8 Days in Ireland

Geno · Guru

8 Days in Ireland

KimAnt103 · Member

My husband and I are traveling to Ireland in October for 8 days flying into (and out of) Dublin and renting a car.

Day 1 - overnight in Dublin-possibly going to Wicklow Mountains or heading to seaside in Dublin

Day 2 - overnight in Kilkenny

Day 3 - Driving to Dingle (2 nights) with stops in Cashel, Blarney and possibly Killarney

Day 4 - overnight in Dingle again with touring of the Pennisula

Day 5 - Driving to Galway (2 nights) with stops in Adare, Bunratty, Knappogue Castle and the Cliffs

Day 6 - overnight in Galway touring the town and possibly heading to Connemara

Day 7 - Driving to Dublin for last 2 nights

Day 8 - Dublin touring the city

My questions are...

Should we go to the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough on our way to Kilkenny?

Is day 3 too much driving, should I change our hotel to someplace closer to Blarney or Cork?

Any suggestion for different stops along our trip?

Thanks in advance for any and all advice and suggestions smile

Michele Erdvig · Host

Very good plan from Geno. Keep in mind that days start getting short in October. You won't have as much daylight as summer. Depending on the type of trip and pace you want, you could slow it down a little to have two nights in Killarney, skip Galway and just one overnight in Doolin near the Cliffs of Moher.

There are so many different ways to do Ireland.

tony2phones · Guru

The benefit of a forum is that you get different ideas from different perspectives. I might start by heading to Galway which would be a 2 hour straight and a bit of fiddling run from DUB.

Have 2 nights in Galway with the middle day doing a bit of the Connemara or possibly Inis Mor.

Drive the Clare coast including the Cliffs and a couple of other points ending in Ennis/Limerick/Adare for that night.

I am not a fan of Dingle so would drive round the peninsula on the way to Killarney which will be quiet enough in October but still have options for a couple of nights.

Then over past Cashel to Kilkenny (Blarney is a great spot but maybe not in October) with the aim of ending your trip in Dublin.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Tony's plan would work too. Although, fresh off a plane, I would probably put travel time at 3 hours to Galway from Dublin Airport. The locals tend to drive like crazy and can do it faster! wink But they know the roads.

A question for you. What sort of a pace do you like? Would you rather cram as much as possible into a trip or do you prefer a slower approach where you try to spend two nights where you can?

To answer your question about Glendalough, ending in Kilkenny. I wouldn't do it on the first day in Ireland. Too much driving off in different directions with jet-lag.

Geno · Guru

Kim:

Would suspect you will glad that you only drive a couple of hours that first day. It takes awhile to get your energy back after that flight. And for many of us, making yourself stay awake the first day helps you get a great night's sleep the first night and then you wake up pretty well adjusted to the time zone issue.

As mentioned, Kilkenny is one of the great walking cities in Ireland. I have used this walking tour from our friends at the Irish Fireside, and it is a wonderful reference to use for a day there.

I also agree with Michele that Doolin would be a great one night stop to keep that Dingle to Galway route doable and allow you to see the Cliffs. Take the Tarbert Ferry to save a lot of time and give yourself the chance to see some awesome scenery. If you take the coastal road from Doolin to Galway, and it is near lunch time when you go through Kinvara, I would suggest a stop at Monk's, a pub that I think has the best seafood chowder there is!

You'll no doubt have a wonderful time!

Geno

-- Edited by Geno on Thursday 22nd of August 2013 12:30:19 PM

KimAnt103 · Member

Michele-We would like to see as much as possible without going overboard, that is why we were going to do 2 nights in Dingle and 2 nights in Galway. But after reading Geno's suggestions about driving from Dingle to Galway I think we would be better off stopping and staying in Doolin as you suggested Michele or someplace near there.

Geno-Thank you for your suggestion about heading straight to Kilkenny the first night. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about driving over there the first day so I was hesitant to travel too far.

We will be in Ireland Oct 19-27. We already have hotels/b&b's that can be cancelled for the itinerary above.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Monk's is in Ballyvaughan. But not too far from Kinvara. wink

Are you sure you can't change your reservations? It is a long way from mid-Oct and usually you can change things this far out. Or perhaps you are locked into some sort of a voucher plan with a travel agent?

With the new Limerick tunnel (goes under the Shannon River and avoids Limerick) the time on the main road vs the ferry is about the same. However, if you take the ferry the drive is more scenic, doing the coast of Clare and it gives you some down time when crossing the river.

Geno · Guru

Yes of course -- just west of Ballyvaughn. smile I also ate in Kinvara, but I believe that place was Keoughs. One thing about Monk's, if you are taking the coastal road from Doolin, you will find it! And I do like the chowder!!!

KimAnt103 · Member

We are able to change hotels. I have made changes for Day 1 to Cashel and Day 2 in Killarney keeping Days 3 & 4 in Dingle Day 5 in Liscannor Day 6 in Galway and Days 7 & 8 in Dublin.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Glad to hear that your trip is working out to your satisfaction. I hope the weather cooperates and you have a wonderful time. We would love to hear back when you return. If you have any other questions do let us know.

KimAnt103 · Member

We are staying in Liscannor day 5 and staying in Galway day 6. I would like to drive up to Kylemore Abbey then going to Galway, would this be too long of a drive for that day? Or is there some place else we should visit? Will that be a waste of over 3 hours to drive up there just for that? We are heading to Dublin for days 7 & 8 so we don't want to go to Kylemore Abbey then.

Also when leaving Dingle on our way to Liscannor and the Cliffs we would like to see Adare Castle and Bunratty Castle so should we just drive through Limerick or should we still take the ferry in Tarbert?

-- Edited by KimAnt103 on Wednesday 4th of September 2013 01:05:59 PM

Michele Erdvig · Host

If you get an early start you could do the Connemara loop including Kylemore Abbey and end the day in Galway. It will be an all day trip so just plan on that. I always enjoy a stop in Cong to see the Abbey and woods. There is a catamaran cruise on Killary Harbor, if that is of interest. Also Sky Drive signposted in Clifden.

Since you want to see Adare and Bunratty, drive toward Limerick. Take the toll tunnel under the Shannon River to avoid Limerick City. Skip the ferry.

KimAnt103 · Member

Thank you for your response. So many decisions lol. Again thank you for the useful information and suggestions. I will definitely post about my trip when we return.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Happy to help. We will look forward to hearing about your adventures in Ireland when you return.

KimAnt103 · Member

Another quick question...There are a few sites and castles that are going to be closed in October. Do you know if we are able to atleast take pictures of the places even though we can't go inside? Or is the entire area around those sites closed off? Thank you for any information.

tony2phones · Guru

You should be able to get photos from outside most places if they are closed.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Tell us what they are.

KimAnt103 · Member

Swiss Cottage
Adare Castle
Dunguaire Castle
Aughnanure Castle
Maynooth Castle

tony2phones · Guru

Getting good shots of Aughnanure Castle might be a bit problematic it is open to the 16th October.

Michele Erdvig · Host

There is a walkway into the area of the Swiss Cottage which may or may not be blocked for access if closed. However, if you walk along the river for about a mile from Cahir Castle you can reach it. But before hiking ask at the castle if you will be able to get near enough for photos. They should know about access

Dunguaire Castle - no problem.

Adare Castle: there is a castle along the main road just outside Adare. Is that the one you mean? There is also Adare Manor Hotel, which many people mistake for a castle. I'm not sure which one you are referencing.

Aughnanure Castle - I've been there when it was closed. There is a wall around it, which some in our group were agile enough to climb over. Unsure how great the photo ops will be though.

Maynooth Castle - probably.

Faoicheilt · Member

Realistically, the only way to get decent photos of the Swiss Cottage is to go through the Cottage and into the Garden, so there is little point in going there if it is closed.

I know Maynooth well, as I live nearby. The Castle ruins can be photographed from the roadway if the gates are closed. However try and get there when it is open, as there is a wonderful scale model inside showing how the Castle and village would have looked in the 16th Century