OK folks, this is the important bit. Logistics details are now sorted, it is now time to make your booking. There are pitifully few hotels in the area, and one or two beds are already booked for the nights of Fri & Sat, so you must act now. We will be basing the trip at the
Royal Hotel, Cookstown, a hotel which often sponsors the race.
Alternative accommodation is the
Belfast House guest house and the
Greenvale Hotel.
Double / Twin rooms should simply be booked direct with the hotels,
as quickly as possible! Please mention the “Diggertours” group when booking.
Those requiring singles, or wishing to share twins or family rooms, please post here so we can arrange the optimum sharing arrangement to get everyone together and minimise costs.
Cookstown is about an hour’s ride from Belfast, or two hours from Dublin.
The main trip will arrive in Cookstown on Wednesday pm, and will leave on Monday morning. (Monday is a public holiday in UK. If you want to shorten the trip, you can arrive Thursday or Friday (Thurs we’ll be riding in the Sperrin Mts, Friday is Race Practice) or you could leave on Sunday (Sunday we’ll be riding over to Donegal)
Here are your ferry options :
From the North My first choice is always Cairnryan – Larne with
P&O on the Fast Cat crossings. I expect to be on the 15:00 sailing on Wednesday 27th April, returning on the 12:55 on Monday 2nd May.. Ten sailings a day to choose from, fast cat & conventional.
Stena Line run from Stranraer to Larne, again with Fast cat or conventional ferries.
From the SouthFrom the south-west or Wales, Holyhead – Dublin is the clear choice – you have a choice of
Irish Ferries or
Stena LineIf you’re coming from mainland Europe or you’ve a long ride in the UK to get to the Irish Sea, I strongly recommend the
P&O overnight crossing from Liverpool to Dublin. I used it earlier this year & it’s superb. Dinner & a cabin thrown in, and it saves booking a hotel. Play at being a pretend trucker for the night.