Anyone ever got the bus from Dublin to London?

sunflower27

Was in Busarus this morning and saw a brochure for bus trips from Dublin to London. Sounds horrendous!

Adult standard was 70e return. You can fly cheaper than that.

Anyone ever done it?

Mint Sauce

Done it a couple of times, From Donegal!



And yes, it's horrendous.

Dermo

I used to get the Bus to Leeds. Would take about 12 hours total but a lot of that was spent on the boat or sleeping during the early hours of the morning. I would do it for festivals because extra baggage charges for flying would be horrendous!
I've actually made quite a few friends from those travels over the years.

It's actually cheaper nowadays to do sail & rail instead:
http://www.irishferries.com/ie/index-uk-ie.asp
or
http://www.stenaline.ie/ferry/rail-and-sail

Minstrel27

I got it from Waterford to London return. It wasn't a nice journey but it is much cheaper than a flight if you need it at very short notice. 13 hours of misery each way Not liking boats doesn't help matters.

rednik

It sunk after about 20 metres.

recylingbin

yup. it used to be 18 quid back in the day. Flights at the time would have been about 200 hundred.
I have it in my head that it used to take about 14 hours - 6 hours london to holyhead, hang around for a while, 6 hours on knacker infested ferry and then back to busaras. then on to connolly and home.
Only did it the once unsurprisingly

mikemac

Minstrel27 wrote: »

I got it from Waterford to London return.

Do you go to Fishguard?
Or do you have to go to Dublin and then Holyhead?

sunflower27

irish-stew wrote: »

Done it a couple of times, From Donegal!



And yes, it's horrendous.

Any particular reason you didn't fly?

I know there are people that actually are afraid of flying and I get the point about extra luggage, etc, which actually makes sense.

recylingbin

Oh, did I mention that the bus had a toilet onboard that didn't flush...
ugh.

Alopex

I met with napper tandy
And I shook him by the hand
He said "hold me up for chrissake
For I can hardly stand"
The most disgraceful journey
On which I've ever been
The last time that I travelled on
The boat train

I had a couple of drinks in town
A few more at the port
I puked up on the gangway
But some kind folks helped me board
They helped me to a table
Poured whiskey down my throat
They sat me at a table
And I lost my watch and coat

First we drank some whiskey
Then we drank some gin
Then we drank tequila
I think that's what did me in
Then we drank some brandy
And the women had a dance
The steward then announced
That we could play the game of "chance"

We crowded round the table
With our money in our hands
I ended up on the other side
Without a penny in my pants
I woke up in the toilet
When we got to holyhead
The doors were all a-banging
And I wished that I was dead
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/pogues/boat+train_20109743.html ]
Then we went through customs
A couple of credited thugs
First they looked for [bombs] and joints
Then they looked for drugs
Stuck a flashlight up my arse
Told some Irish jokes
Said "**** off" now paddy
So I headed for a smoke
On the boat train


(or then we went through customs
With a couple of crazy thugs
First they looked for [bombs] and joints
Then they looked for drugs
Stuck a flashlight up my ass
Told some irish jokes
Said "**** off now, paddy"
So I headed for a smoke
On the boat train )

We got on board the train
And then we had a drink or two
Started playing poker
But the booze ran out at crewe
Some people started sleeping
Others looked for duty free
Some bastard started singing
"the little cottage by the lee"
He then sang "paper roses"
"boolavogue" "eileen aru"
Somebody started slagging off
The pakis and the jews

First I found some whiskey
Then I found some gin
I sat down in the corner
And I read the daily news
First I drank the whiskey
Then I drank the gin
I tried to make the toilet
And I broke my ****in shin
Next thing that I knew
I was in london in the rain
Staggering up the platform
Off the boat train

Chuck Stone

Surely the bus to London couldn't compete with Ryanair any more could it?

sunflower27

recylingbin wrote: »

yup. it used to be 18 quid back in the day. Flights at the time would have been about 200 hundred.
I have it in my head that it used to take about 14 hours - 6 hours london to holyhead, hang around for a while, 6 hours on knacker infested ferry and then back to busaras. then on to connolly and home.
Only did it the once unsurprisingly

And back to Busarus after all that. God, how grim. Busarus is so depressing! I'm surprised they haven't revamped it. Tourists must get an awful shock when they arrive there for the first time.

Amirani

I've done a bus overnight from London to Paris. Very cheap but a bit long and uncomfortable.

Sail rail is a much better option in my opinion. Trains are far more comfortable.

recylingbin

sunflower27 wrote: »

And back to Busarus after all that. God, how grim. Busarus is so depressing! I'm surprised they haven't revamped it. Tourists must get an awful shock when they arrive there for the first time.

Certainly anyone there that day must have thought 'who is that tramp that looks like he hasn't slept for a week, carrying everything he owns on his back while smelling of untreated sh*te.'

Mint Sauce

sunflower27 wrote: »

Any particular reason you didn't fly?

I know there are people that actually are afraid of flying and I get the point about extra luggage, etc, which actually makes sense.

Because at the time it cost a fraction of the price the plane cost (in the 90's). Would never do it now.

Done the sail rail option from Sligo a couple of years ago, only because I had some much stuff with me. At least with that you can get up and walk around.

Dravokivich

Did it last year. The driver got lost as soon as he got into London and had to ask the passegners for directions.

haha, we ended up on roads barely wide enough to fit the coach.

teol

Did rail&sail to London. That was bad enough. Wouldn't even think of going on the bus. On that same brochure they advertise bus journeys to Amsterdam and Poland :eek:

jajjay

Travelled that route back in 1995............. never again!!

Minstrel27

mikemac wrote: »

Do you go to Fishguard?
Or do you have to go to Dublin and then Holyhead?

Didn't go near Dublin. The bus went via Rosslare.

TwoShedsJackson

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Surely the bus to London couldn't compete with Ryanair any more could it?

It can if you need to get there at very short notice: that's how Ryanair are making a profit, they sell a bunch of seats for 20 quid then if you need to go in the next couple of days, say for a funeral or something they charge what they want.

Have a look on their site for flights to London going in two days, coming back Monday, cheapest I can see is €235 return, apart from the outward leg which is 15 less if you leave Dublin at 22:45.

sunflower27

I have got the ferry to Holyhead before and enjoyed it How long is it to London on the train from there? Does anyone know?

I am meant to be going to London in a few weeks and am actually thinking I might do the sail/rail if the train is not too bad.

If the boat is only 2-3 hours to Holyhead, then maybe the trip after to London on the train wouldn't be too bad.

pragmatic1

irish-stew wrote: »

Done it a couple of times, From Donegal!



And yes, it's horrendous.

Done it once from Letterkenny. Never again. Worst journey ever.

bijapos

I took it a good few times, as a poster above said about 20 years ago the plane was 5-10 times the price.

12 hours in total.
6-7 in the UK on the bus depending on traffic, 45 min break somewhere en route.
Boat was 3hr 45 min. and then 30 mins into Busaras.
The rest was waiting in the bar on the boat.

It was fine tbh, you met some great charachters, met some lunatics too. You always met someone on the boat that you knew, or they knew someone you knew, so it was good for catching up. My mates met on the bus around 1991 and married a few years later.

I hitched the same route a good few times as well, but the bus was better. To be fair as it was the best way to travel for the money. You never really thought about taking the plane as it was so expensive so I think most people were happy enough with it.


Now if its mad bus journeys you want there was the "Magic Bus" * which went from London to Athens. 3 1/2 days of psychos, alcos, druggies, drop outs, people on their way to the islands for the summer and what else. First thing the bus did was stop in Calais for booze, it stopped every 5 hours in a service station after that for about 20 mins and stopped once in Yugoslavia for about 2 hours to stock up on booze. The border crossings were epic in thier chaos. 2 drivers, I've seeen them change over at the wheel while the bus was still moving. Did it twice, never again.

* Yes, yes I know there were several "Magic Buses", most notably to Amsterdam, but this was the most hard core one I was on.

pragmatic1

sunflower27 wrote: »

I have got the ferry to Holyhead before and enjoyed it How long is it to London on the train from there? Does anyone know?

I am meant to be going to London in a few weeks and am actually thinking I might do the sail/rail if the train is not too bad.

If the boat is only 2-3 hours to Holyhead, then maybe the trip after to London on the train wouldn't be too bad.

Hollyhead to London is the worst part of the trip.

sunflower27

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

It can if you need to get there at very short notice: that's how Ryanair are making a profit, they sell a bunch of seats for 20 quid then if you need to go in the next couple of days, say for a funeral or something they charge what they want.

Have a look on their site for flights to London going in two days, coming back Monday, cheapest I can see is €235 return, apart from the outward leg which is 15 less if you leave Dublin at 22:45.

Very true. I suppose that reasoning is behind a good few people that get the coach.

sunflower27

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Hollyhead to London is the worst part of the trip.

Ah OK. I was thinking if it was a nice trip it might be something worth trying.

steve9859

sunflower27 wrote: »

I have got the ferry to Holyhead before and enjoyed it How long is it to London on the train from there? Does anyone know?

I am meant to be going to London in a few weeks and am actually thinking I might do the sail/rail if the train is not too bad.

If the boat is only 2-3 hours to Holyhead, then maybe the trip after to London on the train wouldn't be too bad.

You've got two 2 hour trips. Holyhead to Chester then Chester to London Euston. Or a 1 hour and a 3 hour if you change at Bangor (which is more common on the way there). 1st train is local, 2nd is Virgin express complete with wifi. It's a good comfortable train and a pleasant enough journey

recylingbin

bijapos wrote: »

Now if its mad bus journeys you want there was the "Magic Bus" * which went from London to Athens. 3 1/2 days of psychos, alcos, druggies, drop outs, people on their way to the islands for the summer and what else. First thing the bus did was stop in Calais for booze, it stopped every 5 hours in a service station after that for about 20 mins and stopped once in Yugoslavia for about 2 hours to stock up on booze. The border crossings were epic in thier chaos. 2 drivers, I've seeen them change over at the wheel while the bus was still moving. Did it twice, never again.

* Yes, yes I know there were several "Magic Buses", most notably to Amsterdam, but this was the most hard core one I was on.

Sounds like a nitelink I got once.

Good craic, I imagine.

Hawk Wing 2

used to go from Ennis to London in the 90's with Slatterys, 16 or 17 hours...

sunflower27

steve9859 wrote: »

You've got two 2 hour trips. Holyhead to Chester then Chester to London Euston. Or a 1 hour and a 3 hour if you change at Bangor. 1st train is local, 2nd is Virgin express complete with wifi. It's a good comfortable train.

Thanks for that

Trains are quite expensive in the UK from my experience living there. be interesting to see how much it costs

Mint Sauce

steve9859 wrote: »

You've got two 2 hour trips. Holyhead to Chester then Chester to London Euston. Or a 1 hour and a 3 hour if you change at Bangor. 1st train is local, 2nd is Virgin express complete with wifi. It's a good comfortable train.

Depending on the time tables you can do london to holyhead on the one train. Virgin all the way. Holyhead to london is trickier and will most of the time require a change or two.

Chuck Stone

I want to do it for some reason!

Darkginger

Did Westport > Victoria a few times - worst part was when you had to take your luggage off the bus when you got on the ferry, which left you stuck with it all during the crossing. Not a lot of fun when you're travelling on your own.

Mint Sauce

sunflower27 wrote: »

Thanks for that

Trains are quite expensive in the UK from my experience living there. be interesting to see how much it costs

Sailrail is very cheap. About €50 to €60 if I remember a couple of years ago.

Trains in the UK, especailly long distance services are only expensiivve if you book at short notice. I got a train from Padington to the South West once, a 3 to 4 hr journey. First part was an Intercity Service, booked my seat on a specific train, 2nd train was a commutor service. Booked it in advance at a cost of about £30. Had I booked an open ticket, meaning I could have taken any train that day or paid before boarding, it might have cost nearer a £100.

Cool Mo D

The sail rail price is fixed, and one way train and ferry from any station in Ireland, to any station in the entire UK is always 60 euro, so no way would I get the bus. You don't have to book months in advance either.

sunflower27

irish-stew wrote: »

Sailrail is very cheap. About €50 to €60 if I remember a couple of years ago.

Trains in the UK, especailly long distance services are only expensiivve if you book at short notice. I got a train from Padington to the South West once, a 3 to 4 hr journey. First part was an Intercity Service, booked my seat on a specific train, 2nd train was a commutor service. Booked it in advance at a cost of about £30. Had I booked an open ticket, meaning I could have taken any train that day or paid before boarding, it might have cost nearer a £100.

I usually fly into Luton and then get the train to where my friend lives in North London and that train costs £21 return on top of my flight.

Mike 1972

irish-stew wrote: »

Virgin all the way.

Does not compute


(sorry)

sunflower27

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I want to do it for some reason!

The coach or the sail/rail?

I don't think I'd mind the sail/rail.... the coach - no chance

OPENROAD

Don't do boats imo

dj jarvis

pppfffttt !! amateurs !!!

i done berlin 2 dublin ( 38 hrs !! ) after 3 days non stop raving at the love parade in 96 ( one and a half million attended - it was mental :-) )

on the way we had to stop in the biggest kip on the planet BRUSSELS :-(
it was 3am and we stopped at the main bus station , went into the building 2 drop a rope and at the toilet entrance was a 110 year old witch collecting the 50 francs (0.50 ) for entry , as i had come from germany heading for london i had deutchmarks , sterling and punts but no feckin Belgian coins

i offered said witch 5 marks - NO she cackled , i offered 3 pound coins - still NO , at this stage king kong's finger was making a break for freedom so i just let a really loud roar and told her if she did not let me pass i was going to crap on her desk , she then spat on the floor , lifted her little barrier and with applause from my fellow travelers i finally got to poo

silly bitch could have made a tidy profit but still was having none of it - and tbh i was so pissed off with her i was 100% willing to carry out my threat

i ended up spending more on water/food/and sundries it would have cost the same 2 fly :-(

poxy poxy trip home - dont do it kids

Mint Sauce

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Done it once from Letterkenny. Never again. Worst journey ever.

Dublin to letterkenny, and visa versa is bad enough. Bus took about 7 hrs once.

:eek:

Was raging because Mr Chippie was closed by the time the bus pulled in.

:mad:

Rabidlamb

Ah the old abortion bus, remember it well from the 80's.
Quivering wrecks of young ones traveling with their older sisters.
Good to hear it's still going.

steve9859

sunflower27 wrote: »

steve9859 wrote: »

You've got two 2 hour trips. Holyhead to Chester then Chester to London Euston. Or a 1 hour and a 3 hour if you change at Bangor. 1st train is local, 2nd is Virgin express complete with wifi. It's a good comfortable train.

Thanks for that

Trains are quite expensive in the UK from my experience living there. be interesting to see how much it costs

Did it the other week. Book online with Irish ferries for the leg to London. €50 Inc booking fee & credit card fee for the trip on the fast ferry. Then book the return in the station in London (as then u can reserve your seats) and it is £38 (no booking fee). And no luggage fees of course. And no extra cost of getting from the airport into the city. Fixed price no matter when you book.

poisonated

I have. I left at 8pm and got to London at 8am. It cost me 25 euro. It was ok but I don't know if I would do it again. I much prefer the sail and rail. It is a little more expensive(40 euro) but much more comfortable!

Killer Pigeon

I got this one once to Holyhead;

http://www.fugly.com/media/IMAGES/Random/bus_boat.jpg

sunflower27

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

I got this one once to Holyhead;

http://www.fugly.com/media/IMAGES/Random/bus_boat.jpg

How long did it take and how much did it cost? Can you remember?

galah

Did Hamburg - Dublin via London once. Back in 1996 or so. Never again, ever (cheapest option at the time, plane tickets were stupidly expensive then).

On the way back, I had to share the bus with a bunch of German boyscouts singing holy Christian songs ALL the way back.

Torture.

Also had the bright idea of including England and Ireland in an interrail ticket once. Got to Dublin and realised that Ireland has about 3 trains in total, ALL going through Portarlington or Portlaoise, no matter where you want to go. D'oh.

pragmatic1

irish-stew wrote: »

Dublin to letterkenny, and visa versa is bad enough. Bus took about 7 hrs once.

:eek:

Was raging because Mr Chippie was closed by the time the bus pulled in.

:mad:

21 hours including the boat.

Diageio_Man

i got the bus to bristol last year for a festival near there cause the pasport office fcuked up my passport. It was the most grim bus and ferry ride ever. when i got onto the ferry from rosslare about an hour into the sailing a group of travelers decided to run amok on the ferry smashing each other up so we were asked to go down to the lower decks. And the thoughts of gettig the bus back home was even worse after a weekend of madness. got my passport sorted the day i came back so i vow never to ever get that bus again. just not worth it.

Chuck Stone

sunflower27 wrote: »

The coach or the sail/rail?

The worst one.

My worst journey was from Cork to Leipzig when they tried to blow up the planes in England.

Bus from Cork to Shannon
'Sleep' in Shannon airport
Shannon to Stanstead (total chaos - all flights grounded due to attempted bottle bombers)
Girlfriend upset as she wanted to get to her best friend's wedding.
Decide to head for the South coast to the ferries.
Bus from Stanstead to London
Bus from London to Dover.
Ferry booked out.
Ran up the road and blagged our way into a Polish family's car.
Ferry to Calais
In Calias Polish people said we'll give you a lift to Belgium (very nice people).
Belgium to Bonn train
Bonn to Leipzig train
Round of applause at the wedding the next day for being the only people to get there from the Islands .

T'was a great experience looking back.

Stinicker

I flew to London this year last minute and took the bus & ferry home London-Cork was like 20 hours. Still felt better than giving Ryanair €300 for a oneway flight. Wrecking is all I can describe it as, I flew to Bangkok only a few weeks before the trip and the bus from London was a more trying journey.