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Has anyone here any experiance of taking their motorhome from mainland England to Ireland?

What were the ferries like for price, ease etc?

What were the campsites like?

Where did you go? Was it a good/positive experience?

As much info' and help needed as possible please. Only been to Wales, England, France and Italy before.

We'd be taking our two dogs as usual too.

Thanks.

We have been to Ireland many times in our campervan and also before we had one using travelodges.

We tend to use Tesco vouchers for our ferry as the costs are pretty high otherwise.  If you have been to Italy you will have no problems. 

We have used various campsites and haven't had any problems.  Postitive experience yes although the costs have gone up since Ireland took up the Euro.  We are due to go again at the end of August.  Diesel used to be a good bit chepaer but I suspect the gap has narrowed (perhaps someone in Ireland could update us with the costs)

Can't help you with dogs as don't have any although you will be fine.  You don't even need an EHIC/E111 as there is a reciprocal health agreement.

I am sure I will think of more but need to go and check the oven.

The Tesco deals are certainly the way to go . We've just come back from a ten day trip via Cairnryan / Larne and our ferry cost was £30 after using £50 worth of Tesco points to obtain £200 worth of discount vouchers.

Best site in the North was at Bushmills, but it was £19. Plenty of scope in the North for a spot of wild camping but not so easy in the South where they seem to have more problems with 'travellers' and react accordingly with barriers and boulders accross picnic areas etc. If you are members of the C&CC there's a good site near Strangford which is the usual high standard and we got it for about £12.

If you go over to Westport make it a day trip unles you want to pay 32 Euro for a night at Westport House which comes with incomplete facilities and no night time security.Rosses piont near Sligo is a very good site and will suit you and your dogs.

On the East side of Lough Ree just outside Athlone there's a nice site on the Lough side with a really good family feel to it.

We stayed on North Beach in Rush just North of Dublin which was really nice and is smack on the shore top with a pub ten minutes walk accross the sand. Showers a bit pricey at 2 Euro though. A bus in to Dublin wil cost you 10 Euro for two people or a family and you can run round on the service busses in and around Dublin all day if you like. 

Hope this is of some use...

CHEERS

Went last year (with caravan) found it so good I am off again on the 22nd for a month. I also found Irish Ferries the cheapest from Pembroke to Rosslare. The food ,the drink, and mostly the Irish people are wonderfull, and Ireland in general is very clean,cant wait to get back.

thats right briarose, we used to do the munster dog show circuit, and had to buy bottled water for the dogs, otherwise they would get the runs, not very pleasant when you are camping. Saying that not all dogs were affected. Love Ireland though. Penny

Fuel has gone through the roof back here, diesel is around €1.40, petrol €1.28-30.

A nice campsite here in the south is Parson's Green (County Tipperary) http://www.clonmel.ie/0/136/ 

OK, it's fairly basic but a great place if you have kids as they have a great pet zoo and a terrific play area. Some nice pitches, too.

Unfortunately some members of my community, Travellers, have made life difficult for the rest of us, but there's good and bad in all walks of life and the travelling community is no different I suppose. But anyway wild camping is not the problem some are reporting as there are still loads of places, at least there are in my country of Tipperary to pull in for the night for free. Best places I find for such camping is in the small towns or villages. This is what we do and have never had a problem.

I wouldn't recommend wild camping in places like Dublin, Cork or Limerick City, though, which can be a bit awkward at times. Stick to smaller places and you'd be the finest.

If you're coming to Tipperary you and your dogs are welcome to park up behind our house for a night or two if you wish. We have had a few campers stay the night with us, one family was from France!

What fabulous, friendly and helpful replies!

ALL of you have been very kind to take the time to reply.

We'll certainly be going to Ireland at the end of this month. Can't wait!

Quote: Originally posted by shazfufu on 12/6/2008

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live in northern ireland and just back from the south last week . diesel was 1.43 euros so just slightly cheaper than uk with our weak pound.stayed in cong( quiet man village-john wayne) really enjoyed it tho' 25 euros per night. will be staying in the north in future, much cheaper

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I thought that the gap in fuel prices between the UK and Ireland would have closed by now.

We paid €42 for 2 nights pitch with EHU at Cong in 2006 so that hasn't gone up so much.

We have just booked today for end August going out Holyhead - Dublin and back Larne to Cairnryan.  The cost would have been £390 as it is a BH weekend but with Tesco vouchers just had to pay £15 for each leg.  Thank goodness for saving the points. 

All I have to say is I wish we had a Tesco in my home town, they are trying hard to get planning permission but so far no luck, but knowing Tesco they will get it in the end, I hope.

Tone

Hi all,

I am going to Ireland last week of july 1st week of August, i have only booked one campite in Mayo (Lavells, Golden Strand camping park).

I will however be wild camping round Galway & Clare. + I will be stopping on some of my friends farms, so all round i hope to enjoy it.

Yes, diesel has gone through the roof, my brother recons he spends about 140euro extra on his transit van, he uses it for work doing roughly the same milage every month, and he has put this increase down to a 12 mth period.....!

Anyway, i can say that in all the times i have gone back, i never had any bad experiences...apart from the ever constantly rising prices.

Regards

KC.

PS****Phantomtrucker, i see your an imp fan..ditto, i have one to.

I'm from NI and every time we go the mainland  we use Tescos points for the ferries.  Just back from Scotland at the end of May and it cost us 30 quid for the ferry from Larne to Troon and back plus Tescos tokens. 

I know a lot of people travel round the island  of Ireland and either start in the South and finish off in the North  or vice versa - there is a ferry crossing from Magilligan in the North which takes you across to Greencastle in Donegal and back.  I know this is very popular with visitors.

Also if you are looking for Campsites near the ferry in Larne I can recommend Carnffunock Country Park - I've heard great reports about it  but I think you need to book it as its popular.

Hope this is of some help