Rosslare - Santander

We live in Scotland and for the past 12 years have travelled in our motorhome to Spain via Portsmouth, sometimes direct and sometimes via France. We’ve always gone by BF and have mostly booked a pet-friendly cabin.

This time we’ve decided to go via Rosslare and Santander for our winter holiday. (Ferry Cairnryan-Belfast). I know all about the AHC and worming requirements for entering NI etc.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone who’s gone via Santander or Bilbao recently from Rosslare, particularly about any checks at the Spanish ports either of the van/car or the dog. The last time I went through Santander I was on my own without the dog, but I noticed a sign directing pet owners to a check-in and wondered if that was just for UK arrivals. My van or trailer wasn’t examined.

Both Spain and France have been hassle free and I wondered its still the case at Santander

Any info or tips would be great. Thanks

When planning your trip down to Rosslare, google would tell you its about 4 hours, it might be if you do it at midnight.The M50 is a problem in the late afternoon, the journey time from the Airport ( Cloghran ) to Killmacanoge ( M11) at night is about 35min but late afternoon you could add an hour to that, on a Friday add Two.
Also don't forget Toll's M1 is € 2.30 ( they don't accept Sterling ), the M50 is barrier-free tolling system €3.70 be sure to pay it before you get on the Boat or Prepay it, keep your receipt carefully you might need it to prove you paid it on time. ( payments must be made before 8pm the following day.)
The BF 2025 sailings to Spain are available for booking now.
Enjoy your Trip.

Hello again. Our trip is coming up soon. Our UK passports should be stamped on entry to the Schengen area and on exit. BF tell me that sailing from Rosslare to Bilbao they will not be stamped at Bilbao.

Any comments or suggestions?

My Uk passport was stamped on 3/10 at Bilbao when I crossed from Rosslare.

There is no point asking them not to, they will do what they want. I had my marriage certificate with me and my wife’s Irish passport as I was travelling with her but they still stamped it and ignored the marriage certificate.
I am expecting someone pulling me up at some stage for exceeding the 90 days in 180 then I will have to prove we were travelling together and therefore the 90 day rule doesn’t apply.

Are you certain about this, my understanding is that if you produce a British passport, it will be stamped, and to be honest you would want it stamped,it’s just to keep an eye on the 90 day rule
Same as entering non eu, everybody gets it stamped

All I can say in October when I arrived at Bilbao from Rosslare my passport was stamped. My wife’s Irish passport was not stamped. The 90 days in 180 days rule doesn’t apply to non EU citizens if they are traveling with a legal partner who is an EU citizen.

Keep us posted Jason