New ferry route between Swansea and Cork

Fastnet Lines Swansea to Cork ferryThe new ferry from Swansea to Cork by Fastnet Lines seems to have relaunched with little publicity for some reason. You don't see many ads for it, in Ireland or the UK, compared to some of the other leading ferry services such as Irish Ferries or Stena Lines or P&O Ireland. Which might explain why I was one of about thirty foot passengers on our trip home to Ireland, (three of those were my husband and children). And then a volcano erupted and suddenly people started to take notice of all the ferries crossing European waters. Some of us were lucky enough to know them already. 

This service between Swansea and Cork ran until a few years ago, and was put on hold when the Ryanair factor spread throughout Ireland. What didn't spread through Ireland, however, was tourism, especially to the Cork region, where local people have been lobbying for the service to be reinstated for a long time. Budget airline visitors come for weekend city breaks, they say, and ferry passengers come to visit the rest of the country, and stay longer. When the service relaunched in March, we booked it for our Easter 'pilgrimage' back home.  Based in London, we took the train from Paddington to Swansea, which takes three hours, and a stress free start to our journey as the ferry doesn't leave Swansea until 9pm, so we only had to leave late afternoon to make the 8pm check in. 

Arriving in Swansea, there is no shuttle service to meet the ferry, but it was easy to get a cab to the ferry port, which is a few miles from the station, and cost £8. The terminal is still very basic, with no cafe facilities, and hired minibuses to drive foot passengers on board. It felt as if they were still waiting to see if any foot passengers would be using the service before committing to extravagances like coffee. 

The ferry itself is The Julia, which has already been in use elsewhere in Europe but has had recent refit.  I think there must be a shortage of interior designers working on ferries, however, as few seemed to have moved on from the chrome and stained pine look of the 1970's. There might be a market out there for someone. This is a ten hour overnight crossing, and you have to book a cabin or pullman seat. We opted for the four berth cabin, with a sea view, although you can pay more and get a superior cabin with bunks and a double bed. The ordinary one was spacious enough, clean and with ensuite shower room. The children were ecstatic, and although they had travelled in train couchettes before, these felt four star in comparison.

As the anchor lifted, we ran up on deck and watched a family wave some loved ones goodbye, following us down the harbour wall, and I reminded the boys that in the past, that wall would have been packed with waving well wishers. The captain did a nifty three point turn to get out of the harbour, and we left the white strands of Swansea Bay to head into the open (and smooth) seas. Back in the bar, things were respectably quiet, and blissfully low on television screens. Other ferries have screens in every corner, often with different channels on the go, so this one is calm in comparison. The cabins do have tellies, however, much to the delight of the kids, although it didn't  take long until the sea lulled us into a happy soporific state. The beds are very comfortable, with good quality white sheets, duvets and pillows and, most importantly,  the crossing was smooth.

Catherine's children in berth on Julia ferry

The first thing my ten year old son said on wakening to the Irish captain's dulcet tones at 6.30am announcing our impending arrival, was “I felt like I was being rocked to sleep in a cradle, and really did sleep like a baby”. This was contrary to an one unhappy Irish passenger who was on his return journey, and had been very sick on the way out. He was disappointed that the ship was not bigger, and more able, therefore, to take on the more rocky crossings. But he was also upset with the price of a pint on board (5 Euros), the “foreign” staff (“this doesn't give tourists to Ireland a good impression”, he said, “the terrible food” and “the dated décor”. I agree that a pint was expensive, but the staff were fantastic, and it doesn't matter to me that they aren't Irish, as long as they are helpful, and welcoming. In fact, I would go as far as to say that they did Ireland, and Wales, proud. I thought the food was nothing to write home about, with fish and chips, lasagnes, and so on. But I am yet to find much better on the board any ordinary passenger ferry.

We went up on deck to watch our gentle arrival into Cork harbour, passing the historic town of Cobh, further down the narrow estuary, ironically the last port of call for The Titanic. This is a beautiful approach into Cork, where the harbour is located outside the city in Ringaskiddy, and where we berthed an hour late at 8.15am. Similar to Swansea port there is still little infrastructure in Ringaskiddy. We had wanted to hire a car, but had to go into Cork city centre to do so. There is a bus service by Bus Eireann, apparently, but there was little sign of it, so we hired a taxi, which took us into the city centre for 12 Euros.

The journey back from Cork to Swansea was equally smooth, if a little more busy, with foot passengers queueing to board this time, due to the Icelandic volcano eruption the night before, and all airports closing down. Fastnet Lines suddenly got all the free publicity it needed, with queues going out the door of this usually sleepy terminal. It was hard not to feel a little amused at the suited businessmen boarding, one of whom was spotted taking off his shoes and belt at security as if programmed to do so. I sauntered through with my hot coffee (better cafe facilities at Ringaskiddy than at Swansea - just) and all clothing still in place, rather enjoying his shock at the ease of it all. He was going back to Devon, so when I asked him if he was taking the new highspeed Severnlink ferry from Swansea to Ilfracombe, in North Devon, he rolled his eyes, and said, “Sadly, no, as my car is in Heathrow”.

The Fastnet Lines staff coped brilliantly with the sudden surge of passengers (six hundred more than usual) despite some of the frustrated airline passengers voicing their frustrations at the speed of the journey, and finding it hard to, literally, go with the flow.Sailing out of Cork, I could see the cliffs we had walked along earlier that day at Ballycotton, which is part of the Ballycotton Cliff Walk, with superb views all the way to Kinsale, and a walk which had given us the most exhilarating and memorable end to our holiday. 

I only had two complaints for the return journey. We thought we would treat ourselves to something better than chicken nuggets and chips for the children on the way back, and headed for the main Fastnet restaurant, with white linen and a wine list. However, at 35 Euros a head for three courses, and no flexible options for children if they only wanted a main course, we went for chips and a pint in the bar instead. Secondly,  we stocked up on Irish chocolates in the shop for friends, but couldn't pay with a credit card, as the machine doesn't work while out at sea, due to lack of signal apparently. I wondered if the people paying 35 Euros a head for dinner were being given the same story.

We arrived into Swansea bang on time at 7.15am, and joined the other hundreds to disembark, which was a bit chaotic due to the excess baggage of foot passengers.  Some people were up in arms about the delay, however, I thought the company coped brilliantly with the situation.  They helped us with our bags, helped mothers with children, smiled throughout, and gave all the advice they could. There was a coach to the bus and train station waiting for us in Swansea (£3 for adults, and £1 for children) which serves the daily ferry arrival into the port. As we boarded the bus, one man from Clonakilty, County Cork, said he was delighted with his changed plans, and said he had a much more pleasant journey than if he had flown. “I slowed down, and started thinking about bringing the family over to Devon and Cornwall this summer. Something I would never have thought about before”. I smiled and gave him a few travel tips for that part of the world, and thought,  even a volcanic ash cloud has a silver lining. 

Prices: Foot passengers can travel between Swansea and Cork with Fastnet Lines from £18/€20. Cabins & Pullman Seats are obligatory and an additional charge. Cabins each way from  £44/€49. Pullman Seats each way from £15/€17. 

How to book ferry tickets between Ireland and Wales: See greentraveller's ferry booking system to book all ferry tickets, including those on Fastnet LInes.

See also our unique quide to: How to travel to and from Ireland without flying.