Sea Connections
Sail and Rail from Britain to Ireland
Ireland is easy to reach from Britain. There are 4 ferry routes to choose from, with the best crossing times being less than 2 hours. Train services connect with the ferries, and interchange between train and ferry is simple.
Visit Irishferries.com or Stenaline.co.uk for more details. For a Eurail Ireland Rail pass, visit
Example Point to Point Fares
If you are thinking of visiting Dublin only, then consider a point to point fare, giving you return travel to and from your chosen destination, inclusive of rail and ferry travel.
Newcastle
Ferry services arrive at the port at the mouth of the river Tyne, just west of North Shields. The shipping company involved arranges a connecting bus service to Newcastle Central station, about 30 – 40 minute ride. Here you can find frequent services to Scotland, York, London, Leeds, Manchester and many others.
Hull
Ferry services arrive at King George Dock about 6 km from the city centre and railway station (Paragon). A bus service is provided to connect with the ferry services into town and the station, journey time is about only 20 minutes. Direct services from Hull are principally to Doncaster, Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds and York, by changing trains either in Doncaster or York connections to Durham, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London can be made.
Harwich
The railway station (Harwich International) is adjacent to the ferry terminal – in fact having cleared customs; the platform is less than 20 meters away! A boat train is provided to London’s Liverpool Street station, journey time: 1 hour 20 minutes. There is also a local service to Harwich Town and Manningtree, where connections to Colchester Ipswich and Norwich are available.
Dover
The ferry company involved has their own buses shuttling passengers the 10 minute journey to Dover Priory railway station 2-3 km away. Here you will find frequent services to both London Victoria and London Charing Cross stations, as well as services to Canterbury, Folkestone, Ashford and Maidstone.
Portsmouth
Ferry services arrive at the Continental Ferry Port, situated about 3km’s north of Portsmouth Harbour railway station. A bus service is provided for the 10-minute journey to the station, here there are direct services to London, Brighton and the south coast, Southampton, Bournemouth, Salisbury, Bath and South Wales.
By Train Taxi
All major and many other stations have taxicab ranks outside. If you want to check which do, go to the helpful www.traintaxi.co.uk website. This site also gives details of licensed taxicab and private hire operators serving all 2,500 stations in Great Britain, so that you can pre-book to be met on arrival at even the smallest country station.
Outside London, taxicabs and private hire vehicles offer similar services at similar fares. Both are regulated to high standards. However, only taxis are allowed to wait on public taxi ranks; private hire vehicles must be pre-booked.
In London, you are strongly advised to use only the famous “London taxis” and to avoid unmarked and unlicensed “minicabs”.