Expert: Bill Cissna - 4/10/2011

Question
We will be arriving by cruise ship May 18th at the Harwich port.
We plan to tour Ireland and Scotland.  What is the best transportation to go from Harwich to Ireland in terms of cost,etc.

Would it be better to go to Scotland first from Harwich and then Ireland??  If so, what kind of transportation can we find to go from Scotland to Ireland???  Is there ferry service from Scotland to Ireland ??

I found ferry service out of Harwich to Denmark and France but not to Ireland.  Is there a train or bus that will take us from Harwich to Liverpool, England.  I see a ferry goes from LIverpool, England to Ireland.

PLEASE~~~GIVE ME YOUR INPUT !!

Thanks,

Jerry

Answer
Jerry, I'm a traveler from the U.S. so not exactly an expert on ferries and getting across the countries, but I can certainly provide some knowledge based on experience and a little web searching.

First, it seems to be fairly easy to get to the coasts of England via ferry, but getting from one place to another around the islands - not so easy. But probably the interconnection you may need is the train systems in the U.K. and Ireland.

I don't know how you plan to travel once you are IN Ireland or Scotland, but once you arrive in Harwich, your best way to get to the other side of England for ferry travel to Ireland is to take a train. From Harwich, the easiest route is to go into London and transfer to a train to get you to the departure site for a ferry to Ireland. Liverpool might be the easiest, but some other possibilities are Pembroke, Fishguard or Holyhead in Wales. Two websites to check out are www.irishferries.com or www.directferries.co.uk -- and there are probably others.

For information on many of the train routes, ticketing, costs, etc. in England, Scotland and Wales, visit www.britrail.com. You might find out that it's best to purchase some kind of pass for multiple stops or days, depending on your plans.

From Ireland, there are also several ferries over to Scotland -- Belfast to Stranraer, Larne to Troon, etc.

Equally, you could take the train from Harwich to London and then up to Scotland, then make your way to the west of Scotland and take a ferry to Ireland and reverse the route.

I hope this information helps with your planning!