Cairnryan – Belfast / Larne
Cairnryan (Loch Ryan Port) (GB) → Belfast (GB (Northern Ireland))
- Dog may stay in the vehicle
- Year-round
Key facts
Overland alternative: no overland route Scotland→Northern Ireland
Fastest way for a Scotland→Ireland round trip; combines nicely with IJmuiden–Newcastle for NL motorhomes (Scotland + Ireland in one trip)
Ferry or drive on? Do the mathsDeparture port & check-in
Stena Cairnryan-Belfast: vehicle check-in opens 2 hrs before departure and closes 30 min before departure; for foot passengers it opens 1 hr 45 before departure. The port is open daily from 06:00 to 22:30 with up to six sailings a day. Motorhomes without a trailer may use the designated parking spaces on the site.
Facilities at the terminal
-
Fresh water
Not known
-
Chemical toilet
Not known
-
Showers
No showers in the terminal; there are toilets, baby-changing facilities, a passenger lounge, a coffee bar and vending machines.
-
Fuel
Petrol stations in Stranraer (±10 km).
-
Gas & LPG
British Calor bottles in Stranraer; LPG autogas is scarce in Dumfries and Galloway.
-
Groceries
Supermarkets in Stranraer.
Where to spend the night before departure
-
Loch Ryan Port car park, Cairnryan
Car park- Distance to terminal
- ±0 km
- Price per night
- first 30 min free; £1.00 for 30 min rising to £6.00 for 8-24 hrs
Overnight: check in advance
More than 300 spaces; pay by card at the machines or through the Horizon Spaces app for stays shorter than 7 days. Staying the night in the motorhome is not explicitly permitted - ask when you get there.
-
Aird Donald Caravan Park, Stranraer
Campsite- Distance to terminal
- ±10 km
- Price per night
- Not known
Overnight stays allowed
6 miles (±10 km) from the Cairnryan ports and set up specifically for ferry passengers: arrival is normally accepted until 22:30, and later only if you let them know. They themselves advise being at the port at least an hour before departure. A family business, running for more than 60 years.
The terminal has free wifi and charging points for electric cars. Driving times: ±1 hr from Ayr, 2 hrs from Glasgow, 3 hrs from Edinburgh - all along the narrow, busy A77, which in a long motorhome is no motorway. Allow plenty of time.
Arrival & first stop
First motorhome stop after arrival
-
Belfast VT4 car park
Car park- Distance to terminal
- ±0 km
- Price per night
- first 30 min free; then £1.50 up to £10.00 per day; a week paid in advance £45.00
Overnight: check in advance
Over 300 spaces in front of the terminal building. Intended for parking, not as an overnight spot.
-
Curran Caravan Park, Larne
Campsite- Distance to terminal
- ±35 km
- Price per night
- Not known
Overnight: check in advance
A caravan and motorhome site in Larne, practical if you arrive at Larne with P&O or are heading north from Belfast along the Antrim Coast.
Northern Ireland uses British Calor bottles and the Republic of Ireland uses Kosangas - the two cannot be exchanged. LPG autogas is scarce.
Scotland and Northern Ireland both drive on the left, so there is no switching over. The terminal is at junction 1 of the M2, putting you straight onto the motorway for central Belfast or northwards. Northern Ireland has hardly any official aires; wild camping is not freely permitted and councils enforce the rules in coastal car parks. Drive on into the Republic and the speed signs change from miles to kilometres, and Irish toll roads apply (the M50 eFlow at Dublin).
Cairnryan-Belfast is an internal UK route: no passport control, but you do have to show ID. From VT4 the centre of Belfast is ±5 km.
Border, documents & rules
An internal UK route from Scotland to Northern Ireland: no border or customs checks and no separate UK ETA for this crossing, though ferry operators do ask for valid photo ID. If you are Dutch and have come from the continent via England or Scotland, you will already have needed a UK ETA. Crossing the land border from Northern Ireland into the Republic is an open border with no checks, but formally it is still an EU external border for goods.
Motorhome tips
Note the P&O Irish Sea gas rules: max 3 bottles of max 11.2 kg each (stricter than the North Sea); Larne is 30 km north of Belfast — handy towards the Causeway Coast