Having seen a recent tv program about Northern Ireland, I am considering taking the caravan there for a couple of weeks. Before I start spending hours on the internet, I'm Looking for advice as to financial viability with ferry costs etc. I would spend 6 months of the year in France if I could, but due to the last holiday there involving a hospital visit, my wife refuses to go there again. Looking for places in the UK to summon up some enthusiasm rather than give up caravanning. I'm retired so cost is a consideration, although I found France more affordable than the UK. Ball park figures for cheapest ferry costs would be welcome.
------------- jjg
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You will need to go up to Scotland for the cheapest ferry, which is Cairnryan to Larne. you can go from Liverpool to Belfast but that takes all night. You can look up ferry prices on the internet. Are you a Caravan and Motorhome club member? If so, you can use their Certified Locations (CLs) of which there are a small number in Northern Ireland.
Thanks Mrs. Bonce. I am a member of both organisations although I've always managed to do better than their prices for ferry fares to France, but I'll give it a shot. I suspect that the ferry fares with Stenna Line and P & O will be more than I was paying for overnight trips with Brittany Ferries. I'm reluctant to use P & O after suffering their rubbish food and completely sleepless night on Hull - Rotterdam overnight crossing many years ago. I also object to the exploitation of workers from poor countries. I shall report on my final decision.
I am from NI but have been living in England for the past 15 years. We go to NI 3 or 4 times a year to visit family and use the Liverpool (Birkenhead) to Belfast ferry. This is a long ferry crossing (8 hours) with either a day time or night time crossing to choose from, but for us, it is the most relaxing as we live in Liverpool so it takes us 30 minutes to get to the ferry whereas driving up to Cairnryan can take about 6 hours for us. The drive up to the Scottish border is fine but the road over to Cairnryan can be a nightmare at times as it is mainly single carriageway and is extensively used by farm vehicles. I was initially put off by the long ferry crossing from Liverpool so we used to drive up to Cairnryan and get the shorter ferry, but it was always such a stressful drive that we decided to try the long ferry from Liverpool and have never looked back. We make it part of the holiday and the 2 ferries on the Liverpool route are only a few years old and are very comfortable. We always book a deluxe cabin with a double bed, 2 armchairs, a television, a fridge and tea/coffee making facilities and really enjoy the crossing. However, no matter what route you take to NI, the ferry is expensive with the Liverpool one being the most expensive. However, the extra cost is more than offset by the savings in petrol for not having to drive up to Cairnryan.
We are members of the CMC and book the ferry through them which always seems to save us at least £50 on the price on the Stena website, but it is very galling that it costs significantly more to get the ferry to NI than it does to go to France.
Northern Ireland is a beautiful country and well worth visiting.
------------- Pixie
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Thanks Pixie_Hez. We always did the Portsmouth - Saint Malo crossing overnight and booked the better cabins. It made an enjoyable start to the holiday and being a Club Voyage member saved us a wad of money. I find it takes a few days to recover from the long drive to the port, on and off the ferry on a short crossing followed by a long drive from the port. Just not worth it to save a few quid sometimes. I'll brace myself and have a look at the cost.
The ferry cost will not be insignificant. If it's any consolation, those of us that live on this island have to pay those prices (and a lot more for direct to France) to get anywhere, every year !
As has been said, cheapest crossing is Cairnryan - Belfast / Larne.
There are 3 main tourist areas, each has a site that is (imo) much better than others, so for Fermanagh Lakelands look at Rushin House, for the Causeway coast look at Ballyness and for the Mourne mountains look at the C&CC site at Delamont. They are no more than 1.5-2.5 hrs apart so no great travelling distances. It's a nice area, different than mainland GB but yet still in the UK, don't expect great weather though, similar to Scotland.
Thanks Arthurdent. That's the sort of information I was hoping for. There's not many posts about the area. I've been to the Republic years ago and had an immensely enjoyable holiday. I'm told it's expensive now. I'm hoping that Northern Ireland will have some similarities in terms of friendliness and hospitality of the people, quality of the food and scenery.
------------- jjg
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Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: caravan holiday Northern Ireland
via mobile 22/7/2024 at 5:51pm
