Greetings, We're arriving in Dublin but need to get to Newcastle. Due to flight timing, we're looking at taking the R/T ferry crossing to HolyHead. I am seeing a notification that there will be surcharges to take the car from Ireland to England but have been unable to find out what the fee will be. Unfortunately, the rental agency in Holyhead will be closed for a few days after our arrival so picking up the car there is not an option. Does anyone have experience with this trip and can speak to the fee? The car will be picked up and returned to the Dublin airport. TIA!

Moved to the Europe Forum

You plan on driving from Dublin to Newcastle . . . AND back again? You are talking close to a 9 hour journey each way. If you truly cannot find flights, why not take the train and just rent a car for the time needed around Newcastle? OR look at flying in to MAN or EDI or Leeds . . . .

What is the rest of your itinerary like?

. . . and with all the Are Lingus and RyanAir flights I can't imaging that driving would be better. Heck -- even a BA routing through LHR would take half as long . . . and be cheaper.

Just curious why the ferry to Holyhead (3.5 hours) + drive to Newcastle (4.5-5 hours) is preferable to flying to Newcastle or somewhat close, say Leeds... If your arrival in Dublin is too late for onward flights, wouldn't it be easier to spend the night at Dublin airport and take an early morning flight to Newcastle the next day?

Of like mind with janisj.

BA flies Dublin to Newcastle. Code-share Aer Lingus. Also Ryanair. The flight is 70-75 minutes.

We arrive in Dublin before 2p on Saturday and need to be in Newcastle by 11a on Sunday. There are no reasonable or direct flight options leaving Dublin until Sunday. So, as an alternative, we are looking at taking the Ferry from Dublin to Holyhead or from Belfast to Cairnryan then drive the 4 hours to Newcastle. I am all ears for better alternatives. After our Sunday in Newcastle we don't have any firm plans or itinerary for the next 10 days but eventually need to make it back to Dublin for our return flight. Thank you

Yep

But there HAS to be more to this story -- wish we'd get more details so we aren't responding in a vacuum.

(and "with all the Are Lingus and RyanAir" should have said Aer Lingus of course . . .)

OK we were posting at the same time . . .

>> then drive the 4 hours<<

In your dreams it will take 4 hours. Holyhead to Newcastle is a 5 to 6 hour drive depending on traffic, and Cairnryan to Newcastle is a 4 to 5 hour drive PLUS the time to get to Belfast. Just plain silly (sorry)

And are you arriving off a long haul flight? If so there is no way you should be traveling another 9 hours to get to your destination. I will look it up later -- dashing out now, but isn't there a flight DUB via LHR then to Newcastle? Otherwise stay the night in Dublin and take the first flight in the morning.

. . . OR bite the bullet and fix this mess by paying to change your flights altogether. Flying into Dublin in the afternoon to be in Newcastle the next morning would never have made sense.

OK -- I just noticed you are brand new (Welcome to Fodors BTW - a baptism by fire ) Unfortunately that means you are on a sort of 'probation' and won't be able to post again til tomorrow. Truly -- driving from Dublin to Newcastle is a very bad idea and a rental car surcharge is the least of your worries. If you are flying in overnight there is no way you can drive anywhere - let alone all the way across Wales/England. Think about some of your other options and come back tomorrow with maybe some other questions . . .

OH MY.

I actually did this trip as a teenager, from Dublin to Newcastle, on a choir trip, and it was a whole day by ferry and chartered bus.

Others have mentioned Ryanair, but you have clearly checked it out.

Check out Rome2Rio.

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Dublin/Newcastle-upon-Tyne


There are no easy options, but maybe there are better flight options available if you fly from Dublin into Leeds/Bradford (that may/may not be the airport for Newcastle), Manchester or Edinburgh, and rent a car or take a train from there to Newcastle. Or drive/take a bus to Belfast airport and take a flight from there.

The option you have chosen is actually the longest possible route and showing up as 11 hours, which is exactly what I remember. And it was simply awful!

Good luck

Looking at the schedules, there's actually a flight to Newcastle early on Sunday morning - leaves 7.30, gets you there 8,45 am, plenty of time for your 11 o clock appointment. summer-2019-flight-timetable.pdf FR172 on Ryanair. OK, I know it's Ryanair, but beggars can't be choosers and it gets you where you want to go in time.

Or if you can't stand Ryanair, there are Saturday evening flights to Edinburgh, Leeds/Bradford and Manchester, stay there overnight and get an early train Sunday morning.

Have you checked the ferry schedules? Looks like you wouldn't get to Holyhead until after midnight. I would avoid Ryanair and opt for one of the evening flights, taking a train on to Newcastle the next morning.

While you are only focusing on ostensive cost, there are additional issues, depending on from whom you are renting, that can add huge unexpected expenses. For example, one company says for an Ireland rented car taken to UK: If driving into the U.K. Mainland, you must purchase a supplementary "Breakdown Insurance"such as provided by the AA. but further down you read: Non Ireland residents cannot purchase this cover, so therefore if they decide to travel to the UK mainland will be liable for all costs to repatriate the vehicle back to Ireland in the event of a breakdown or an accident.

>>And that’s why I asked the OP which rental company they are using<<

Makes no difference which rental company -- it is a moot point since they don't have the time to drive it unless they drive through the night . . . and even if they did -- traveling 9+ hours after an overnight flight (if that is what they have) is beyond foolhardy.