Late May 2011 trip - I'm bringing a newbie to Ireland! West and northwest.

Green Dragon · Guru

Late May 2011 trip - I'm bringing a newbie to Ireland! West and northwest.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Christy,

Two whole weeks. Way to go! I know you have been planning and looking forward to this trip for a couple of years now. The weather in May is usually pretty good. That is my favorite month to visit Ireland.

Your itinerary is looking good! The only thing you might consider changing would be to take a night from somewhere else to make two nights in Northern Ireland. Although you can see a lot of the Antrim Coast in one day, if you want to explore the beautiful beaches, hidden coves and scenic drives two days would fit much better. Much as it pains me to suggest less time in Donegal. That is where I would steal a day from. Unless you feel you can sacrifice the Aran Islands. Tough decision.

If you can do two nights in No. Ireland you might want to consider staying in Ballycastle or Bushmills.

I see that you are focusing more on Westport than on Galway. Previously Galway was a definite. Change of plans?

Don't forget to look at my Lodgings page for places to stay (or refer to my book).

I'm sure everyone will be chiming in with their favorites too.

Michele

tony2phones · Guru

I might be tempted to reverse the trip flying into Dublin and out from Shannon or at least using these two airports for your car hire to avoid the heavy inter country surcharge. Also I am assuming you will be meeting your friends family in Dublin?

As you have already explored the areas south of Ballyvaghan I am a little curious as to why your plan heads straight there for 4 days? Just playing Devil's advocate, but to my mind there is an awful lot of neglected wonder in Mayo, Sligo,Donegal and UK Ulster. I might also be tempted to head to InisMor from Doolin as a full day (10am out 4pm back) rather than an overnight whilst you are in west Clare.

-- Edited by tony2phones on Tuesday 14th of December 2010 04:40:09 AM

Green Dragon · Guru

I did consider (and still am considering) another night in Northern Ireland. Donegal just attracts me so, I don't want to short-change it! And I've wanted to spend the night in Inis Mor for a long time - not giving that one up. I got the recommendation of Cushendall from a friend of mine that lives up there.

I have discovered I don't like staying IN cities. I love visiting them, but prefer staying in villages and towns. Galway looked a bit busy for my vacation tastes. I have looked at the website - I have to dig out your book (still packed from my move!) and check things out. Thanks!

Tony, I thought about that for Dublin, but I figured I was willing to pay extra not to drive Cushendall to Dublin before an early morning flight. We are going to try to meet him either in Cushendall, or if he can make it out west, in Kenmare or Dingle.

I have never seen the RIng of Beara, and I want to. I've seen ROK twice (and if I need to skip one, I will skip that) and I want to see Dingle a second time - and have time to explore. We only had a day trip there last time, and it's SOOO beautiful! I'll probably be exploring Mayo and Sligo on a slow trip up from Westport to Donegal. I figure that the Rossveal ferry is a quicker trip, and it leaves me better situated to get to Westport, and even leave later, or explore the other islands before getting back.

Keeping in mind my village/city bias, do you think Donegal will be a better base, or someplace like Letterkenny? I want to visit Slieve League Cliffs, Glencolmcille, Iveragh, and Glenveigh, in that order of preference :)

Michele Erdvig · Host

Christy,

I like the smaller towns too. Galway is definitely a busy place and larger than Westport. Letterkenny is larger than Donegal town. So I think Westport and Donegal town will work for you and meet your criteria.

You will love the Beara Peninsula.

Michele

Green Dragon · Guru

I plan on loving it :) And I think you're right - though I definitely want to stop in Letterkenny and go by Enya's parent's pub!

tony2phones · Guru

Its a big ask Dublin ferry to the south west, Galway would be an easier option and Spidal could be a good location for both the city and the ferry to Aran. You will probably love Beara and if you have chance Sheeps Head, for my money you can keep the other peninsulas (you might even drop one of the OO's of Dingle). Donegal is a little more compact and quieter than Letterkenny, I also tend to take the Foyle ferry rather than driving through Derry.

Green Dragon · Guru

We may ask Vicki's grandpa just to fly - it would ge Cardiff to Shannon, and meet up for a day. :)

CowboyCraic · Guru

A Chara,

Looks like we are both covering ground with newbies in tow next summer!

The drive to Kenmare on your first day is going to make for a long day. You will cut some time by taking the Kilmer/Tarbert ferry.

You might see if your friend can arrange the visit from her Grandpa whilst you are down in Kenmare. Perhaps, giving up ROK for a Grandpa visit might be the ideal. He can grab a Ferry from Swansea to Cork or Rosslare quite easily. You will need a full day for Beara and all of its small towns, twists, turns and breathtaking views. IMHO, once you have done the Ring of Beara, the ROK is anticlimactic.

I would probably do Ballyvaughan as an overnight and roll Inis Mor and Westport back a day. I would also probably only do two nights in Westport. That would give you the added day in Northern Ireland and a last night spent near Belfast airport.

The wilds of Donegal are a favourite of mine. You might consider staying in Kilcar at the Ocean Spray B&B or in Killybegs, at the Seaview B&B. Either of which are smaller towns and close to the Sliabh Liag.

The Rossaveal Ferry goes direct to Inis Mor. It doesn't stop over at the other two. You only get that option when taking the Doolin Ferry, as it stops at Inis Oirr. I can recommend Kelly's B&B just outside of Kilronan for yoru overnight or, my home away from home, Man of Aran Cottage. Man of Aran puts you in walking distance of both Dun Aengus and the Na Seacht dTeampaill (The Seven Churches), which is right up your alley. Kelly's puts you 5 minutes from Joe Watty's Pub and just outside of the Port village of Kilronan.

I, too, am not a fan of the bigger cities or towns. That being said, I would much rather deal with the Galway traffic than the congestion I ran into in Westport. The traffic congestion was one of the main reasons I chose to push on to Roscommon town instead of overnighting in Westport as I had planned. Have you considered stay at the Bervie on Achill Island itself?

You know where to find me if you want any help. biggrin

Slan Agus Barrogs,

Bit

Green Dragon · Guru

Go raibh maith agat, mo chara!

I like the idea of him being able to ferry to Cork - hadn't thought of that. And I was already thinking of skipping ROK for Grandpa :) A day in Cork with Grandpa, cruising the English Market! Again, not staying in the big city, but visiting is fine :P

I might also take the one day in Ballyvaughn suggestion. I hate doing '1 night/1 night/1 night' type of marathons, but sometimes it's not so bad. Man of Aran is on my shortlist of 3 so far! I loved both Dun Aengus and Seven Churches on my day trip, and am aching to return. And not stopping at the other islands just means more time to explore more of Inis Mor.

I was hoping to use the Westport stop as a base to explore Achill Island, Connemara, and perhaps a bit of Galway city itself.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions so far. I love kneading the itinerary until it's JUST right.

CowboyCraic · Guru

Fadhb ar bith (No problem), mo chara

I am glad to help where I can.

It could also be done, with an early start from Dingle, that you caught the Ferry out of Doolin for Inis Mor and stayed two nights on Inis Mor instead of One in Ballyvaughan and One on Inis Mor. That would give you a full day to explore Inis Mor, which is well needed. The advantage to taking the Ferry out of Doolin is that you have some amazing views of the Cliffs of Moher, on most occassions.

You can't go wrong with Man of Aran. Joe & Maura take excellent care of their guests. I have already booked in for June, though not over Solstice as I had hoped. cry

It would also line you up for spending a few hours in Galway before heading up to Westport from Doolin. You will see a good deal of the Connemara region by taking the coastal route between Galway and Westport. No sense in backtracking when there is so much to see and take in. Achill and its environs will take a better part of a day. I, myself, can get lost in the famine village for hours.

Important to note that the Swasea-Cork or Rosslare Ferry have the option of bringing your vehicle along. That would give Grandpa more mobility.

Slan agus Barrogs,

Bit

-- Edited by CowboyCraic on Wednesday 15th of December 2010 03:16:19 PM

Michele Erdvig · Host

Christy,

Just a note to tell you that with the new Limerick Tunnel it is faster than ever to the SW. I don't think Bit has used it yet but you will both be pleased with avoiding Limerick and taking a shortcut. There is a toll charged.

Michele

Green Dragon · Guru

A tunnel to pass Limerick! Excellent - I hadn't heard of it before, thanks for that!

Bit, i do want to explore the Burren some more. One day was not enough, and I want to wander more than I got a chance to the first time (it was a cold windy day, and my traveling companions were griping - this time, I am bringing a non-griper along!) :)

We had originally done just that - a ferry from Doolin for a day trip on Inis Mor. The shorter ferry from Rossveal will allow us to spend some of the day after on the island as well, as we are only going as far as Westport - no need to hurry off.

Green Dragon · Guru

I think the Cork ferry idea is going to work - Grandpa seems amenable :) That way he doesn't have to do any land traveling on this side of the sea. We can meet him in Cork for the day, and he can take the sleeper ferry there and back.

So, if not Westport, what's a good option? We want to be within walking distance to a pub wherever we stay (that's our evening fun!), but if Westport is congested, it may scare us off into a smaller place.

I've also decided to take Michele's advice, and add a day to Cushendall. I'm taking a day from Westport (or nearby) for that. That makes for more 2 day stays than I like (I prefer 3-4 if I can get them) but it's a lot of country to cover in two weeks, it is what it is.

Date: 8:08 PM, 12/16/10

I am a little overwhelmed by your itinerary. Beara Peninsula took us all day. And we spent most of a day on the ROK even though we were not stopping much because it was raining. We stayed in Dingle a week, went around the Slea Head drive a couple times, up and over the Connor Pass. I can't imagine doing much in less than a day!

David

stewh · Guru

Green Dragon wrote:

Keeping in mind my village/city bias, do you think Donegal will be a better base, or someplace like Letterkenny? I want to visit Slieve League Cliffs, Glencolmcille, Iveragh, and Glenveigh, in that order of preference :)

A couple of trips ago we spent a week in the Donegal town/village of Ardara - loved it. IMHO Ardara is a much more attractive place than Killybegs - very friendly with a good selection of lively, welcoming pubs; Nancy's is high on my list of all-Ireland favorites.

Stewart

CowboyCraic · Guru

Stewh is spot on there. Ardara is a fabulous little town!

Three Cheers for Nancy's!!! It warmed my heart...and everything else that needed thawing...after a cold, rainy, blustery day hiking the wilds of the Sliabh Liag

A chara, have you thought about Mulranny? The Reilly's have a terrific B&B there. It is right on Clew Bay. It would set you up perfectly for exploring Achill.

Ideally, I prefer three night stays, as well, but two-night stays are better than one-night stays. Given your two week time restriction and the ground you want to cover, two-night stays are as good as it gets. Just be glad that the days are long ones. It gives you the evenings to explore the environs within walking distances of your lodgings.

Slan Agus Barrogs,

Bit

Green Dragon · Guru

Breezemount is going on my short list :) And Ardara looks adorable - also a distinct possiblity!

Oh, how I love the folks on this board. Go raibh maith agat!

CowboyCraic · Guru

Ardara is the place to be if you want to be in the heart of Donegal's tweed country. I think Michele has a B&B recommendation here. You can make a day trip from Ardara similar to mine: Asaranca Falls, Donegal town, Sliabh Liag, An Trah Ban, Glen Columcille, Glengesh Pass and back to Ardara.

If you stop in at the Ti Linn, a craft/tea shop you pass on your way up to the Sliabh Liag, on your way back, ask Paddy for directions to the Court tomb. He was gracious enough to give me directions. I would never have found it if he hadn't, as it is well off the road, through a walk through gate, past a flock of sheep and down a sheep trail.

I think you would fall in love with both Breezemount and Mulranny. They have some great beach walks and lively Trad seissuns.

Slan, a chara, agus barrogs,

Bit

Green Dragon · Guru

Both beach walks and trad seissuns are fantastic. I think I found a town for Donegal :) And I love hidden places!

I'll have to write down the details of your loop - looks perfect.

CowboyCraic · Guru

A Chara,

The wilds of Donegal are full of hidden gems. A half hour spent talking with Paddy and a good memory will stand you plenty from which to choose. You can get an idea of the loop from my Donegal segment of my trip report.

Ardara town has a FB page, as well. Its teh place to go to find out the local happenings.

Green Dragon · Guru

Ardara is now friended :)

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Christie --- Long time, no "talk"! -

Sounds like a GREAT trip that you have planned. My wife and I did something similar back in '07. Here's the link (if you have a few hours biggrin

) to my really LONG report.

We spent two nights at Michele's pick in Larghy, one night in Greencastle and two nights in BallyCastle at another of Michele's picks, but dunno if those choices would work out for you.

After all that, some caveats --

I am of the impression that UK DEPARTURE taxes are SIGNIFICANTLY higher than their ARRIVAL taxes, so you may find it noticably cheaper to fly INTO Belfast and OUT of SNN. Also, given the 'International' nature of Pick Up/ Drop Off in two different countries the Car Hire may prove to be excessively pricey ...

Have you considered flying into Dublin (Yeah, I Know!! furious

) , grabbing a car and then heading North and then exiting out of SNN????? Another option would be to fly into Belfast, rent the car Belfast-To-Belfast, then Train or Bus back to DUB, to depart.

Car Hire in the UK is SO MUCH easier, less expensive and Hassle-Free compared to the Republic, that it might well save you SUBSTANTIAL money ....

Dub would be a good 'Meeting Point' from Cardiff as there are quick, inexpensive flights via Aer Lingus, operated by Aer Arran. The Mrs. and I took the Swansea to Cork Ferry last July -- and it may well have been the LAST Ferry boat my wife ever steps foot on. It took about ELEVEN hours and my wife woke me at Midnight, insisting that we FLEE our Sixth-Deck cabin, as she was terrified of watching wave after wave crashing ABOVE our window .... doh

Now, a little old Irish woman that struck up a conversation with us as we were anxiously waiting to flee the ship at Cork, told us that SHE had traveled that route since she had been a 'wee girl'. When my wife asked if she thought that the crossing had been RATHER rough, the irish woman was at first perplexed.

"Oh, not at ALL," said She. "I thought it quite uneventful."

Got to actually drive the new Limerick Tunnel / Bypass TWICE this past July and LOVED it. I think the Toll runs 1 Euro 80, but there was NO traffic to speak of and it probably SAVES about 15 - 20 minutes of drive time.

We're spending 6 nights in Adare Manor Villas the end of March / begining of April and our hostess claims that we are only 30 minutes to SNN, due to the Tunnel!!! I certainly HOPE so -- as we have a 9 AM Departure! biggrin

Bob

-- Edited by Itallian Chauffeur on Monday 20th of December 2010 05:40:16 PM

Green Dragon · Guru

Well that was a lovely waste of a morning! :) I thought I had read it before, but many parts were new to me. Perhaps at the time I hadn't yet considered traveling into northwest Ireland, and had skimmed those parts. But I firmly remember Anchoress' contributions, and fully plan on visiting both Glencolmcille and the other folk park you mentioned.

The reason we are leaving Belfast to the end is mainly climate - since we are arriving mid-May, we would rather go north later, as it may (may!) be warmer later on. I know that car hire and airport taxes will be more expensive - we're planning that into the budget.

I actually had almost as much trouble last time I rented a car in Scotland as in Ireland. The problem was the exchange rate at the time (in 2008 it was almost 2:1) and the fact that the insurance coverage on many cards tops out at $50,000 value of the car. And most cars are more than that at a 2:1 exchange rate, so CDW wasn't covered. I didn't discover this, of course, until we were actual AT the rental place. So it added another $300 to the rental we hadn't counted on - and there were 6 of us, we had two cars to rent.

We are also thinking Grampa could fly from Bristol to Cork - about $200 for the flight, only 1.5 hours travel time, plus an hour drive to/from Bristol. Would probably be the best solution. Lunch in Cobh :) Granmpa is over 80, I'm leery of his ability to deal with rough ferry crossings and sleeping on an overnight ferry - two nights in a row, no less.

I took a quick look into Kayak, entering all permutations of arriving and landing in Shannon, Belfast, and Dublin. Arriving in Shannon and leaving from Belfast is the most expensive at $1059. When the fare is around $1000, I'm not quibbling about $60. Arriving in Shannon and leaving Dublin is the cheapest, at $961, and the others (all those involving leaving from Shannon) are $991.

It does look like the rental car surcharge adds about $200 for dropping off in Belfast, so I may revisit that. $700 for a Fiat Punto is a bit steep for two weeks, adding the $200 would make it the most expensive rental I'd ever done.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Bob,

I've toured the villas at Adare Manor and they are first-class. You are in for a treat. The golf club at Adare Manor does some nice meals without the high price tag of the manor itself. I recommend Pat Collins Bar. Good low-priced comfort food in a real old-fashioned pub. They have Trad on Wednesday nights. But it is very small so stake out your table in advance.

Have you visited Kilmallock?

Michele

Green Dragon · Guru

It looks like I've made a change!

Thanks to Bob and Tony's suggestions, we finally decided to reverse our trip route, starting in Belfast and ending in Shannon. It made financial sense - I had no idea how BIG the one-way drop off fee was in one direction compared to the other. Saves us at least $200, depending on the car rental quote. Dan Dooley's was a $320 difference! it brought the total rental cost down to $500. ALSO, rental car CDW insurance is covered on my CC in the UK. And, of course, Bob's departure taxes from the UK helped :P

And grandpa is going to fly from Bristol (about an hour's drive from his house) to Cork, and we'll meet him there for the day.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Christy,

Your trip is shaping up. I always like saving money! Then you can spend it on other things in Ireland. Get a 10% discount on Dooley with code: dochara.

Michele

Green Dragon · Guru

As always, you are awesome, Michele :)

susan · Senior Member

Hi Christy-

"ALSO, rental car CDW insurance is covered on my CC in the UK."

Are you sure about this? My Sister in Law could not do this with her AMEX gold card at Budget in Belfast .Budget would not let her.

Susan

Green Dragon · Guru

Yup, I was able to rent a car in Scotland with my card. It was Visa, rather than Amex. As long as the car value is less than $50,000.