Parking the Car at the Cairnryan Ferry

Posted by psingsands on 05/19/23 06:38 PM

We are taking the ferry from Cairnryan Scotland to Belfast Northern Ireland, on July 3.

If we leave our rental car parked in Cairnryan at the ferry would that work?
Would there be a place to park the car for 2 nights?
It is cheaper to leave the car in Scotland, take the ferry to Belfast, and then get back to the car upon on return to Cairnryan on July 5.

Or, would it be recommended to just take the rental car with us on the ferry and pay 568. pounds instead of 360 pounds?

Thanks for any recommendations or advice!
Patricia

Posted by Mardee

Duluth 🛶

05/19/23 06:41 PM

6308 posts

I don’t know specifics of these places, but I know that every ferry terminal I’ve been to in Scotland, and it’s been quite a few at this point, has had signs saying that there is no overnight parking.

Posted by isn31c

Lake District, England

05/19/23 06:55 PM

5742 posts

Cairnryan, as an international port, has long term parking-
https://www.stenaline.co.uk/routes/cairnryan-belfast/cairnryan-port

If you think your itinerary in Northern Ireland for 5 of you (judging from the quoted fare) works without a car, fine. Whether your rental company would allow you to take the car over on the ferry is another consideration.

Posted by Mardee

Duluth 🛶

05/19/23 07:07 PM

6308 posts

Well, there you go. Isn31c knows much more about Scotland stuff than I do. 😊

Posted by isn31c

Lake District, England

06/14/23 01:52 PM

5742 posts

I am at Cairnryan Stena Line port now.

I can confirm that there is long stay open air surface car parking at the port. It costs £5 per day, pay in the terminal building at the check in desk. It is straight outside the terminal.

I can also confirm, as I am writng this sat outside the kiosk, that there was once a car rental desk here. It is now closed, and has been for at least the last two years to my personal knowledge.
But always worth another physical check as the question keeps cropping up. If this forum supported images I would attach ones both of the kiosk and of the car park tariff sign, but I can't.

I am not sailing today. I am on a long diversion to answer this definitively.

Posted by Mardee

Duluth 🛶

06/14/23 05:16 PM

6308 posts

If this forum supported images I would attach ones both of the kiosk and of the car park tariff sign, but I can't.

I wish it did, too. One thing you could do (if you have a Google account), is save the photo to Google photos and then share that particular photo here. It will give you a link to share so that others can it it. There is no risk to anyone accessing your account, and it is a handy way to share photos.

Other options are Imgur (https://imgur.com/upload) or Flickr.

Posted by isn31c

Lake District, England

06/14/23 09:13 PM

5742 posts

There is a surprising postcript.

On my way back to Stranraer I passed the P and O terminal, two miles away at the other end of the village. Ferries to Larne leave from there. We don't need to discuss the merits or otherwise of that company again.

I hadn't had time to start from that terminal walking, as I had had three visits to do in an hour in the village, all at the North end of the village, so this was as the bus called in.

Anyway there is an Arnold Clark office there, which was open today. I can't explain why searches have failed to find that. But there was something about click and collect, so it may only be open by request, not full time. That terminal also has long term parking, at the North end of the site.