traveling solo in Ireland by bus.

minnesotapatrick · Newbie

traveling solo in Ireland by bus.

Melissa5 · Guru

minnesotapatrick: I agree it's a great plan to spend at least a few nights in each spot so that you can settle in and get to know each area. You will get lots of experienced advice on this forum, especially from Michele! It will help if you tell us what your interests are. For example, do you enjoy walking around in wild, natural, unspoiled areas? Or do you like checking out ancient "piles of rocks" (ruins)? Do you like small villages, busy towns, or a mix of both? Do you like museums? Do you want to hear Irish Traditional music...or not especially a fan? Do you love wild, evocative, lonely spots? Or do you prefer to be surrounding by people? Or some of both? Please tell us what draws you to Ireland, and what you are looking for.

One of the wonderful things about a visit to Ireland is the people of Ireland...with several nights in each spot, you will have some time to meet some of the people.

I believe there are 2 Cashels...Cashel in County Tipperary; and Cashel, County Mayo.

I've been to Ireland once, and I'm currently planning my second visit to Ireland for September. Out of the choices you have mentioned, I have been to Galway and Doolin. They weren't my favorite spots, but that doesn't mean they can't be your favorites. It depends on what you are looking for.

tony2phones · Guru

Galway 4 nights, Killarney 3 nights, Cork 2 nights, Dublin 6 nights. No problems. The other options I would re consider. The main Cities are fine because they have good transport links and tour bus options.

Doolin for example, I love the place and the Burren but 4 nights with limited transport options so without a car, bike, good strong legs you are not going to do much. You can get across to the Islands and it might be worth getting the bus/Ferry from Galway stay overnight on Inishmoor and ferry to Doolin for a couple of nights but you can get tour's of the Burren from Galway.

Glengariff and Cashel give simmilar concerns.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Patrick,

Welcome to my forum. As Tony points out you need to choose your bases carefully. You need to be in a place with infrastructure such as pubs, restaurants, accommodations and touring options. By staying "in the middle of nowhere" you will limit what you can do, especially if it pours down rain.

Cashel, Doolin and Glengarriff are not places that would be good for you to stay. In place of Cashel try Kilkenny. In place of Doolin try Galway. Skip staying in Glengarriff and add time somewhere else.

Depending on how you plan it, you may be able to take trains and buses. There are combo tickets you can buy. But it really depends on your itinerary. Take a look at schedules to see.

Michele

minnesotapatrick · Newbie

Thank you all for your help. I will rethink my itinerary. Maybe I could add an extra night to Galway and skip Doolin. Instead of Glengariff maybe Kenmare would be a better base down there. I will look at Kilkenny. Would Cobh or Kinsale be an okay choice as a base in Cork. I don't want all my bases to be the usual larger places. I love to hike. I would be happy in a small village for a few days if it is near a great hiking area (I have a feeling all of Ireland falls into that category). What about the Beara Peninsula and the Caba Mountains? Any thoughts? I do want a nice balance between the west/ southwest and Dublin. (City culture and the wild outdoor country and coast) Thanks again! Patrick

Melissa5 · Guru

Patrick: If you want a unique place for an outdoor walk...The Burren in County Clare is unique, and I believe May is a good time to see flowers there...Michele, isn't May a time for flowers in the Burren? However I don't know anything about bus transportation to The Burren. We really enjoyed The Burren in June.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Patrick,

There are tours that go from Galway to the Burren, Cliffs of Moher, Connemara, etc. From Killarney you can get day tours to Dingle, Ring of Kerry, Gap of Dunloe, etc. From Dublin to Malahide, Wicklow, Newgrange, etc. Melissa is correct that May is flower blooming time in the Burren.

Can you rent a bike and get around that way from your bases? Beara and the Caha Mountains really don't have tours going to them. You could hire a taxi for a day to fill the gaps.

Kinsale is a small harbor town but I don't know that it would make a good base. There is good hiking in Glengarriff and Kenmare, however there is in Killarney too. You have Killarney National Park, Cherry Tree Walk, lots of trails around the lakes, Gap of Dunloe. Don't believe everything you have heard about Killarney, especially if you have a book by R.S.

Also take a look at Paddywagon Tours just to see what is on offer.

Michele

minnesotapatrick · Newbie

Great information! Thank you so much.

CowboyCraic · Guru

Patrick,

As Michele stated, you might look to Paddywagon. They had on offer a Hop-on/Hop-off tour by which you could spend a few nights in one of their drop locations and pick up a bus when you were ready to move on. I don't see it on the new revamped website but it might be worth an email to see if it is still on offer in some form. It was always a good way to get around, see some local, small areas and share in some good craic, as well.

I would also have to agree that 4 nights in Doolin is three nights too many. That would especially be true in May, as it is off-season and it becomes somewhat of a ghost town. I was just there in June. Even with a vehicle and a purpose for being there, I found four nights to be too many.

Slan Beo,

Bit

yesiree · Guru

All good advice above.

Instead of Doolin, you could also consider Ennis (I had a nice stay at Rowan Tree Hostel - if you're going that route)... there are a couple day tours that go out from Ennis to various sites as well. I find it an easy town to wander around (some similarities to Kilkenny only smaller).

Killarney is an easy town to visit without a car and as mentioned might be an advantage over Kenmare or Glengariff. That said, I think a couple quiet days in towns like that would be very nice... wander around town during the day, visit the pubs at night.

The tourist office in any town will direct you to some nice hikes and affordable ways to get there. Heck, when I was traveling by train/bus in Mayo, my B&B hosts insisted on driving me to and from their favorite hiking spot. Their only request, "Tell everyone you know about your our beautiful corner of Ireland."

And my arrival at that B&B came at the generosity of an employee at the Museum of Country Life. She sold me my ticket in the morning, and when she saw me waiting at the bus stop as she was going home, offered me a lift to my B&B in town.

Traveling solo in Ireland via public transportation may limit your experience in one way, but it opens the door for a whole different range of opportunities.

-- Edited by yesiree on Monday 1st of August 2011 01:50:26 PM

minnesotapatrick · Newbie

Thanks Michele and everyone. 4 nights in Doolin does seem to be too many nights. I will rethink my route.
I do tend to stay away from group outings. Organized day tours are not really my cup of tea. I love to plan a route using bases that afford ample nearby options to discover the sights, natural environs, and culture of a place or region and then (with a good book or two in hand) just let serendipity takeover.
Happy travels to you all!

Patrick

Andi · Senior Member

Using a bike is a great way to do day trips around Ireland. You can rent a bike at many hostels, and although the bike will probably be a somewhat heavy, not terrific bike, it's still a fun way to travel around, esp. on quiet rural roads. You can even throw a bike in the hold of a bus if they have room, and they usually do.