Holyhead closed!

[MegCleary]

Anyone nearby with inside track?? Will it re open?? Cannot believe it is shut till the 19th. We are meant to be heading home for Christmas the 22nd and am terrified we won’t make it!

Reopens on the 20th December. Fingers crossed for you.

They have pushed back the date a few times so I hope it opens on the 22nd. Maybe check out Fishguard route as an alterative. Rosslare only 2 hours from Dublin

This is highly doubtful at this point. Fishguard to Dublin is an option, or Pembroke to rosslare

Unlikely, other options will book up quickly, have plan B.

christ I’m close to tears. Flights and car about £1200. Pembroke- Rosslare adds hours on. Irish ferries don’t do any other routes

Would the Liverpool-Belfast route work for you?

They do an overnight crossing with cabin.

@OpheliaWasntMad We are in Norfolk so drive that way hellish. And on the other side we are out west past Galway so be last adds hours and so does rosslare.

Could you go a day early and stay over either Rosslare or Fishguard to break up journey? We travel to South west England every year and have had to break up journey with overnight as traffic has got so bad on UK motorways

Everyone I know who was planning to travel via Holyhead has cracked and booked alternative routes - it may get sorted in time but it is hard to have confidence based on the current noises.

@Dulra himself doesn’t want to do another day driving/ travelling

Fly?

Stena Line has brought in a new service from Fishguard to Dublin OP - would that be an option?

All noises this side of the channel are that it’s not going to reopen this side of Christmas - sorry.

Flights and car booked, £1200.😥 no refund as still may sail.😰

On the BBC News website, Simon Harris is saying that it's most unlikely that Holyhead will reopen before Christmas.

It seems that the damage is much more serious than was realised at first, and it's only as they are working on it, that the full extent of the damage is becoming clear.

My 24 year old DD is in the same position. She lives & works in Ireland and is due to sail home for Christmas. She has looked at the other routes available but its looking unlikely they will be an option as they all add hours and hours onto her already long journey home. Almost double the sail time and double the drive time in the UK.

Getting the ferry seems like it will no longer be an option unless she decides to go for it and endure the extra travelling time. She can't look at booking flights or even consider anything else as she can't afford to as she hasn't been refunded from Stena yet as they have not officially cancelled her sail. She is unsure even if flying will be an option as she has heaps of presents to bring with her (and take back) so that will make it difficult lugging them all on a plane and back again. So we are currently in limbo just waiting to see what announcements they make. She was so looking forward to coming home for Christmas as she hasn't been home in a while for it as she spent the last couple of years with her boyfriends family. Its finally her turn to come home and this has happened. Its a real pain and really unfortunate.

We are trying not to let it get to us but it is very disappointing. But it is looking more and more likely her trip home will be postponed until the New Year when they can hopefully take some annual leave to come over and have a belated Christmas celebration. Unfortunately without her younger sister who will be back at uni at that point. Its a bit of a mess!!

@GinaDreamsofRunningAway ye poor loves. I’m in a funk and I am going. Credit card whacked and will need to work extra in jan but lucky we can do it. Not arrived there mentally yet. You poor lot must be devastated. Can ye fly to her at all?

We can't go to her as we have my terminally ill Dad to look after and 2 dogs we will never get into kennels at this short notice too. It will be what it is. Its disappointing. I know if I asked her to she would take on the extra travelling but I also know how anxious she gets on the ferry. Doubling her journey time doesn't make me feel good about her coming. So I think I may leave the decision to her. After all, it will be her that has to do the travelling unfortunately and I don't want her to feel pressured to do it, but also don't want to put her off if she is willing to do the extra travelling. Its all a bit shit really. I am still keeping everything crossed it will be open next week but admittedly its looking unlikely.

Correction - they hope to re-open on 20th but nothing guaranteed.

My sibling had to travel from Fishguard to Rosslare and drive from there to us. they were exhausted by the time they reached us.

Are you able to change your booking to a different departure location?
It may be re-open by the time you're heading home

Looking at the drone footage of the damage I’ll be amazed if it opens before Christmas.

Relatives of ours have basically resigned themselves to not coming for Christmas.

Looking unlikely I'm afraid.

https://www.thejournal.ie/unlikely-holyhead-repaired-christmas-extra-capacity-uk-ireland-ferries-6572969-Dec2024/

I am sorry for all trying to travel.
We always fly so not effected, unless there is a knock on.
It seems really unlikely that it will open before Christmas, I would look at other options, anyone who really really wants to travel.

@ARichtGoodDram i am sorry to hear that. @GinaDreamsofRunningAway sending a hug, hang in there.
ye have shaken me out of me funk, we are lucky we can make it.

Depending on where you're coming from, if you do the overnight from Belfast to Liverpool it's pretty good - I used to do it with the kids because that way we broke up the journey and they had the adventure of a night on the boat - UK side it's not so bad since you're straight on the M6 cutting out Wales (again depending on where you're headed.. oh, and finding the port again is a pain - I get lost every time in Liverpool!)

Miss out on the duty free of course (I realise, least of the issues)

We are in north wales. Lowdown here is it won't be open by Christmas