Trip Advice

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Trip Advice

pnutmms · Member

We will be flying into Dublin, spending three nights and then traveling by train to Cork. We will spend a night there and pick up a car the next day. We want to visit Kinsale, Mizen Head, Sheeps Head Peninsuala, Beara Peninsuala and then onto Killarney for a night. Next we will drive to Dingle for two nights and then take the across the Shannon from Tarbert to Killimer heading for the Cliffs of Moher and Doolin area for two nights. After that, we will drive to Galway for two nights and then back to Shannon to fly home.

My questions are this...........How much time should we allow for driving to each area? Are we doing it in the right order or should we switch parts of it around? How much time should we allow in each area? Is this intinerary too much for one trip? Is eight or nine days about the right for seeing these places?

Any advice would be most helpful. We love seeing scenery and enjoy pubs, music and history.

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

You don't mention spending any nights in Co Cork. If NOT doing so, your Cork 'Wish List' isn't possible ...

cry cry

The train from Dublin to Cork takes 3.5-4 hours. You'll then need to Bus or Taxi to the airport, collect the car and make your way West. That's at LEAST another hour, but probably more. Average DRIVE times will average 30-35 MPH, so if you drive DIRECTLY to Killarney, via the N22, call that 2 hours more. All THAT, is without stops.

Rule of thumb, mapping info is at www.aaroadwatch.ie Select the 'Convert to Miles' option and divide by 30 (or 35). THEN, factor in time to actually visit and explore (or tour) the selected sites -- For example, you'll need a couple of hours just to enjoy an OVERVIEW of Kinsale, and a few hours EACH for the individual Penninsulas -- EXCLUSIVE of the drive time involved in getting from one, to the next. One more overnight (in, say, Skibbereen) would STILL entail a VERY aggressive schedule, but MIGHT be do-able.

193 Kilometers = 120 miles will take something on the order of 3.5 - 4 hours -- and possibly, MORE.

Bob

pnutmms · Member

I should have been more specific. We plan to see the Blarney area and take a train to Cobh and back to Cork with an overnight stay in there then get a bus to the airport to pick up our car the next day. I was wondering if eight or nine days is enough time going forward after leaving Cork with the car and fitting in the rest of our itinerary (Mizen Head, Killarney, Dingle, Doolin, Galway) etc.

tony2phones · Guru

9 days is fine 8 is tight. Beara, The Sheep's Head and Mizen are worth a day so if you are going to spend half a day picking up the car seeing Kinsale and want to get to Killarney that's a non starter even just Beara is too much unless you fit in a night and do Beara the next day onto Killarney. Dingle sells its self so I don't but I would consider a diferent base than Doolin for Clare, If you are taking the ferry then see some of south west Clare before heading north past the cliffs and Burren, Kilkee to Lahinch has some good options. If you take the Shannon Tunnel then Ennis is the best base not only for all Clare but what is termed the "Shannon Region" mind how you plan this though because Ennis would be a far better last night than Galway for a Shannon departure.

pnutmms · Member

Thank you to everyone who has posted information to me so far. I have more questions. Would we be better staying in Killarney and doing day trips to the Beara Peninsuala, Mizen Head, etc. or doing the drive from Cork as I originally posted. If we drive from Cork, we will try to stay in Bantry a night or two and then drive onto Killarney. We did add another day onto the drive. We will have ten days now instead of eight or nine before returning the car the night before we fly out of Shannon

Michele Erdvig · Host

Kenmare is actually a good base for Beara and parts of west Cork. Bantry would work too. If you choose Kenmare you could eliminate Killarney. But you need two nights or more for Kenmare/Bantry. I might pull a day from Dublin or Doolin.

Geno · Guru

Although the area around Killarney is great, I do not share some's views on it being a good place to stay for a few days. I would certainly rather be in Kenmare or Bantry, but it's a personal choice for sure.

Any place in West Cork is pretty difficult to complain about!

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

The reason I suggested Bantry was that the location seemed best for completing the 'Wish List'. Booking Bantry meant that, should pnutmms find time running short (which seems likely), they could skip Sheep's Head, settle in to the B&B and then tour Sheep's Head, or catch it the following morning. I agree that Kenmare is probably a more lively base, rather than Bantry, but I think it's too far, given the need to visit Kinsale, Mizen AND Sheeps Head.

Bob

Michele Erdvig · Host

Do you really need to do all of those peninsulas? Could you choose one instead? Or do you have a connection to them?

pnutmms · Member

You have the knowledge on this. We can certainly eliminate stops. Which peninsulas wou you choose to eliminate?

Again, thanks for your assistance. I don't want to make this trip a race to the finish line. I value your opinions on this.

tony2phones · Guru

Sheep's Head and Mizen are small and Beara isn't all that big but worth a bit of time There is no reason you could not see S&M from Kinsale to Kenmare or Bantry or Glengariff for that matter then take some time over Beara. To my way of thinking the Cork peninsula's including Beara which is split by the Kerry border are the last enclave of Ireland in the south west tourist region free from the Tour bus brigade (although there are now small bus tours of Beara ). At the end of this thread I have linked a great resource for driving Beara someone has put together on another forum. http://ireland.activeboard.com/t50006301/bunratty-to-beara/

Michele Erdvig · Host

If I were doing the coast of West Cork from Kinsale to Kenmare I would do this:

Charles Fort: Kinsale
Timoleague Abbey
Drombeg Stone Circle
Bantry House & Gardens
Scenic Drive through Caha Mountains (Glengarriff to Kenmare)

Don't think you would have time for the peninsulas and Ilnacullin Gardens on Garinish Island.

But it all depends on your interests.

Beara, Healy Pass and Ilnacullin could be another day trip from Kenmare.

pnutmms · Member

I decided renting a car at the Dublin airport is a better idea than the train to Cork and renting a car. Here is the itinerary:

Days 1/2 Dublin

Day 3 Rent car Dublin/overnight Kilkenny..Cashel

Days 4/5 overnight Kinsale..Tour Cork/Kinsale areas

Days 6/7/8 Kenmare..Mizen Head, Beara, Killarney areas

Days 9/10/11..Dingle area

Days 11/12 Ferry across Shannon to Doolin area

Days 13/14/15 Galway/Connemara

Day 16 Galway to Bunratty/Other suggestions?/Return rental car

Day 17 Fly home

Any suggestions are welcome!

tony2phones · Guru

Looks well planned, being picky I would suggest somewhere other than Doolin for the Clare coastal night and would take a night from Dingle saving that to the end so you can see some some of what we have to offer over here in East Clare by Lough Derg maybe using Ennis for the last two nights as the town is a great touring base for the Shannon Region as a whole.

For Galway/Connemara see http://ireland.activeboard.com/t50055177/n59-galway-route/