Northern Ireland Protocol - Motorhome Transit / Food / Pets

[Blue Knight]

don't forget to try the Mournes, Strangford Lough and Fermanagh lakes areas as well.as the Causeway coast and if you need a free park up for the night I live in the countryside, lots of room, 12 miles from Belfast towards the Mournes, just message me.

You're a - very many thanks!

We've been studying the map intensely while watching lots of videos of NI every night for the last few weeks.

In terms of motorhoming it just doesn't get the publicity it deserves IMO.

Perhaps I'll compile a thread on Northern Ireland like I did for Shetland back in 2019.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[Blue Knight]

I would think that the biggest thing to put anyone off of going to Ireland is the price of the ferry.

I would go with that thought too. It looks as if Nicky and I (using a 6.34m long PVC) will be able to travel for less than £140, each way, if we select the right time of day, otherwise it's around £40 more per trip for the more popular crossing times.

 

[PG’s trips]

yes it can be quite expensive but motorhome are only charged the same as cars Tuesday to Thursday sailings on Stena and don't forget those Tesco vouchers!!...my 7m MH round trip to Sotland at peak times in May was £155.

 

[Blue Knight]

yes it can be quite expensive but motorhome are only charged the same as cars Tuesday to Thursday sailings on Stena and don't forget those Tesco vouchers!!...my 7m MH round trip to Sotland at peak times in May was £155.

I should have tapped into your brain a few weeks ago, lol

It's always good to have a font of knowledge on ones doorstep

If I have any more question then I'm knocking on your door sir.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[Ivory55]

yes it can be quite expensive but motorhome are only charged the same as cars Tuesday to Thursday sailings on Stena and don't forget those Tesco vouchers!!...my 7m MH round trip to Sotland at peak times in May was £155.

Is that any size motorhome like the tunnel ?

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[PG’s trips]

yes sure any questions get in touch...guidebooks and videos can all run into a blur . NI is quite small but lots of different landscapes. Don't full out County Donegal in the ROI. It's close to NI and there are lots of fantastic deserted white sand beaches and wild mountainess countryside. We are just back after 5 days.

 

[Blue Knight]

yes sure any questions get in touch...guidebooks and videos can all run into a blur . NI is quite small but lots of different landscapes. Don't full out County Donegal in the ROI. It's close to NI and there are lots of fantastic deserted white sand beaches and wild mountainess countryside. We are just back after 5 days.

It does sound fantastic; can't wait to get over there.

Thanks for your help

 

[Griff097]

yes it can be quite expensive but motorhome are only charged the same as cars Tuesday to Thursday sailings on Stena and don't forget those Tesco vouchers!!...my 7m MH round trip to Sotland at peak times in May was £155.

Funny enough I priced our 7.5m MH earlier and got quoted £500 for a Friday to Monday 10 day trip!

Just changed the days to Tuesday to Thursday and it dropped it to £376 using off peak sailings.

Good tip that.

 

[Blue Knight]

Funny enough I priced our 7.5m MH earlier and got quoted £500 for a Friday to Monday 10 day trip!

Just changed the days to Tuesday to Thursday and it dropped it to £376 using off peak sailings.

Good tip that.

You may be able to get it even cheaper too. We're in the same boat as you (pardon the pun) inasmuch as we fall within the standard 6m-8m bracket.

I can't recall the exact price but we got it down to around £139.

 

[Griff097]

You may be able to get it even cheaper too. We're in the same boat as you (pardon the pun) inasmuch as we fall within the standard 6m-8m bracket.

I can't recall the exact price but we got it down to around £139.

How did you manage that, changing the saving days and off peak times?

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[Minxy]

Funny enough I priced our 7.5m MH earlier and got quoted £500 for a Friday to Monday 10 day trip!

Just changed the days to Tuesday to Thursday and it dropped it to £376 using off peak sailings.

Good tip that.

I've just done a test fare check for a MH up to 8m & 2 adults going out in July returning in August and each single crossing came up as starting from £149 Tuesday to Thursdays:

 

[Griff097]

Does anyone who has travelled with a dog on a ferry know what the protocol is regarding pets/dogs, can they go up on deck with you/muzzled, do they need to stay below decs in crates, do you need to supply the crate, can you stay with your dog?

We have never travelled beyond the mainland with the camper so these are all new to us questions, been on ferries on bike tours and don't recall seeing any pets on deck, hence the questions.

Our dog is nervous and won't like being left alone, it's why she has never been left in kennels to enable us to fly somewhere so trying to work out what's best for her.

I just spotted this and it would appear that anyone arriving in Ireland has to self isolate in a hotel for 14 days as well?

Ferry to Ireland, France & Holland from UK

Travel to Ireland, France, Holland and Northern Europe with Stena Line. View our routes, ferries, special offers and much more. Book online for the best fares.

www.stenaline.co.uk

 

[HarryML7]

Depends on the route and ferry company, some you can take your dog to your cabin, others have kennels where you can visit and walk your dog in a designated area at any time, another I travelled on once had below deck kennels with allocated visiting times and exercising on the car deck ramp ( never used that one again). Generally dogs must be muzzled when transmitting to and from your vehicle to the kennel. Each ferry company has guidance in their faqs.

 

[Itsmcb]

We are just going to go anyway. We'll book a one-way ferry and then return when we are ready.

Check you travel and breakdown insurance, some won't cover you if you don't have a return ticket booked.

 

[HarryML7]

On shorter Irish Sea crossings, pets can remain in your vehicle. (Stenaline)

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[ontheroadagain]

Best option is to use a short crossing and leave your dog in the vehicle. There are kennels on most boats but they are a bit grim. On some crossings dogs are allowed on the passenger deck but must remain in a carry crate so this really only works for small dogs. The shortest crossings will be from Scotland to Northern Ireland.

 

[Blue Knight]

A quick update guys:

After a few calls to DAERA we've established the following:

1. NI Port Officials are not 'officially' checking pet AHC documents until the 1st Oct 2021.

2. In theory our dog should already be microchipped with current vaccinations, in-date rabies jabs and an AHC to travel to NI but checks won't happen as per ser-1 above.

3. However, if the authorities suspect that your animal is in ill health; is being neglected or they believe you are involved in puppy farming or dog sales then they will likely check your animals and you will need to provide all of the relevant paperwork including the AHC.

......so it looks good for our trip to NI.

 

[Minxy]

We met a NI chap at Loch Lomond a couple of days ago who said he has no pp or rabies jab for his dog and had been able to enter Scotland 3 weeks earlier with no checks at all. His daughter who lives in Newcastle has been to NI 3 times with her dog with no checks either way.

 

[Blue Knight]

We met a NI chap at Loch Lomond a couple of days ago who said he has no pp or rabies jab for his dog and had been able to enter Scotland 3 weeks earlier with no checks at all. His daughter who lives in Newcastle has been to NI 3 times with her dog with no checks either way.

That's a good post Mel.

Unless Boris pulls the release cord on the NI Protocol by the 1st Oct then it's looking likely that the checks will commence.

 

[Minxy]

Does anyone who has travelled with a dog on a ferry know what the protocol is regarding pets/dogs, can they go up on deck with you/muzzled, do they need to stay below decs in crates, do you need to supply the crate, can you stay with your dog?

We've done it 3 times and always take our smaller dogs up in soft dog carriers as they are not so obvious as crates. We sit out of the way if we can and the dogs stay in the carriers although we may open the end a bit to stop them feeling separated. Never had a problem even when the crew knew we had dogs with us. We use ferries that allow pets as luggage if possible and prefer the shorter crossings using good old Tesco vouchers.

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[Downsie]

Many thanks for this Blue Knight. I am taking my dog over in August to visit family, and wasn’t at all happy about having to get the AHC etc. I decided to also ask the people who would actually be enforcing the regulations, the staff at Larne port, for final confirmation.

Just received this reply:
Re: Port of Larne "Pet entry into NI"

Good morning

We don’t require any paperwork for a dog travelling on the cairnryan larne route. If more than four dogs you do require to declare to ministry of agriculture. However if just one you are fine.

Becky

Don’t think we can get clearer than that!

Interesting though that the only ‘official’ website not to recognise this change from 1st June is gov.uk!!

 

[Blue Knight]

Many thanks for this Blue Knight. I am taking my dog over in August to visit family, and wasn’t at all happy about having to get the AHC etc. I decided to also ask the people who would actually be enforcing the regulations, the staff at Larne port, for final confirmation.

Just received this reply:
Re: Port of Larne "Pet entry into NI"

Good morning

We don’t require any paperwork for a dog travelling on the cairnryan larne route. If more than four dogs you do require to declare to ministry of agriculture. However if just one you are fine.

Becky

Don’t think we can get clearer than that!

Interesting though that the only ‘official’ website not to recognise this change from 1st June is gov.uk!!

That's great info Downsie

I'll be able to tell you all about our experiences tomorrow night as I'm testing the system

.......

 

[Downsie]

Good luck, I’m sure you’ll have a great time.

 

[Blue Knight]

Quick Update:

It all went very smoothly during the Cairnryan-to-Larne sea crossing today.

Nicky and I were given the usual boarding card at the check-in kiosk (to be displayed in the windscreen) which depicted two passengers and one dog onboard.

We then moved to the physical security point where our engine bay and vehicle underside were checked. All five doors of our PVC were opened but apart from that there was no reference made to dog AHCs or imported meats etc

Otherwise everything is going to plan and Northern Ireland is proving to be a proper little gem......

......our free spot for the night:

 

[ontheroadagain]

Welcome to Northern Ireland.
Hope you have a great time here.
Hopefully the weather will stay like this!

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[Minxy]

Hubby had a quick chat with an Irish chap who had parked up for a while whilst waiting for his ferry from Cairnryan to NI, he had a dog in tow and said he'd been across a few times this year with no checks whatsoever, his dog hasn't had a rabies jab ever, no PP, nowt, and he's not had any issues. As the EU have now agreed to the extension of checks etc to end of September 2021 it seems a good times to hop across the puddle and get an NI EU or Republic EU PP which is what we are seriously considering doing.

 

[Downsie]

Does anyone know if an EU vet can give an initial rabies vaccine and issue a passport at the same time? I had planned to get a rabies jab done in the uk well before before travelling to Ireland with an AHC but this won’t be needed for this years’s trip. I allowed her previous jab to lapse after my husband died. However it could make sense to get an EU passport while I’m there.

 

[Minxy]

Does anyone know if an EU vet can give an initial rabies vaccine and issue a passport at the same time? I had planned to get a rabies jab done in the uk well before before travelling to Ireland with an AHC but this won’t be needed for this years’s trip. I allowed her previous jab to lapse after my husband died. However it could make sense to get an EU passport while I’m there.

I can't see why not, that's what UK vets could do previously. As the PP isn't required to return to the UK you won't have to wait the usual 21 days after the vac.

We're planning on doing this ourselves as Minky isn't vacced anyway and Lily's runs out in August.

 

[PG’s trips]

I have been living in Ireland/Ni for 60 years and haven't come across any rabied ravaged dogs, cats, mice, wolves or sheep (the odd human maybe!?). I have also dealt with Eurocrats in Brussels as part of my job in Government. Not getting into politics , my hope is that the latest grace period will be superseded by a 'wise up' long term decision that dogs travelling between NI/ROI and GB will be left alone to enjoy their hols and the owners won't be subjected to £160 unnecessary fee to greedy vets. So my advice, sit tight and save your cash for the Guinness

 

[Downsie]

Thanks for that PG’s trips, I have no desire to travel to mainland Europe but a major part of getting my van was to be able to take the dog to Donegal again where I have very close family. If I were to get a passport this year it would really be an ’insurance policy’ against future stupidities. Like you I cannot believe that sanity won’t eventually prevail.

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