Ireland to Southampton by car (and ferry!)?

MT

Would anyone have an idea of how much a round trip - just me and no passengers - from Ireland to Southampton would come to in fuel and ferry crossings? For the sake of simplicity, exclude any driving done in Ireland; so just take into account the road journey to and from whichever port in Britain. And that's the final thing, as I'm coming from the north west, which would be quicker over all - a Dublin to Holyhead or Rosslare to South Wales crossing?

L1011

Ferry - up to 300 quid, depending on time of year, time of day, time of booking. Have seen 69 each way land in my inbox as an offer not too long ago (but thats Irish Ferries frequent user club).

Fuel - a similar jaunt but from Dublin uses 100 euros of fuel in my car, add 20 for the northwest. If you're driving an efficient diesel rather than a petrol hothatch expect it to be less; but brim it in Dublin as diesel is a fair bit more expensive in the UK...

Holyhead, definitely. Not only do you not have to drive to Rosslare, the crossing is MUCH faster and bar the bridge off Angelsey, its dual carriageway all the way over north Wales on the A55 as opposed to poorer roads to Fishguard and Pembroke.

Victor

This http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/int/dyn/controller/Itineraires?strStartLocid=31NDFzZ3gxMGNOVFF1TWpjd05qRT1jTFRndU5EY3hOVEU9&strDestLocid=31NDFjOGwxMGNOVEF1T1RBME9UYz1jTFRFdU5EQXpNak09strStartLocid=31NDFzZ3gxMGNOVFF1TWpjd05qRT1jTFRndU5EY3hOVEU9&strDestLocid=31NDFjOGwxMGNOVEF1T1RBME9UYz1jTFRFdU5EQXpNak09&empriseW=315&empriseH=275&intItineraryType=1&caravaneHidden=false&vh=CAR&distance=km&strVehicle=0&devise=1.0|EUR&carbCost=1.3&isAvoidFrontiers=false&isFavoriseAutoroute=false&isAvoidPeage=false&isAvoidVignette=false&isAvoidLNR=false&autoConso=6.8&villeConso=6&routeConso=5.6&dtmDeparture=15%2F6%2F2009&indemnite=0&itineraryCarType=0&itineraryFuelType=0 suggests (from Sligo):

Costs
72.07 EUR
Toll 9.85 EUR | Petrol 62.22 EUR (with a "Hatchback", 82.67 EUR with a "family" car)
Time
10h58 which 04h35 on motorways
Distance
726 km which 477 km on motorways

Obviously + ferrys, food, drink and spending money.

MT

I'm not going for another month, and can cross at any time, so I wonder could I hope for tickets as low as €100 each way.

Yeah, the car's a diesel and as I'm in the Enniskillen area I'll try and see to it that I set off with a nearly empty tank, then fill it over the border and then top up again in Dublin. But you reckon to Southampton and back will cost me in the region of €120?

I prolly won't be that lucky with the ferry booking, so the travel costs with fuel will probably leave little out of €350. That translates at about £295.

My thinking on going to Rosslare was that you'd do more of the road journey in Ireland, thus avoiding as much traffic over there as possible, and Pembroke/Fishguard don't seem to be that far from the M4 on the map. But I suppose there's no high speed ferry.

Ps. hadn't seen your post Victor before writing the above, how long is the Dublin-Holyhead crossing usually? It's gonna be less than 5 1/2 hrs there from Enniskillen (bit closer than sligo) but I'll have to add the ferry crossing to that.

corktina

ive just been...the ferry was about €230 i think.......Rosslare much handier for Southampton but from Enniskillen Dublin might be easier (far more traffic both in Dublin and on the roads of the UK though that way) ....M4 to Newbury, A34/ M3 to Soton...Roads from pembroke/Fishguard arent that bad and its dual carriageway all the way after St Clears (an hour from Fish and less from Pembroke)
my 3 litre 1977 V6 Cortina did Reading to Clonmel (about 330 miles)on a tankful at Motorway speed and a bit :-) so in a modern car a tankful each way should do it....(not bad eh 30mpg +...:-)

MT

Was that €230 for the ferry just for yourself and the car? How long was the crossing?

I wonder how prices on the Rosslare crossing compare with Dublin-Holyhead?

The thing is I'd been thinking that going down to Rosslare might actually make more sense roadwise. You're doing more of the journey with less traffic and cheaper fuel - topping up in Rosslare and then less driving on the other side. Then the journey from SW Wales to Soton looks a lot more direct than going east on the A55 before heading south on the M6.

Is traffic bad in Southampton?

westtip

I've done a similiar journey a few times (sligo to Hampshire) in all honesty its 6 and 2 3s if you go Dublin - holyhead or via Rosslare-Pembroke. You have a got a long day ahead of you.

When it comes to driving its all about timing - if you take the Holyhead route the road is now much better along the North wales coast - but if you hit the M6 during the morning rush hour you are in for a crawl through the West Midlands; the drive from Pembroke to Newbury along the M4 will not have the kind of snarl ups and traffic volumes you get on the M6, M42, A34 (the route you will probably take - and the A 34 from oxford can be very heavy - it shoudl be a three lane motorway but it is a very dangerous two lane DC between Oxford and Nebury (M4 junction) with traffic volumes you simply won't see here. - Newbury is now bypassed the infamous interchange of A 34/M4 at Chevely is thankfully now free flow south of Chevely (Newbury junction) it is a wheeze down to southampton via the M3 you will join at Winchester - there are other cross country routes for example using the A 36 or A 338 - very pleasant routes if you have time.

My advice would be go via south Wales if you ar going to hit the Midlands at Rush hour, take the M4 to Newbury and use the A34/M3 route to Southampton; or take the M4 to Swindon and strike south on the A346 down to Salisbury and take the A36 to Southampton - a much more pleasant drive - Time will be a full days travelling whatever route you take. I used to live in Basingstoke in Hampshire and know all these routes quite well - believe me being stuck on the M6/M42 around Birmingham is not funny.

Capt'n Midnight

another option - not sure if it's worth doing though

you can get Belfast - Liverpool too
8 hours but you might be able to sleep on board

http://www.norfolkline.com/EN/Ferry_routes/Liverpool-Belfast/



http://www.aaireland.ie/routes/route.asp
Route Planner (From Liverpool to Southampton)

Time: 4 hr 12 min
Total Distance (Km): 382.24

corktina

MT wrote: »

Was that €230 for the ferry just for yourself and the car? How long was the crossing?

I wonder how prices on the Rosslare crossing compare with Dublin-Holyhead?

The thing is I'd been thinking that going down to Rosslare might actually make more sense roadwise. You're doing more of the journey with less traffic and cheaper fuel - topping up in Rosslare and then less driving on the other side. Then the journey from SW Wales to Soton looks a lot more direct than going east on the A55 before heading south on the M6.

Is traffic bad in Southampton?

that was for car and two adults....i think prices are much the same either route...petrol we reckon is now more or less the same cost either side...About €1.14 here, just over a Pound there....

small tip for you, book through the AXA website and theres a 12% discount, they dont seem to ask for proof that you have a policy ;-)

holidayhere

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

another option - not sure if it's worth doing though

you can get Belfast - Liverpool too
8 hours but you might be able to sleep on board

http://www.norfolkline.com/EN/Ferry_routes/Liverpool-Belfast/



http://www.aaireland.ie/routes/route.asp
Route Planner (From Liverpool to Southampton)

Time: 4 hr 12 min
Total Distance (Km): 382.24

Either way, you have a lot of driving.
I would go Belfast - Liverpool.

corktina

i take it you dont want to fly? Theres an Airport at Southampton...and it would save you two days of your holiday.

Victor

corktina wrote: »

i take it you dont want to fly? Theres an Airport at Southampton...and it would save you two days of your holiday.

I didn't realise there were flights from Dublin to Southampton - its FlyBE to Southampton or Ryanair to Bournemouth.

westtip

Victor wrote: »

I didn't realise there were flights from Dublin to Southampton - its FlyBE to Southampton or Ryanair to Bournemouth.

also known as Fly Maybe. - Not the most reliable airline in the world

MT

Just been giving the flying option some thought but the truth is I'm not a good flyer. Like the other thread here does anybody know how much/how long a rail & sail option would be. I imagine there'd be a lot of changing at stations to get all the way down to Southampton from the likes of Holyhead.

I suppose I could steel myself to make one flight across and then relax, safe in the knowledge that I'd be avoiding the dreaded winged thing by taking the train home. But of course that would mean having to get a bus or taxi back to the car at the airport.

When was the last large passenger plane air crash on an internal UK/Ireland route? It'd be just my luck that we're long overdue one.:(

corktina

safer than crossing the road....

L1011

MT wrote: »

When was the last large passenger plane air crash on an internal UK/Ireland route? It'd be just my luck that we're long overdue one.:(

Kegworth, 1989, Belfast to London crashed in to the M1 motorway. Wasn't fully fatal.


The Dublin Swift ferry has crashed at least twice in the that time frame, once in to a dolphin and another in to the pier in Holyhead!

Capt'n Midnight

MT wrote: »

Just been giving the flying option some thought but the truth is I'm not a good flyer. Like the other thread here does anybody know how much/how long a rail & sail option would be. I imagine there'd be a lot of changing at stations to get all the way down to Southampton from the likes of Holyhead.

http://seat61.com/Ireland.htm €29 each way Dublin southampton ferry + train

Maverick88

If you go to Fisguard the train goes to Cardiff (and onto Paddington), change at Cardiff for a train to Southampton

Maverick88

Sorry, let me make that clearer. Train from Fishguard to Cardiff, and change at Cardiff for train to Southampton. If you check with National Rail enquiries they can give you the train times to from Cardiff

Maverick88

Just had a quick check, trains more or less every hour from Cardiff to Southampton, journey takes about two& half hours

MT

That €29 each way seems ridiculously cheap if it includes the ferry crossing as well. I had always thought train travel was way more expensive than low cost flights.

Alun

MT wrote: »

That €29 each way seems ridiculously cheap if it includes the ferry crossing as well. I had always thought train travel was way more expensive than low cost flights.

Those combined ferry/rail tickets really are as ridiculously cheap as that.

We've used them a couple of times via the Dun Laoghaire / Holyhead fast ferry when going on walking holidays in the UK to get to and from the start of our walks. Much handier than planes when taking rucksacks and poles and other non-standard sized luggage. IIRC they do them in 2 or 3 different zones depending on how far away from the port you're going, but even the most expensive is way cheaper than any normal train ticket would be.

The only problems with them are that you can't book online, only over the phone, so there's a booking charge applied, and you have to pick up the tickets in advance. Well, when I say 'pick up', what they really mean is that you stand in what may possibly be the slowest moving queue in the world for hours, while messages go over the PA system urging passengers to get on board, while some jobsworth behind the counter painfully slowly writes out each individual ticket by hand (managing to write it in totally illegible handwriting, and not pressing hard enough so that the carbon copies are even less legible!). What I'd recommend is that if you can, go down to the termonal the day before when there's no ferry operating and get your tickets in advance.

Go to http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ for a rail journey planner.

Good luck .. (I dislike flying too, and with all the crap re: luggage and "security" etc. I'm beginning to dislike it more and more as the years go by).

getz

MT wrote: »

Would anyone have an idea of how much a round trip - just me and no passengers - from Ireland to Southampton would come to in fuel and ferry crossings? For the sake of simplicity, exclude any driving done in Ireland; so just take into account the road journey to and from whichever port in Britain. And that's the final thing, as I'm coming from the north west, which would be quicker over all - a Dublin to Holyhead or Rosslare to South Wales crossing?

i costs for 2 people one car[ and my dog] £240 return i leave dublin 21.30 arrive in hollyhead 0.30 i always get my head down for a couple of hrs then when i leave the ferry, at that time no traffic

MT

*Deap breaths* I... have... decided... to... *Deap breaths* ...fly

I'm not going for a holiday, but an appointment instead, and simply can't justify the additional travel time involved in the car/train and ferry option. So it's a round of valium sandwiches and a shot of elephant tranquiliser for me before hitting Dublin airport.:eek:

Thing is I want to book now but there's still some uncertainty as to which day of the week, a month from now, I'll need to be there on. Does anyone know if you can change your flights with the likes of flybe or are you left having to book entirely from scratch, paying for two sets of flights in the process? Obviously, if you could change, I'd expect that you'd have to pay for the cost of the new tickets at that time and not at the prices of, say, a week previously when you first paid.

Carawaystick

You can also fly to Southampton from George Best airport ( Belfast City, beside Ikea) if getting to Belfast is handier than Dublin.