Itinerary Help - July Trip

tmac · Member

Itinerary Help - July Trip

wojazz3 · Guru

Well ................. if you threw darts to pick these places, you'd have had to have had quite a few pints to spread them out like this. In the 1st place, add time to all of the viamichelin stats. NI moves more quickly than the Republic (excepting the M1 north from Dublin) but I'm guessing 3.5 hours won't get you real close to Bushmills. I could be wrong, but that's a haul.

There are plenty of ways to gent from Dublin airport to the city center. The Aircoach does a pretty good job if your rooms are close to their route. You could probably catch a cab if they aren't. Cabs from the airport are about E25-30 depending on traffic. You should book rooms as soon as you can, though you'll be there on a weeknight so it won't be quite as bad. Dublin is a huge party town on weekends and Europeans fly in to party pretty hard then.

As you head north, one of the finest drives on the island is the Antrim Coast Road north of Carrickfergus. This is only to be outdone by the Torr Road which starts at Cushendun. You must take this route if you go to Antrim.

The 5 hours out Bervie on Achill is probably closer to 7. Keep in mind, driving in Ireland ain't like driving in the States. There is no "one hand on the steering wheel and lean back and cruise" sort of driving to be found in most of the country, particularly on that drive. The N15 though is actually a pretty good road and doesn't go through too many villages, so it could be worse. It slows down past Donegal, though I suspect that the Sligo bypass is complete by now. Having to drive through Sligo can be very slow. There are a few options from south of Sligo, but the driving will be pretty slow to very slow once you get near and on Achill.

The rest is doable. I think generally the idea of Antrim and Dingle on that trip is too much but some people do it. Again, driving in Ireland is not a terribly relaxing proposition and the only one that suffers more than the driver is the passenger, especially the 1st time around. NI is beautiful, but so is so much of the rest of the country. Keep that in mind.

Oh yeah, if you spend the three days on Dingle ..... The Shores Country House. Accept no substitute. http://www.theshorescountryhouse.com

Bill

Michele Erdvig · Host

tmac,

Welcome to the forum. Bill -- who is a veteran traveler to Ireland -- has filled you in with some excellent info. I especially liked how he described the driving situation in Ireland. Intense concentration is needed in driving around Ireland on the little winding roads (with very few expressways) and will really beat up the driver. It can be exhausting. The driving times you have, for the most part, are very optimistic. It will likely take a lot longer to drive most routes.

Since you have a bit less than two weeks you should consider either cutting destinations out of your itinerary or rearranging how long you will stay in certain places. For instance, instead of three nights on Achill Island, take one of those days and make it a stop between Bushmills and Achill. Shorter drives between some of your overnight stays will make for a much better itinerary.

Don't get discouraged. Planning a trip can be a lot of work and few people get it right on the very first try. Go back to the drawing board and give it another try...or two or three. We are all here to help you along.

Get your car when departing from Dublin. You don't want to drive in that gridlocked, confusing city. Use walking and public transportation to get around.

Check with your Diners Club card in advance to be sure you are covered. Your car rental company must agree to waiving the CDW coverage when you charge on your DC. Make sure your car company takes DC, since MasterCard and Visa are the most commonly used cards there. If you can, have DC send you a letter saying you are covered by their insurance. If they won't do that get the phone number the car rental company should call to confirm your coverage in Ireland. (Most toll-free American numbers will not work for that.) My very best advice is to read all the fine print!

Michele

wojazz3 · Guru

By the way, Michele didn't think much of the 1st itinerary I posted here and it was my third trip, so she's right, you never get it right on the 1st try . I did some needed editing. Education is a good thing.

Bill

Michele Erdvig · Host

Bill,

You're going to give me a swelled head! I am only here to guide people to the very best trip they can have to Ireland. I'm sure they get different opinions on all the forums. They just have to reconcile the various opinions with their own traveling style. I will have to admit that despite all the itineraries I do every year, creating my own is always the toughest. I want to do it all just like everyone else!

Michele

tmac · Member

Thanks for the responses! I thought that Via Michelin was somewhat accurate, so I'm glad to know that I should still add time to their estimates. This will definitely affect our plan.

As much as I want to go to Dingle, I think it might be best if we forget about it this trip. I don't have any real solid reasons for wanting to go there besides all of the rave reviews I've read about it on this forum and on Fodor's. I wil work on revising my itinerary and having our southermost destination be Shannon. Where would be a good location to stop for a couple days between Bushmills and Achill? Donegal?

We'll have to do the southern half of the country on our next trip.

Or, do you think it would be better to eliminate the Northern Ireland part of the itinerary and head towards Westport from Dublin (stopping for a couple days at places in between)?

I'll recommend not having the car in Dublin to my fiance. Since we live in NYC and are used to driving around NYC, I'm sure he's going to say that he'd be able to handle Dublin no problem, but I'll try to persuade him.

Michele Erdvig · Host

tmac,

When using the online distance calculators get the mileage and divide by 35. That will give you an approximate time closer to reality.

By choosing to slow down a bit and do either the northern loop or southern loop instead of everything you will have a much more relaxing time. After all it is your honeymoon!

Donegal is wild and wonderful. The coastline is exhilarating. Depending on where you stay you still might have a long drive. A bit farther south (though still in NI) is Enniskillen. It too is a lovely area of lakes, wooded drives, castles and caves. Sligo is a place that most tourists overlook. It is bounded by the mountains and the sea and is the place that the famous Irish poet Yeats called "the land of heart's desire". You can't go wrong with any of those choices.

In August (the height of tourist season) there will be less tourists in the northern areas than in Dingle and the southwest. Why not save the southern parts for next time and go slightly off-season? I know I don't relish the thought of vying with everyone else for lodgings, food and sightseeing.

Michele

tmac · Member

Thanks Michelle. I also generally try to avoid travelling in peak tourist seasons - this will hopefully be the one exception to that rule!

I discussed this with my fiance last night and he was amenable to revising the itinerary to only include the Northern Loop. Back to the drawing board!

yesiree · Guru

You are definitely making a great choice in narrowing things down. The northern loop is great in July. Fewer crowds than the south and the best chance of good weather.

I've got some pictures from my trip to the Causeway Coast (see "Passports, Suspicious Packages and a Great Trip" in the Trip Report section of this forum).

We've also done a podcast on the Inishowen Peninsula (Donegal) at www.irishfireside.com...you might not be adding Inishowen to your itinerary, but you'll find similar spectacular views and experiences throughout the loop.

As for renting a car in Dublin, it's really not necessary...like NYC parking in Dublin gets expensive (considering you probably won't be using the car) and driving on the left in a city is much more stressful than in the countryside. Even veteran drivers have a moment of panic whenver they begin making a right turn in the city "Am I on the correct side of the road? Is this a one way? Did that car just pass me on the left at 50mph on a city street? Are we supposed to be driving on the Ha' Penny Bridge?"

Congratulations on the honeymoon.

tmac · Member

Yesiree - your trip report and pictures are wonderful!!! Definitely giving me more ideas and inspiration for my northern route.

CowboyCraic · Guru

Corey,

You also forgot another part of the running litany whilst driving in Dublin "Where are the street signs? What you mean those small placards above the second story window ARE the street signs? Is that Pedestrian really going to step...Yep, I guess he is going to just walk out in traffi!" My horrific first driving experience in Dublin (3 hours of driving in circles after a long plane flight) is part of the reason that I avoid Dublin like the plague!

Tmac, tell your soon to be husband that not having a car in Dublin isn't an attack on his masculinity but a sure-fire marriage saver.

Slan Agus Beannacht,

Bit Devine

Michele Erdvig · Host

tmac,

Heed the wise advice of Corey and Bit about driving in Dublin. You will find that the car will be parked (very expensively) for the time you are there. So why have the added cost of the extra days of car rental and parking when you can save money by not doing that? Instead use the money on a couple of taxis. If you choose your lodgings carefully you can walk to almost everything you want to see.

The hop-on hop-off bus is a great way to see the city and get a good overview of what you want to see. You can get on and off just as you please for 24 hours.

Michele