ScotRail Stena Line Rail Link Coach from Ayr Railway Station to Cairnryan Loch Ryan Port

The third leg of my Rail & Sail to Belfast and Ireland journey would be by ScotRail Stena Line Rail Link Coach from Ayr to Cairnryan Loch Ryan Port. This bus is the connection between Ayr Railway Station, departing at 12.45pm, for the 3.30pm ferry departure from Cairnryan Loch Ryan Port to Belfast Port Victoria Terminal 4. The 3.30pm is the sole ferry connection sold in the Rail & Sail to Belfast and Ireland ticket from Edinburgh according to the ScotRail journey planner.

National Rail offers a Rail & Sail to Belfast and Ireland Ordinary Promotion ticket which is an all in one ticket for rail from any Scottish station, coach link between Ayr and Cairnryan, and ferry travel to Belfast (via Cairnryan) with Stena Line. Regular 26-30 Railcard concessions apply on this ticket, offering a 34% discount off adult fare, which is perfect for me to head to Belfast from Edinburgh by train, bus, and ferry, all in a single train ticket.

Ayr Railway Station

The ScotRail Stena Line Rail Link Coach arrived at Ayr Railway Station at 12.34pm, 11 minutes before scheduled departure time. This coach is legally a train service with UID W90080 and TSC 13577015, though the train identity is 0B00.

Passengers load up their bags in the luggage compartment first, before showing the bus driver tickets before boarding the bus. As I had no bags to place in the luggage compartment, I headed straight for boarding.

The interior of the ScotRail Stena Line Rail Link Coach.

The bus was only half-full when departing from Ayr.

The legroom isn’t too great on board the ScotRail Stena Line Rail Link Coach, but I guess it’s fine since it’s the cheapest option available from Edinburgh to Belfast.

There is also a footrest bar mounted below the seats.

The ScotRail Stena Line Rail Link Coach departed from Ayr Railway Station sharp on time at 12.45pm.

Passing by the Ayr Viaduct Railway Bridge over the River Ayr after making a loop at the roundabout.

Passing by Ayr Railway Station on the opposite side of the road.

Heading out of Ayr.

Heading on to Cairnryan via the A77. Although there’s only 1 lane on each side of the road, the A77 is a major road in Scotland.

Passing under Girvan Railway Station.

Passing through Girvan along the A77.

Passing by the “Whits yer Hurry?” monument when leaving Girvan.

The A77 takes a coastal route after Girvan to Cairnryan.

Before Cairnryan, the road swings back inland for a while.

Closing up on Cairnryan Loch Ryan Port Stena Line Terminal.

There is a mix of passenger and freight traffic on the Cairnryan-Belfast ferry route.

Entering Cairnryan Loch Ryan Port.

Passing by the junction to drive on to the ship. The ScotRail Stena Line Rail Link Coach route ends here at Cairnryan Loch Ryan Port, with onwards ferry boarding by foot.

Cairnryan Loch Ryan Port Stena Line Terminal

Parking at the coach bay just outside the passenger terminal.

Looking back at the now-empty bus.

The ScotRail Stena Line Rail Link Coach arrived at Cairnryan Loch Ryan Port Stena Line Terminal at 2.05pm – 5 minutes delayed.

The coach livery includes an image of the Stena Superfast VII, the same ferry serving on the Cairnryan-Belfast route.

The Scottish Citylink & Ulsterbus 923 from Glasgow followed behind, using a Northern Irish Translink Goldline coach operating in Scotland. Ironically, this Northern Irish bus does not go on to Northern Ireland.

Immediately after alighting, the next batch of arriving passengers from Belfast start boarding the ScotRail Stena Line Rail Link Coach to Ayr.

The Cairnryan Loch Ryan Port Stena Line Terminal is very compact, making it almost impossible to get lost. Here, I headed on into the terminal to get my Stena Line ferry boarding pass.