Caravan to UK in off-season

Top Dog

Feel like banging my head against the wall at this stage, so hopefully someone on here can safe me from injury.

I'm looking into taking our caravan over to the UK for a weekend in October. Now maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but it seems to me that the Irish Sea is very unkind to caravans?

The best price I've found in 2 hours searching online is about €401, which seems very steep to me. Granted I've never taken a caravan across the sea before so this could well be the norm, but I'm hoping someone can enlighten me to some way that isn't such a sting to the wallet?

I've checked the Caravan&CampingClub UK, CaravanClub UK, directferries.ie, P&O, Irish Ferries & StenaLine websites. I've checked all the available routes, and while you could travel across from Belfast for around €320, you'd use double what you save on diesel from those ports.

Can someone please help, and save me from having to book a TravelLodge or B&B?

At the moment the most suitable route would be to go out from Dublin to Holyhead, then back from Fishguard to Rosslare (around €470). If you factor in the extra diesel used for towing along with the camping charge, thats nearly €700 for a weekend away in Wales - before you eat or drink anything :eek:

Leave the caravan at home & book a travellodge and its closer to €500 including food & drink

Gypsyrose

The Irish Sea has to be the most expensive to cross!! :eek: I sympathise!
We have a motorhome and they not too kind to us either!!
However, we can use Tesco vouchers for the trip on Irish Ferries so this makes the procedure far less painful. Stenaline now only accept £100 worth against the fare. Of course, this is of no help to you if you cannot use Tesco vouchers in Ireland......
Did you ask Irish Ferries for a price? We are using them in Oct from Holyhead and returning Dec from Rosslare to Pembroke.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Top Dog

Gypsyrose wrote: »

Did you ask Irish Ferries for a price?

Some friends gave me a contact email for a guy they've used for booking with a caravan before - but as yet I've had no reply

Betsy Og

I think we've usually paid up around €450 return, in high season. It is expensive but usually its part of a 2 to 3 week trip. On short hops it doesnt pay (neither does a car, most likely - unless you're bringing kids), plus there's the time factor if on a short break - you dont want to spend half the time driving.

All that said we've had great hols over there in Cornwall & Yorkshire. Probably go to Britain again in 2014.

bigjoe

Try Nutt Travel. Here is a page from their site. I am not saying this is any good for you but I have always found them great.
http://www.nutttravel.com/news_article_name/motor-home-caravan-special.aspx

newwifey

10% discount off stenaline with supervalu card

https://supervalu.ie/real-rewards/getaway-breaks/save-10-with-stena-line-ferries/