P&O Ferries carries many thousands of winter sports enthusiasts each year as they head for the mountains of Europe using the company's network of routes to Holland, Belgium, France and Spain. The biggest single advantage of taking a sail-and-drive approach to reach the slopes is being able to load up kit and equipment without worrying about baggage restrictions.

From the Midlands, north and Scotland, overnight services from Hull to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge are popular, cutting out many miles of driving to and from ports on the south coast of England.

The shortest route of them all, Dover - Calais, remains easily the busiest - P&O Ferries carries approaching 8 million passengers a year on this service, crossing in just 90 minutes.

The longest service operated by P&O Ferries is between Portsmouth and Bilbao. If heading for the Pyrenees is your goal, this service saves around 1,500 miles of driving through France and back again.

For further information visit the P&O Ferries website at www.POferries.com. For ski deals, check out www.POferries.com/ski and you'll see how P&O Ferries works with ski accommodation specialist Pierre&Vacances to offer stays at more than 40 resorts in France.