Scotland and Ireland in one trip: how it works
How to combine Scotland and Ireland in one holiday: the ferry, the route, how long you need and where to fly in and out.
Updated · 6 minute read
Scotland and Ireland sit closer together than most maps suggest. On a clear day you can see the Antrim coast from Galloway. Combining them in one journey is easier than people expect, as long as the route is built the right way round.
The crossing
The most practical link is the car ferry from Cairnryan in south-west Scotland to Belfast, about two and a quarter hours. Travelling with a private driver-guide, your guide drives your vehicle aboard and you cross together: no airport, no change of guide, no luggage handover.
Which way round?
We usually start in Scotland and finish in Ireland. Edinburgh is an easy arrival airport, the Highlands are best enjoyed while you are fresh, and Dublin has a wide choice of flights home to North America, with US pre-clearance at the airport. Book an open-jaw ticket: into Edinburgh, home from Dublin.
How long do you need?
Ten days is the minimum we would suggest for a first combined trip: about six or seven nights in Scotland and three or four in Northern Ireland. Two weeks lets you add Dublin and the Boyne Valley, or a slower pace throughout. The trip builder suggests a length as you choose places.
The part people underestimate
The drive from the west Highlands down to the ferry. Skye to Cairnryan is a full day's drive, so we break it with a night in Oban and on the Ayrshire coast, both worth seeing in their own right.
Northern Ireland and the Republic
Northern Ireland is part of the UK; the Republic of Ireland is a separate country in the EU. There are no border checks between them, and the change is often only noticeable when road signs switch from miles to kilometres.
