to come. The ferry operators will plead their innocence. But like all these things it’s the consumer that suffers. Unless, of course, the companies begin to court us. Might they begin a war for our custom by lowering prices to attract us in what might be called the opposite of the DFDS tactic?

That might be our glimmer of hope. But the one thing we do know for certain is that DFDS have fired the starting pistol and the world economy is now impacting on ferry travel. These will be interesting times.

Guest Article by Tom Hall

The romance of the open road. The freedom to do your own thing. The chance to give Terminal Five, customs chaos and lost luggage the long goodbye. Should we be surprised that the self drive holiday is on the rise in 2008?

The trend – we might soon be calling it a boom! – has many causes. Firstly we are becoming more environmentally aware. True, we might be constantly told that cars are bad for us but not even the greenest environmentalist could argue that car and ferry adds up to a whole lot less damage than car to airport then cheap flight to wherever.

Secondly, as you may have read or heard, the economy is not as robust as it was this time last year. But, hard working as we are, we still need our holidays. Self drive is the cheaper option. Consider the case of Chelsea and Manchester United fans: a gas guzzling flight to Moscow will be upwards of £1000. Cleaner, greener and cheaper, to drive there will be infinitely more fun. That might be an extreme example but it holds true: the self drive holiday will be a lot cheaper. If you put your mind to it then it can really be as cheap as you like.

For a few years now we (or some of us) have looked down our noses at self drive holidays on the continent. Snootiness is all well and good. But ask yourself where you would rather be: stuck on a budget flight, packed so close together that you immediately become more intimate with the stranger sitting next to you than you’d ever want to be. Or strolling around a cross channel ferry, eating what you want, happy in the knowledge that as quickly as the British coast disappears so new horizons, opportunities and adventures will present themselves on the other side.

Life these days is regimented. We work too long, we don’t relax enough. What fun then, in the package holiday? Do any of us ever again feel the need to sit at a poolside and hear the rep announce that the water polo will begin in five minutes? Thought not, far better the freedom to do your own thing.

With Europe now open as never before the self drive holiday gives you the chance to explore. Plan your route, book your cheap ferry tickets and set off. Adventure holidays are popular – but surely the real adventure is to plan it yourself. The need for sedate adventure can be seen in the rise of camping holidays, camping is the new hotelling, and where better to camp than on the continent. The true taste of freedom!

We Brits may not be fully convinced by the European experiment on a political level. But one thing we can agree on is that the Euro and the relaxation of borders has made Europe a much smaller place. The self drive holiday recognises this in a way that the package tour can’t. Pack up in the morning and be in another country by the afternoon. The gap year you never had distilled into a fortnight’s holiday and shared with the family. Perfect.

No wonder then that the self drive holiday is on the rise. Relaxed or adventurous as you want it to be. Greener than flying. Cheaper than a package tour. A sense of freedom, a sense of romance. Your own pace, your own rules. Nothing beats the self drive holiday. And if you still aren’t convinced then let’s be practical: the price of petrol in mainland Europe will be a welcome break for your wallet.

Guest Article by: Tom Hall