Canon

I would love some opinions on the Wicklough Mountain, Sally Gap tours. We will be based out of Dublin and have six and half days in Ireland. We have 4 days of tours planned already. That gives us 2 and half days for the city.

This is what we have scheduled so far
Day1- arrive Dub early and spend half day in town
Day 2- Railtour--Belfast,Giants Causeway all day tour
Day 3 - In town, cathedrals etc.
Day 4- Railtour--Bunratty Castle, Cliffs of Moher, Burren all day
overnight in Galway
Day 5- Join Railtour for Arann Island 10:15 in Galway- return to Dublin that evening
Day 6 - Mary Gibbons Newgrange tour 10:25am
Day 7- Option 1: Daytour to Wicklough Mountains, Sally Gap etc.
Option 2: Dart to Malahide Castle on our own and in town

With the first six days already set, is the Wicklough Mountain Sally Gap tour a must-do? Or, will the other tours give us similar scenery? I hate to be on tours everyday, but I also hate to be that close, and not do it, if it is truely uniquely different.

Thanks

irishface

First of all, I admit that I am a bit prejudiced about Wicklow as it was "home" for me for several years right after college. the scenery here is very different from what you'll see on your other days out. Glendalough is loveley and peaceful. The visitor center gives a good overview of the history, geology, and flora of the area. Glendalough is a place I return to often. Whenever, I am visiting friends, I plan a trip there.

irishface

Dublin is a wonderful city. Many here say that you can "do" it in a day; others, several days. Myself I keep finding something new every tme I go.

Only you can decide what you need to do. Perhaps you might wait until you have been a couple of days in Dublin and you will know if you have had enough of city sights or enough of day trips. You can take a look at the weather as well.

Whatever you do, you can't see it all, but you'll have a grand time!

LoisL

I loved Glendalough. It was one of my favorite spots in eastern Ireland, and is beautiful, serene and definitely worth a visit, in my opinion.

I am wondering how you will do Giants causeway, along with the train up and back [returning to Dublin in the same day?] without it being too much travel and not enough time to enjoy anything. I have been to N. Ireland, and did not make it up that far, though to hope to when we return later this spring.

longhorn55

It looks like your choice for Day 7 is either a tour of Glendalough/Wicklow or a visit to Malahide. Glendalough wins hands down. We stayed in Malahide for 4 nights last April and while it was a nice enough town, it can't compare to Glendalough. The scenery in the Wicklow area was some of the best we saw during our week in Ireland. Glendalough itself was beautiful and we made a couple of great hikes there that gave us even more opportunity to appreciate that gorgeous scenery.

KK_Cat

As an Irish person I agree with choosing Glendalough/Sally Gap over Malahide. Glendalough it truly beautiful. The other tours won't give you similar scenery, they will be VERY different. The west (esp the Burren) is much more desolate, still nice but very different.

I did wonder about the Northern Ireland day also, it does seem an awful lot to fit into one day. I could see either Belfast or up to Giants Causeway but both along with the return trip to/from Dublin, it will be a long day I suspect. At least you have made the good choice to stay in Dublin the next day before setting off on another long day to the West.

Hope you have a great trip

Canon

Thank you all for responding. I think you have helped us decide to go ahead and do the tour.

About the Northern Ireland Railtour, I added that tour to our itenerary after after doing research about Railtours Ireland for the Cliffs of Moher and Arann Islands tours. While I was reading reviews about the Railtours company, I noticed alot of people commented on how much they enjoyed the Northern Ireland tour, even though it was a very long day. So, I hope they are right.

Thank you again!!

JeremyinFrance

Giant's Causeway is impressive - but the clever camera angles that the photographers use make it seem much bigger than it actually is. Personally I think there are more impressive things to see in Northern Ireland - such as the coastline to the east of Gaint's Causeway - though you won't have time to check that out. As has been mentioned, Glendalough is a wonderful place, and well worth a visit - preferably with an overnight stop in Laragh (village up the road) to avoid the crowds of tourists that arrive mid morning and leave mid afternoon.
http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/glendalough_ireland.htm

LoisL

I agree that arriving at Glendalough early, before the buses, is advisable. It also makes the experience that much more rewarding, when seeing such a peaceful place without the crowds. We arrived when it opened, and by mid morning, it was already overrun with buses and crowds. I truly love the place, and regret not having had more time to spend there.

JanisV

We were in Ireland about 10 years ago and absolutely fell in love with this area -- don't miss it! It's such a wonderful respite from cities.

We were there in May, during the second lambing, and there were little lambs frisking about & wisteria blooming everywhere -- heavenly!

JanisV

PS - We stayed in a lovely country inn/B&B called the Derrybawn House, not far from Glendalough. We found it through Alistair Sawday's book on Ireland, I believe.

Loudblonde

Your itenerary wore me out! I will be taking my 4th trip to Ireland in May and will be going to Glendalough for the first time.

I was in Belfast 2 years ago. When you say for Day 3 that you will be "in town" do you mean Belfast or Dublin? I personally think that a trip to Belfast is not complete unless you take a "Black Taxi Tour." It lasts about 2 hours and your tour guide chauffeurs you about town telling you the history of "the troubles". It was so facinating and informative. The tour may differ in tone depending if your guide is Catholic or Protestant (mine was Catholic), but either way you will come away knowing way more about Belfast than you could imagine. It was definitely the highlight. Giant's Causeway is beautiful, but there's really no reason to be there more than an hour.

Also, when in Dublin, I personally say skip Dublin "Castle". Maybe go look at it from the outside, but I wouldn't bother with an inside tour.

soogies

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