seeking advice on itinerary

jill · Member

seeking advice on itinerary

Burningbarricade · Newbie

Shame you aren't making it to the north coast of Ireland. If your husband likes high places a walk along the path at the edge of the cliffs near the Giants Causeway is in order.

All alonng that coast there is beautiful Irish countryside with spectacular cliff views. Not to mention Dunluce Castle http://www.lynx2ulster.com/OldBuiltUlster/Antrim/Dunluce.php The pictures on that site give an idea of what the rest of the coast looks like

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jill,

With only 7 days in Ireland you are covering a lot of territory. Your last day is especially full and I do not advise going from Dingle to the Cliffs to near Dublin in one marathon drive.

Just some suggestions:

Cut out something else.

Take Burningbarricade's advice and do Northern Ireland instead. It is much closer to Dublin than doing the west and southwest.

Ideally next time you can fly into Shannon and do the west.

Michele

jill · Member

Thank you! I automatically thought of Ireland, (not Northern) because that is where I had been for a quick weekend while a college student studying in London way back in 1975, and that is what you mostly hear about. If we cut something would you recommend it be the Wicklow area and just head straight to the west? Somehow I didn't want to cut the cliffs because I thought my husband would love them. He is relying on me to plan everything and I don't want to disappoint him. Thanks again for your help. Jill

jill · Member

Do you think we would make a mistake to just start driving and see where the adventure takes us, or is this a recipe for disaster? We are in good shape and adventurous. We have 4 children ranging from age 26 to 14. We have never taken a week away alone so we will be so happy just to have the time away together. Just point us in the right direction and take the blindfolds off! Jill

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jill,

You could certainly cut Wicklow and go directly from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher. Drive time is around 4 or 5 hours. Then you could head to the SW and end up in Dublin.

Get back to us with another go at your itinerary. I'm sure it will work out by cutting that.

Michele

CowboyCraic · Guru

Jill,

Another option for the Cliffs of Moher, if you stayed North, would be the Slieve League Cliffs in Donegal. To me, they carry much more appeal than the Cliffs of Moher because of their rugged beauty.

With just six nights, seven counting the one before your outbound flight, a North tour might be more relaxing with less windshield time. Its approximately two and a half hours from Dublin to Belfast, then another hour and a half to two to reach the antrim coast. With the Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the fabulous drive along the rugged coast, it would be a great introduction to the North. From there, you could head to Donegal, then down into Westport, and from there, Galway. Using Galway as a base, you could venture down to the Cliffs of Moher, as well.

If the southwest is still more appealing, then perhaps from Dublin you might consider heading to Kilkenny, then on to Dingle, from Dingle up into Galway and back again to Dublin. Dingle truly deserves at least a two night stay to appreciate it fully. Using Galway as your other base, you could venture up into the Connemara or take the Ferry to Inis Mor.

If it weren't for you having made your reservations in Dublin already for the first night, I would suggest starting out immediately when you land and saving Dublin and its environs for the last two days. It would be less stressful than trying to make it back to Dublin on the same day as your departure.

Slan Beo, Bit

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jill,

Good advice from Bit about getting a jump start on your trip by saving Dublin till last. However, you are arriving on a Bank Holiday weekend. On Mon June 2 Glendalough will be vastly crowded. Maybe best to skip that and head in which ever direction pleases you. You can "wing it" in certain areas at the beginning of June. But on Friday & Saturdays especially in popular places I would make reservations. Also for your last night and the Dublin portion of your trip.

Michele