Ireland Driving Trip Report: 1,200km in 10 days
Mar 27th, 2010, 06:10 PM
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Ireland Driving Trip Report: 1,200km in 10 days
Just returned from 10 days/9 nights in Ireland. Picked up many great tips and itinerary suggestions from this forum, which translated into a truly wonderful trip. We saw a lot during our trip, as evidenced by the 1,200km we put on our rental car!
Friday, March 12th- Arrival in Dublin
After leaving Raleigh at 6:00 PM the night before and a 3 hour layover in Heathrow, we arrived in Dublin, right on time around 11am. We got in a taxi which took us to the Radisson Blu. We chose this hotel based primarily on location and a great deal we found, and were pleased to be upgraded to a Business Class room as our room wasn’t ready. After cleaning up a bit, we were starving, so we headed out to lunch. Based on reviews in our guidebooks (namely Fodors and Rick Steves’ Ireland), we went to Busyfeet and Coco Café. It was a very cute little place, with salads, sandwiches and burritos. I had a delicious salad and David had a burrito (20E). From there we walked around a bit and then went to Trinity College. We took an interesting 30 minute tour led by a Trinity graduate, and saw the Book of Kells and the very impressive 200,000 volume library. It reminded us a bit of the library where we had gotten married in Baltimore
After the tour, we just wandered through the streets of Dublin. We saw the spire, the post office, Dublin Castle, Christ Church, St. Patricks cathedral. We walked on Grafton Street and through the Temple Bar area. Other than Trinity College, we didn’t do any tours or go in anywhere. But we definitely felt that we had plenty of time to see the major Dublin sites.
Went back to the hotel and showered and then went for our first (and one of our best!) Irish dinners. We ate at the Bull and Castle and loved it. I had a three course menu of mussels, Haloumi cheese skewers and a fried Mars bar and David had a meat and Guinness pie. We drank our first Guinness and Bulmers of the week (50E). At that point, we were exhausted. We went back to the hotel and were asleep!
Saturday, March 13th- Dublin and train to Galway
Woke up and ate the buffet at the hotel, which was offered to us at check-in for only 5E each. We figured that it was a good deal and took it (they said it’s usually 25E). The food was good, Irish, but nothing amazing.
We then walked about 15 minutes to the Guinness Storehouse. We prepaid for our tickets online (they are 10% cheaper online and you avoid any lines if there are lines). We did the self guided tour (one of David’s favorite parts of Ireland, because he loved the building) and then sat in the Gravity bar on the 7th floor, drinking Guinness at 11 AM. It was a beautiful view of the city. We wandered back through the Temple Bar area and then back to our hotel to check out and head to the train station for our 2:30pm train to Galway.
The train was clean, new and a great way to get across the country. The 2.5 hour ride was very relaxing and enjoyable. I slept a little, read a little and just enjoyed the passing country side.
We arrived in Galway and walked the 10 minutes to our B&B, the Petra House. Our room there was small and simple, but the delicious breakfasts and the wonderful hosts, Joan and Frank made up for that. The B&B is about a 15 minute walk to the heart of Galway, but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay in the middle of the city there.
We walked into town to McDonough’s for dinner. This was highly recommended by our books as well as by Frank at the B&B. We were very disappointed. David’s fish was literally served cold (and they microwaved it to get it warm!) and my mussels were tasteless. This was probably our worst meal on the trip.
Sunday, March 14th- Connemara and Galway
Woke up for a delicious breakfast of smoked salmon and eggs. David had a potato waffle which was new for us. We had been planning on taking a cab to the airport to pick up our rental car for the week, but Frank graciously offered to take us. It was about 10 minutes outside of town.
Got there and picked up our car. We were very lucky and were given a Volvo XC90, a nice spacious SUV. Maybe it was preparing us for next year when we are thinking of returning to Europe to buy one!
Headed out to the Connemara region. The Spartan landscape was beautiful. Our first stop was a small castle, off the beaten path. We stopped and walked around and were the only ones there. It was a very picturesque setting. We continued our drive to the Kylemore Abbey, one of my most favorite sites on the trip. It was beautiful to see over the lake. We walked over the Quiet Man Bridge and bounced on the peat bogs.
We were starting to get hungry and looked for awhile for a place to eat. Finally found a seafood restaurant as we were heading back to Galway. Ate delicious mussels and fish and chips and then went back to the city.
There was music playing at 6 pm at the The Quays pub so we headed down to listen to that. It was great. Local Trad music, a band of three. Had a great time listening. Were planning on eating at a crepe place that was well reviewed but it was closed by the time we were done, so we just headed back.
Monday, March 15th- Burren and Cliffs
After another delicious breakfast at the Petra House, we packed up and headed out. We drove to the Burren. We stopped in the towns of Kinerva and Ballyvaughn. We saw the Dunguire castle and headed into the Burren. We stopped a bunch of times for pictures and then went to Ailwee caves. Also touted as touristy, it certainly was. We skipped the bird show and just did the caves. It was interesting to go so deep, though an interesting tour guide might have made the tour better. Ours was as dry as they come. From there we saw Poulnabrone Dolmen, an ancient tomb. We walked some on the Burren and headed on to Leammanen Castle, a ruined shell of a castle. We stopped for a not so good lunch at the Irish Arms in Lisdoonvarna. Though in hindsight, I would have waited a few more minutes and eaten lunch in Doolin. We drove through Doolin but didn’t stop there, and then headed on to the Cliffs of Moher. We spent about an hour there… while we stayed on the true path, we were amazed by the number of people who went over the path beyond the signs which basically warn you not to pass them due to risk of falling over the cliffs!
This night was the one night we didn’t book a B&B. Our end destination the next day would be Dingle, but we were thinking we might have time to head over to the Ennis/Bunratty area for the night (which we didn’t). So after the cliffs, we headed to the ferry to Tarbert and waited about 25 minutes for the next one (they run once an hour in March). We thought about spending the night on the other side of the ferry in Tarbert but there was nothing there, so we kept going. The next town was Listowel where we thought we would stop. By this time it was after 6:30pm. We pulled up trip advisor and tried to find a B&B, however the town was very confusing and they were doing construction so many roads were blocked. After about an hour of frustration we headed on to Tralee.
Deatons B&B was highly recommended and right next to a supposedly good pub. We pulled in and they had a room, so given that it was nearing 8pm, we took it without any hesitation. The room was small and simple, though the bed was in much need of replacement and very uncomfortable, which is the only reason I wouldn’t recommend this one. We headed to the Meadowlands next door for dinner which was recommended in the books and on Trip Adivsor. It was not our favorite meal. The pub was virtually empty and they had the TV blasting something which sounded like a soap opera. After a Bulmers and Guinness we were ready for bed.
Tuesday, March 16th- Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula
Woke up for a delicious Irish breakfast, plus French toast and fruit. And then we were off to Dingle, which was only about 35 minutes away. We stopped at the Tralee windmill and then headed onto Dingle. Arrived at the Heatons guest house and our room was ready. The rooms are very nice and overall we liked Heatons very much (it is ranked number 1 on trip advisor B&Bs). The only drawback was that this is a good 15-20 minute walk from the town, and there seemed to be other nice looking places that were closer, but still just on the outskirts (maybe Banburys). We then went out and walked around the town for a bit and ate lunch at the Goat Street café. A huge, delicious lunch. I had fish and David had a stew and both were delicious.
From there we headed off onto the Dingle Peninsula. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy but was supposed to be that the next day as well, so we went anyway.
We did the drive, making lots of stops for photos along the way. Saw all the beautiful sites.
Headed back and ate dinner at Ashe’s (seafood and fish (43 E). From there we went to the Small Bridge Pub for two hours of Trad Irish music. Stopped at the Dingle Pub on the way home for some more music.
Wednesday, March 17th- St. Patrick’s Day in Dingle
Woke up for a delicious breakfast at Heatons Guesthouse. I had a cheese soufflé and David had open salmon omelets. We then headed out for one of my favorite parts of the trip. We walked along the beach in Dingle, and discovered seaglass when I stepped on a piece. There was lots more to be found and I did find a lot!! We continued on the way out past the lighthouse to what is known as Fungie the dolphin’s playing area. Unfortunately he wasn’t there, but it was still a wonderful, beautiful hike.
Got back into town and took a short drive out to Minard Castle. Another castle with a view. Back into town for the 12:45 St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was a little small, town parade. Overall, I was expecting a bigger St. Patrick’s Day celebration. And if not bigger, at least more people out and about.
After the parade, we walked around a bought a woven wall piece as well as a Mohair blanket. We then went to lunch at Out of the Blue. This was the number one place in Dingle, according the guidebooks, TA etc. We were very underwhelmed. It was a cute little place, but very expensive. The staff was somewhat rude, almost put out that we were both ordering only appetizers for lunch (it was 3pm and the place was nearly empty, so one might have thought they were appreciative of the business). The servings were small and we had eaten much better for less money elsewhere.
In the afternoon, we then went back to the beach for more sea glass hunting!
We then started a little pub crawl, checking out the pubs on St Patty’s day. Heard music from one and although it resembled a fraternity house, we spent a little time there listening to a local guy play the accordion. Walked around some more and then ate dinner at Murphy’s. I had corned beef and cabbage since it was St. Pattys day. It was still early for music, so we got dessert at the smokehouse across from Small Bridge Pub and then went there for music. The music started right at 9:30 and then much to our surprise, the dancing started in soon after. I was thrilled to watch the Irish locals do the Riverdance!! Not quite, but it was true Irish dancing. It was great!
Thursday, March 18th- To Kenmare
Woke up to another delicious Heaton’s breakfast. The stewed rhubarb and bread pudding were wonderful. Then in the pouring rain we headed out to Kenmare. Luckily the rain was soon behind us and we arrived at the Gap of Dunloe, our first stop. We weren’t really sure what to do here, as we hadn’t read much about it. One thing we did read was that it was a bit of a tourist trap to spend big $$ on a carriage ride into the Gap. Rain was threatening and we had a lot to see that day so although you are apparently not supposed to drive it, we took the risk and drove it and I was so glad that we did. It was amazing, beautiful!! My second favorite part of the trip. It was just unbelievable. I was amazed because this is something which isn’t even mentioned in Rick Steves book and in my opinion, it is not to be missed!! We drove through it, only passing one set of people. (we were early in the AM, if you do it, drive it either early or late, in the off season, I would imagine you couldn’t do the drive any other time because there would be too many hikers and horses). It took us awhile to wander back and get to Killarney National Park. We stopped the falls and then went to the Muckross House. We were right in time for a tour which worked out perfectly. The tour was very interesting and definitely worth the time. What a great house!! From there we went to Ross Castle and did a tour as well. Very different ways of life!
It was late and time to head to the Lodge in Kenmare. We had booked this based on a friends recommendation. Most of the TA recommendations were good, although one stuck out as terrible because they got there and their room had been given away when a large group arrived. Well we arrived to an empty lot and after ringing the bell a few times were told a woman answered the door and told us there was a death in the family and they wouldn’t be open. But they booked us a room down the street (in the center of town) at the Landsdown Arms (a 26 room hotel). Much to my dismay, we headed there. It was fine. Not as quaint as I like, but it was late and we wouldn’t be there (or any of the B and B’s for that matter) long. And, it was right in the middle of the small town, so that was good.
We then headed out to walk around the town of Kenmare which is quite small, really just two blocks. We ate dinner at Foley’s Pub which was delicious. One of our best meals. Went next door to a little pub for a drink and then back to sleep.
Friday, March 19th- Ring of Kerry and Kinsale
We were uncertain whether or not to do the Ring of Kerry and figured that we had the morning free so after a traditional Irish breakfast at the Landsdown Arms, we headed to the Ring of Kerry. Again it was cloudy, but we followed Rick Steves’ timing and missed seeing any tour buses at all on the trip. We stopped at the Stague Ring Fort, easily the oldest thing that I have ever seen. We continued on the Ring, stopping for photos. We did the Skellig Ring as well. We were able to get photos of the Skellig, though certainly not what they would have been had the sky been blue.
After about 4-5 hours driving the ROK, we stopped for a delicious dessert in Caversheen and also picked up some bread and cheese for a picnic lunch. We then headed back to the Gap of Dunloe, to hike it this time instead. I loved it so much the first time, I wanted to go back. We hiked for about 1.5 hours, stopping for a few minutes to eat our lunch. We passed the three lakes. I wasn’t sure if there was a fourth, so we kept going for a bit, finally turning around. We had gotten there much later in the day for the hike and it was more crowded than the previous day, much less drivable than the morning before.
In total, we hiked for about three hours and after getting back to the car headed to Kinsale- about a 2 hour drive in what was our only significant rain in the entire trip.
The night before we had booked a room at the Cloisters B and B. It rated pretty well on Trip advisor. We had a tough time finding it, as Kinsale has lots of streets which twist and turn and seemingly few street signs. We finally arrived and parked.. unfortunately, we found the owner to be somewhat curt and certainly not as friendly as other B&B owners we’ve encountered.
The room was small, but clean with a very tiny bathroom, and the toilet was behind the door, making it very difficulty to use.
We headed out to walk around Kinsale, in the rain and find a place for dinner. We checked out the menu at many places, but returned to Crackpots, just down the street from the B and B. We both had a three course early bird menu and everything was delicious. I had a fish pie that was wonderful. We highly recommend this restaurant.
From there we wanted to listen to Irish music but found that the few pubs that had music, didn’t have Irish music. We went to one and listened to music for awhile and then headed back to the B&B.
Saturday, March 20th- Kinsale, Blarney Castle, and back to Kinsale
Woke up and ate breakfast at Cloisters. It was good, but not as good as the other B and Bs. Headed out to walk around Kinsale. The town is very picturesque, on the water, quaint with windy streets- and much easier to navigate during a sunny day. We walked around the water and wandered into stores, and hen sat by the water, relaxed and read (which was a nice break after days of driving and touring). We went for lunch at Fishy Fishy Café which had yummy fish and chips and squid.
We then left Kinsale to go to Blarney Castle. Rick Steves feels that this is touristy and overrated, but we really enjoyed it. The castle is on beautiful grounds. You get to see a neat, old castle, that hasn’t been totally redone and of course, kissing the stone was a once in a lifetime experience (although maybe a little dirty). We wandered the grounds for awhile and just relaxed as our trip was coming to an end. We thought about heading into Cork but didn’t want to fight the roads. Instead we went back south to Kinsale for dinner at the White House before going to the Cork Airport Radisson Blu.
Very early the next morning we flew from Cork to London to Raleigh with lots of memories of beautiful Ireland!!
We had a great trip. A few general thoughts….
The B and B’s in Ireland are much more basic and less elegant than many of the upscale ones in the US. As long as you are prepared for this, I think that this is the way to go. You will likely get a delicious breakfast and typically warm hosts who love to help.
A lot of people on the forum had thought that we were covering too much ground and traveling around to much. We didn’t feel that way at all. The towns are all small and 1-2 days is more than sufficient in any one place. That said, we were there in March, and there were very few tourists anywhere. We never waited in a line. On the Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry we went at our pace, not the pace of the cars in front of us. So I would imagine that things like that would take a lot longer when the roads are packed.
From a weather perspective, the best way to describe the weather was gray- a bit reminiscent of Seattle. There was minimal rain, but there was also minimal sun. I can imagine that a sunny day would have made the sites that much more beautiful. However, it seems that sunny days in Ireland are few and far between.
The food was for the most part good. It did seem quite expensive compared to the states, but we knew that from our planning. I found that the meals that I liked best were the ones with the most appealing (to us) menus.
Have a great trip! If you have any questions or thoughts, it is probably best to email as unfortunately now that we are back, my time checking the forum will be limited.
Friday, March 12th- Arrival in Dublin
After leaving Raleigh at 6:00 PM the night before and a 3 hour layover in Heathrow, we arrived in Dublin, right on time around 11am. We got in a taxi which took us to the Radisson Blu. We chose this hotel based primarily on location and a great deal we found, and were pleased to be upgraded to a Business Class room as our room wasn’t ready. After cleaning up a bit, we were starving, so we headed out to lunch. Based on reviews in our guidebooks (namely Fodors and Rick Steves’ Ireland), we went to Busyfeet and Coco Café. It was a very cute little place, with salads, sandwiches and burritos. I had a delicious salad and David had a burrito (20E). From there we walked around a bit and then went to Trinity College. We took an interesting 30 minute tour led by a Trinity graduate, and saw the Book of Kells and the very impressive 200,000 volume library. It reminded us a bit of the library where we had gotten married in Baltimore
After the tour, we just wandered through the streets of Dublin. We saw the spire, the post office, Dublin Castle, Christ Church, St. Patricks cathedral. We walked on Grafton Street and through the Temple Bar area. Other than Trinity College, we didn’t do any tours or go in anywhere. But we definitely felt that we had plenty of time to see the major Dublin sites.
Went back to the hotel and showered and then went for our first (and one of our best!) Irish dinners. We ate at the Bull and Castle and loved it. I had a three course menu of mussels, Haloumi cheese skewers and a fried Mars bar and David had a meat and Guinness pie. We drank our first Guinness and Bulmers of the week (50E). At that point, we were exhausted. We went back to the hotel and were asleep!
Saturday, March 13th- Dublin and train to Galway
Woke up and ate the buffet at the hotel, which was offered to us at check-in for only 5E each. We figured that it was a good deal and took it (they said it’s usually 25E). The food was good, Irish, but nothing amazing.
We then walked about 15 minutes to the Guinness Storehouse. We prepaid for our tickets online (they are 10% cheaper online and you avoid any lines if there are lines). We did the self guided tour (one of David’s favorite parts of Ireland, because he loved the building) and then sat in the Gravity bar on the 7th floor, drinking Guinness at 11 AM. It was a beautiful view of the city. We wandered back through the Temple Bar area and then back to our hotel to check out and head to the train station for our 2:30pm train to Galway.
The train was clean, new and a great way to get across the country. The 2.5 hour ride was very relaxing and enjoyable. I slept a little, read a little and just enjoyed the passing country side.
We arrived in Galway and walked the 10 minutes to our B&B, the Petra House. Our room there was small and simple, but the delicious breakfasts and the wonderful hosts, Joan and Frank made up for that. The B&B is about a 15 minute walk to the heart of Galway, but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay in the middle of the city there.
We walked into town to McDonough’s for dinner. This was highly recommended by our books as well as by Frank at the B&B. We were very disappointed. David’s fish was literally served cold (and they microwaved it to get it warm!) and my mussels were tasteless. This was probably our worst meal on the trip.
Sunday, March 14th- Connemara and Galway
Woke up for a delicious breakfast of smoked salmon and eggs. David had a potato waffle which was new for us. We had been planning on taking a cab to the airport to pick up our rental car for the week, but Frank graciously offered to take us. It was about 10 minutes outside of town.
Got there and picked up our car. We were very lucky and were given a Volvo XC90, a nice spacious SUV. Maybe it was preparing us for next year when we are thinking of returning to Europe to buy one!
Headed out to the Connemara region. The Spartan landscape was beautiful. Our first stop was a small castle, off the beaten path. We stopped and walked around and were the only ones there. It was a very picturesque setting. We continued our drive to the Kylemore Abbey, one of my most favorite sites on the trip. It was beautiful to see over the lake. We walked over the Quiet Man Bridge and bounced on the peat bogs.
We were starting to get hungry and looked for awhile for a place to eat. Finally found a seafood restaurant as we were heading back to Galway. Ate delicious mussels and fish and chips and then went back to the city.
There was music playing at 6 pm at the The Quays pub so we headed down to listen to that. It was great. Local Trad music, a band of three. Had a great time listening. Were planning on eating at a crepe place that was well reviewed but it was closed by the time we were done, so we just headed back.
Monday, March 15th- Burren and Cliffs
After another delicious breakfast at the Petra House, we packed up and headed out. We drove to the Burren. We stopped in the towns of Kinerva and Ballyvaughn. We saw the Dunguire castle and headed into the Burren. We stopped a bunch of times for pictures and then went to Ailwee caves. Also touted as touristy, it certainly was. We skipped the bird show and just did the caves. It was interesting to go so deep, though an interesting tour guide might have made the tour better. Ours was as dry as they come. From there we saw Poulnabrone Dolmen, an ancient tomb. We walked some on the Burren and headed on to Leammanen Castle, a ruined shell of a castle. We stopped for a not so good lunch at the Irish Arms in Lisdoonvarna. Though in hindsight, I would have waited a few more minutes and eaten lunch in Doolin. We drove through Doolin but didn’t stop there, and then headed on to the Cliffs of Moher. We spent about an hour there… while we stayed on the true path, we were amazed by the number of people who went over the path beyond the signs which basically warn you not to pass them due to risk of falling over the cliffs!
This night was the one night we didn’t book a B&B. Our end destination the next day would be Dingle, but we were thinking we might have time to head over to the Ennis/Bunratty area for the night (which we didn’t). So after the cliffs, we headed to the ferry to Tarbert and waited about 25 minutes for the next one (they run once an hour in March). We thought about spending the night on the other side of the ferry in Tarbert but there was nothing there, so we kept going. The next town was Listowel where we thought we would stop. By this time it was after 6:30pm. We pulled up trip advisor and tried to find a B&B, however the town was very confusing and they were doing construction so many roads were blocked. After about an hour of frustration we headed on to Tralee.
Deatons B&B was highly recommended and right next to a supposedly good pub. We pulled in and they had a room, so given that it was nearing 8pm, we took it without any hesitation. The room was small and simple, though the bed was in much need of replacement and very uncomfortable, which is the only reason I wouldn’t recommend this one. We headed to the Meadowlands next door for dinner which was recommended in the books and on Trip Adivsor. It was not our favorite meal. The pub was virtually empty and they had the TV blasting something which sounded like a soap opera. After a Bulmers and Guinness we were ready for bed.
Tuesday, March 16th- Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula
Woke up for a delicious Irish breakfast, plus French toast and fruit. And then we were off to Dingle, which was only about 35 minutes away. We stopped at the Tralee windmill and then headed onto Dingle. Arrived at the Heatons guest house and our room was ready. The rooms are very nice and overall we liked Heatons very much (it is ranked number 1 on trip advisor B&Bs). The only drawback was that this is a good 15-20 minute walk from the town, and there seemed to be other nice looking places that were closer, but still just on the outskirts (maybe Banburys). We then went out and walked around the town for a bit and ate lunch at the Goat Street café. A huge, delicious lunch. I had fish and David had a stew and both were delicious.
From there we headed off onto the Dingle Peninsula. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy but was supposed to be that the next day as well, so we went anyway.
We did the drive, making lots of stops for photos along the way. Saw all the beautiful sites.
Headed back and ate dinner at Ashe’s (seafood and fish (43 E). From there we went to the Small Bridge Pub for two hours of Trad Irish music. Stopped at the Dingle Pub on the way home for some more music.
Wednesday, March 17th- St. Patrick’s Day in Dingle
Woke up for a delicious breakfast at Heatons Guesthouse. I had a cheese soufflé and David had open salmon omelets. We then headed out for one of my favorite parts of the trip. We walked along the beach in Dingle, and discovered seaglass when I stepped on a piece. There was lots more to be found and I did find a lot!! We continued on the way out past the lighthouse to what is known as Fungie the dolphin’s playing area. Unfortunately he wasn’t there, but it was still a wonderful, beautiful hike.
Got back into town and took a short drive out to Minard Castle. Another castle with a view. Back into town for the 12:45 St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was a little small, town parade. Overall, I was expecting a bigger St. Patrick’s Day celebration. And if not bigger, at least more people out and about.
After the parade, we walked around a bought a woven wall piece as well as a Mohair blanket. We then went to lunch at Out of the Blue. This was the number one place in Dingle, according the guidebooks, TA etc. We were very underwhelmed. It was a cute little place, but very expensive. The staff was somewhat rude, almost put out that we were both ordering only appetizers for lunch (it was 3pm and the place was nearly empty, so one might have thought they were appreciative of the business). The servings were small and we had eaten much better for less money elsewhere.
In the afternoon, we then went back to the beach for more sea glass hunting!
We then started a little pub crawl, checking out the pubs on St Patty’s day. Heard music from one and although it resembled a fraternity house, we spent a little time there listening to a local guy play the accordion. Walked around some more and then ate dinner at Murphy’s. I had corned beef and cabbage since it was St. Pattys day. It was still early for music, so we got dessert at the smokehouse across from Small Bridge Pub and then went there for music. The music started right at 9:30 and then much to our surprise, the dancing started in soon after. I was thrilled to watch the Irish locals do the Riverdance!! Not quite, but it was true Irish dancing. It was great!
Thursday, March 18th- To Kenmare
Woke up to another delicious Heaton’s breakfast. The stewed rhubarb and bread pudding were wonderful. Then in the pouring rain we headed out to Kenmare. Luckily the rain was soon behind us and we arrived at the Gap of Dunloe, our first stop. We weren’t really sure what to do here, as we hadn’t read much about it. One thing we did read was that it was a bit of a tourist trap to spend big $$ on a carriage ride into the Gap. Rain was threatening and we had a lot to see that day so although you are apparently not supposed to drive it, we took the risk and drove it and I was so glad that we did. It was amazing, beautiful!! My second favorite part of the trip. It was just unbelievable. I was amazed because this is something which isn’t even mentioned in Rick Steves book and in my opinion, it is not to be missed!! We drove through it, only passing one set of people. (we were early in the AM, if you do it, drive it either early or late, in the off season, I would imagine you couldn’t do the drive any other time because there would be too many hikers and horses). It took us awhile to wander back and get to Killarney National Park. We stopped the falls and then went to the Muckross House. We were right in time for a tour which worked out perfectly. The tour was very interesting and definitely worth the time. What a great house!! From there we went to Ross Castle and did a tour as well. Very different ways of life!
It was late and time to head to the Lodge in Kenmare. We had booked this based on a friends recommendation. Most of the TA recommendations were good, although one stuck out as terrible because they got there and their room had been given away when a large group arrived. Well we arrived to an empty lot and after ringing the bell a few times were told a woman answered the door and told us there was a death in the family and they wouldn’t be open. But they booked us a room down the street (in the center of town) at the Landsdown Arms (a 26 room hotel). Much to my dismay, we headed there. It was fine. Not as quaint as I like, but it was late and we wouldn’t be there (or any of the B and B’s for that matter) long. And, it was right in the middle of the small town, so that was good.
We then headed out to walk around the town of Kenmare which is quite small, really just two blocks. We ate dinner at Foley’s Pub which was delicious. One of our best meals. Went next door to a little pub for a drink and then back to sleep.
Friday, March 19th- Ring of Kerry and Kinsale
We were uncertain whether or not to do the Ring of Kerry and figured that we had the morning free so after a traditional Irish breakfast at the Landsdown Arms, we headed to the Ring of Kerry. Again it was cloudy, but we followed Rick Steves’ timing and missed seeing any tour buses at all on the trip. We stopped at the Stague Ring Fort, easily the oldest thing that I have ever seen. We continued on the Ring, stopping for photos. We did the Skellig Ring as well. We were able to get photos of the Skellig, though certainly not what they would have been had the sky been blue.
After about 4-5 hours driving the ROK, we stopped for a delicious dessert in Caversheen and also picked up some bread and cheese for a picnic lunch. We then headed back to the Gap of Dunloe, to hike it this time instead. I loved it so much the first time, I wanted to go back. We hiked for about 1.5 hours, stopping for a few minutes to eat our lunch. We passed the three lakes. I wasn’t sure if there was a fourth, so we kept going for a bit, finally turning around. We had gotten there much later in the day for the hike and it was more crowded than the previous day, much less drivable than the morning before.
In total, we hiked for about three hours and after getting back to the car headed to Kinsale- about a 2 hour drive in what was our only significant rain in the entire trip.
The night before we had booked a room at the Cloisters B and B. It rated pretty well on Trip advisor. We had a tough time finding it, as Kinsale has lots of streets which twist and turn and seemingly few street signs. We finally arrived and parked.. unfortunately, we found the owner to be somewhat curt and certainly not as friendly as other B&B owners we’ve encountered.
The room was small, but clean with a very tiny bathroom, and the toilet was behind the door, making it very difficulty to use.
We headed out to walk around Kinsale, in the rain and find a place for dinner. We checked out the menu at many places, but returned to Crackpots, just down the street from the B and B. We both had a three course early bird menu and everything was delicious. I had a fish pie that was wonderful. We highly recommend this restaurant.
From there we wanted to listen to Irish music but found that the few pubs that had music, didn’t have Irish music. We went to one and listened to music for awhile and then headed back to the B&B.
Saturday, March 20th- Kinsale, Blarney Castle, and back to Kinsale
Woke up and ate breakfast at Cloisters. It was good, but not as good as the other B and Bs. Headed out to walk around Kinsale. The town is very picturesque, on the water, quaint with windy streets- and much easier to navigate during a sunny day. We walked around the water and wandered into stores, and hen sat by the water, relaxed and read (which was a nice break after days of driving and touring). We went for lunch at Fishy Fishy Café which had yummy fish and chips and squid.
We then left Kinsale to go to Blarney Castle. Rick Steves feels that this is touristy and overrated, but we really enjoyed it. The castle is on beautiful grounds. You get to see a neat, old castle, that hasn’t been totally redone and of course, kissing the stone was a once in a lifetime experience (although maybe a little dirty). We wandered the grounds for awhile and just relaxed as our trip was coming to an end. We thought about heading into Cork but didn’t want to fight the roads. Instead we went back south to Kinsale for dinner at the White House before going to the Cork Airport Radisson Blu.
Very early the next morning we flew from Cork to London to Raleigh with lots of memories of beautiful Ireland!!
We had a great trip. A few general thoughts….
The B and B’s in Ireland are much more basic and less elegant than many of the upscale ones in the US. As long as you are prepared for this, I think that this is the way to go. You will likely get a delicious breakfast and typically warm hosts who love to help.
A lot of people on the forum had thought that we were covering too much ground and traveling around to much. We didn’t feel that way at all. The towns are all small and 1-2 days is more than sufficient in any one place. That said, we were there in March, and there were very few tourists anywhere. We never waited in a line. On the Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry we went at our pace, not the pace of the cars in front of us. So I would imagine that things like that would take a lot longer when the roads are packed.
From a weather perspective, the best way to describe the weather was gray- a bit reminiscent of Seattle. There was minimal rain, but there was also minimal sun. I can imagine that a sunny day would have made the sites that much more beautiful. However, it seems that sunny days in Ireland are few and far between.
The food was for the most part good. It did seem quite expensive compared to the states, but we knew that from our planning. I found that the meals that I liked best were the ones with the most appealing (to us) menus.
Have a great trip! If you have any questions or thoughts, it is probably best to email as unfortunately now that we are back, my time checking the forum will be limited.
Mar 27th, 2010, 08:57 PM
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I love your report! Thank you for it. You have some great advice. I intend a trip with the family in late July and early August so we will be in 'prime time'. Your note that you had read that moving around too fast was going to be a problem, but that you didn't think so is encouraging. My family is used to a fast-paced travel experience and we intend a similar pace to yours when we go. I see you are reminded of Seattle weather. Are you from there? We are. Any thoughts about car rental? We will also be 'training' from Dublin to Galway and will rent a car there. Which company did you use and were you happy with them? Thanks! ~DrToonz.
Mar 28th, 2010, 03:04 AM
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DrToonz- No, not from Seattle, but have spent time there...
On the car, we used Hertz and got an incredible deal on their website using a corporate code. 131 Euros for the full week- pick up at Galway Airport and drop off at Cork Airport. We had booked a Mazda 3 (I think) but were upgraded to the Volvo. We literally spent more on gas than the rental! I checked several rental companies and priced out a pick-up in Galway city centre, but this was by far the best deal. Had no issues with Hertz at all.
BTW- one note on navigation. We debated getting navigation, or even buying a handheld GPS to take with us... in hindsight, at least for us, it was unnecessary. The Ordinance Map was great and the roads are mostly marked well enough to get around (except in the city centres of a few of the towns)! My husband did get a 1-month subscription to Verizon Navigator on his blackberry ($20) which was helpful a couple times just to tell us we were on the right or wrong road, but we could have done without it.
On the car, we used Hertz and got an incredible deal on their website using a corporate code. 131 Euros for the full week- pick up at Galway Airport and drop off at Cork Airport. We had booked a Mazda 3 (I think) but were upgraded to the Volvo. We literally spent more on gas than the rental! I checked several rental companies and priced out a pick-up in Galway city centre, but this was by far the best deal. Had no issues with Hertz at all.
BTW- one note on navigation. We debated getting navigation, or even buying a handheld GPS to take with us... in hindsight, at least for us, it was unnecessary. The Ordinance Map was great and the roads are mostly marked well enough to get around (except in the city centres of a few of the towns)! My husband did get a 1-month subscription to Verizon Navigator on his blackberry ($20) which was helpful a couple times just to tell us we were on the right or wrong road, but we could have done without it.
Mar 28th, 2010, 06:38 AM
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Great report Alevi! - covered a lot of the places we passed through last May. We managed 1,598km's in 14 days so it looks like we did about the same pace. This also included Northern Ireland.
Are you posting any photos ?
Are you posting any photos ?
