Getting to Ireland from Glasgow, Scotland
The six hour journey from Glasgow, Scotland to Belfast, Northern Ireland could not have been easier for me last May and was one of the best travel bargains of my trip. After a train excursion through England, Wales and Scotland I ended up in Glasgow, which turned out to be a great jumping off place for Ireland. I was able to buy a one way ticket for $29 at the Glasgow Central Train Station which covered the entire trip, including both rail and ferry, delivering me right to the Port of Belfast. The train went from Glasgow to Stranraer on the Scottish coast where we hopped on one of the Stena Line ferries.
A Recent Change of Ports
After using the port of Stranraer for more than 150 years, the Stena Lines moved their operations five miles up the coast to just north of Cairnryan in November, 2011. This will not be a problem for those traveling in cars or tour buses as there is good road access to Cairnryan. Since the train does not go directly to Cairnryan, backpackers like me will now have to take a train from Glasgow to Stranraer and then catch a bus from Stranraer to Cairnryan or, perhaps more expeditiously, take a bus directly from Glasgow to Cairnryan.
The Irish Sea
The ferry trip across the Irish Sea took three hours and while sailing out of Stranraer we had a great view of some beautiful Scottish coastal scenery along the natural harbor of Loch Ryan. That day the ferry was packed with youth soccer teams heading for a tournament in Ireland, so passengers were kept on their toes dodging the youthful travelers cavorting around the passageways playing hide and seek. Some passengers whiled away the hours watching a movie in the theater, but most seemed to spend the time enjoying the bar and restaurant. As a former sailor in the U.S. Navy, I spent most of the time out on the prow watching the waves and chatting with fellow travelers.
Getting into Belfast
The ferry to Belfast was about an hour late in sailing, so we didn’t arrive at the Port of Belfast until 7 PM. Since it is the busiest ferry port in Ireland, all the buses were full, but I was able to share a taxi into town with another solo traveler named Joe who I had met on the ferry along with three young ladies. Two Irish fellows already ‘in their cups’ by this time joined us at the last minute and entertained us with their proverbial ‘gift of gab’ along the way. This enjoyable two mile ride into the city center of Belfast with the seven of us squeezed into a small cab was my first introduction to the friendly Irish people and I must say, it set the tone for the next eight days of my trek through the Emerald Isle. Join me as I travel Ireland by train and bus from Belfast to Dublin.
