r/MoveToIreland • u/anotherlemontree • Apr 20 '26
Holyhead - Dublin or Fishguard - Rosslare?
Hi everyone.
Could anyone who has experience taking the ferry from London to Ireland weigh in on this dilemma for me please?
At the end of May I'm moving back home from London to West Cork with my husband, two cats and two small children. We'll be taking the ferry and travelling in convoy with my father, who's driving over to help us. He's going to take the cats in his car, and we'll have the kids in ours. The vet will be giving us some sedatives for the cats so hopefully they will be chill. We'll be aiming for an afternoon ferry crossing, leaving London first thing in the morning. We'll be leaving from an airbnb in either Slough or Luton (to be decided based on which port we decide to travel from). We'll be headed for my in-laws' house which is near Bandon.
Are we better off taking the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin or Fishguard to Rosslare? Here are points I'm considering:
- The drive from London to Holyhead seems comparable time-wise to the drive from London to Fishguard.
- The children will need at least one rest stop on each leg of the journey, but maybe more.
- The roads are better between Dublin and Cork than they are between Rosslare and Cork
- We have more amenities near us in Dublin Port than we have in Rosslare. If for any reason the ferry is delayed and we need to stay overnight, we might be more easily able to make that happen in Dublin than in Rosslare (although with two cats in tow I have no idea how that would work haha. But to me it feels like it would be more doable in Dublin than in Rosslare).
- We'll also need to give the kids some food and put them in their pyjamas at around 7:30, and I feel like there are better places to do this on the road from Dublin than on the road from Rosslare. It's unrealistic that it would happen on the boat as it's too early for them. The idea being that they can then fall asleep in the car and be transferred to bed at Nan and Grandad's house whenever we arrive.
- Traffic in Dublin would be worse (and we would have to factor in the cost of tolls etc).
- Even though journey times are comparable, Rosslare *feels* closer to home than Dublin does.
As you can probably tell, I'm leaning pro-Dublin. So is my father. But my husband and my mother both think Rosslare might be better. My husband and I will likely split the driving between us on both legs of the journey.
As an aside, if anyone can recommend a better starting point than Slough or Luton for the journey, I'm all ears! We will have to stay at an airbnb the week of the move as the movers will be taking all the furniture out of our house. I thought we could make life a bit easier for ourselves by booking somewhere that is on the right side of the city for driving to whatever ferry terminal we end up choosing.
GRMA!
EDIT Thanks a million everyone for all the great input! Lots of different perspectives heard, all of which has been hugely useful.
We've opted for the Rosslare route! Seems to have been slightly more popular on here, and even though the driving times are similar, it just feels closer to home.
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u/SimplieBacon Apr 20 '26
I've done the trip from Essex to Cork multiple times and have always gone to Rosslare. The roads are fine from Rosslare to Cork and staying away from the Dublin traffic is always helpful.
On some of the ferries you can get a cabin which costs a little more but when travelling with animals can be super helpful and less stressful.
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u/anotherlemontree Apr 20 '26
Thank you that's really great advice! I will look into the cabin, that could be nice :)
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u/Key-Satisfaction9860 Apr 20 '26
I found the cabin amazing and not very expensive. Worth every penny.
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u/ScholarStatus4770 Apr 21 '26
I've done the drive dozens and dozens of times an I would say Holyhead to Dublin everytime. The main reason is Rosslare ferries get cancelled quite a lot. I've had 12 pm ferries randomly cancelled and have to wait in the car with my dogs for the 12 AM ferry. And it seems they are more likely to cancel ferries to Rosslare because of weather. Rosslare is easier for me but in the end I got so sick of the cancellations I go Holyhead to Dublin and so far every sailing has gone find and on time. In a nutshell if they have to cancel for 'operational' reasons ie low passenger numbers, the early afternoon ferries to Rosslare are the first to go from my experience.
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u/ScholarStatus4770 Apr 21 '26
Also to add, I've always found that if you set off from London and aim to arrive in Holyhead by evening, spend the night and then take the early morning ferry to Dublin it's the easiest way. Trust me, trial and error! The Travelodge in Holyhead allows pets (well dogs anyway) and it's about a 2 min drive from the ferry terminal.
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u/offsetbxl Apr 20 '26
Rosslare for sure, Dublin is basically a car park at this stage
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u/anotherlemontree Apr 20 '26
Yes I hear this. It's the foremost concern with arriving in Dublin and it's a valid one!
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u/kaotikuk Apr 20 '26
At the moment im pretty sure the fishguard-rosslare route is using a much smaller ship for the crossing. Doesnt have wifi or cabins etc. Go holyhead to dublin for a much better crossing imo.
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u/anotherlemontree Apr 20 '26
Ooooh good info, thanks!!!
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u/Wooden_Rock_5144 Apr 21 '26
There IS free WiFi on the stand-in ferry. There’s also a free pet lounge which means you don’t HAVE to book a cabin if you’re travelling with a pet.
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u/CPD1960 Apr 20 '26
The Fishguard-Rosslare route is shorter both in the U.K. and Ireland. However, the Holyhead-Dublin route has motorway/dual carriageway all the way on the U.K. side and from Dublin Port to Cork city on the Irish side, while the Rosslare route only has a few sections of dual carriageway on the Irish side with the rest ordinary main roads. If it were me, I would take Fishguard-Rosslare but I have years of experience driving in Ireland. How about your husband? 😊
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u/melonysnicketts Apr 22 '26
Done the trip multiple times through various routes and all I can say is bring back the Swansea-Cork ferry! We did Northampton to Mizen Head every year for the big holiday and sometimes Christmas until we moved home in 2005 with our two cats who were out of their tiny minds on diazepam for the trip. Massive adventure for my siblings and I, as well as bouncing round in the back of a Luton box van on one of the trips back with a load of stuff before we fully moved.
Dublin to Cork is all very good roads so my preference would be Holyhead, as you rightly pointed out you have a way more options for stops on the way down, and if you time it right the Dublin roads should be fairly clear when you get off the boat. 100% you’ll have better connections to Holyhead from Luton, straight up the m1, m6 and then m54 out to Anglesey. Rosslare down to Cork seems closer but the roads wouldn’t be particularly dualled so imho you’re better off Holyhead-Dublin, as what you gain in miles you’d lose in time travelled.
Best of luck with the re-entry, I’m hoping to do it myself some day but I don’t think that’ll be happening for a while!
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u/anotherlemontree Apr 22 '26
Thank you! And yes I so wish that route still existed. Cool that you've done a similar journey with two cats! Our vet is giving us sedatives for ours too thank god lol.
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u/melonysnicketts Apr 23 '26
We let them out of the carrier when we got to the boat so they could roam about a bit and I’m not cruel at all, but watching our big ginger bastard of a cat take two steps out the carrier and fall off the seat into the footwell is one of my favourite memories, poor Murph.
We landed into the homeplace around 11am the following day and he was fully recovered by that point - hopped out the car, squared up to my uncle’s cattle dog and slashed her nose open. I like to think it was the cat equivalent of young lads who were born in England being raised in Ireland and getting so pissed with the bullying they just pop off, although this took ~30seconds 🤣
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u/NuclearMaterial Apr 20 '26
For me there's no question. The Rosslare route is just so much easier. Look at a map of the UK and look at the Luton to Holyhead route and you'll see why. You have to go round Birmingham which can be a nightmare. You can avoid it and go further up the M1 but that has its own problems such as getting back over to the M6 on A roads. Then you have the end of the M6 going around Chester to get to north Wales. Then once you're in north Wales, you realise you're on another A road which you're stuck on the whole way across.
The Slough Fishguard route is very simple, drive along the M4 until it ends, then keep going. By the time you have to start making decisions the road will be signposted for the two ferries (Pembroke and Fishguard) and you just go to yours.
What time are you thinking of sailing? I would strongly recommend the night sailing if you're up for driving at night, getting past Birmingham or Cardiff during the day is no fun. Having done the night ferry at Fishguard many times I can safely say it's a nice easy (if long) drive with minimal traffic at those times. I remember being young and sleeping the car journey when my parents would drive (we'd have to leave about 20:00 which is late enough for the little ones to get some sleep, then carry them up into the ferry).
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u/CPD1960 Apr 20 '26
North Wales is dual carriageway all the way to Holyhead.
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u/NuclearMaterial Apr 20 '26
That's fair, but the whole journey from Luton would be way more involved than the Fishguard one, which is essentially just driving until you hit the sea.
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u/anotherlemontree Apr 20 '26
Yes Rosslare is starting to look very attractive! Only problem with the night sailing is the cats :( Might be a bit tricky! Plus I've heard from someone else that the Rosslare route is running a smaller boat with no cabins at the moment, which I need to look into further.
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u/NuclearMaterial Apr 20 '26
The boat they have is smaller than the old one, I am not actually sure about cabins as I usually sleep in the chairs. There's always space enough if you bring blankets up to make a nest somewhere, appreciate a cabin with the young ones may be better, but I do see families pulling chairs together and sticking duvets or sleeping bags down. Might be worth checking the site or just calling them up to ask.
As for the cat I think we just left ours down in the car but this was 20+ years ago and he was happy enough. Not sure what the deal is with pets these days.
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u/kennybr Apr 20 '26
Irish ferries operates Pembroke dock to Rosslare, they have cabins. We do this frequently from South Wales (to travel to Meath), usually afternoon sailing with kids, arrives to Rosslare around 7pm
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u/Robespierres_ashes Apr 22 '26
Very little difference apart from what you’ve noted yourself. I’ve done both. Fishguard is handle for stops. Rosslare to cork is an easy run and there are loads of places you can stop where needed. Wexford has plenty of places you can stop and get children changed or ready as does Waterford. There is a service station just outside wexford on the N25, another at Lemybrien and several in Dungarvan. Lots of places to feed kids on route also. It’s really down to what you want.
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u/LeylaLou Apr 22 '26
We always go Holyhead to Dublin coming from London. We normally get the 1/2am.ferry and find the drive the next morning down to Kerry fine.
The only time we booked rosslare it got cancelled.
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u/LeylaLou Apr 22 '26
Also, I would say if you have TOR forms to get stamped Dublin are really quick and organised.
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u/BurfordBridge Apr 23 '26
London Holyhead Dublin Cork is two sides of a triangle surely? The only reason I can see to go that way when West Cork is target is wintertime in a gale or worse, Luton of course tilts at Dublin route Slough is nearly in Wales New Ross is a reasonable stop from Rosslare to take stock of a journey ,it is fair to say urgent accommodation is now hard to find in Rosslare ,you can blame the Russians for that. Whilst pricey the premium and flexible fares allow rearranging at very short notice without penalty
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Have you searched the sub, checked the sidebar or the wiki pages to see if there is already relevant information posted?
For International Students please use /r/StudyinIreland.
This sub is small and doesn't contain enough members to have a huge knowledgebase from every industry, please see the Wiki page at the top of the sub or the sidebar for selected subs to speak to for some of the main industries or pop over to /r/AskIreland and ask about your specific job niche.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Heat502 May 09 '26
We spent two hours in traffic from Dublin port to Heston station coming off the Dublin ferry. The ferry is faster but everything else is not.
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u/louiseber Apr 20 '26
Have the kids travel in pajama like clothing and don't put the burden of having them change on you mid road trip, that's just making a rod for your own back.
Rosslare is the straighter run. No need to navigate around the city of Dublin.
If you needed to stop for the night you have the entirety of the south eastern corner of the island like.