GeoffC wrote:
> Jo <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I am planning to do a short tour of the Antrim Coast sometime in the
>> spring. I would really rather go by ferry. I thought that would be
>> easy, but it seems the available ferries either don't carry cycle or
>> foot passengers, or are priced as if you are taking a car. Any
>> ideas?
>
> Possibly because cycles are carried free?
>
> http://www.nimountainbiking.com/travel_transport.cfm
>
>
To the OP ... from the Stena website, foot passengers are accommodated.
From the website above, it seems that foot passengers can carry bikes free.
You don't give any indication of a preferred departure point. Stena do
Stranraer - Belfast. P&O do Troon - Larne. There's Fleetwood to ???
For the Antrim coast, Larne would get you twenty miles closer (to the
Antrim coast) than would Belfast; and those 20 miles would be no great
cycling loss.
Last year I travelled (by car) Belfast - Stranraer and return. Two
points: (i) they requested that I arrive at least one and a half hours
before sailing time --- in fact half an hour would have been adequate,
and on the return queueing up 1.5 hours early only caused hassle and we
had to queue up twice; (ii) there's a Seacat and a slower ferry --- if
you've booked a ferry and you arrive before a Seacat is to sail, ask
nicely and you'll get upgraded to Seacat for no extra charge. I didn't
see any bikes on those sailings, so I cannot confirm the carriage of bikes.
Again regarding Stena, it seemed to me that sailings are unlikely to be
full (that was in early July), so if you wanted to travel based on a
decent weather forecast, you could book at short notice; I'm a fair
weather cyclist
Best regards,
Jon C.
