Hiya Steve. The train you were on was actually from 2004! It’s a class 3000 train, and the reason it was looking really fresh was because that fleet are currently going through a mid-life overhaul. The other class of train we have is the class 4000’s, which 7 of that class (the latter 7 of the class 4014-4020) are currently going through an extension programme to make them from 3 carraiges long, to 6 carraiges long, to negate the need for coupling 2 trains together. The first of these trains has now gone into service and there’s another batch of new carriages on its way now too for the next train to be converted. These extra carriages were the new investment in 2018. Our next batch of new multiple unit trains is planned to be around 2025 for new regional units. Then around 2027 we’re planned to invest in some new multiple unit trains for the “enterprise” service which goes from Belfast to Dublin. Hope this helps^ 😁
Hats off to the stamina of you two. I thoroughly enjoy these weekend trips you take but I'm afraid I would never live through it. Thank you so very very very much for making these videos for as to enjoy and educate us on how to get around. I love riding on ferry's. Thank you once again. Stay well, be safe, love from Texas.
The energy these two have whew!!!! 🤯 I’m tired just watching! 🥱 I can’t believe they did that trip in a day then did a 45 minute walk in the pouring rain AND then a 3hr drive home AND work in the morning! They’re nuts! 😂 I could never!
Your partner is a trooper Steve! Can’t believe that 45 min walk to the van, then the 3 hour drive! Way after bed time!! I think she deserves a limo on your next adventure!
Can't hide it, at one point she was definitely thinking, "Yeah, Steve'll be going solo on his next 'adventure'." I hope some day you two will manage to get to the U.S. - since you like ferries, you'd be fascinated by the Swan Quarter ferry from the mainland of North Carolina out to Okracoke in the Outer Banks.
@@madr309 at least she would have had the opportunity to sleep in the van for the 3 hours there and the 3 hours back, not so for Steve as he was driving, he definitely deserves the pat on the back as far as I'm concerned.
I used to drivel to Belfast 4 times a month for work, I always chose Stena, better by far, and the food was so much better. The commercial drivers lounge was like a good hotel compared to P&O Great video Steve ,keep them coming .
I did the Heysham/Belfast crossing in 1971 and of course the whole experience was completely different. The weather was very bad, with people being sick all over with the toilets a-wash. As we approached the Copeland Islands, Dad told me of the Princess Victoria - the mail ferry which went down [about 1953]. . I believe the lifeboat carrying women and children was smashed against the ferry and all on THAT boat were lost. We lost our two ferry firms from Fleetwood [first B & I, then Pandoro ]. A sombre feedback but a great vid; thank you both.
The rail & sail tickets can take you from any train station to Belfast (includes the train to Ayr, coach to Cairnryan, ferry) and is such good value for money. It’s quite often cheaper than a foot passenger ticket bought straight from Stena. Can be a long day and I wouldn’t do it alone!
while Rail&Sail is a great offering, the long bus ride from Ayr often makes me a bit queasy, moreso than the ferry itself. That's why I prefer to travel all the way to the former ferry port of Stranraer and take a bus (much shorter bus ride). The train ticket from Ayr to Stranraer is reasonably priced (and even more when you have a reduction card), the bus is only a few quid, it's a much more pleasant experience imo.
Cracking video again Steve! As an Edinburgh native all i could think about as I watched you doing that trip was the fact you had that drive from the capital to Cairnryan and back again.....such an incredibly draining drive just to get to where you set off from!! Brilliant effort
Great video As a young child I moved to England from Holywood in Northern Ireland. For many years we returned to NI to see family and friends .. usually 2 or 3 times a year. There used to be only one route, from Stranraer to Larne, with the Antrim Princess and Ailsa Princess ferries. My father who used to be at sea, almost always booked a cabin, despite the journey only being about 2 hours. We would be bed at about 10:00pm but the ship only left at about 07:00. A nice breakfast on board then it would be time to head down to the car deck. For a kid, these trips were always exciting. I remember the Chaine Memorial even to this day 50+ years later The Cairnryan to Larne P&O route eventually started, which shortened the duration of the crossing. Regards from Whitley Bay
used to travel many times on the ailsa and antrim princesses, though one brings back bad memories,, running around said ferry with my siblings, i ended up tripping over a step, at that time there were no carpets, just solid metal,, broken elbow.. never healed properly and still have trouble with it to this day, and that was over 30 years ag lol
@@yvonnejohnston9429 Yes, those ships were great. if I travelled with my mum, as I said earlier we would go by train, although on a couple of occasions dad would drive us to Stranraet .. quite a way from Whitley Bay. However, when we all went, we drove to Stranraer, with a picnic half-way break at Dumfries. Dad would usually book a cabin, so we could sleep on board. usually we hadn't even left port in the morning when we woke up, normally heavy lorries would make so much noise, nobody could sleep anyway. Dad used to be a chiel engineer at sea (Union Castle line) so loved going on the ship .. for some reason always first class too. He left the merchant navy a year or two after I was born ... I'm guessing I was too cute to miss .. or maybe too naughty.
Great memories for me Steve, worked in NI for 18 months, home and back once a fortnight on the Highlander and Causeway, they were not plush back in 2004-2006 and I see they haven’t changed. (Nor has the weather) Belfast is such an under rated city, highly recommend it to anyone, love to see more, well done on another ‘braw’ film. Next time don’t be so tight and get that lovely lassie a taxi lol
Glad you made it to visit us in NI. For your information Tranlink Metro operate a bus to/from Belfast City Centre in connection with the Stena ferry. It's Metro route number 96. Definitely better than the long walk down Duncrue Street! Viewers also need to note that the NI Railways service from Larne Harbour does not "connect" with the ferry, so if the sailing is late arriving you can't be sure there will be a train waiting. There are also Translink Ulsterbus services from Larne Town to Belfast.
As society, we still seem to struggle with this - I recently awaited an Amtrak from Houston to New Orleans, that was running about 3 hours late. The connecting buses were there to meet it... they departed right on time - perhaps obviously, with zero passengers. Tax dollars at work...
Northern Ireland is still a bit of a hidden gem, but there's so much to see and do. Belfast one of the friendliest and cleanest cities I've ever visited. I would love to see more of your time there. When I visited a few years back, we hired a car and did the east coast route from Belfast to the Giants Causeway which was utterly beautiful. A few Game of Thrones locations as well as other sights worth seeing, including Bushmills distillery and The Dark Hedges. Highly recommended and do-able in a day.
@@redrunnercfc5438 Maybe you're right. From your comment, I suspect you're either from Belfast or another part of NI, but honestly I thought the city centre was relatively smart when compared to Dublin which is great, but generally looked a bit run down apart from Temple Bar.
Both of the ships looked amazing. Good on you both with all that walking, great exercise and a good way of budgeting to be able to afford more travelling.
I’m not a lorry driver but I’ve done this trip hundreds of times and I’ve always favoured p&o because it takes only 2 hours but I can honestly say that stena is better equipped for passengers so depending on what time I’m travelling it decides what ferry I take and unfortunately for you I’m not going to divulge the reason why or what time and when you find out the reason for yourselves you’ll understand why, great post guys
Yes, would love to see more from your time in Belfast. Another video???? Looks like you had a good time in the pubs! Interesting comparison between the P&O and Stena Line ferries, a really startling difference between the two ships. Hope you didn't get too soaked on the hike back to your van.
That was good again. You had some walk for the ferry home & some walk to get to your van, some of those big lorries were going fast, thanks again you pair ! 😁😁
The Stena is about 50% bigger. I suppose that means you can cram more facilities in. You were blessed with the crossings. It can be a stomach churner. The Irish Sea is famously rough.
I know this area well. My first job was near Stranraer. Back then the ferry for Larne sailed from the Stranraer terminal. There was a train called the Paddy which transported people by rail to and from the Stranraer terminal. There was a ship breakers yard at Cairnryan back then. I remember they broke the old Ark Royal Navy ship there. There was a ferry called the Stella Nordica which did the Stranraer to Larne crossing, along with other ones. A fascinating video which I enjoyed.
Mate, whatever your day job is, you are wasted !!! What a delightful film. And you are such an adorable couple !!!! Does she really never complain?!! Top troopers both 😍
Surprised at the difference in ferries Steve but another cracking video for us to marvel over Certainly the two of you get to experience the pleasures of life and of course the Beamish Once again well done you
Hi. I'm a Lorry Driver, and I've done that crossing hundreds of times, using both operators. The Stena ferries are lovely. They are more geared towards Tourists as they sail into Belfast. They are also part of the Rail Sail scheme for foot passengers. You can buy a combined ticket which gets you to Ayr, and then you get an onward bus transfer to the port and your crossing. There is a bus from the port to the centre of Belfast. There is also a bus from Belfast to the terminal. P and O also offer an excellent service. It could be said that their ferries are more functional. The crossing is 30 mins shorter. At Larne Harbour you can catch the train to Belfast, as you've seen. As a motorist the fact that Larne is 20 minutes from Belfast is not really an issue. Another observation is that you don't lose signal C to L. Whereas you do C to B. As an aside, both ferries dock in Cairnryan at the same time. Be aware that the A75 is not a nice road, and at ferry time is very busy.
I have been on the P&O European Highlander several times and you could go outside to either side and up to the top deck and walk or sit. It was nice, I haven't been on the Stena ship on that route but it didn't feel cramped even thought it was busy. The food court does a lovely fish and chips.
Great video guys (found purely by chance) I'll be travelling on Superfast VII in 10 days,so it was good to get a heads up. Currently,after what P & O has just done to their staff, I was only ever going to travel with Stena
I'd never use P&O again, either. What greed to lay off properly trained staff to employ others who know nothing , at a less than living wage. I didn't realise until a Captain was interviewed about how every staff member had a dual role join a ferry. directing people to safety in event of an accident, {Accidents on ferries can get nasty pretty fast } and staff are needed to help bemused passengers to get to their muster stations/life-rafts. If none of the new staff know the ship's layout, or how to firefight, or what to do in an emergency, it's bad for them, as well as the passengers.
Thanks for the wonderful tour Steve and Mrs Steve. I remember taking the Stenna Line ferry from Holly Head to Dun Dun Laoghaire in Eire many years ago. That was a trip and a half. I never stopped laughing for the entire week I was there. The mother is Half Irish and Half Scots, but she always favoured the Irish side of her Heritage. I remember "taking the mickey" out of the the old Darlin one day and she said to me "Don't talk like that, you are halfIrish yourself." I came back with a quick: "That's it Mither; I am going for a blood transfusion this afternoon. Happy days. Dad'd mither was from County Antrim. I would have loved to have visited and had a look at the Titanic museum, but time did not permit me to do so. Happy travels my friends. Slainte`
I disagree, I have always had a bad experience with stena . Rude staff and more to be honest as a person that has been on p and o 30 times, I prefer p and o.
I've been on the Stena line a couple times, never been with P & O, but definitely would after seeing how much easier the transport connections are there! Great video, hope you enjoyed yourselves :)
That trek to the van at the end of the weekend would have killed me. Good on you! Would love to see more of your Belfast adventures as I haven't been there in over 30 years and it's where my dad was from.
Oh, that was fun for sure. I have missed you guys. It's so good to see you back. I want to go to Ireland one day, but I would like to stay for a good few months so I can absorb more. Thanks for a nice weekend. Merry Ann from Minnesota
Hi Merry Ann! Oh we really didn’t spend enough time there, but it’s very close for us to return, maybe a flight next time to mix things up a little :) aw the best to you!
@@steve-marsh You spent more time than me!...Son and I had to go to Rosslare to pick up a massive old rocking horse that I needed to see before buying, and son drove a long wheelbase van... We went to the port, the horse owners met us, we followed them home, saw horse, bought it, and came back on same ferry! It was so sad not to see more of Eire. I remember a lot of golden gorse and empty roads. The horse belonged to an Anglo~Irish family who were brewers and maltsters {and linked to Guinness family} The horse originally would have crossed the Irish Sea on a much smaller boat around 1880.
We used Stena as opposed to Irish Ferries as that was what the family said were 'Better', but for a vehicle it was incredibly expensive. {over £300} plus £30 for a basic cabin But we needed the sleep after a very long day. I too love the deck space on Stena Europe. Many many years ago, as a child, I had a grim crossing on a tiny ferry called 'Falaise' going from Dieppe~Newhaven Urgh! it went on for an eternity, and the deck {There was only one, I think, the ship was so small} was closed due to the rough sea. People smoked in this days, and eventually the staff opened a ''Stable door'' type opening to let in fresh air, and my chin just reached it. Others crowded behind me, and tried to push me out of the way. A horrid man said ''Mind out kid, unless you want me to be sick in your hood'' Charming. Luckily he wasn't sick, or at least not near me. Years later, googling that old 1947 built ferry , I found out she was known to be ''A roller'' , and a poor young Spanish driver of a freight lorry {a load of oranges from Seville} was so prostrated by seasickness that despite the care of the staff, he died. The person telling this was her Quartermaster. The small ships made life a lot more miserable in rough weather.
Larne native here - the chime at 5:52 is so loud I can hear it from my house (despite not living close to the port)! That ferry was always great for day trips to M&D's. It's a shame we lost the route the Troon some years ago, and even worse what P&O did to their staff. If you ever take the trip again and have some time to kill, there's a great wee pub right outside the ferry terminal where you can watch them come and go. The walk to Larne Town train station from the port is only about 20 minutes or so as well, if you want to experience some of the, um, delights of Larne.
Great wee video, Belfast is fairly close to my own town and it's lovely to know you enjoyed your trip to Norn Iron, if I'd known I could have said hello and at least got you back the Stena Line terminal as a thank you for the enjoyment your videos bring to our family. Yes please! We'd love to see the extended version, you got to The Crown, that's important 😁 Cheers and thanks again!
Hey☺️I’m a boat train enthusiast. Glad to see this video about the ferries and the train. I believe the train you were on has been refurbished. Although there is a new one out in service which is the same model☺️
A very "plummy" English accent on the P&O ship announcements for a ferry travelling between Scotland and Northern Ireland! 😄 Nice video - I enjoyed that.
I remember travelling on Stena Line back in 1991, from Fishguard (Wales) to Rosslare (Southern Ireland) and return. I also did a return train journey from Rosslare to Dublin (Connolly) I was also most impressed with the Stena line. Looks like they have maintained their good name😊
Really enjoyed the video. Brought back good memories of taking the stenaline from Belfast to cairnryan for our honeymoon in Edinburgh. A great way to travel.
Very interesting Steve. NIR trains used to be dire, the worst! Nice to see new rolling-stock. Sadly although ferries may be more shiny than when I first travelled to Belfast in the 1970's and many times thereafter, they are still every bit as slow as they ever were.
Would usually use the P&O route due to being slightly cheaper. They'd also allow us mid crossing (i presume only in fair weather) to pop down with their supervision to check on my dog in the car. Stena do not allow that. I also decided that we'd use Stena over P&O after what P&O did to their staff. Especially to the very nice gentlemen who came down to supervise me to check on my dog with me multiple times over the years! Of course the route people may choose will depend on where they're travelling to on the other side. I go somewhere in the middle of both Belfast and Larne so it doesn't make much difference to us.
Steve, I enjoyed that report. I've always used Stena. Particularly when the HSS was in service. My thought about the long walk from terminal to ferry is that the company wants to wear out the passengers so that they collapse into a welcome seat - AND STAY THERE!
Thanks for braving the journey, the weather, and two separate ferry lines. I'm remembering the days when passengers traveled by train to meet the ferry at Stranraer. I recall making at least one trip of my own back in the late 1980s, riding Sealink liveried Mk II carriages crowded and rowdy. Anyone else recall the busy ferry port at Stranraer? Perhaps the ScotRail Ayr--Stranraer train service would be a worthy adventure for a future vlog? A bit calmer nowadays, I would think. Safe and happy travels!
Hi Steve, Excellent video! I see that the Stena Line boat is £9 more than the P&O which I would say was money well spent! I for one would love to see a video of your adventures in Belfast. Stay safe!
@@steve-marsh I know exactly what you mean, I used to play in bands and getting home at three in the morning only to get up at seven to go to work makes for an interesting day.
Secret with Stena Line is if you're a foot passenger, you do it by bus which includes a shuttle bus straight to the terminal from Europa Bus Centre in Belfast. You can buy a bus ticket Edinburgh to Belfast (and onwards if needs be) for about £50 return with usually just the one change in Glasgow.
Honestly stenas ferry is much more modern and more room to walk around having been on p&o more than 10 times and stena twice but stena really takes the win
As an ex-P&O officer on the Causeway (and occasionally P&O Express) we made our money with lorries and trailer drops, tourists just topped off the profits. Larne has proper customs facilities for wagons, especially farm facilities with an animal welfare/disease control point at Larne port. Stena invested in their ships and went for the tourist market, and cargo just tops off their profits nicely. As P&O crew I’d much rather travel on the Stena ships, but they nearly went under during COVID as their freight offering wasn’t enough to keep them healthily in profit!
Thank you for a very useful video. What neither of these crossings does is cater properly for foot passengers by linking the rail terminal at Stranraer with the corresponding one at Larne Harbour. The ferry companies will probably tell us that there isn't enough demand, but Stena especially seem to be out to discourage the use of the rail connection.
I stopped using p&o when they put a ferry on Troon to Belfast (took same time as Stena Belfast at the time. We had been using Isle of Man Steam packet company an admittedly craft in need of an overhaul but it was cheap, it ran all year and it saved the horrible drive from Girvan to Cairnryan. P&o successfully took the high season business from I. O. M Using a rented vessel late March to very early October. Shortly after there victory they announced diesel prices were causing problems. Funny we had just went through two of the most stable years for fuel. When that didn't work, they announced the company they leased from couldn't meet their desired dates. And one of the best routes ever closed. Great video. Only omission (maybe not relevant to a foot passenger) and not cheap, Stena have cabins up next to spar. My back gives major problems, but just under 2 hours rejuvenates it while my wife enjoys copious amounts of tea and biscuits. Not cheap, but guaranteed pain free drive to North West Donegal. Hoping to repeat it in 6 days and I'm counting...
I did that same combination in 2012 only difference I took the car and had a week in between journeys. I agree with you however on the experiences. Incidentally moving the ferry terminals from Stranraer to Cairn Ryan has meant travelling by train is no longer an option at the Scottish end and poor old Stranraer has (in many peoples's opinion) gone down hill since.
@@iancampbell6925 I am from Stranraer and can say it wasn't just the speeds but the build up of silt in the marina also plus the dumping of ammunition from ww2 in the wrong place and no one will clear it up.
Really enjoyed this video, Steve. Chuffed you came to Northern Ireland, there’s more to see than Belfast, should come to the north coast and possibly inland to where I live in County Tyrone. I will buy you a pint for all the joy your videos give me.
Cheers Marcus, I’ll hold you to that! :) aye, it was just a video idea to compare the ferries, can’t wait to have more time to go back and explore properly :)
Worth bearing in mind that the Stena ship was formerly on the now defunct Rosyth to Zeebrugge service, which from memory took around 24 hours, which is why the facilities are so much better.
I regularly take the Stena Line to Stranraer and i have NEVER been able to access the top deck, it always says no access or staff only for the stairway up to it. Maybe I have just been unlucky about 40 times. Making the trip again 9th December hoping it will be open. The superfasts are brilliant ships, for such a short crossing you wont run out of things to do and might struggle to see the whole ship. Ive always wanted to go on the P&O however the company i travel with picks me up from my house practically and brings me to Glasgow buchannan street station. Then it also picks me up from Buchannan st and drops me off home. Very good for conveniece plus i live beside the train station to belfast. Excellent video pal, always wanted to see the difference in the ships, back in the day of the Stena Caledonia and the HSS, we would always pass the P&O and i always wondered what it was like inside due to the lack of windows on it. Thanks very much. Gained a subscriber. Also all of our trains are like that, it always surprises me how good our public transport system is in comparison to the rest of the UK and even america.
Fantastic ferry video! Last week I was on the Northlink overnight ferry from Lerwick to Aberdeen and the Stena ferries had way more facilities than them and better kitted out, despite a shorter journey! :o
The fantastic video! You've got a really fabulous bonus when embarked by bus😊 And of course, the exclusive weather on the back way. I completely agree that lorries must be hidden underground during the rain time😉
From what you showed - P&O provided convenient landside connections at both ends, but on a smaller, simpler vessel, Stena didn’t provide convenient landside connections at either end, but on a larger, more spacious and well-equipped vessel. I’d probably choose P&O as a foot passenger, based on what I saw, although it may be that for foot passengers travelling to the Stena ports at both ends from nearby urban centres there are better transport facilities, I certainly hope so. I certainly wouldn’t be doing the landside walking (in pouring rain!) you put your companion through 😉😳.
Well that's the problem with relying on yootub videos to do your transport planning, you end up with bad information. There is a bus from the Stena terminal to Belfast city centre timed to connect with most ferry services, (including the one this pair walked to) Translink Metro route 96. While the location of Larne port station is convenient the trains are not that frequent, every 2 hours so a long wait (or a walk to Larne Town station or bus station) may be necessary. On the Scottish side there are some bus services that pass by the main road outside both terminals but the times have no relation to the ferry times. For passengers wanting to get to somewhere other than Cairnryan the best options by far are the coach services, Translink Ulsterbus/Scottish Citylink from Belfast to Ayr/Glasgow/Edinburgh or Hannons Coaches from Belfast to Glasgow both use Stena Line. Hannons is a through coach that travels on the ferry, Ulsterbus/Citylink is to/from the terminals with through ticketing available to destinations on the Ulsterbus or Citylink networks, including Dublin. Sail-rail is also an option with Stena, a coach is used to take passengers from Cairnryan to Ayr station for the train, fares available to any station on the British rail network (Long distance fares including ferry travel can be very cheap in comparison to normal walk-up rail fares) The only through service that used to use P&O is the Donegal - Glasgow coach that has stopped since Covid, hopefully this will return at some point.
If you thought Stena Superfast felt like a cruiseship. Then you should come to Sweden and try Silja Serenade and/or Silja Symphony to Helsinki from Stockholm or the Viking Grace from Stockholm to Turku! :)
I’ve got the Stena line ferry from Birkenhead (Liverpool) to Belfast before and I always walk from the port into the city centre. It is a little long walk but I always enjoy it!
I absolutely agree with your observations about the rival ships. P&O is notorious for keeping much of their open deck space closed to passengers. It is extremely limited on the Dover/Calais route and almost as bad on Hull/Europoort. The P&O Cairnryan/Larne ships do their job adequately. There are no thrills and the emphasis is on carrying freight. Stena's Cairnryan/Belfast service is excellent in my experience. The ships have been beautifully refitted and you can see that far more passengers choose this route - with good reason. Stena are definitely more interested in passenger shipping than P&O.
Cheers George! Yeah, the outdoor space bit is important for me if I want to enjoy the crossing, I much prefer being out there and getting the proper feeling of being on a ship. I guess it's a safety thing? Not sure
The bus from the terminal to the ferry reminds me of joining a ferry as a foot passenger at Dover, which had a similar arrangement. A far cry from the convenience of the old ferry terminal at Stranraer, where you could walk from the train to the ferry terminal then straight on the ferry quite easily.
They're similar I'd say but a few years ago I took the Irish Ferries from Holyhead,Wales to Dublin and got a cabin which was about €40 I did the reverse trip a few days later on the Stena and they wanted €80 for a cabin so needless to say I kipped on a couch on the boat!I think that the last time I caught a P and O Ferry was either Dover Calais or when they did the Scrabster to Stromness ferry which is Northlink now and might have been something else in-between P and O Scottish and Northlink?You might not miss your train in Northern Ireland but in Scotland it's a different matter as with a perfectly rail connected port at Stranraer all the ferries now go from Cairnryan which means a bus from Ayr.
Love your videos Steve I am in Melbourne Australia I would love to travel on ferries between countries like you guys can in the UK .We are very isolated down here by comparison great video thanks.
Good video - I did a similar comparison in August when I went to Ireland for a cycling holiday. Short answer - don't go P&O with a bike as I had to partially dismantle it to shove it in a Berlingo-type van (along with another cyclist) to be transported to the ship. I came back with Stena which - as you say - was chalk and cheese, so much better for cyclists with amusing caring ship staff looking after my bike, and an excellent Breakfast Bap in the café. I complained to P&O about the way I was treated, the standard auto-reply said I would hear from them within 28 days. 45 days later (as I write this) I have heard nothing - and when I phoned today the guy said I will "eventually" get a reply though he couldn't define "eventually". Stena was cheaper, too. £47 on P&O, £36 on Stena. One way person + bicycle. By the way, the NIR trains at Larne do NOT wait for late ferries. However, the train service in Northern Ireland is very good, especially the run along the coast from Coleraine to Derry which is very scenic. Yes, a good video - although I nearly fainted when you described Starbucks coffee as "decent"!
Hi Steve Colin from Port Augusta South Australia. My wife and I both love you r videos we get envious of all the greenery and lovely villages. Would love to see more on Belfast and also the Isle of Skye.
Thanks so much to you both! It will be a pleasure to bring you a wee bonus-feature on Belfast at the start of next week - not much with the clips I have, but better than nothing :) and Skye is high high on the list for a video! :)
I've done the Glasgow-Cairnryan-Belfast route on Stenaline a few times. Using the Citylink or comparable coach services tend to be better for connecting without waiting too long at the ferry terminal on the Belfast leg (wait of around an hour before sailing commences). The railsail used to be 3 times a day, reduced down a few months pre-pandemic to once daily, having to change at Ayr, you then had to wait about 1 hr, 40 min as the bus was timed to collect passengers from the incoming ferry, rather than deliver a smooth and fast connection heading south. So the bus required one less change, and generally was faster, It takes Stenaline quite a long time to take off and load up the haulage (about 1hr, 30 min). Same issue for the local bus on the way back, the connection departs quite early (timed for arriving passengers), the citylink connection from the bus station is slightly later. For taxi's it costs about £10-14 to get to the ferry terminal. The closest railway station is Yorkgate, still about a 40 min walk away. In terms of price, it was fairly similar (railsail I think may have been marginally cheaper, with more frequent connections beyond Glasgow). In terms of flexibility, I think the coach is better, some bus companies have the bus travel with you, but in general coach offers reasonable flexibility if you have a last minute change. The railsail, technically it is a fully-flexible anytime rail ticket in GB, but Stena don't really like giving you much flexibility for the ferry portion, if you miss the ferry, you may have to buy a new ticket, it took alot of hassle to get a 3 day layover in Glasgow one time to then travel onto Belfast, hence to change the date of my ferry portion. Overall, I'd rather take the train to Stranraer to meet the ferry, but it is better to take the bus from Glasgow (sorry #ManinSeat61), Sadly there is little chance there will ever be a 'Boris bridge', the North Channel is 50 km across, quite deep (up to 300m) and filled with highly explosive, British WW2 munitions (and that's before the weather). I do recommend the Hugge lounge if you want peace and quiet on a budget (£5- for massive reclinable chairs) or try the Stena Lounge (about £12) for good seats, unobstructed sea views, free snacks, soft and alcoholic drinks and nice lunches (cost extra), best to pre-book both in summer, but outside of holiday periods can just turn up on boarding to purchase. Even outside of the lounge, there is refillable tea and nescafe coffee in the restaurant. I don't know what ticket integrated public transport connections exist with P&O, as railsail, citylink and national express (and a few other coach services use Stena line). Belfast-Glasgow return is around £35-40. from Aberdeen railsail and citylink were about £55-58 return (incl. railcard/student discount).
Thanks so much for this comment, brilliant! Oh I’d forgotten all about the Boris bridge! Was tempted by the lounges, but for purposes of review (and short journey) I opted to stay in the main public areas (but boy were we tired, those recliners would have been very welcomed)
Nothing worse than having no access to decks , I went from rosslare to Pembroke recently and most of the outsides were off limits , I still think after being on Irish ferries , stena , and p&o brittany ferries are by far the best ferry company . The stena embla from Belfast to Liverpool was soulless and boring no atmosphere like most ferries also p&o . Great video as a frequent ferry traveler I’ve enjoyed watching your vids 👍
I always use Stena from Cairnryan to visit Ireland, I have friends in Belfast and family in the Republic, I always go on the Premium ticket with lounge access and priority boarding and disembarkation for the car.
Back and forth on the Stena boat all the time on the motorbike. Always book the Stena plus lounge, loads of room, really quiet, complimentary all you can drink/eat coffee, Pepsi and crisps
Hiya Steve. The train you were on was actually from 2004! It’s a class 3000 train, and the reason it was looking really fresh was because that fleet are currently going through a mid-life overhaul. The other class of train we have is the class 4000’s, which 7 of that class (the latter 7 of the class 4014-4020) are currently going through an extension programme to make them from 3 carraiges long, to 6 carraiges long, to negate the need for coupling 2 trains together. The first of these trains has now gone into service and there’s another batch of new carriages on its way now too for the next train to be converted. These extra carriages were the new investment in 2018. Our next batch of new multiple unit trains is planned to be around 2025 for new regional units. Then around 2027 we’re planned to invest in some new multiple unit trains for the “enterprise” service which goes from Belfast to Dublin. Hope this helps^ 😁
Absolutely! Thanks SO much for reaching out with this awesome information! All the best to you :)
I'm astonished that you both can do so much travelling (and walking !) and still make it to work on the Monday. Kudos ! 🙂
Definitely would love to see a longer version of the Belfast clips Steve
Concur - I would also note that this looked like an exceptionally fun trip just for the several transportation modes experienced during the journey.
Cheers Ben, will see what I can do :)
We would too 😊
Extra Belfast footage sounds enticing…
Hats off to the stamina of you two. I thoroughly enjoy these weekend trips you take but I'm afraid I would never live through it. Thank you so very very very much for making these videos for as to enjoy and educate us on how to get around. I love riding on ferry's. Thank you once again. Stay well, be safe, love from Texas.
Sònraichte - tha bhidio ùr aig Steve!
Outstanding - Steve has a new video!
+1 to the love from Texas!
Awww thanks so much Kate! And also thanks for recognising how exhausting it was! (But very much worth it all the same) take care :)
The energy these two have whew!!!! 🤯 I’m tired just watching! 🥱 I can’t believe they did that trip in a day then did a 45 minute walk in the pouring rain AND then a 3hr drive home AND work in the morning! They’re nuts! 😂 I could never!
Your partner is a trooper Steve! Can’t believe that 45 min walk to the van, then the 3 hour drive! Way after bed time!! I think she deserves a limo on your next adventure!
No problem for her young legs, Steve on the other hand 😆
She really is Julia, but as much as she deserves a limo, I have a feeling the next time will be much the same :D
Can't hide it, at one point she was definitely thinking, "Yeah, Steve'll be going solo on his next 'adventure'." I hope some day you two will manage to get to the U.S. - since you like ferries, you'd be fascinated by the Swan Quarter ferry from the mainland of North Carolina out to Okracoke in the Outer Banks.
@@madr309 at least she would have had the opportunity to sleep in the van for the 3 hours there and the 3 hours back, not so for Steve as he was driving, he definitely deserves the pat on the back as far as I'm concerned.
@@steve-marsh is your partner Czech?
I used to drivel to Belfast 4 times a month for work, I always chose Stena, better by far, and the food was so much better.
The commercial drivers lounge was like a good hotel compared to P&O
Great video Steve ,keep them coming .
Cheers Jim!
P&O to Larne is cheaper, better of paying the extra, Stenna is much cleaner and a better ferry overall
I did the Heysham/Belfast crossing in 1971 and of course the whole experience was completely different. The weather was very bad, with people being sick all over with the toilets a-wash. As we approached the Copeland Islands, Dad told me of the Princess Victoria - the mail ferry which went down [about 1953]. . I believe the lifeboat carrying women and children was smashed against the ferry and all on THAT boat were lost. We lost our two ferry firms from Fleetwood [first B & I, then Pandoro ].
A sombre feedback but a great vid; thank you both.
The rail & sail tickets can take you from any train station to Belfast (includes the train to Ayr, coach to Cairnryan, ferry) and is such good value for money. It’s quite often cheaper than a foot passenger ticket bought straight from Stena. Can be a long day and I wouldn’t do it alone!
Great advice, thank you!
while Rail&Sail is a great offering, the long bus ride from Ayr often makes me a bit queasy, moreso than the ferry itself. That's why I prefer to travel all the way to the former ferry port of Stranraer and take a bus (much shorter bus ride). The train ticket from Ayr to Stranraer is reasonably priced (and even more when you have a reduction card), the bus is only a few quid, it's a much more pleasant experience imo.
Hi Steve. Just to let you (and anyone else making the trip) the train will NOT wait. If the ferry is late you'll just have to get the next train.
Thanks for the very useful info Alan!
Next time you are stuck for a lift or anything in Belfast give me a shout and if I'm not busy I could run you about.
I've taken this route a hundred plus times and it still takes my breath away. Love it. Thanks for posting.
Nice! Thanks so much for watching our crossing too! :)
Cracking video again Steve! As an Edinburgh native all i could think about as I watched you doing that trip was the fact you had that drive from the capital to Cairnryan and back again.....such an incredibly draining drive just to get to where you set off from!! Brilliant effort
Cheers Chris - and great to see you appreciate how exhausting this trip was :D
Fascinating the difference between the two services ! Enjoyed the insights and the whole journey. Excellent !
Thanks so much John!
Great video
As a young child I moved to England from Holywood in Northern Ireland. For many years we returned to NI to see family and friends .. usually 2 or 3 times a year. There used to be only one route, from Stranraer to Larne, with the Antrim Princess and Ailsa Princess ferries. My father who used to be at sea, almost always booked a cabin, despite the journey only being about 2 hours. We would be bed at about 10:00pm but the ship only left at about 07:00. A nice breakfast on board then it would be time to head down to the car deck. For a kid, these trips were always exciting. I remember the Chaine Memorial even to this day 50+ years later
The Cairnryan to Larne P&O route eventually started, which shortened the duration of the crossing.
Regards from Whitley Bay
Thanks so much or sharing that Brian! Similar memories of the excitement of being in a cabin for travel from when I was a kid :)
used to travel many times on the ailsa and antrim princesses, though one brings back bad memories,, running around said ferry with my siblings, i ended up tripping over a step, at that time there were no carpets, just solid metal,, broken elbow.. never healed properly and still have trouble with it to this day, and that was over 30 years ag lol
@@yvonnejohnston9429 Yes, those ships were great. if I travelled with my mum, as I said earlier we would go by train, although on a couple of occasions dad would drive us to Stranraet .. quite a way from Whitley Bay.
However, when we all went, we drove to Stranraer, with a picnic half-way break at Dumfries. Dad would usually book a cabin, so we could sleep on board. usually we hadn't even left port in the morning when we woke up, normally heavy lorries would make so much noise, nobody could sleep anyway.
Dad used to be a chiel engineer at sea (Union Castle line) so loved going on the ship .. for some reason always first class too. He left the merchant navy a year or two after I was born ... I'm guessing I was too cute to miss .. or maybe too naughty.
Great memories for me Steve, worked in NI for 18 months, home and back once a fortnight on the Highlander and Causeway, they were not plush back in 2004-2006 and I see they haven’t changed. (Nor has the weather) Belfast is such an under rated city, highly recommend it to anyone, love to see more, well done on another ‘braw’ film. Next time don’t be so tight and get that lovely lassie a taxi lol
Hey I did my best to find one! (Wait till you see where I took her for dinner) glad to bring back some memories!
@@steve-marsh 😂 good on you, cant wait for more,
Glad you made it to visit us in NI. For your information Tranlink Metro operate a bus to/from Belfast City Centre in connection with the Stena ferry. It's Metro route number 96. Definitely better than the long walk down Duncrue Street! Viewers also need to note that the NI Railways service from Larne Harbour does not "connect" with the ferry, so if the sailing is late arriving you can't be sure there will be a train waiting. There are also Translink Ulsterbus services from Larne Town to Belfast.
As society, we still seem to struggle with this - I recently awaited an Amtrak from Houston to New Orleans, that was running about 3 hours late. The connecting buses were there to meet it... they departed right on time - perhaps obviously, with zero passengers. Tax dollars at work...
Thanks so much for the awesome info, and apologies for spending such an unacceptable short time over there!
Northern Ireland is still a bit of a hidden gem, but there's so much to see and do. Belfast one of the friendliest and cleanest cities I've ever visited. I would love to see more of your time there. When I visited a few years back, we hired a car and did the east coast route from Belfast to the Giants Causeway which was utterly beautiful. A few Game of Thrones locations as well as other sights worth seeing, including Bushmills distillery and The Dark Hedges. Highly recommended and do-able in a day.
Oh we’d love to get out and see more of the country - overdue a trip over in the van, it’s just so expensive on the ferry with it though!
you havent seen enough of belfast then lol
@@redrunnercfc5438 Maybe you're right. From your comment, I suspect you're either from Belfast or another part of NI, but honestly I thought the city centre was relatively smart when compared to Dublin which is great, but generally looked a bit run down apart from Temple Bar.
In what way is NI hidden 😂😂
@@steve-marsh Isn't it so! Freight and vehicles is where they really make their money, I think.
Both of the ships looked amazing. Good on you both with all that walking, great exercise and a good way of budgeting to be able to afford more travelling.
Exactly :) thanks very much
I’m not a lorry driver but I’ve done this trip hundreds of times and I’ve always favoured p&o because it takes only 2 hours but I can honestly say that stena is better equipped for passengers so depending on what time I’m travelling it decides what ferry I take and unfortunately for you I’m not going to divulge the reason why or what time and when you find out the reason for yourselves you’ll understand why, great post guys
Cheers John!
Nice video. I always like something a bit different and you provide it Steve. And yes, I would like to see some clips of Belfast.
Cheers, I’ll see what I can do :)
My wife and I love your videos! Please go on more ferry adventures preferably longer journeys please! Big fans from Singapore 😃😃.
Would be a pleasure John! I’ll get more planned for sure :)
Yes, would love to see more from your time in Belfast. Another video???? Looks like you had a good time in the pubs! Interesting comparison between the P&O and Stena Line ferries, a really startling difference between the two ships. Hope you didn't get too soaked on the hike back to your van.
Cheers! We dried off on the 3 hour drive :)
That was good again. You had some walk for the ferry home & some walk to get to your van, some of those big lorries were going fast, thanks again you pair ! 😁😁
We always end up with a dodgy walk somewhere in our videos :D
Your videos chill me out at the end of a hard day and rekindle memories of touring Scotland many moons ago.You have a lovely calming voice.Thank You.
Thanks so much Ian! Great to hear it!
The Stena is about 50% bigger. I suppose that means you can cram more facilities in. You were blessed with the crossings. It can be a stomach churner. The Irish Sea is famously rough.
Ohhh good to know - although a stormy crossing makes for a more popular video :D
Thanks for the weekend trip. I enjoy watching all your adventures. As I’ve said, thru y’all I get to see places I’d never get to see otherwise.
Thanks Doris! :) can’t wait to hit the road again and take you somewhere else :)
Thanks for taking me along again Steve. Very enjoyable trip. Best wishes to you and Alicja,
Cheers Derek! aww the best :)
I know this area well. My first job was near Stranraer. Back then the ferry for Larne sailed from the Stranraer terminal. There was a train called the Paddy which transported people by rail to and from the Stranraer terminal. There was a ship breakers yard at Cairnryan back then. I remember they broke the old Ark Royal Navy ship there. There was a ferry called the Stella Nordica which did the Stranraer to Larne crossing, along with other ones. A fascinating video which I enjoyed.
Cheers Alasdair! Shame Stranraer doesn’t have a crossing anymore!
Mate, whatever your day job is, you are wasted !!! What a delightful film. And you are such an adorable couple !!!! Does she really never complain?!! Top troopers both 😍
Thanks so much Gareth!
Surprised at the difference in ferries Steve but another cracking video for us to marvel over
Certainly the two of you get to experience the pleasures of life and of course the Beamish
Once again well done you
Cheers Gavin!
Hi. I'm a Lorry Driver, and I've done that crossing hundreds of times, using both operators. The Stena ferries are lovely. They are more geared towards Tourists as they sail into Belfast. They are also part of the Rail Sail scheme for foot passengers. You can buy a combined ticket which gets you to Ayr, and then you get an onward bus transfer to the port and your crossing. There is a bus from the port to the centre of Belfast. There is also a bus from Belfast to the terminal. P and O also offer an excellent service. It could be said that their ferries are more functional. The crossing is 30 mins shorter. At Larne Harbour you can catch the train to Belfast, as you've seen. As a motorist the fact that Larne is 20 minutes from Belfast is not really an issue. Another observation is that you don't lose signal C to L. Whereas you do C to B. As an aside, both ferries dock in Cairnryan at the same time. Be aware that the A75 is not a nice road, and at ferry time is very busy.
I have been on the P&O European Highlander several times and you could go outside to either side and up to the top deck and walk or sit. It was nice, I haven't been on the Stena ship on that route but it didn't feel cramped even thought it was busy. The food court does a lovely fish and chips.
Yeah, I saw a ship map that suggested more would normally be open, but not on my trip
HI Steve, another great video, hope you got home safe. Thank you for visiting Larne and Belfast. Haste Ye Back!
Cheers Charles! Just a pity we had such a short time there! (We can’t wait to come back)
Great video guys (found purely by chance) I'll be travelling on Superfast VII in 10 days,so it was good to get a heads up. Currently,after what P & O has just done to their staff, I was only ever going to travel with Stena
Good choice mate! You'll never see us on a P&O again for sure!
I'd never use P&O again, either. What greed to lay off properly trained staff to employ others who know nothing , at a less than living wage.
I didn't realise until a Captain was interviewed about how every staff member had a dual role join a ferry.
directing people to safety in event of an accident, {Accidents on ferries can get nasty pretty fast } and staff are needed to help bemused passengers to get to their muster stations/life-rafts.
If none of the new staff know the ship's layout, or how to firefight, or what to do in an emergency, it's bad for them, as well as the passengers.
Thanks for the wonderful tour Steve and Mrs Steve. I remember taking the Stenna Line ferry from Holly Head to Dun Dun Laoghaire in Eire many years ago. That was a trip and a half. I never stopped laughing for the entire week I was there. The mother is Half Irish and Half Scots, but she always favoured the Irish side of her Heritage. I remember "taking the mickey" out of the the old Darlin one day and she said to me "Don't talk like that, you are halfIrish yourself." I came back with a quick: "That's it Mither; I am going for a blood transfusion this afternoon. Happy days. Dad'd mither was from County Antrim. I would have loved to have visited and had a look at the Titanic museum, but time did not permit me to do so. Happy travels my friends. Slainte`
Stena has always been the superior ferry brand. Their ships are fantastic. The HSS was a quality boat too
I disagree, I have always had a bad experience with stena . Rude staff and more to be honest as a person that has been on p and o 30 times, I prefer p and o.
@@HJBDefinitely im opposite, never had any prolems whatsoever with stena, whereas p and o,, used them twice never again...
@@yvonnejohnston9429 I think it depends what ship you go on
Not a fan of P&O considering the past of their entire 'escapade'. Have always used Stena, much prefer the Superfast class of ships.
Stena are highly variable in their service ... and the HSS was an absolute dog, it was wrong in many ways.
Thank you very much Steve for sharing this video. Yes please love to watch LONGER VERSION VIDEO.
Keep it up. Looking forward to your exciting video.
Thanks Harry :)
I've been on the Stena line a couple times, never been with P & O, but definitely would after seeing how much easier the transport connections are there!
Great video, hope you enjoyed yourselves :)
Cheers Rob!
That trek to the van at the end of the weekend would have killed me. Good on you! Would love to see more of your Belfast adventures as I haven't been there in over 30 years and it's where my dad was from.
Would be a pleasure Paul! I’ll try patch something together from out Belfast clips :)
@@steve-marshCheers Steve!
Oh, that was fun for sure. I have missed you guys. It's so good to see you back. I want to go to Ireland one day, but I would like to stay for a good few months so I can absorb more. Thanks for a nice weekend. Merry Ann from Minnesota
Hi Merry Ann! Oh we really didn’t spend enough time there, but it’s very close for us to return, maybe a flight next time to mix things up a little :) aw the best to you!
@@steve-marsh You spent more time than me!...Son and I had to go to Rosslare to pick up a massive old rocking horse that I needed to see before buying, and son drove a long wheelbase van... We went to the port, the horse owners met us, we followed them home, saw horse, bought it, and came back on same ferry!
It was so sad not to see more of Eire.
I remember a lot of golden gorse and empty roads.
The horse belonged to an Anglo~Irish family who were brewers and maltsters {and linked to Guinness family}
The horse originally would have crossed the Irish Sea on a much smaller boat around 1880.
We used Stena as opposed to Irish Ferries as that was what the family said were 'Better', but for a vehicle it was incredibly expensive. {over £300} plus £30 for a basic cabin But we needed the sleep after a very long day.
I too love the deck space on Stena Europe.
Many many years ago, as a child, I had a grim crossing on a tiny ferry called 'Falaise' going from Dieppe~Newhaven
Urgh! it went on for an eternity, and the deck {There was only one, I think, the ship was so small} was closed due to the rough sea.
People smoked in this days, and eventually the staff opened a ''Stable door'' type opening to let in fresh air, and my chin just reached it.
Others crowded behind me, and tried to push me out of the way.
A horrid man said ''Mind out kid, unless you want me to be sick in your hood''
Charming.
Luckily he wasn't sick, or at least not near me.
Years later, googling that old 1947 built ferry , I found out she was known to be ''A roller'' , and a poor young Spanish driver of a freight lorry {a load of oranges from Seville} was so prostrated by seasickness that despite the care of the staff, he died.
The person telling this was her Quartermaster.
The small ships made life a lot more miserable in rough weather.
Larne native here - the chime at 5:52 is so loud I can hear it from my house (despite not living close to the port)! That ferry was always great for day trips to M&D's. It's a shame we lost the route the Troon some years ago, and even worse what P&O did to their staff. If you ever take the trip again and have some time to kill, there's a great wee pub right outside the ferry terminal where you can watch them come and go. The walk to Larne Town train station from the port is only about 20 minutes or so as well, if you want to experience some of the, um, delights of Larne.
Hi Steve, you keep coming up with great films of interest & I now know Stena ships are by far the best with facilities to suit everyone's taste.
Thanks so much Alistair! We loved both crossings but Stena had real wow-factor!
Wowzy...authentic in your videos and in the flesh. Thank you for this exceedingly helpful video. So glad I stumbled on it.
Jema! Lovely to meet you yesterday!!!! See you around :)
Bless your HEARTS! Amazing adventure, always thank you!
If you ever get the chance, you should check out the Stena Line ferry from Dublin to Holyhead in Wales. It's a massive ship, I think you'd like it.
Sounds right up my street! Will do, cheers :)
Great wee video, Belfast is fairly close to my own town and it's lovely to know you enjoyed your trip to Norn Iron, if I'd known I could have said hello and at least got you back the Stena Line terminal as a thank you for the enjoyment your videos bring to our family. Yes please! We'd love to see the extended version, you got to The Crown, that's important 😁 Cheers and thanks again!
Cheers Ray! Ahhh where were you for the lift :D I’ll try pull together the clips from awesome Belfast into some kind of video!
Another great video,wouldn’t travel with p&o after the sackings earlier in the year
Aye, easy choice now!
thanks for confirming what I thought. Seems you two enjoyed this. Love to learn more about Belfast.
Hey☺️I’m a boat train enthusiast. Glad to see this video about the ferries and the train. I believe the train you were on has been refurbished. Although there is a new one out in service which is the same model☺️
Thanks so much Sophie, great info. Love boats, this was a fun weekend :)
Another enjoyable upload you put lots of work into your videos and it shows on the final outcome so well done & keep up the good work ☑️
Thanks so much Michael! Really appreciate it, the videos take a lot of work, so it’s nice when it’s recognised.
A very "plummy" English accent on the P&O ship announcements for a ferry travelling between Scotland and Northern Ireland! 😄 Nice video - I enjoyed that.
I remember travelling on Stena Line back in 1991, from Fishguard (Wales) to Rosslare (Southern Ireland) and return. I also did a return train journey from Rosslare to Dublin (Connolly) I was also most impressed with the Stena line. Looks like they have maintained their good name😊
Video, very well edited and presented! Thank you.
Thanks so much! Appreciate it :)
Another great video, keep up the good work :D
Thanks so much!
I'm going to Belfast on my motorbike a week today, using Stena Line there and back.
Looks lovely on board :)
Have a great trip Simon!
@@steve-marsh
Thanks mate, 5 days touring on the bike :)
Great stuff, my fiancée and I are planning a trip to Ireland and Scotland next spring and will now choose Stena for the crossing. Thanks!
Cheers Alex! Oh, and apparently there IS a bus, but your better half deserves a taxi :)
Really enjoyed the video. Brought back good memories of taking the stenaline from Belfast to cairnryan for our honeymoon in Edinburgh. A great way to travel.
Nice one! Totally agree :)
Very interesting Steve. NIR trains used to be dire, the worst! Nice to see new rolling-stock. Sadly although ferries may be more shiny than when I first travelled to Belfast in the 1970's and many times thereafter, they are still every bit as slow as they ever were.
So true Allan! Cheers
Thanks for taking us on your journey guy’s. 👌
Cheers Poppy! :)
Would usually use the P&O route due to being slightly cheaper. They'd also allow us mid crossing (i presume only in fair weather) to pop down with their supervision to check on my dog in the car. Stena do not allow that.
I also decided that we'd use Stena over P&O after what P&O did to their staff. Especially to the very nice gentlemen who came down to supervise me to check on my dog with me multiple times over the years!
Of course the route people may choose will depend on where they're travelling to on the other side. I go somewhere in the middle of both Belfast and Larne so it doesn't make much difference to us.
Steve, I enjoyed that report. I've always used Stena. Particularly when the HSS was in service. My thought about the long walk from terminal to ferry is that the company wants to wear out the passengers so that they collapse into a welcome seat - AND STAY THERE!
Haha good point Robbie! Cheers and Merry Christmas!
Thanks for braving the journey, the weather, and two separate ferry lines. I'm remembering the days when passengers traveled by train to meet the ferry at Stranraer. I recall making at least one trip of my own back in the late 1980s, riding Sealink liveried Mk II carriages crowded and rowdy. Anyone else recall the busy ferry port at Stranraer? Perhaps the ScotRail Ayr--Stranraer train service would be a worthy adventure for a future vlog? A bit calmer nowadays, I would think. Safe and happy travels!
Ohhh great idea Kevin, thanks!
Unfortunately Kevin
Since the STENA moved from Stranraer the railway passengers have dwindled, buses from terminal to Ayrshire etc.
Hi Steve, Excellent video! I see that the Stena Line boat is £9 more than the P&O which I would say was money well spent! I for one would love to see a video of your adventures in Belfast. Stay safe!
Totally Bill! Thanks so much :)
Another great trip even if it got a bit soggy at the end, hope you had a safe journey home. Take care and look forward to your next video, cheers.
Simon the drive home was a challenge, but not as much as the Monday at work :)
@@steve-marsh I know exactly what you mean, I used to play in bands and getting home at three in the morning only to get up at seven to go to work makes for an interesting day.
Secret with Stena Line is if you're a foot passenger, you do it by bus which includes a shuttle bus straight to the terminal from Europa Bus Centre in Belfast. You can buy a bus ticket Edinburgh to Belfast (and onwards if needs be) for about £50 return with usually just the one change in Glasgow.
Wow, cheers I had no idea!
Went from Stranraer, don't remember it at all, 40 yrs ago! Enjoyed the comparison thanks.
Honestly stenas ferry is much more modern and more room to walk around having been on p&o more than 10 times and stena twice but stena really takes the win
I'm a new subscriber and I love you videos and yes, I'd like to see more of your Belfast visit
Welcome aboard! Thanks so much for the sub, appreciated and makes a real difference :) I’ll see what I can patch together from Belfast!
Looks very clean and pretty p&o ferries
Great video! The Stena ferry looked amazing - so many amenities for a fairly short trip. There were a lot more people on board compared to the P&O.
Thanks Heather - certainly more people knew more than me how much better the Stena was :) although to be fair, the P&O was still very enjoyable :)
As an ex-P&O officer on the Causeway (and occasionally P&O Express) we made our money with lorries and trailer drops, tourists just topped off the profits. Larne has proper customs facilities for wagons, especially farm facilities with an animal welfare/disease control point at Larne port.
Stena invested in their ships and went for the tourist market, and cargo just tops off their profits nicely. As P&O crew I’d much rather travel on the Stena ships, but they nearly went under during COVID as their freight offering wasn’t enough to keep them healthily in profit!
Thank you for a very useful video. What neither of these crossings does is cater properly for foot passengers by linking the rail terminal at Stranraer with the corresponding one at Larne Harbour. The ferry companies will probably tell us that there isn't enough demand, but Stena especially seem to be out to discourage the use of the rail connection.
Very true Peter!
I stopped using p&o when they put a ferry on Troon to Belfast (took same time as Stena Belfast at the time. We had been using Isle of Man Steam packet company an admittedly craft in need of an overhaul but it was cheap, it ran all year and it saved the horrible drive from Girvan to Cairnryan. P&o successfully took the high season business from I. O. M Using a rented vessel late March to very early October. Shortly after there victory they announced diesel prices were causing problems. Funny we had just went through two of the most stable years for fuel. When that didn't work, they announced the company they leased from couldn't meet their desired dates. And one of the best routes ever closed. Great video. Only omission (maybe not relevant to a foot passenger) and not cheap, Stena have cabins up next to spar. My back gives major problems, but just under 2 hours rejuvenates it while my wife enjoys copious amounts of tea and biscuits. Not cheap, but guaranteed pain free drive to North West Donegal. Hoping to repeat it in 6 days and I'm counting...
Thanks so much for this comment Sean :)
I did that same combination in 2012 only difference I took the car and had a week in between journeys. I agree with you however on the experiences. Incidentally moving the ferry terminals from Stranraer to Cairn Ryan has meant travelling by train is no longer an option at the Scottish end and poor old Stranraer has (in many peoples's opinion) gone down hill since.
Really good point Collin
The council kept restricting the ferries speed limits till the inevitable happened, and they moved out.
@@iancampbell6925 I am from Stranraer and can say it wasn't just the speeds but the build up of silt in the marina also plus the dumping of ammunition from ww2 in the wrong place and no one will clear it up.
Really enjoyed this video, Steve. Chuffed you came to Northern Ireland, there’s more to see than Belfast, should come to the north coast and possibly inland to where I live in County Tyrone. I will buy you a pint for all the joy your videos give me.
Cheers Marcus, I’ll hold you to that! :) aye, it was just a video idea to compare the ferries, can’t wait to have more time to go back and explore properly :)
Worth bearing in mind that the Stena ship was formerly on the now defunct Rosyth to Zeebrugge service, which from memory took around 24 hours, which is why the facilities are so much better.
Great info! I had no idea and that means it used to sail right past our window when we lived in South Queensferry! Thanks so much
Superfast X and IX where on the Rosyth route
@steve-marsh I thought it used to operate in the Baltic. Years ago there were signs in multiple languages
You both can be very funny while travelling
Great video and what a brilliant trip to take for the weekend.
Cheers Michael!
I regularly take the Stena Line to Stranraer and i have NEVER been able to access the top deck, it always says no access or staff only for the stairway up to it. Maybe I have just been unlucky about 40 times. Making the trip again 9th December hoping it will be open.
The superfasts are brilliant ships, for such a short crossing you wont run out of things to do and might struggle to see the whole ship.
Ive always wanted to go on the P&O however the company i travel with picks me up from my house practically and brings me to Glasgow buchannan street station. Then it also picks me up from Buchannan st and drops me off home. Very good for conveniece plus i live beside the train station to belfast.
Excellent video pal, always wanted to see the difference in the ships, back in the day of the Stena Caledonia and the HSS, we would always pass the P&O and i always wondered what it was like inside due to the lack of windows on it. Thanks very much. Gained a subscriber. Also all of our trains are like that, it always surprises me how good our public transport system is in comparison to the rest of the UK and even america.
Thanks so much!
Hi Steve love your videos can't stop watching excellent work.
Fantastic ferry video! Last week I was on the Northlink overnight ferry from Lerwick to Aberdeen and the Stena ferries had way more facilities than them and better kitted out, despite a shorter journey! :o
I've got a soft spot for the Northlink, but you're so right!
Nice video. I Love the ferries and apreciate the inside info you giving us!
Cheers Stephen :)
The fantastic video! You've got a really fabulous bonus when embarked by bus😊
And of course, the exclusive weather on the back way. I completely agree that lorries must be hidden underground during the rain time😉
Thanks so much! :)
From what you showed - P&O provided convenient landside connections at both ends, but on a smaller, simpler vessel, Stena didn’t provide convenient landside connections at either end, but on a larger, more spacious and well-equipped vessel. I’d probably choose P&O as a foot passenger, based on what I saw, although it may be that for foot passengers travelling to the Stena ports at both ends from nearby urban centres there are better transport facilities, I certainly hope so. I certainly wouldn’t be doing the landside walking (in pouring rain!) you put your companion through 😉😳.
Well that's the problem with relying on yootub videos to do your transport planning, you end up with bad information.
There is a bus from the Stena terminal to Belfast city centre timed to connect with most ferry services, (including the one this pair walked to) Translink Metro route 96.
While the location of Larne port station is convenient the trains are not that frequent, every 2 hours so a long wait (or a walk to Larne Town station or bus station) may be necessary.
On the Scottish side there are some bus services that pass by the main road outside both terminals but the times have no relation to the ferry times.
For passengers wanting to get to somewhere other than Cairnryan the best options by far are the coach services, Translink Ulsterbus/Scottish Citylink from Belfast to Ayr/Glasgow/Edinburgh or Hannons Coaches from Belfast to Glasgow both use Stena Line. Hannons is a through coach that travels on the ferry, Ulsterbus/Citylink is to/from the terminals with through ticketing available to destinations on the Ulsterbus or Citylink networks, including Dublin.
Sail-rail is also an option with Stena, a coach is used to take passengers from Cairnryan to Ayr station for the train, fares available to any station on the British rail network (Long distance fares including ferry travel can be very cheap in comparison to normal walk-up rail fares)
The only through service that used to use P&O is the Donegal - Glasgow coach that has stopped since Covid, hopefully this will return at some point.
If you thought Stena Superfast felt like a cruiseship. Then you should come to Sweden and try Silja Serenade and/or Silja Symphony to Helsinki from Stockholm or the Viking Grace from Stockholm to Turku! :)
That would be an absolute pleasure!
I’ve got the Stena line ferry from Birkenhead (Liverpool) to Belfast before and I always walk from the port into the city centre. It is a little long walk but I always enjoy it!
First video I’ve seen of yours. Really good comparison you have done. Look forward to future videos
Cheers Pete! Welcome aboard, really appreciate it :)
I absolutely agree with your observations about the rival ships. P&O is notorious for keeping much of their open deck space closed to passengers. It is extremely limited on the Dover/Calais route and almost as bad on Hull/Europoort. The P&O Cairnryan/Larne ships do their job adequately. There are no thrills and the emphasis is on carrying freight.
Stena's Cairnryan/Belfast service is excellent in my experience. The ships have been beautifully refitted and you can see that far more passengers choose this route - with good reason. Stena are definitely more interested in passenger shipping than P&O.
Cheers George! Yeah, the outdoor space bit is important for me if I want to enjoy the crossing, I much prefer being out there and getting the proper feeling of being on a ship. I guess it's a safety thing? Not sure
The bus from the terminal to the ferry reminds me of joining a ferry as a foot passenger at Dover, which had a similar arrangement. A far cry from the convenience of the old ferry terminal at Stranraer, where you could walk from the train to the ferry terminal then straight on the ferry quite easily.
Fine video and I hope you have more pictures from Belfast . Stay safeyou both !
A few Gabi, but it’ll be a ‘bonus’ video rather than a proper one :)
Very informative, Steve. I knew almost nothing about the NI ferries. Hope you had a good drive back to Edinburgh.
Cheers Alexander - the drive home was tough, but not as tough as the Monday at work :)
They're similar I'd say but a few years ago I took the Irish Ferries from Holyhead,Wales to Dublin and got a cabin which was about €40 I did the reverse trip a few days later on the Stena and they wanted €80 for a cabin so needless to say I kipped on a couch on the boat!I think that the last time I caught a P and O Ferry was either Dover Calais or when they did the Scrabster to Stromness ferry which is Northlink now and might have been something else in-between P and O Scottish and Northlink?You might not miss your train in Northern Ireland but in Scotland it's a different matter as with a perfectly rail connected port at Stranraer all the ferries now go from Cairnryan which means a bus from Ayr.
Love your videos Steve I am in Melbourne Australia I would love to travel on ferries between countries like you guys can in the UK .We are very isolated down here by comparison great video thanks.
Cheers Adam! Glad to take you along on a wee ferry crossing :)
Good video - I did a similar comparison in August when I went to Ireland for a cycling holiday. Short answer - don't go P&O with a bike as I had to partially dismantle it to shove it in a Berlingo-type van (along with another cyclist) to be transported to the ship. I came back with Stena which - as you say - was chalk and cheese, so much better for cyclists with amusing caring ship staff looking after my bike, and an excellent Breakfast Bap in the café. I complained to P&O about the way I was treated, the standard auto-reply said I would hear from them within 28 days. 45 days later (as I write this) I have heard nothing - and when I phoned today the guy said I will "eventually" get a reply though he couldn't define "eventually".
Stena was cheaper, too. £47 on P&O, £36 on Stena. One way person + bicycle.
By the way, the NIR trains at Larne do NOT wait for late ferries. However, the train service in Northern Ireland is very good, especially the run along the coast from Coleraine to Derry which is very scenic.
Yes, a good video - although I nearly fainted when you described Starbucks coffee as "decent"!
Haha Alicja would say the same about Starbucks!!! Hard to believe on a ship that size they treat you so badly with a bike - makes no sense at all!
Hi Steve Colin from Port Augusta South Australia. My wife and I both love you r videos we get envious of all the greenery and lovely villages. Would love to see more on Belfast and also the Isle of Skye.
Thanks so much to you both! It will be a pleasure to bring you a wee bonus-feature on Belfast at the start of next week - not much with the clips I have, but better than nothing :) and Skye is high high on the list for a video! :)
Thanks for the fantastic video Steve, hope it was a good drive home. All the best.
Ohhh Roger, it was a real challenge getting home, but even more getting up the next morning!
Thanks so much to you both. Cheers.
I've done the Glasgow-Cairnryan-Belfast route on Stenaline a few times.
Using the Citylink or comparable coach services tend to be better for connecting without waiting too long at the ferry terminal on the Belfast leg (wait of around an hour before sailing commences). The railsail used to be 3 times a day, reduced down a few months pre-pandemic to once daily, having to change at Ayr, you then had to wait about 1 hr, 40 min as the bus was timed to collect passengers from the incoming ferry, rather than deliver a smooth and fast connection heading south. So the bus required one less change, and generally was faster, It takes Stenaline quite a long time to take off and load up the haulage (about 1hr, 30 min).
Same issue for the local bus on the way back, the connection departs quite early (timed for arriving passengers), the citylink connection from the bus station is slightly later. For taxi's it costs about £10-14 to get to the ferry terminal. The closest railway station is Yorkgate, still about a 40 min walk away.
In terms of price, it was fairly similar (railsail I think may have been marginally cheaper, with more frequent connections beyond Glasgow).
In terms of flexibility, I think the coach is better, some bus companies have the bus travel with you, but in general coach offers reasonable flexibility if you have a last minute change. The railsail, technically it is a fully-flexible anytime rail ticket in GB, but Stena don't really like giving you much flexibility for the ferry portion, if you miss the ferry, you may have to buy a new ticket, it took alot of hassle to get a 3 day layover in Glasgow one time to then travel onto Belfast, hence to change the date of my ferry portion.
Overall, I'd rather take the train to Stranraer to meet the ferry, but it is better to take the bus from Glasgow (sorry #ManinSeat61), Sadly there is little chance there will ever be a 'Boris bridge', the North Channel is 50 km across, quite deep (up to 300m) and filled with highly explosive, British WW2 munitions (and that's before the weather).
I do recommend the Hugge lounge if you want peace and quiet on a budget (£5- for massive reclinable chairs) or try the Stena Lounge (about £12) for good seats, unobstructed sea views, free snacks, soft and alcoholic drinks and nice lunches (cost extra), best to pre-book both in summer, but outside of holiday periods can just turn up on boarding to purchase. Even outside of the lounge, there is refillable tea and nescafe coffee in the restaurant.
I don't know what ticket integrated public transport connections exist with P&O, as railsail, citylink and national express (and a few other coach services use Stena line). Belfast-Glasgow return is around £35-40. from Aberdeen railsail and citylink were about £55-58 return (incl. railcard/student discount).
Thanks so much for this comment, brilliant! Oh I’d forgotten all about the Boris bridge! Was tempted by the lounges, but for purposes of review (and short journey) I opted to stay in the main public areas (but boy were we tired, those recliners would have been very welcomed)
Nothing worse than having no access to decks , I went from rosslare to Pembroke recently and most of the outsides were off limits , I still think after being on Irish ferries , stena , and p&o brittany ferries are by far the best ferry company . The stena embla from Belfast to Liverpool was soulless and boring no atmosphere like most ferries also p&o . Great video as a frequent ferry traveler I’ve enjoyed watching your vids 👍
Thanks so much! Yeah, what's the point being on a ferry if you can't explore the decks! Totally agree
I always use Stena from Cairnryan to visit Ireland, I have friends in Belfast and family in the Republic, I always go on the Premium ticket with lounge access and priority boarding and disembarkation for the car.
I love Ireland and south Ireland and I have plans for a visit
Yes! I was waiting for this video! I recently went on pando ferries on this route! And stena a few years ago!
Glad it arrived safely :)
Back and forth on the Stena boat all the time on the motorbike. Always book the Stena plus lounge, loads of room, really quiet, complimentary all you can drink/eat coffee, Pepsi and crisps
Sounds great, I’ll treat us to it next time! :)