Operating the quickest and shortest crossing between Northern Ireland and Scotland is P&O Ferries service between Larne and Cairnryan.
Their two ships European Causeway and European Highlander make the crossing in around two hours enabling sufficient time to enjoy the selection of on board facilities.
Below, European Highlander
Below, European Causeway
It should be noted there is a third sister, the Stena Line vessel Stena Nordica as shown below crossing the Irish Sea in a violent storm. A link to her blog can be found at the end of this post.
Larne is located around 23 miles north of Belfast.
Intending to travel as a foot passenger aboard the two P&O ferries, I used the 'Larne Express' 256 coach service from Belfast Bridge Street which took around 50minutes and at only £5.40 was very good value for money.
The coach drops passengers off at the Larne bus station and from there the ferry terminal can be reached in around 20 / 30 minutes on foot.
Upon leaving the Larne bus station follow the pedestrian signage towards the bay keeping the shopping outlets to your right hand side.
A foot path to your right will take you to the A8 road which you follow down to the next round-about at the bottom of the hill, then continue forward towards the port.
Below,
Larne coach station centre right / shopping outlet in the centre / footpath to the A8 centre left.
Below, footpath to the A8
Below, footpath running alongside the A8 to the round-about
Below, the A8 with the ferry terminal centre left
Below, roundabout looking back to Larne
If you'd prefer, the more relaxed option Larne ferry terminal does benefit from having a railway station literally meters away from the check-in desk, but check service times in advance.
P&O Ferries is the sole operator from Larne therefore everything is tailor made for them having their own waiting lounges with seating and vending machines for snacks & beverages, a WC and car park, which at around 0.80 per hour is extremely good value for money!
Below, the foot passenger waiting areas and check-in
Within the departure lounge, which is accessible to those passengers taking their car on the ferry, there is a cafeteria and a very well stocked souvenir shop.
Foot passenger embarkation commences around fifteen minutes before departure, although be sure to actually check-in at the designated time.
Foot passengers board a transfer coach from outside the terminal which takes them directly onto the vessels vehicle deck and remains aboard - an EXCELLENT goodwill gesture I witnessed was a member of the ships crew saying to a solo passenger her large luggage can remain on the bus during the crossing to prevent her from hauling it up to the main passenger deck.
Below, note the P&O foot passenger bus which remains aboard throughout the crossing.
From the vehicle deck there are various stairwells and elevators giving access to the main passenger deck above. On my journey I used the 'yellow' stairs (which were actually predominantly painted blue) at the starboard/forward end.
European Causeway and her sister has one passenger deck which is largely open plan and has a single corridor linking fore and aft with the facilities off this making navigation extremely easy and if you have walking difficulties you will not have any issues.
A 'walk-about' video of European Causeway can be found on YouTube channel
A2B via Sea, on TV
(link below)
Let's go for an explore as we cross the Irish Sea.....
Arriving at the forward end of Deck 4 we enter the bar/lounge - a full width facility which benefits from both forward and port side views of the passing vistas - a particularly good place to be positioned when either entering or leaving Loch Ryan on the Scottish side of the Irish Sea as the vistas are beautiful.
The bar on the port side offers a selection of hot and cold beverages along with soft and alcoholic drinks and snacks, including some tasty looking cakes. Seating is predominantly in alcoves near the forward windows which are great for families or large groups whilst other areas of this facility have free standing chairs in subtle pastel shades and marine blue's and green's with gaming machines nearby.
Walking aft we come to the Food Court which as its name suggests serves a selection of meals.
Sampling the steak and ale pie, mashed potato and mushy peas, at the cost of around £9 certainly set me up for the evening and was exceptionally hot and tasty; very nice indeed! With the food being this tasty the fact there was no formal restaurant aboard can be forgiven.
The seating is in the form of bench sofas and free standing chairs decorated in burnt orange coloured fabric. To one side is a raised bench table with adjoining stools which is also a good place to surf the internet whilst charging your device as there are numerous three pin power sockets located here.
Below, three pin power sockets centre left adjacent to the stools
From the Food Court a single narrow corridor gives access to the rest of Deck 4 with an almost full length information board showing the history of P&O Ferries to one side..
Walking past the WC facilities off this corridor we come to P&O Ferries premier lounge - Club Class.
Positioned on the ships' starboard side, after paying the nominal supplement one can relax in comfortable seating whilst gazing out to sea. Club Lounge guests can help themselves to a selection of complimentary drinks and snacks from the counter which is at forward end..
If the vessel is busy it may be worth upgrading to be able to sit in here as the amount you can comfortably consume within the two hour ferry crossing will undoubtedly pay for its self.
Next door is the children's playroom and opposite that on the other side of the corridor is the World Duty Free Shop.
The later, although small, does have a good selection of fragrances, toiletries and travel gifts.
At the aft end of the aforementioned corridor we come to the ships' main reception hub which benefits from having an information desk, gaming arcades, localised seating and access to the Commercial Drivers Restaurant and Lounge.
A complimentary WIFI voucher can be collected from the information desk allowing the user up to 90minutes free 'surfing' which is a good deal considering the crossing is only marginally longer than that (and within the remaining time you are close to land anyway allowing good signal coverage).
Below, the Commercial Drivers Restaurant located on the ships' port side.
At the after end of Deck 4 (starboard side) there is the large [free] cinema room. All seats face aft towards a large TV screen which shows one movie per crossing - on my journey's 'Hancock' staring Will Smith was being shown.
The level seating is comfortable and has arm rests and a drinks holder.
European Causeway has a good amount of exterior deck space - located on the port and starboard sides of Deck 4; the main passenger deck.
Access around the funnel and the upper decks is not permitted thereby necessitating the need to walk through the vessel to go from one exterior deck to the other. However, both decks offer a sheltered section which is good during poor weather, seating and smoking areas.
On both sides there is a small 'overhang' where you can peer over the ships' sides and look along the ship which gives a totally different perspective to the crossing.
Below, Port side looking aft
Below, Starboard side looking forward
Arriving in Cairnryan, Scotland, disembarkation was swift and efficient.
Taxis are available from outside the terminal building and a local bus stop just along the main road adjacent to the port.
Stena Line also operates from Cairnryan, but at a different port so please do not confuse the two.
A2B via Sea, on TV video (below) shows this.
The P&O ferry terminal in Cairnryan is welcoming
Although the check-in and security area is compact, once through to the Departure Lounge you will find a large, airy and spacious facility with plenty of seating and a great café.
In closing European Causeway (and her identical sister European Highlander, which is essentially the same internally) offer comfortable surroundings for the short two hour voyage.
Both vessels are predominantly decorated with inoffensive beige coloured fixtures and fixings throughout, with the occasional pop of colour. European Causeway and European Highlander offer a lounge/bar, cafeteria, premier lounge, children's playroom, shop and cinema lounge - what else do you need during a short two hour crossing; after watching the free movie you are virtually at your destination.
Great comfortable ships for the swift crossing where as a foot passenger you can leave your large belongings on the courtesy coach allowing you to walk around the ship freely.
Further videos can be found on YouTube channel: A2B via Sea, on TV.
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