Leaving in 10 Days!!!! Help with driving route

GrammyAmy · Veteran Member

Leaving in 10 Days!!!! Help with driving route

tony2phones · Guru

See if this helps

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&doflg=ptk&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=215571892271980732006.0004a1d53eb1922d526e3&ll=51.890901,-8.34549&spn=0.416991,0.883026&z=10

Blarney Castle the grounds are wonderful in early summer. Time permitting consider Fota House and Gardens. Cobh is a wonderful place, no pretence to be something it's not but a genuine working town with a couple of good museums and a very fine Cathedral. The Commodore does really good food at sensible prices and there is a very good Italian coffee bar higher up the town (can't remember its name though?)

As long as your lodgings know you might be late you should be alright. I remember once turning up somewhere about 9pm after getting totally lost.

-- Edited by tony2phones on Tuesday 26th of April 2011 12:12:17 PM

GrammyAmy · Veteran Member

Fabulous! Thank you so much! biggrin Just what I needed. I was just sure someone here would be able to create a more reliable map than I could. aww

Good to know about the late arrival. We won't have a phone in Ireland, but hopefully if we're running late we can stop along the way and make a call.

We chose Cobh over Kinsale precisely because it appeared to be just what you said, a town without pretentions. I'd rather walk around working towns than have fancy seafood, althought I'd happily do both if I had time! I am a tourist, but I like to see things beside just the tourist traps.

I'm happy to hear there's things worth seeing beside the "stone" at Blarney. :)

Thanks again for the help!

-- Edited by GrammyAmy on Tuesday 26th of April 2011 12:53:50 PM

wojazz3 · Guru

Hi Amy:

Be aware that getting through Cork (city) can sometimes be confusing. If you find yourself lolly gagging in Cobh and missing Blarney wouldn't hurt your feelings, it's not a bad option. There are nicer castles to see. The gardens, as Tony pointed out, are quite nice though and should be coming nicely into bloom about right now.

There is a really spectacular (and hard to follow) drive in to Kenmare which is not entirely on the N22 and R469. Without going to my notes, I'm not sure I could describe it and even then, it may be hard. None-the-less, as I remember, this is the one that passes by the "highest pub in Ireland".

Bill

Michele Erdvig · Host

Amy,

If you are at all interested in Irish immigration then do pop into the Queenstown Story museum. Cobh was the last port of call for many Irish people leaving Ireland forever. There is a statue of Annie Hall outside on the waterfront. St. Colman's Cathedral is worth a look.

Be sure to use the GPS around Cork City. I liken it to a black hole that can grab you and won't let go. If you get lost and into the city proper it can take a while to get back out again with all the one-way road systems. It can be a big time waster.

Don't take that road Bill is talking about. You won't get to Kenmare till midnight! Use Tony's map.

Michele

GrammyAmy · Veteran Member

The Queenstown place is definitely what I'm going for in Cobh (other than just seeing the town). It's been "all Ireland, all the time" at the Hayes house and we've read TONS of Irish history, novels, memoirs, etc. That makes Cobh a must-stop. aww

I've already got Tony's maps printed. I'll avoid the Kenmare detour (read "getting lost in Ireland!). wink

Thanks!

GrammyAmy · Veteran Member

Along the same lines......

Any advice for going from Dingle to Nenagh via Slea Head & Adare? That's our other long day of driving. I want to see as much of Dingle Penn. on the way out as possible, stop off in Adare for a break and then be in Nenagh by 7pm. Any thoughts on that one?

tony2phones · Guru

The Slea Head drive back to Dingle and then over the Connor Pas, skirt Traleeand head for lunch in Listowel at either the Off the Square Café or Allo's Bar & bistro. Listowel is one of the best Heritage towns and you could do a lot worse than spending some time exploring before heading to Adare. I like Adare as a stop off before an early event on the south coast nice "Cotswold" type village that takes 1/2 hour to see (or skip) on the way to the Shannon Tunnel if you have enough time to get to see the Folk Park at Bunratty Castle. Beeing a bit of a local I would head over by Sixmile Bridge and up to Killaloe cross the Bridge into Ballina and up the Lough Derg drive to Nenagh. If you dont fancy Bunratty and a rural drive then stay on the N7 underLimerick and into Nenagh.

http://www.dingle-peninsula.ie/sleahead.html

http://www.dingle-peninsula.ie/conor.html

http://www.heritagetowns.com/listowelhistory.shtml

http://www.tipperarynorth.ie/heritagemuseum/index.html

http://thefairwaysbar.ie/

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&doflg=ptk&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=215571892271980732006.0004a1e9ac1ccd25053e1&ll=52.731094,-8.821335&spn=0.102287,0.220757&z=12

Not a usual spot for a holiday Nenagh but it does have an excelent herritage centre. (and a Tesco's, Aldi and Lidl for shopping followed by Lunch in the Fairways bar. Just decided where we are shopping next week)

GrammyAmy · Veteran Member

Nice! Thanks again for such specific help!

We are staying in a heritage house, Ashley Park Estate, in the Nenagh area. It seems like a beautiful, quiet place to spend our last few days in Ireland. I thought it would be nice to slow down and make sure we take a few days to savor Ireland before we have to head home. That way if my itinerary has created any "green blur" along the way, at least we're ending well. :) We fly out of Shannon and will spend our very last night at Dromoland Castle - a little splurge to go out with a bang!

GrammyAmy · Veteran Member

What about doing everything you included on your maps except the Bunratty stuff? Can we still go via "the Lough Derg" drive to Nenagh? Thanks

tony2phones · Guru

You can just follow the map and not stop anywhere but I think if you favour non tourist spots then Listowel would suit.

There you go staying at Ashley and Dromoland and here's me pointing you at the best value pub grub and cheap supermarkets.

Never mind I'm sure you will enjoy your time in Nenagh and round Lough Derg. Birr Castle might be of interest up the road aways with Clonmacnoise just within range for a day trip.

http://www.discoverloughderg.ie/MapZone/LoughDerg-East/

http://www.birrcastle.com/

http://www.moytura.com/clonmacnoise.htm

GrammyAmy · Veteran Member

Don't worry...pub and grub is our usual. Dromoland and Ashley are worlds outside our normal experience, but this trip was a gift and so we used part of that gift to taste how "the other half" lives. :) Thanks for the help!