Driving in Ireland

OzzieDeb · Veteran Member

Driving in Ireland

Michele Erdvig · Host

Debbie,

It depends. Is the GPS right up to date with newly installed software? Is it an older model that may not have all the new roads and motorways in it? Even the best ones will send you astray if not programmed right.

I have done fine for almost 40 years with a paper map. One of the delights of Ireland is getting lost. Have you read my article Magical Irish Roads: Bunny Lane?

Michele

OzzieDeb · Veteran Member

I was thinking of hiring one from the car hire company in Ireland, so hopefully it would be up to date. But thanks, we may just wing it with our map too :)

OzzieDeb · Veteran Member

ps. I read your article and it is beautiful :)) Love the photos too!

Michele Erdvig · Host

Debbie,

Thanks! I enjoyed Bunny Lane immensely. Not all car rental companies have up to date GPS units.

Michele

tony2phones · Guru

A recent reply to a similar question on another forum.

Our visitors staggered of the Swift at 2.30 after a rough crossing from Wales. It takes me 2 1/2 hours to get here from Dublin Port. So I got tea sorted for 5.30-6.00 giving them 3 hours.

I had given them a map and directions. At 6.00 they phoned from Loughrea, 12 miles away. At 6.45 they phoned me from the west end of our lane. I told them to turn off the sat nav turn round and would see them in 5 minutes. At 7.00 they were on top of the mountain in the dark heading in totally the wrong direction with the nav still on. Turning the thing off and turning round they arrived at 7.30. 1 1/2 hours to come 12 miles in the dark. 5 hours to get from Dublin after heading off in totally the wrong direction with a detour initially past Dublin Airport on the way to the M4??

I have a cure for GPS I call it a Hammer. either that or stick it in the oven with the ruined roast.

Main roads between towns and cities are usually reasonably signed and a map is by far the best for rural Ireland. SatNav/GPS offers some a security blanket but a good map even out of date a couple of years is the best way to get out of trouble if you do get lost.

OzzieDeb · Veteran Member

Tony
Sorry to hear your dinner was ruined. I bet your visitors were feeling frustrated too. I will tell my husband about this, as he will be the main driver. Thanks for your advice.
Debbie

Monty · Senior Member

Guess it is a personal choice, but never have we even thought about a GPS in Ireland. A good map has done the trick, as long as you have person reading it while the other drives. If you are by yourself then maybe the extra expense makes it something to consider.

I know it is an old line, but sometimes half the fun of driving in Ireland is getting off the beaten path a bit and discovering things you hadn't planned. Those are some of the greatest times we have had there.

Don't fret about the GPS, but instead consider a map, and have an adventure -- that would be my advice!

Best regards,

Monty

-- Edited by Monty on Monday 14th of November 2011 10:41:41 AM

stewh · Guru

I have used a GPS sparingly on 2 of our 7 trips to Ireland. It was sort of useful for returning to a base when I got lost but was rarely turned on otherwise. It was more of a hindrance on major roads. I would not rent one. I bought maps to cover Ireland (SD card) and used my Garmin GPS from home. More entertainment value than necessity.

hammsb · Veteran Member

We also used rented GPS with our car but used the paper maps most of the time. We didn't regret renting the GPS. However we just purchased a new Garmin and are planning to purchase an Ireland/UK card for it before our next trip. I think it's good insurance but don't rely 100% on it ever. A good map is essential.

Green Dragon · Guru

I LOVE having a GPS in Ireland. I bring my own - I bought lifetime updates for both US and Europe maps so no problem about being updated. It allowed me to just pick a road - any road - and explore, knowing that, when it starts getting too dark or too late, I can always find my way home. Granted, it occasionally tried to lead us off the odd cliff or over a sheep track across a mountain top, but that was part of the fun.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Christy,

What brand GPS do you have?

Michele

Wellsley · Guru

Hi Deb,

Yes, Yes, Yes. Many times we would or could just drive and where we ended up would be great. But when you want to get to a certain spot and be there as soon as you can the GPS was a God send. I found having the GPS comforting specially since the roads are so narrow. You can concentrate on driving and not finding directions. A quick galance at the GPS would show you where you are headed. We had several maps to go along with the GPS and would look at the map before taking off. This way we could decided whether or not to take the route the GPS suggested. Sometimes we like to take the path less traveled. We used the GPS the rental car company provided. I hope this helps. We only had 10 days to spend in Ireland and rented a car for 7 and put 1300 miles on it.

Frank

Green Dragon · Guru

I have a TomTom, and I love it. I used to have a Garmin, and I prefer the TomTom. There are one or two annoying features, but we worked around them. It also helped let me know how long I should take to get to a place. The biggest disadvantage is that many Ireland B&Bs and such don't have 'addresses' as such - and therefore are not directly locatable in GPS. However, we never had a problem finding the places once we found the road and crossroad on the GPS. I knew to ask for such items when I booked my B&Bs, so as to use the GPS accordingly.

One annoying time was when we were heading from Ballyvaughan to Dingle, and had planned on driving the whole route, as we had time to explore. We hadn't planned on taking the ferry - but by the time we realized that the GPS had taken us to the ferry across the Shannon, it would have been another hour or two to go around at that point, so we took the ferry and explored the south shore a bit more. No big deal, just different places to wander about :)