Ferries to Ireland

[K50 DEL]

Looking at taking a trip to Northern Ireland for a week next spring, the prices I'm getting for ferries seem to be very expensive.

Anyone have any tips on where to find the cheapest ferry prices??
I've been looking at Stranraer to Belfast, but am flexible.

[ooo000ooo]

I've used http://www.aferry.co.uk/ on a couple of occasions for the cairnryan ferry and they were slightly cheaper.
Using Tesco clubcard points used to be a good way of booking.

[Tyre Smoke]

It will be cheaper to fly with Ryanair/Easyjet and rent a motor. Sad but true.

You could also look at Irish Ferries to Dun Laoghaire from Holyhead - not too far to the North from Dublin.

[JuniorD]

Tyre Smoke said:

It will be cheaper to fly with Ryanair/Easyjet and rent a motor. Sad but true.

You could also look at Irish Ferries to Dun Laoghaire from Holyhead - not too far to the North from Dublin.

Would second that. If you simply must bring tour own car it would be as handy to get the quick crossing from Holyhead to Dublin then drive up to the North. The drive to Stranraer or Cairnryan is so crap, especially the leg from Carlisle to the ferry terminals. The price of the crossing would be roughly the same and you'd save time and fuel with the shorter drives.

Have fun

[MiniMan64]

The prices up in Scotland to Larne & Belfast seem to have rocketed recently, the flying option is better these days unfortunately. The A75 can be just as stty as a flight although it's better than it used to be.

Where you going out of interest?

[K50 DEL]

My mother was born and spent the first 10 years of her life in Londonderry, she left when she was 10 and has never been back.
To celebrate her retirement and 60th next year I'm going to take her back for a week.

[Tyre Smoke]

In that case fly, rent a car at Belfast and stay at the Radisson in Limavady.

[mat59]

I'm over to Ireland a few times a year and have a top tip to save money. Tesco clubcard points can be used with Stena and Irish ferries. They are four times more valuable when traded for stena or irish ferry vouchers, therefore saving you quite a bit. E.g - £10 in tesco vouchers can be converted into £40 of ferry vouchers. Just shop there for a few months and you'll soon rack up the vouchers. We're going at Christmas and the trip is costing only £40 as the rest is covered with vouchers. We converted £30 worth of vouchers.

[MiniMan64]

K50 DEL said:

My mother was born and spent the first 10 years of her life in Londonderry, she left when she was 10 and has never been back.
To celebrate her retirement and 60th next year I'm going to take her back for a week.

You might as well just fly into Londondery then!

[K50 DEL]

MiniMan64 said:

K50 DEL said:

My mother was born and spent the first 10 years of her life in Londonderry, she left when she was 10 and has never been back.
To celebrate her retirement and 60th next year I'm going to take her back for a week.

You might as well just fly into Londondery then!

That's probably what I'll do, but I thought combining it with a road trip might be nice and if the costs of flying and renting are similar to driving and ferry then I'd probably go that route.

[51mes]

Went over to sligo in july,

took the holyhead/dun loghaire ferry - drops you into the centre of dublin, but wanted to go driving, and I'm a lot closer to Holyhead than you..

Personally and my dad does this (lives in Dunfermline) regularly - the flight is a much nicer option, fly into belfast rent yourself something nice and take the roadtrip that way - belfast or belfast city give you a lot more flight options than eglinton (londonderry)...

Simes

[MiniMan64]

K50 DEL said:

MiniMan64 said:

K50 DEL said:

My mother was born and spent the first 10 years of her life in Londonderry, she left when she was 10 and has never been back.
To celebrate her retirement and 60th next year I'm going to take her back for a week.

You might as well just fly into Londondery then!

That's probably what I'll do, but I thought combining it with a road trip might be nice and if the costs of flying and renting are similar to driving and ferry then I'd probably go that route.

The parents run a hotel/resturant in Ballymoney along the North coast road and Dad's a PH'er too so give me a shout if you plan to head that way.

[K50 DEL]

MiniMan64 said:

K50 DEL said:

MiniMan64 said:

K50 DEL said:

My mother was born and spent the first 10 years of her life in Londonderry, she left when she was 10 and has never been back.
To celebrate her retirement and 60th next year I'm going to take her back for a week.

You might as well just fly into Londondery then!

That's probably what I'll do, but I thought combining it with a road trip might be nice and if the costs of flying and renting are similar to driving and ferry then I'd probably go that route.

The parents run a hotel/resturant in Ballymoney along the North coast road and Dad's a PH'er too so give me a shout if you plan to head that way.

Thanks for that, how far is your parent's place from Derry?