World Borders: Getting the Belfast to Birkenhead Ferry (Northern Ireland to England)

northern ireland to england

World Borders: Getting ready to board the Belfast to Birkenhead ferry and crossing from Northern Ireland into England.

It was a return to the familiar border crossings for me earlier in the year as I got the ferry from Belfast to Birkenhead. It’s a great way to get from Northern Ireland to England, and also avoids the hassle of flying, allows you to drive there by car, bring as much as you want (no bans on deodorants/liquids etc.) and is also much cheaper than going by plane anyway. I’d totally recommend it.

boat northern ireland to england

Crossing from Northern Ireland to England

Booking your ticket for the ferry from Belfast to Birkenhead

OK there are a few ways to book your ticket, the easiest being online. Just go to the Stena Line Website and pick your sailing and your day. For the crossing I did and recommend you want Belfast to Liverpool. Basically Birkenhead is classed as Liverpool. You can book with a vehicle or as a foot passenger. There are other routes out of Northern Ireland (Belfast and Larne) to England (Fleetwood) and Scotland (Larne, Cairnryan) but my favourite is the night crossing from Belfast to Birkenhead.

belfast liverpool ticket ferry

Boarding Card for the Belfast to Birkenhead ferry crossing from Northern Ireland to England.

I have been with a car in the past, however for this post I’ll concentrate on the backpacker style crossing – i.e. a foot passenger. My most recent bit of travelling in the UK was done on buses and ferries.

The entrance to the ferry terminal in Belfast - car check in and foot passenger check in.

The entrance to the ferry terminal in Belfast – car check in and foot passenger check in.

Currently the foot passenger ticket is a bargain price at £19. There are two sailings – a daytime sailing and a night time sailing. I chose daytime, though in honesty I normally prefer the night sailing – you do pay extra for a cabin though.

belfast ferry northern ireland

The ferry terminal in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Check in and Boarding the boat in Belfast, Northern Ireland

After checking in at the foot passenger desk, you’ll be given your boarding pass and if you have paid for a cabin or the lounge you will get a pass card for that. It costs an extra £20 for access to the lounge. It’s a business lounge known as the Stena Plus Lounge.

mum and dad belfast harbour

Saying goodbye to my parents in Belfast harbour, again.

I had made a surprise visit back to my hometown of Bangor in January 2014 – first visit to Northern Ireland in 2 years but it went very quickly. My Mum and Dad gave me a lift to Belfast ferry terminal and I was off on my adventures again. No matter how old or experienced we get in life, there is ALWAYS a hint of sadness on these moments. Leaving Northern Ireland each time still makes me cry.

leaving belfast northern ireland

Saying bye to Mum in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Saying bye to Dad in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Saying bye to Dad in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

I said my farewells to my parents and headed into the waiting room. The waiting room/boarding lounge in Belfast is actually pretty cool. It has TVs on, newspapers and drink dispensers.

belfast birkenhead ferry

Getting my ticket and boarding for the ferry from Belfast to Birkenhead.

After getting my boarding pass and waiting in the boarding lounge for 10 – 20 minutes we get a bus that takes us onto the ferry. The ferry was due to leave at 10.30 am. We boarded around 9.45 am.

The boarding lounge/waiting room in Belfast harbour.

The boarding lounge/waiting room in Belfast harbour.

The ferry has an escalator. Up the escalator and we’re on as foot passengers. Got to be some irony in the fact that “foot” passengers get a bus onto the vessel!

Boarding the ferry in Belfast by bus.

Boarding the ferry in Belfast by bus.

The Stena Plus “Business” Lounge (i.e. Backpacker Travel Blog Land)

On board the Stena Lagan boat there is a “business lounge” called the Stena Plus Lounge. From my perspective I was able to get some work done in peace on my laptop and take advantage of the freebies. for the £20 I probably took about £40 worth off them – that’s standard for a backpacker. For me it was worth it. Your belongings are safer in the lounge, you have free tea, coffee, hot chocolate and orange juice. Free wine too. Free breakfast cereals, snacks, fruit etc. Let’s just say I milked it. As I got off the boat I also had a bag full of cans, crisps and fruit. So £20 – yes worth it! It also has internet access but please note it was very slow and intermittent (we’re at sea!) so not ideal for updating a travel blog, however as usual I did all my stuff online.

stena lounge onboard

Updating my travel blog on the Irish Sea in the Stena Plus Lounge.

Passport Stamps and Immigration leaving Belfast, Northern Ireland

I’ll have to state the obvious here. There are no passport stamps and no immigration. There were not even any bag checks. On occasion there might be bag checks. You might wonder why. The fact remains, Northern Ireland and England are both countries within the UK and therefore there is no border control needed. The only border control you will witness between countries in the British Isles is between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Flights from Scotland to England, Wales to Northern Ireland etc. are the same. You need ID to board, but you will not be stamped or given any type of “immigration cards”.

belfast airport arrival passport

There is no internal passport stamping or immigration between countries within the UK such as Northern Ireland and England.

Leaving Belfast, Northern Ireland

Leaving Belfast is always tinged with emotion and as the Stena Lagan sailed away I pondered on where the hell life had taken me. This was my first time back in Northern Ireland since passing the 10 year mark away and I followed the ferry away from beautiful Northern Ireland until the land was no more visible.

northern ireland belfast sailing out

Leaving behind good old Belfast, Northern Ireland.

belfast leaving northern ireland

Belfast fades out of view and I’m sailing across the Irish Sea…

Onboard the Stena Lagan

I love being at sea. I used to work on ferries and also try to promote living a life of travel by working on Cruise Ships. It’s a peaceful and calm way to travel. Here are some photos with descriptions of the different parts of the Stena Lagan ferry.

Mid morning snacks and coffee!

Mid morning snacks and coffee!

Free food in the lounge.

Free food in the lounge.

There's an onboard cinema - these are the films.

There’s an onboard cinema – these are the films.

Wow - changed times you can now get online (albeit slow and intermittent).

Wow – changed times you can now get online (albeit slow and intermittent).

Reception

Reception

Welcome on board the Stena Lagan

Welcome on board the Stena Lagan

Arcade Machines Room

Arcade Machines Room

 

stena lounge business

My boarding card and Stena Plus Lounge card

View out on deck as we leave behind Belfast city.

View out on deck as we leave behind Belfast city.

stena lagan bar guinness harp

The bar – Guinness and Harp on tap of course 😉

The Stena Plus Lounge/travel bloggers lounge.

The Stena Plus Lounge/travel bloggers lounge.

The Journey to Liverpool, England

The journey across the Irish Sea is fairly smooth and I always enjoy it. We arrived into Liverpool on time at 6.30 pm so the journey is about 8 hours. During the journey I ate, drank a lot of tea and coffee, updated my travel blog and planned my upcoming trips and relaxed.

irish sea travel

Sailing across the Irish Sea – keep your eyes peeled for the Isle of Man!

If you look carefully and on a good day you can see the Isle of Man. I didn’t on this occasion though.

liverpool ferry arrival

Arriving into Birkenhead, Liverpool, back in England.

You can really relax on board the Stena Lagan – it was also pretty quiet and a really easy place to chill out and get work done.

Arrival in Birkenhead, Liverpool, England

Arrival into Birkenhead in Liverpool England is smooth. Camera buffs will like the view of the city of Liverpool across the bay as you sail in. There is no immigration procedure, no passport check and no bag checks. It is very smooth.

Vehicles are let off the boat first and foot passengers get another bus to the terminal.

liverpool england ferry

Leaving the ferry on arrival in Birkenhead, Liverpool.

From the terminal you are still in Birkenhead which is quite far from Liverpool city. You can pay for another bus from the terminal to the train station at Hamilton Square and head on your way to the city centre from there.

Arrival at Hamilton Square train station in Liverpool, England.

Arrival at Hamilton Square train station in Liverpool, England.

I haven’t properly written about backpacking in Liverpool yet but my youngest brother lives there and I included Liverpool in my top 5 backpacking places in England. I’m sure I’ll get some more stuff written at some point.

Some videos of my trip from World Borders: Getting the Belfast to Birkenhead Ferry (Northern Ireland to England):

16 thoughts on “World Borders: Getting the Belfast to Birkenhead Ferry (Northern Ireland to England)

  • Regarding your Belfast to Liverpool ferry: if I do NOT want to pay for a cabin, will I be able to sleep? Are there some sort of chairs to sleep on? Any guidance would appreciated as I am playing to to the overnight ferry to Liverpool.

  • Hi Mike, unless it is a hugely busy season, you will have PLENTY of room to sleep!! There are so many seats and sofas on board, but make sure you lock up your belongings. You can also pay an extra £20 for the private lounge which has all you can eat and drink and a locked door for more safety. Safe travels. Jonny

  • Hello Jonny, do You know maybe if there is same procedure and no passport control between Dublin and Liverpool by ferry?

  • Hi Maria, I don’t know but it will probably be different as Republic of Ireland and England are even more separate than England and Northern Ireland as the Republic have their own government and are not under the Queen’s rule. Safe travels. Jonny

  • hi Jonny, is there border check if i want to enter into liverpool from ireland

  • Hi, are there still no ID checks between Northern Ireland and England? I mean Larne to Cairnryan? thank you?

  • Hi Nick, I haven’t been on those ferries for a while but I’d imagine due to the Coronavirus that they are checking a lot more things. Have a safe trip, I love that journey! Jonny

  • Hi Busli, thanks for the comment and glad you enjoyed my post on Belfast ferry – I backpacked it and took my backpack with me, not sure about suitcasing it. Apologies for the late response. I have been suffering from deep depression the last few years caused by liars and I haven’t checked or responded so quickly. Stay safe. Jonny

  • Hi Christy, Thanks for the comment and reading my blog. Apologies for the late replies. I haven’t been checking comments or emails as much the past few years due to ongoing depression caused by a liar. I haven’t crossed the boat border for a while but I think for the time being (especially in COVID-19) there will be a passport and bag check on that boat for safety. But remember, the crossing I did was from Northern Ireland (Belfast), so it could also be different from Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. Safe travels. Jonny

  • Based on experience from 2021, I can confirm in-country immigration checks are commonly performed on pedestrians by the Merseyside Police when arriving in Birkenhead, mainly to catch illegal entrants having crossed the Irish land border.

  • Hi Jokers Stroem, Thanks for the comment. There are not many checks as a lot of people seem to class the UK (UQ – Untied Queendom) as a real country. I personally don’t recoginse the UK / UQ but certainly it would have been nicer to get an exit stamp and check in Belfast, Northern Ireland and an entry stamp and check in Birkenhead, England. Safe travels. Jonny

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