another itinerary question

kapmap · Member

another itinerary question

Michele Erdvig · Host

kapmap,

Your itinerary looks doable. On your first day you may be tired with the drive all the way to Dingle but you can always stop along the way for refreshment or to walk around and wake up if jet-lag hits.

I don't know anything about the company you have chosen for your walking tour but they have logos for the tourist board on their site. If you have concerns you can always contact Tourism Ireland for more info about them.

Going from Galway or Westport to Antrim is a long trip for just one day. You might want to break it into two days or else get a very early start. If you do it in one day it will be mostly driving.

For a tour of the Burren:

http://homepage.eircom.net/~burrenhillwalks/

http://www.burrenwalks.com/

http://www.burren-tours.com/

http://www.heartofburrenwalks.com/

For a tour of the Giant's Causeway:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-giantscauseway/

http://www.outdoorirelandnorth.co.uk/

I am not endorsing any of the above guides. Please check them out yourself to see what will be best for you.

Michele

kapmap · Member

With 5 nights in Clare, Galway and Mayo, what towns would you suggest we stop in -- knowing that we want to go to Northern Ireland when we leave? Would you stop a night in Derry and see that city on the way to the Antrim coast?

We are flying business class over ( thanl you frequent flier miles!) so we should be able to get some rest -- hoping for about 4 hours. If you think Dingle is too much of a stretch for the first afternoon, where else should we stay on the way there.

I have sent emails to all the companies you recommended. Thank you.

I do want to get your book but I was waiting until the 2007 version will be finished. Please let me know when that would be.

Thanks!

CowboyCraic · Guru

Kapmap,

Dingle on the first day is definitely doable. You can knock off about 85 miles by taking the Killimer/Tarbert Ferry. It will also give you a nice twenty minute break to take in the scenery frrom the water. You could take that same ferry from killimer to Tarbert and then continue along the coast road fror a scenice drive to the west when you finish up in Dingle.

Here is an excellent site for helping you with your route planning,

You might want to break up your West coast trip with a two night stay in Co. Clare and then three nights in Galway before heading to Derry. I would suggest a B&B outside of Lisdoonvarna, Slieve Elva Farmhouse, which puts you in the heart of the Burren. They have a great two night walking package which includes a walking tour with Shane Connolly, himself a local, as well as dinner on one of the nights.

Derry is a wonderful place to stay, as it is rich in history. You can even use it as a base for your Antrim day tours, if you are so inclined. If you stay there, you must make time for one of their Historical walking tours, weather permitting. That is a long time in the car though and you might want to stay over in Cavan or Sligo for a night enroute. Cavan has the most wonderful walking trail that very view experience. The Cavan Way is like stepping into a time tunnel. I made a decided detour to walk part of it and was amazed by it's diverse preservation.

I hope this helps unmuddle things and not muddle it up more! It sounds like you will have a grand adventure!

Slan Agus Beannacht,

Bit Devine

Cowboy Craic