BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm planning on starting my year-long trek in Ireland and I was wondering what the best (i.e. cheapest) way to get to Wales? I don't mind taking a boat if it's cheaper.

Also, do I have to have an onward ticket to get into Ireland? I plan on staying for at least a month, but I don't want to get any tickets in advance. Will I be able to get in?

Thanks!

the boat is about 50 euros from dun laghore (excuse the spelling) ryan air is about 50 after tax but you get to bigger cities, the trains in wales are expensive so it costs you to get from holyhead to anywhere, but its really good fun using different forms of transport.

I doubt onward ticket would be a problem...they never asked me for one.

Ferry is probably the best option. There's some bus/ferry and train/ferry combinations that might suit your purposes. Check out Eurolines and Iarnrod Eireann.

Flying that short of distance isn't really all that useful. There is a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Cardiff. Don't know about any other flight options.

I don't remember whether they asked me for proof of an onward ticket (I had one in any case) but I do remember that they stamped my passport and wrote down when I was planning on leaving. I don't know whether that matters or not, because I was actually a couple of days late leaving, and I had no problems...the issue never came up.

Hey Creelove
i wouldnt know bout whether or not you need an onward ticket but check out these sites re: travel and getting to wales:
http://www.irishferries.com - theres been some controversy over this company recently, it might be a good idea to ring and make sure they're still operating by the time you get here!

http://www.directferries.ie - as far as i know they only go from dublin (and its dunlaoighraire not dun laghore!)but as its holyhead in wales you'll be going to that doesnt matter

http://www.cie.ie - main web site for all buses & trains in ireland

http://www.aerlingus.com - bit pricey but its a nice airline to flywith
http://www.ryanair.com - careful with your baggage allowence with this lot as they'll try and take you for all they can!

let me know if you've any other queries
have a good trip!

Hey Creelove,

With regard to ferries:
Ive just yesterday taken Irish Ferries from Dublin Port to Holyhead, Wales. Cost was 32.50 euro and they asked if I wanted a train connection - from what I could tell it didnt cost any extra.... So I took the Swift ferry (2 hours) and had a train connection to Bangor.
I wouldnt take the ferry again just because I ended up feeling pretty sick. But in terms of time (waiting round at airport) and money it was cheaper.

From Dublin you need to catch a bus from the Busarus station which will take you to the port.

Advantage of ferry is that you can go from Holyhead and travel down the west coast rather than starting from Cardiff.

How would someone suggest i get to stonehenge from ireland? i will be in the vicinity of galway...should i take the train to dublin and take a boat? or does ryan air fly out of shannon?
oh, it is easy to get from stonehenge to london?

Ryanair does fly from Shannon. You can also look into Aer Arann, which flies right out of Galway's tiny airport, and tend to have decent prices. Fly to Bristol, or London, and then take a bus or train to Salisbury, where you can make arrangements to get to stonehenge. If you take RyanAir, they also fly Shannon to Bournemouth, which is closer on the England side, but further on the Irish side, so it evens itself out.

Stonehenge itself isn't easy to get to, period, unless you have a car. But I'm sure getting between Salisbury and London will be a breeze, though I haven't done that by public transit myself.

If you're spending a lot of extra time and money just to see stonehenge, then you're probably going to be disappointed. It's just a few rocks standing on end. But there's lots of other things to see in the area, and the countryside is stereotypically English, so if you take the time, you'll probably enjoy yourself.

ok, so on a crazy note, lets say i want to leave ireland, and get to london and stonehenge that very same day, and then depart london the next morning or that same night if a train is available...possible???

Definitely doable if you rent a car, but I wouldn't count on it by public transit...might work, might not. Take a morning flight to London (Aer Arann has one leaving Galway at 7:15 am, arriving London-Luton 9am). Lets say an hour to get baggage and pickup the car. Might take 2-3 hours driving each direction. An hour at most to see the site, and you'll be back in London no later than 5. Probably closer to 3.

But, like I said, a quick trip will be a dissapointment. Spending some time in the area is worth it, but just doing a dash to see Stonehenge...

yeah, i will agree with you on spending time in the area..i am just worried since the exchange rate will kill my budget if i stay too long...that is why i feel some sense of urgency..do you know of any hostels in that area should i decide to stay a few days?

London aside, England really isn't much more expensive than Ireland, or many other parts of the euro-zone. Yes, the pound is worth more, but you also spend fewer of them, so it almost evens out.

When I stayed in the stonehenge area many years ago (12), I was with my parents and we rented a cottage for a week, so no, I'm afraid I can't recommend any hostels.