Dublin -> London Bus (am I mad?)

otron

We are planning on taking the bus from Dublin to London with a toddler and a new baby in the next few days for various reasons.

[6 week old baby with no passport / Have to travel through the night but don't want to drive / Ferry prices are getting pretty high]

I'm wondering if anyone has done this and can help with a few questions:

- How are the busses?
- How many rest stops does the bus usually take?
- Are there toilets on the bus?
- Should I expect the bus to be pretty busy this time of year or is it a mostly abandoned method of travel these days?
- Are we completely mad?

Any advice appreciated!

carlop

I know two years ago there was a special offer that allowed you to travel by rail and ferry from any part of Ireland to any part of the UK for £30 one-way, all transfers included (even the Tube when you arrive in London).

If it still exists I think this is a better option, as travelling by rail is far more comfortable, especially if you're travelling with small children.

ToxicPaddy

Yup, still exists..

Sail and Rail.

Crey86

You should probably check if your baby needs ID with whatever operator you use. I've taken the ferry a few times and I've had to show my passport.

Rachiee

well I did london to dublin on the bus a few years ago

The bus is of the same sort of standard as Bus eireann buses.

There is a toilet on board.
I can remember one very decent rest stop of around 20-30 minutes, otherwise we were also off the bus for a good while waiting on the ferry but then this was towards the end of our journey so was much appreciated where as it will only be at the start of yours.

I did it at the end of summer , during the day the bus was really warm and absolutely packed but all in all it wasnt so bad.
Pluses for you it will be night you'll sleep easier, it wont be too warm, minus for you would be the two little ones the newborn would be fine, but the toddler might get really bored and uncomfortable if she/he doesnt sleep but hopefully everyone will sleep and it wont be a problem.

all in all i found the journey awkward,long, tiring and uncomfortable but hey not the worst thing in the world. A good option if you are totally skint which we were at the time

Savman

SailRail involves Trains (the hint is in the name)

Eurolines is the coach version but I would not recommend it unless it is a last resort. The Train is a fine way to travel and a nice stress-free alternative to flying, whereas taking the Coach on a graveyard shift is just painful.

AngryLips

+1 on SailRail. It's about a million times less stressful than the bus.

otron

Thanks for the replies folks.

While I'd normally prefer a train over a bus any day, in this case I think I'd opt for the bus.

The train (usually?) involves a stressful transfer in Crewe which wouldn't be good if all goes to plan and the kids are sleeping.

Also the train arrives in Euston whereas the bus stops at Victoria which is exactly where we want to be for our final connection. Traveling on the tube with 2 kids/buggy/luggage would be the greatest nightmare imaginable.

The train option is surprisingly cheap, so I'll squirrel that info away for future use.

After spending some time backpacking in South America a few years back, where regular 12+ hour bus journeys were the norm, the 7 hours across the UK should be a comparative breeze - assuming the toddler sleeps.

In terms of ID requirements, we would be flying if we had been able to get a passport for the baby in time, but it looks like a birth cert would do ... there's an amount of risk involved in this of course, but we have to try - My missus is English and this is the first time the grandparents will see the new baby.

Savman

So it seems like you already had your mind made up that you were taking the Coach all along

If that's the case, it's around €36 one way and you'll be travelling thru the night with all sorts...and I really mean all sorts. When you consider that flying to London can be done for next to nothing, it really shows up the Coach as a prehistoric method of transport (You don't need passports for Aer Lingus to the UK IIRC).

But hey, knock yourself out!

http://www.eurolines.com/
https://194.106.151.95/EurolinesPublic/EurolinesPublicWebApp/EuroPublicTravelDetails.aspx

Fajitas!

To answer your questions:

- They're usually some of the best buses of the Bus Eireann/Kavanagh's fleet. The odd time, if there's a problem with the regular bus, you may end up with something a bit older. Or a complete banger.

- I *think* it's a stop of 20-30 mins, every 2 hours. It's always at a service station, you'll have food, tea, coffee and toilets available.

- Yes. Whether they're working or not is a different story. To be honest, you're better off if they're not working.

- It's pretty impossible to tell, but it can book up very fast around holidays.

- Honestly, with 2 kids, yes, you are.

I've done rail and bus more than a few times. To be honest, the changeover in Crewe is nothing compared to the doors opening for 20-30 mins every two hours on a cold night on the bus. At least once you're on the train, you can relax some bit and have some room/comfort. And change carriage if you end up having a rowdy crowd. You won't have that option on the bus.

Also, I've always had to show my passport when going Dublin/London, train or bus. Rosslare/London didn't pay as much attention.

trellheim

The train (usually?) involves a stressful transfer in Crewe which wouldn't be good if all goes to plan and the kids are sleeping.

only very few need a change the night boat first couple of traind dont

robinph

I'm sure there are direct trains from Holyhead if you get the right ferry.

Really wouldn't want to spend that long on the bus, even if you are getting off every couple of hours. You get far more space on the train, can get up and walk about if needed to try and calm the kids down, loos, buffet car available when you need it. Yeah, so getting through the underground may be a bit of hassle at the London end, but I can't think of anything +ve about spending so long on a bus journey with a couple of kids for so long.

If you are UK/ Irish then you don't need passports for getting the ferry across, but there would be the very slight possibility of needing to prove the identity of the kids so could be handy in that case.

Pudzianowski

Done this trip with eurolines 3 or 4 years ago. Whilst it did take about 7 hours (i think!), we didn't find it too stressful. There were 4 or so stops, 2 of which were in fairly decent set ups, it was at the start of the summer, bus surprisly was fairly quiet, and we ended up with full seats to ourselves to sleep on, which was good.

As somebody mentioned previous, the toddler may get bored.

ScouseMouse

I don't know if it's any use to you but aer lingus dont need I'd for infants from Ireland to uk.

Ryanair does.


BMI doesn't either.

trellheim

The only point I'd make about the train would be that the interior lights will be on the entire time, whereas on a coach they will be off.

Badgermonkey

As mentioned by robinph above, if your toddler doesn't settle for whatever reason, a train allows you to get up with them for a wander 'round. At Euston, hop in a cab with buggy & luggage to Victoria for approx £14.00

jasper11

6 wk old child will be ok for the ferry. my 5 yr old got thru with me with birth cert. had few questions in wales but no problem wen explained was waiting on passport. yes the tube is a mare especially with bags n kids in rush hr. scary **** . enjoy ur trip mate. coach was fine for me and little fella slept all way to cork from london more or less. laptop with games is handy to