Sailrail and Caledonian sleeper

[First class]

My sister is looking at travelling west of Ireland to Cambridgeshire, using SailRail by day. Is it possible, having bought the ticket to overnight in a B&B in Holyhead and continue the next morning

Break of journey is permitted. (on rail part only).

Restrictions:

Valid on date on ticket only.
Valid on Stena Line services
port to port only.
Reservations are compulsory on
the ship leg.
Break of journey on rail leg
only.
No unaccompanied children
under 16 permitted to travel

Valid via other shipping companies depending on route, e.g. might be easier go to Ireland>Rosslare>Fishguard>London>Cambridge.
However, you can also go:
Ireland>Belfast>Stranraer>Glasgow>then various routes to Cambridge (not valid via London)
Ireland>Dublin>Holyhead>Chester>then various routes to Cambridge (valid via London)

 

[yorkie]

Break of journey is permitted. (on rail part only).

Indeed. Anyone who jumps ship invalidates their ticket, and may not be permitted to re-board any ship. Life jackets and lifeboats are not included for break of journey. Presumably there is an easement in the event of an emergency.

 

[tivoli]

My sister is looking at travelling west of Ireland to Cambridgeshire, using SailRail by day. Is it possible, having bought the ticket to overnight in a B&B in Holyhead and continue the next morning

Have checked UK journey planner for Castlebar(CIE) to Chester (via Holyhead) for mid-June, when journey may occur. Although it correctly sends me to Dublin, it then directs me to Belfast, Stranraer, Ayr, Glasgow, Crewe, Holyhead and finally Chester, about 23 hours! Can't see any problem on Irish Sea crossing, how does this happen?

 

[First class]

SailRail timetables may still be removed (and unable to be booked) due to the recent problems in the air causing it to be extremely busy.

Give it another couple of weeks and it will be back to normal.

 

[welshpax]

Last September I did a Cardiff - Belfast Sail rail and used the sleeper. My journey was Cardiff - Crewe - Westerton- Glassgow Cetral - Stranraer - Belfast.
Did not have any problems booking it at all and was done through the Scotrail Telesales line. Also did the lounge onboard the HSS not much to write home about to be honest as the ferry was quiet, but I can see how it would be useful if it was busier.

Of course, this cannot be done now as the train times have changed from Glasgow to Stranraer.

 

[90019]

Indeed. Anyone who jumps ship invalidates their ticket, and may not be permitted to re-board any ship. Life jackets and lifeboats are not included for break of journey. Presumably there is an easement in the event of an emergency.

Surely it's not a break of journey if they get back on the same ship from the same sea?

 

[tivoli]

SailRail timetables may still be removed (and unable to be booked) due to the recent problems in the air causing it to be extremely busy.

Give it another couple of weeks and it will be back to normal.

That had occurred to me, however, the same journey next week sensibly takes me across the sea from Dublin to Holyhead, but from end of May onwards the long way around is given, perhaps more air problems to come!

 

[gordonthemoron]

perhaps more air problems to come!

This is a graph of the current (and recent) activity of the much larger neighbouring volcano Katla: Volcanic Activity

 

[janb]

That had occurred to me, however, the same journey next week sensibly takes me across the sea from Dublin to Holyhead, but from end of May onwards the long way around is given, perhaps more air problems to come!

There was an issue with the ferry data for May 23rd being removed from NRS. Then the data before that date was lost and restored (and the whole ash thing happened). There appears there is still an issue with the post May 23rd data not being present.

 

[yorkie]

Surely it's not a break of journey if they get back on the same ship from the same sea?

The railway determines break of journey as leaving railway premises. So I guess, by the same logic, the sea isn't ship premises, so...

But, back on topic, the reason why the journey planners are directing people via the long way round must, surely, be because the direct ferry sailings are not available for booking. Either they've not been opened yet, or are fully booked (unlikely), or were withdrawn due to the 'wrong type of ash' problem (which actually turned out to be the right type of ash but that's another story!) and not yet been restored, or some other error on the system.

 

[First class]

I am about to check the staff TTs for possible journeys, but the only fare for your journey; from Castlebar to Cambridge is a single at €40.

------EDIT-----------
The reason you can't book is that there are no journeys via Holyhead available because:

0727 Castlebar - Dublin 1045
1350 Dublin - Holyhead 1705 (superferry only)
--fine so far.

However, the last connecting train from Holyhead to Cambridge is the 1721, which you would most probably miss. It routes you through Belfast/Stranraer so that you can do the journey in a day.

 

[tivoli]

I accept there may be delays in reaching Cambridge, which is why I was looking at Chester as an overnight break and continuing the following day, but after end of may it still directs me via Belfast etc. even to get to Chester.

 

[wintonian]

The railway determines break of journey as leaving railway premises. So I guess, by the same logic, the sea isn't ship premises, so...

So if the ferry sinks on the way you would be ok then?

 

[A60K]

Best as for your ticket to be endorsed so you can send it back for a refund

I wonder if that condition was meant to read break of journey on the British rail portion of the journey only?

 

[yorkie]

So if the ferry sinks on the way you would be ok then?

Only if you get the ticket 'endorsed' first