SailRail Dublin - Holyhead - London

[drevil0208]

Some friends and I will be doing this route on a Saturday in February. We plan on getting the 8:05 Irish Ferries ship arriving Holyhead at 11:30. On Saturdays, the next direct train to London is what I believe to be the Pendolino drag (assuming that is what still happens on this train) that departs at 14:38.

We would rather get a direct service, and prefer to ride on the loco-hauled Pendolino rather than getting an Arriva service to Chester and then a Voyager to London.

If we buy SaiRail tickets through Irish Ferries (we apparently have to do this because we are coming from overseas, Canada), will we be allowed to have ~3 hour stopover in Holyhead? Or would be required to take the first available train out of Holyhead? I thought that if we were given any grief by the train staff for waiting 3 hours, we could argue that we wanted a direct train.

Our plan was to go to a local pub close to the station in Holyhead for lunch and a few pints before getting the train to London.

Also, anyone ever taken this train out of Holyhead on a winter Saturday? Is it likely to be busy? As we won't have seat reservations due to buying through Irish Ferries...

Thanks

 

[First class]

You can catch any train from Holyhead that day...

You can wait for a 57 hauled Pendolino, but bear in mind that a Voyager may sub for it occasionally. You won't need seat reservations from Holyhead, the trains aren't that well patronised.

Even drinking heavily, 3 hours in Holyhead is somewhat soul destroying. Why not go to Bangor and break your journey there for a few hours?

... a bit more to do there.

 

[AlterEgo]

I agree. Holyhead is an utterly grim place and not somewhere I'd choose to spend much time. Bangor is indeed far more pleasant. Don't even be tempted to go on as far as Colwyn Bay - I made the mistake of spending three hours there once. It's three hours I'll never get back, that's for sure.

 

[MarkyMarkD]

We did almost exactly that journey in early September. The 1438 is the recommended train if you book straight through from Dublin to London on a UK rail booking site, despite the many quicker (due to less idle time in Holyhead) indirect alternatives.

We went to a pub over the bridge from the station for a few hours including lunch.

Whatever the supposed ferry arrival times, in my experience it takes a LOT longer to get to the terminal building - with Stena (and not sure if Irish Ferries is the same) the foot passengers get off the ferry last and then sit behind all the vehicle traffic waiting to get to the terminal.