Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Rides and Touring => Topic started by: GdS on 15 September, 2023, 05:44:37 pm
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Planning my next One Way Ticket TM
the idea is to end up in Rosslare for a boat back to Fishguard then use the very cheap RailSail ticket all the way home. I presume only Stena runs that route but when you search the website it says only available via Starnraer which I really don't want to end up!
anyone used this recently?
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Not for years. Will be interested to hear how it goes. It used to be the cheapest way to get to Bangor - just get off early and forget about your ferry journey.
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The man in Seat 61 has commented on the vagaries of this ticket a lot over the last couple of years.
I'm not sure what's on his website but I seem to recall that the trick is to book through the Transport for Wales website.
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Just checked using TfW website, £82 to Holyhead, only £51 to Dublin, both starting from Peterborough, worth knowing thanks Wow.
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Just checked using TfW website, £82 to Holyhead, only £51 to Dublin, both starting from Peterborough, worth knowing thanks Wow.
Not wishing to detract from the value of the Rail and Sail tickets, but Peterborough to Holyhead is available cheaper than that. I've been P'borough <> Derby several times this year and never paid more than £15 and one trip Derby > Holyhead for £32.
As always, rail pricing is pants.
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Rail Sail tickets are available on any train at a fixed price. Cheap Advances are quota limited, so if they sell out or they were never available on your train you can’t get the cheaper price.
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Buy the rail sail Rosslare Europort to London. Tickets available as just checked. Book them pretty much any rail company website. Shame it doesn’t allow you book bike at same time.
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Going onto TFW shows a fare of £57 all the way home (no railcard discount) although presumably not bookable until 3 months before?
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Pretty sure I was told (although a few years ago) that you couldn't use rail sail with a bike via Holyhead...something complicated about having to go through the foot passenger port for the ticket but not being allowed to take the bike. Worth double checking.
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That was the case for me quite a few years ago. Settled for taking Bromptons, rather than big bikes, they even had to be folded and carried, rather than rolled. Hopefully they have altered that particular bit of stupidity since.
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I did it both directions in 2019.
Outbound I paid the bike carriage fee when I got to Holyhead and it went as checked luggage (they have luton van backed up to the terminal building that went on the ship).
Returning they let me ride onto the ferry but then had t be carried across Holyhead port on a minibus with the foot passengers. That was booked just by turning up at Dublin port and on handwritten carbon paper.
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I can book a single in April via TfW but not May yet. I think you still have to phone Stena Line to make a reservation on the ferry and presumably pay for the bike too?
Another issue is that the twice daily ferry either leaves Rosslare in the morning or dumps you in Fishguard at 2300 with a 8 hour wait for a train. Has anyone any experience of dossing overnight at either terminal?
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There is a lounge area next to the reception, don't know if you can stay there all night though. Also there use to be a station waiting room at Harbour Station if it is still there it may be a better bet. As I have not been through there in the last five years things may have changed. Is there no longer a connecting train to the incoming ferries? Always use to be one, I once got one at about 1am.
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Just checked using TfW website, £82 to Holyhead, only £51 to Dublin, both starting from Peterborough, worth knowing thanks Wow.
Not wishing to detract from the value of the Rail and Sail tickets, but Peterborough to Holyhead is available cheaper than that. I've been P'borough <> Derby several times this year and never paid more than £15 and one trip Derby > Holyhead for £32.
As always, rail pricing is pants.
and once you've added the ferry?
looks like that's 40 quid economy today
I've rarely seen them work out worse than advance + ferry fare
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€22 Ryanair Cork to Gatwick is looking more tempting, just need to find a box
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Isn’t there a £60 fee for you bike on top of that?
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Isn’t there a £60 fee for you bike on top of that?
yes actually €60 but works out about the same as the boat / train as I'd still have to pay the bike on top of the £60 R/S fare. It was the lack of a decent overnight ferry / train connection that swung it. Means I won't be doing the Wicklow Mountains :(