Athenry or Althone?

Ande · Veteran Member

Athenry or Althone?

Michele Erdvig · Host

I don't know that either town is "charming". You could stop at Glasson which is just a couple of miles north of Athlone. It is a small village with some good pubs and restaurants. I would recommend Glasson Stone Lodge.

tony2phones · Guru

By the time you are in Athenry you are nearly in Galway anyway. I like Athenry but then I spend a fair bit of time there with visitors, its only 40 minutes away from here.

Athlone is fine enough but its a big lump of town, nice enough but short of character.

Back in the days before the motorway across country we used to stay over in Tullamore or Birr. Of the 2 Birr is probably the more appealing to overseas visitors being a Georgian town built up around the Castle.

Roy · Guru

I've stayed at Glasson Stone Lodge and can also recommend it. The village is nice with a couple nice pubs as Michele said.

Ande · Veteran Member

Thanks for everyone's replies. To clarify, I am not looking for an overnight stop, just a new town to visit while making the journey from Dublin to Galway. I like to stop in random towns for a bit of a walk around. For instance, during my first trip to Ireland, I enjoyed a visit in Kildare while driving from Dublin to Cashel. Kildare has the fun round tower and St. Brigid's, plus a great pub that my mom and I enjoyed.

I saw both Athenry and Althone have castles, so they came up for consideration as possible towns to visit.

Tony, I have enjoyed brief visits to Tullamore and Birr during a previous trip.

yesiree · Guru

If you have an interest in whiskey distilling, you could make a stop in Kilbeggan. Their gold tour is exceptional and the onsite restaurant serves delicious meals.

A diversion to Trim might be something to consider.

Or a stop at Clonmacnoise.

Ande · Veteran Member

I've always wanted to visit Trim Castle, so I will keep that suggestion in mind. Since I'll be coming off a transatlantic flight and don't sleep on planes, I may not want to stray that far off the M6, but if I'm feeling sharp, I may go for it. Thanks.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Have you visited Clonmacnoise before? If not, I highly recommend it - a little south of Athlone near Shannonbridge. I also recommend Belvedere House and Gardens near Mullingar.

Ande · Veteran Member

Michele, I have not been to either. Clonmacnoise is a particularly good candidate. Thanks! Thanks Corey too.

-- Edited by Ande on Saturday 23rd of April 2016 11:13:04 PM

Green Dragon · Guru

Clonmacnoise is fantastic, one of my favorites. But I'm a huge cemetery/abbey fan. Belvedere is also a great place, I spent several hours wandering the grounds. If you are interested, I wrote up a trip report with details on those and other things. I spent three nights in Glasson, so explored some of the local area. http://greendragonartist.com/travel/ireland-2013/

-- Edited by Green Dragon on Monday 25th of April 2016 01:35:12 PM

Ande · Veteran Member

Thank you for your report link, Green Dragon. I did a quick skim, you sure covered a lot of ground. What kind of GPS did you use?

Green Dragon · Guru

I have a TomTom that I bring from home. I made sure that European maps were added :)

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Ande -- Just noticed that you are planning to do this on Day 1 (Arrival Day). Google maps sys the drive from Dublin Airport to Galway (via Clonmacnoise) is 248 Km )154 Miles) and takes 3 hours and 3 minutes. Going Direct is meant to be about 30 minutes and 40 Km shorter.

Personally, I'm thinking 3.5 - 4 hours of drive time for a tired, U.S. driver that hasn't driven in Ireland in over ten years -- PLUS, whatever time you spend wandering about Clonmacnoise. That could make for a rather long First Day. Were it me, I would leave the decision about visiting Clonmacnoise until just before reaching the turn off and access the weather and your state of 'restfulness'.

If you DO make the detour, when following the R444 to the R357 (to re-join the M4) save an extra few minutes to enjoy Shannonbridge. It's very photogenic. You could grab lunch at Killeen's Pub, Luker's Bar or the Old Fort, and/or check out Shannonbridge Pottery.

If you decide to forgo the detour, Athlone has the small castle and Sean's Bar to check out, if you need to stretch your legs.

Sadly, I never my 2010 Trip Report (which included both Athlone and Clonmacnoise, but my pictures can be found here: http://ireland.activeboard.com/t37799753/pictures-from-july-2010/

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Actually, the DIRECT short-cut is: https://www.flickr.com/photos/itallian_chauffeur/albums/72157621183674189 Athlone and Shannonbridge

and: https://www.flickr.com/photos/itallian_chauffeur/albums/72157621307168094 Clonmacnoise

Ande · Veteran Member

Hi Bob. I'll definitely be playing it by ear that day. I just want to have options already thought out in case my friend and I want to do something en route. Last October I traveled to England, got into a rental car upon arrival at Heathrow and proceeded across the country for a couple hours, no problem with the narrow roads, driving on the left, etc.

I enjoyed your pics. Lovely.

-- Edited by Ande on Tuesday 26th of April 2016 01:06:15 PM