From ferry savings to family attractions, Suzanne Keane shares everything you need to know before driving from Ireland to the UK
For the past 5 years we have driven to France for summer holidays so I’m not sure why a similar family trip to the UK seemed so daunting. I am no stranger to British roads, having travelled to numerous car shows over the years in some not-so-reliable classic cars (think changing an alternator in a campsite or a head gasket at the side of the road) as well as time spent living in London in my 20s but for some reason loading three children into the car to make the same journey was terrifying!
The last time we had taken the ferry to Wales was in 2014 for a family wedding before travelling to Cornwall for a few nights. Ferry options haven’t changed much since then but the cost of tickets has! Irish Ferries and Stena Line both sail from Rosslare and Dublin, with similar ferry times. From Rosslare you can get to both Fishguard and Pembroke which are more convenient for London, and the south in general. However, depending on where you live the midday ferry times from Dublin might work out better.
We chose Rosslare to Pembroke, and booked a B&B (Padua Guesthouse) near Rosslare Port for the night before, as I didn’t fancy a 3am start from home. If you’re used to flying and hanging around airports travelling by ferry is a breeze. There might be a short queue when you arrive, check in takes a minute or 2 and then you’re directed to a lane where you wait in the comfort of your own car until it’s time to drive onto the ferry.
You can exchange Tesco Clubcard vouchers for 3x their value with both Irish Ferries and Stena Line. Irish Ferries won’t allow you to use any other offers (such as kids go free) if you’re paying with Clubcard vouchers but I found that Stena Line did. However, Irish Ferries still offer their full choice of fare options (Standard and Flexi) if you’re paying with Clubcard vouchers but Stena Line just have the one, non-refundable, option. In the end, with uncertainty over fuel costs I chose a Flexi option with Irish Ferries, and saved €165 off the fare with Tesco Clubcard.
I wasn’t sure whether or not we should get a cabin for the ferry, but in the end there was no need. By the time we got on board, ate breakfast and explored the ship we were approaching Pembroke. Just remember to bring everything you’ll need on board with you as you won’t be able to access the car deck during the sailing.
Once we drove off on the other side the drive to London was surprisingly easy, with only one stop at the Delamere services (near Castle Combe) and we made it to our destination just in time for a BBQ in the sun.
We stayed in South London for a few days, and took the Southern Line train into Victoria. I found this to be extremely expensive, considering it took just over 20 minutes. I then discovered the hard way that little legs weren’t able for much of my usual London exploration. However, I can recommend a trip on the no. 26 London Bus, from Victoria to Bank – for less than £2 per adult (kids are free under 11) you’ll go past Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s Cathedral, see plenty of other sights along the way and if you’re lucky you’ll get the front seats on the upper floor of the bus.
Eating out in general in the UK is expensive, but dinner at Amera Rani in South Croydon and breakfast at Cottage Farm Stables near Solihull were both great value so I’d recommend listening to local recommendations and doing some research in advance.
Legoland was an essential stop on our journey and we stayed in the Coppid Beech Hotel the night before. Legoland tickets cost £16 each, with a discount code from Cadbury Selection Boxes at Christmas – off peak days are much cheaper and you can easily see on the website when it’s a good time to go but remember they charge extra for parking. Queues weren’t huge while we were there, and a rain downpour around lunchtime really seemed to thin out the crowd. We ate lunch in Legoland and considering the captive audience the overall cost wasn’t outrageous but there were additional charges for photos, driving licences and some of the games.
From Legoland we moved further northwards for a few nights, taking in the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, The Valley Railway Adventure at Evesham, Diddly Squat Farm and the Webb Ellis Museum in Rugby (free entry) along the way.
The drive to Holyhead and home was very straightforward but unfortunately our ferry was over an hour late arriving into Dublin on the way back. Thankfully the play area on Ulysses is much larger than the Isle of Innisfree so the kids were kept amused for the extra time.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable trip and it didn’t actually cost as much as I had expected. We covered almost 2,000km in the week but I’d recommend filling up before you go as fuel is more expensive in the UK at the moment. Advance planning is essential and do look for special offers and discount codes. Take advantage of having the car and fill up with plenty of water, snacks, spare clothes and rain jackets but don’t forget to leave space for Duty-Free shopping on the way back!
Suzanne Keane
24th June, 2026
