Ireland map

Carrie K · Veteran Member

Ireland map

Geographer · Member

Hi Carrie: My wife & I returned this past Saturday from our first trip...2 weeks. I bought a Michelin Map and taped it to the wall in my dining room for planning purposes. Then took it with us and it worked out just fine. Michelin uses a good quality paper, as opposed to others that tear very easily. If you are in the states, check out your local bookstore. You shouldnt pay more that 15 dollars.

I prefer to have the map in hand prior to departure, simply for planning purposes and to review the areas well be in and around. I spent months looking at the map simply because I love maps. Most normal people can do this on the flight over.

Advise staying away from spiral bound maps. Once the pages tear out they become very difficult to work with as they are key based and order is essential for ease of use. I recommend not buying a laminated map as they are more difficult to carry. You can fold a paper map to just the area you are in which makes navigation quite a bit easier rather than fumbling over the full map.

When driving pay just as much attention to road signs as the map especially on the ring roads. People have a tendency to believe a map is 100% accurate. This is where you get in trouble. There was construction all over the southern half of the country...especially on the N6 from Galway to Dublin.

You may find, as I did, some of the "tourist maps" the hotels and B&B's give you are a great supplement to the map you purchase. The scale is usually only that of the immediate area, most major streets were found on them, and they are extremely easy to carry. You will find one for Dublin, Galway too if you are heading there.

While on the subject, Google maps has a user friendly interface for making a map of your itinerary. Its interactive so you can send family, friends, and others you want to make jealous details about your trip. A lot more fun than writing a boring word doc about your trip. Heres the one I sent

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=105366164730560384333.00044bf253727e9782d77&t=p&ll=40.313043,-35.15625&spn=93.973099,163.828125&z=3

Dont worry about the GPS. I use a differential GPS to review various maps at work but I didnt take one with me on our vacation...its a lot more fun to get lost...except when you get low on fuel... say in Molls Gap after driving through the Gap of Dunloe possibly because you trust your other half when she suggests there is enough fuel in the car!!! Moral of the story...when your tank hits the 1/2 mark, start looking for petrol stations.

Have a great trip

John

CowboyCraic · Guru

Carrie,

You should be able to purchase the Ordinance map at the airport in Dublin. I know that you can purchase them at teh newstand in Shannon airport. Just stop into the first bookstore in the common area and ask them if they have them in stock. If not, they will probably be able to tell you where to locate one.
The ordinance maps are great because they show a lot of the smaller roads which most maps leave out.

As for packing, I usually pack enough clothing for the first five days of my trip plus one day. On that day, I bundle up my clothes and drop them at a laundry in whichever town I am in at the moment. I leave, go out and explore and come back to freshly laundered, pressed and folded clothes. This cuts down on the size and quantity of luggage. Make sure you have a light, waterproof windbreaker, preferably one with a hood, and good stuurdy walking shoes.

Have a great trip!

Slan Beo,

Bit

Michele Erdvig · Host

Carrie,

You must be getting excited as the days count down. I hope you get some of the wonderful sunny weather I just did. Take a look at my "Packing", "Tips & Tricks" and "Money" pages for some important info. You might also like "B&B Etiquitte".

As you might expect I have drawers full of Ireland maps. There are two that I use the most. The Ordnance Atlas and my little laminated Handy Map. Both are available at Shannon and Dublin airports and at bookstores, grocery stores and tourist shops all over Ireland. The Atlas gives much more detail and has an index. So far I have not pulled any pages out!

We had an interesting post about Google Maps previously. They suggested swimming the Atlantic from NY to France and then making your way to Ireland from there. Someone at Google really has a weird sense of humor. It has since been taken down. They still have some funny directions there though. Type in directions from caherciveen, ireland to dingle, ireland. Then take Google's imaginary ferry! Maybe it is one of those fairy ferries that only appears once every seven years and then whisks you off to the otherworld.

Michele

CowboyCraic · Guru

Hmmmmmm, where can I buy a ticket for that Ferry? biggrin

It was also Google which estimated the travel time between Dublin and Doolin at 2 hours. Must be Faery Portals involved there, as well.

Slan Beo, Bit