Is my Ireland Itinerary realistic??

Beachcomber · Member

Is my Ireland Itinerary realistic??

Michele Erdvig · Host

Beachcomber,

I always say that with a limited amount of time you must pick and choose carefully what is most important to you. Make a list starting with most important things first. Once you have that list look to see where clusters are. Those will make good bases. Cut out things lower on the list.

I have broken down you trip to make it more readable and perhaps elicit more responses.

Sept 11 Arrive Shannon 12:15 PM Checkin B&B Dirty Nellys, Folk Park, Bunratty Castle are options SHANNON B&B

Sept 12 Drive to Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, return to B&B SHANNON B&B

Sept 13 Drive to Dingle, explore peninsula and stay at B&B DINGLE B&B

Sept 14 Drive through Killarney then Kenmare for a seafood lunch then continue to the Blarney Castle near Cork, stay on outskirts of Cork at a B&B

Sept 15 Head to Dublin driving by Rock of Cashel and Kilkenny to tour the castle and Gardens DUBLIN ACCOMODATIONS

Sept 16 Dublin- Continue to explore Dublin DUBLIN ACCOMODATIONS

Sept 17 Depart for Edinburgh, Scotland in the evening.

I can't answer about your itinerary yet because I know nothing about you and your sisters. Can you tell me what your goals are? Do you like hiking, gardens, castles, fishing, scenic drives, shopping, ancient Celtic sites, boat trips, small towns, large cities, beaches, mountains, historic houses? I could add a whole lot more. But you get the question now. Only by knowing what you want can you plan a proper itinerary. If all of you like very different things then you will have to agree in advance that you can't see everything on all four sister's lists. Everyone will get to choose something but not everything. That is the only way to keep the peace when traveling with others.

So far I would say that most of it is "drive by sightseeing" and some of it is not realistic. Have you seen the post about Blarney Castle? http://ireland.activeboard.com/index.spark?forumID=65127&p=3&topicID=28640709

Give us more info so we can help you pare things down.

Michele

Beachcomber · Member

Michele,
Thank you for making it more readable. I don't know what I did wrong b/c when I cut and pasted it into the posting space it looked like yours but something went wrong so thank you for fixing it.
Let me see we are 4 sisters age 55-62 all in excellant health but yes we do like slightly different things. We ALL agree on gardens and castles, and scenic drives. Don't want to see EVERY castle near our route. Cliffs of Moher,Burren, Dingle, Rock of Cashel and Kilkenny Castle and Gardens are a must. I love, beaches, hiking and birding but getting them to stay at Pax House in Dingle is my best shot for any of that. They can shop or relax while I do those activities.
They like to shop but I have explained they can shop in US when they aren't on a time schedule. lol Of course I don't mean they won't EVER shop but it will not be the focus of our trip.
We would like to experience more of a small town, meet the locals experience and therefore are staying exclusively in B&Bs except in Dublin where we will probably stay in the Cambden Deluxe near city center. We would like to do a pub crawl, not real touristy(is that a word) but with singing etc, and see how locals hang out. In short we want to get to know the country and its people and would NEVER book a guided tour. I am not knocking them. I read your web site on pros and cons for tours versus independent and I know guided tours are wonderful for some folks, just NOT US!
Lately, I am thinking of maybe only one nite in Bunratty so we can be close to Ciffs of Moher, then heading to DINGLE for two nights, but that may be too much driving on Spet 12 to go from Bunratty to Cliffs then all way to Dingle b/c they are in opposite direstions from Bunratty.
I had read the post on the Blarney Castle and we are thinking of maybe bypassing it b/c no one is interested in kissing a stone(We already have TOO much gift of gab! ) and then we could avoid long lines and see just as pretty castles elsewhere such as Bunratty and Kilkinney. The accomodations we have not booked but are considering are Bunratty Courtyard in Bunratty, Pax House in Dingle, and Cambden Deluxe in Dublin. We are not flying out of Dublin on Sept 17 till 8:55 PM headed to Edinburgh. Any suggestions by Michele or anyone that has experienced these areas and accomodations would be GREATLY appreciated.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Beachcomber,

The Cliffs of Moher are only about 1 - 1 1/2 hours drive from Shannon. If you are up for that short drive it may be best for you to head there and overnight in Doolin. From there you can head south to Dingle via the Shannon Ferry. That will give you a head start on your trip. It would eliminate Bunratty Castle though.

Instead, for a two-night stay think of either Dingle or Killarney. Bypass Cork (traffic is a nightmare there anyway) and go through Cashel on your way to Dublin. Would I detour to Kilkenny for the castle? Probably not. Instead I would see Ross Castle in Killarney and Cahir Castle in Cahir.

Be sure to check my Lodgings page for suggested places to stay.

Michele

Beachcomber · Member

Michele,

As you can see it has been a month since I posted. Since your reply we have been reading and busy making auto rental reservations, booked Bunratty Lodge for when we arrive on Sept. 11 and the Davenport in Dublin on Sept 15 & 16. We are leaving the rest open and going to "book as we go". We still need a rough plan however so would you comment on our proposed itinerary?

Sept. 10 Depart Houston in afternoon

Sept. 11 Arrive Shannon 12:15 PM
              Checkin B&B Dirty Nelly's, Folk Park, Bunratty Castle are options
              "Bunratty Lodge" B&B

Sept. 12 Drive to Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, head south to Dingle via the ferry
               Dingle B&B

Sept. 13 Explore peninsula
              B&B in Kenmare or Killarney

Sept. 14 Drive through Cashel seeing Rock of Cashel
                Cashel or Kilkenny B&B

Sept. 15 Head to Dublin after seein Kilkenny Gardens & Castle
               "O'Callaghan Davenport Hotel"

Sept. 16 Dublin- Continue to explore Dublin
               "O'Callaghan Davenport Hotel"

Sept. 17 Depart for Edinburgh Scotland in the late evening

Thanks for the input. This is the most incredible travel site I have EVER found and I have spent many hours on it since I found it a month ago.

What do you think? As one who has been there numerous times do you think we are rushing it too much to enjoy anything? confuse

Michele Erdvig · Host

Beachcomber,

Well done! Your itinerary is doable. It will give you an enticing glimpse of Ireland. And maybe it will mean another longer trip in the future. biggrin

Given your timeline, I think I would overnight in Killarney instead of Kenmare. Depending on time you might even fit in Muckross Gardens.

You will be driving through Cahir on your way to Cashel. Suggest seeing Cahir Castle and (if time permits) Swiss Cottage.

Thanks for your wonderful words about my site & forum. It is so nice to hear it has been a help. If you know anyone else going to Ireland be sure to send them to me. I will take good care of them - as always! smile

Michele

P.S. Beware of dynamic currency conversion at Durty Nelly's. They will try to charge your credit card in dollars instead of euros!!