 CAIRN RYAN FERRY TICKET RESERVATIONS |
Booking your Cairn Ryan ferry ticket online is safe and secure.
Simply select your outward and return routes below, enter the number of passengers then click 'Get Price' and follow the onscreen help from there.
If you are not certain of the port name in your destination country click here for country specific ferry route information or click anywhere on the ferry route map below to view an interavtive map of all Cairn Ryan ferry routes.
When booking your ferry ticket online a booking reference will be sent to you by email. On arrival at the port of departure present the booking reference number together with a photo ID and you will be given your ferry tickets.
Cairnryan is a small Scottish village overlooking Loch Ryan and is notable today for its large modern ferry port, operated by P&O, which links Scotland with Larne in Northern Ireland. The village has been of vital importance in maritime history.
During World War II, Cairnryan became No.2 Military Port, and three harbour piers and a military railway linking the village with nearby Stranraer were built by the army.
Thousands of troops were based locally in military camps. At the end of the war, the Atlantic U-Boat fleet surrendered in Loch Ryan and was anchored in the port before being towed to the North Channel and scuttled. This activity was codenamed Operation Deadlight.
For a period after the war the port was used to load superfluous ammunition onto barges for disposal at sea - a hazardous task, which took the lives of several at the port, while the long-term and wider risks of such dumping have only later become more evident.
Ship breaking became the main industry; the great British aircraft carriers Centaur, and most famously the Ark Royal were all sent here for decommissioning. As recently as 1990, Russian submarines have been dismantled here for scrap.
Its status as an important ferry port looks to be secured, with plans currently being drawn up to create a combined P&O/Stena Line ferry terminal with facilities for berthing two conventional ferries and the HSS fast ferry. The decision on whether the port development will go ahead is to be decided by a public inquiry, currently underway in Cairnryan. It is anticipated that the enquiry will continue into the new year.
The new facilities will be created in the area currently occupied by the current P&O port, as well as land reclamation on the north & south side of the village shore. This decision would see a major financial investment in the North Channel routes, and significant long term security for the village and the wider Loch Ryan basin. This decision, however, may have more questionable effects on the small ribbon village itself. All traffic using the North Channel route will be passing through Cairnryan, potentially causing significant congestion, noise and inconvenience; and some argue that the planning authority has missed a trick in not insisting on the reinstatement of the rail link as a condition of planning permission. The concentration of boats themselves may also cause significant amounts of noise and air pollution, docking as they will be, so close to the village.
With the largest selection of ferry routes and operators cairnryanferry.co.uk is able to offer you the lowest ferry fares with online reservations on all ferries sailing from over twenty six different countries across Europe including ferries to and from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Germany, Holland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium and the UK.
Book your Cairn Ryan ferry tickets to and from the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Holland and Spain online in advance to benefit from exclusive online discounts of on all major ferry operators including P&O, Stenaline, Brittany Ferries, Seafrance and Irish Ferries.
