We are planning to fly into Dublin and have 6 full days to work our way down to Cardiff. Rather than fly from D to C, we were thinking about taking the ferry and train and trying to spend a day/night in a couple towns or villages along the way. Any recommendations on best towns/options for best train service?
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
1834 posts
Have you changed your mind about Edinburgh?
Posted by
OP
9 posts
You know, that’s the problem with visiting Europe… you really need 4-6 full days in the cities you want to visit! Unfortunately, our time is limited to only 13 days, with 2 of those being travel days. We have to be in Hereford or Cardiff for a wedding beginning days 8, 9, and 10. So now my wife is wondering if we can do 2-3 days in Dublin, 2-3 in Edinburgh, then take an overnight train to Hereford and have someone pick us up the day 8 morning. Then have to decide whether to take train on last day to London to fly back in late afternoon day 13. Gotta love your wife!!!
Posted by
2404 posts
Direct trains go every other hour from Holyhead to Cardiff via Chester, Shrewsbury & Hereford. Some of these trains are a bit old but a new fleet will start to appear this autumn (2022). You can purchase a combined foot passenger ferry ticket and train ticket via:>https://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/frequently-asked-questions/sailrail-to-britain/
Stena Line have a similar deal so it depends upon which ferry is best timed for you between Dublin & Holyhead. Of course, you could also just pay as a foot passenger for the sea crossing and the train tickets separately.
Regarding places to stop en-route:> I would suggest Conwy (which is request stop but some express trains won’t stop here - instead they all stop at Llandudno Junction = 1 mile east). Conwy has a medieval Castle. Nearby Llandudno is also worth a look.
Another place where you might wish to overnight is Chester. From here, it is also possible to take a local train to Liverpool.
Going south from Chester, Ludlow is worth a look but if you are staying in Hereford, you might wish to unload baggage into hotel and take the short train journey back to Ludlow.
Don’t forget to allow plenty of time for Cardiff. See Cardiff Castle, Caerphilly Castle & St.Fagans Castle & Museum. Google places mentioned.
PS. You can see the times trains leave Holyhead by clicking the following link and inserting Holyhead in the search box. If you click on the train, a picture will come up of the type of train running that service today and the times it reaches different places.http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thanks for your feedback!