After splashing around at the beach in Belgium, we drove all around the coast of France to different ferry operators looking for the best deal and the shortest wait. This is how we like to travel. As a result, our road trips are whimsical and serendipitous, not cemented into any one set course of action. As Akychame says, the absolute BEST trips happen on accident, just stumbling across one lucky surprise after another!
The ferry has the feel of a luxury ship, with gourmet dining, massage services, duty-free shops, and great views. It was a lovely break after our 10-hour drive from Germany to Belgium to France! 
We usually take the "Chunnel" (Channel Tunnel) to England. To take the Chunnel, passengers drive onto a train and park their cars one after another. Although you can walk around or use the lavatory, it is basically an uneventful 35 minutes. Since you're in a tunnel under the sea, there is nothing to look at. There are no cafes, either, which is fine because it's such a short trip. The ferry, on the other hand, takes a few sprawling hours. It's wonderful. We took the Norfolk Line, which is a mere 45 EUR or so per car, as opposed to about 125 EUR for the Chunnel. 
Yay, wireless! Akychame's new tiny laptop was so convenient for the trip - we even booked our hostel reservation for Oxford, England while on the ferry. 
The best part of the ride was being greeted by the white cliffs of Dover at the other side. In the past five years we have taken an undersea train, flown in a small aircraft, and sailed in a ferry across the English Channel! Next we'll have to swim.
Once out of the ferry and navigating our way north to Oxford, we passed street signs pointing us in such directions as "Nottingham" and Canterbury." We always feel, when we are in England, that we've entered a fictional literary landscape. It's magical.
Next stop, Oxford: the "City of Dreaming Spires." Sigh.
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