Michele,

As always, enjoy your input. 

When we leave Dublin the morning of October 10th, we're  picking up our car and heading to Glendalough for the most part of the day .Our plan then was  to drive to Kelkenny before dark for an overnight. We researched and thought the second night there would allow us a whole day to explore Kilkenny.  (We looked at a walking tour that seems nice).

We certainly can free up, as you say, two more nights if we do Galway/Westport.  And skip actually spending the two nights in Clifden.

We do want to stay two night in Galway, as we'll be making the drive from Dingle, and if we make any stops, it will be a full day.  The second day in Galway we plan on taking the Galway Tour , Connomera and Cong and that doesn't return to Galway until 7:30 PM, thus the 2nd night in Galway.  This tour doesn't go as far as Clifden, and we thought that looked like a fun place to see as well but since it's not far from Westport, could just drive to Westport through Clifden.  On recommendations from your site, we decided that walking around Achill Island would be nice as well if the weather is good.  

As far as the Gardens, we do love those, but due to the weather being colder in October, I thought maybe the gardens wouldn't be at their best either.  Will re-think that though. 

Thanks for the tips.

Sue 

I agree about the day to Kenmare, and will definately do that.  I was thinking we cut Killarney short.  We have a lot planned, but also want to see those things and not just from the car.  We still can take one more day iif we need it from Clifden.  That whole area will be our last stop and it might be nice to be felixble there as we can always add an extra day around the Cliffs of Moher as well or somewhere between Dingle and Galway.  So, I still feel we have a good base for our trip.  Just a little "tweeking".

 

Sue

Tony,
You're probably right, but neither my husband or I are much of "WINGER"S, though wish we were, and we definitely are trying to not over schedule our days, for just that reason. With that said, though, we do want to have an idea of where we'll be staying at nights and think we basically have done that. By all this planning, we really are learning a lot from many sources regarding places to go . And since we have so much time to plan and learn, we can afford to make a few changes along. Please continue to critique me though. I appreciate all the advice. I wish we could go to Ireland more as many people do, but this will probably be our only trip there, unless we WIN one. We have many places in our BUCKET list we yet want to see and God willing hope to be able to travel more each year.

I have a standard formula for Winging it and you should be fine in October but my standard answer is..

 

Winging it the t2p way. or how we did Ireland before we moved over.

Book the 1st and last nights. Pin a Michelin 712 map on an empty wall. Decide any must see places and pin them. work out some stepping stones(towns) on a rough route. get a list of 3 guest houses and 1 hotel for these potential places. email the hotels and ask if there are (1) any events or festivals locally on your possible dates. (2) if the hotel is doing any special offers on your possible dates. Talk to your host and ask in the local pub what's worth seeing. Phone ahead at breakfast for the evening accommodation. Only book one night at once, if the place is good or there's things to do and see within a 30mile radius book an extra night.

Tourist Information Bureau are great and will always find you a bed for the night. Provided there is one available and of course provided they are open! not much fun knocking on doors at 6pm.

 

You have already sourced accommodation and have your stepping stones. 

You will not be stuck without a bed and you are not nailed to the seat of a coach tour. 

The one thing I can guarantee when it comes to Ireland -- Nothing will go 100% to plan and the more you plan, the more there is to go wrong.