joan

I will be traveling o Ireland the 5th of April wih my husband, 15 year old son and 18 year daughter. We have decided to rent a self catering cottage for one week, with three days left over before flying on to London. We will rent a car.<BR><BR>After much searching and deliberation, we have narrowed it to cottages in Portmagee, or Golleen or Rosscarbery. I do have a distant relative in county Kerry, but that visit probably won't last all day. Which of these places offer the most to see and do. I would love to be near the sea, visit the Skelligs, deap sea fish and visit castles/ historical. Daughter is interested in horse riding, son is interested in most everything. Also, any suggestions for itinerary for the trip to London. Haven't decided whether we should leave from Shannon or Dublin. Cork airport seems closest, but I can't find any way to get from there to London. Help!!<BR><BR>Joan

Wendy

Joan,<BR><BR>I cannot give you specifics on the areas you mentioned, perhaps some other read can. I do know from my own experiences that even if you are staying in one place that doesn't mean you cannot get to tons of other places in Ireland. Since you will have your own car then probably any other places you mentioned you were thinking of staying really are &quot;close enough&quot; to all the places you mentioned you'd like to go. You can literally go from one side of the country and back within one day. How much you do during each day is up to you. In order to see and do the most on your trip, pick the one cottage that has the most places you want to visit within 30 minutes an hour's drive and stay there.<BR><BR>As for flights from Cork to London, try Ryan Air @ http://www.ryanair.ie/ They are having great sales at the moment and will probably continue to do so...<BR><BR>Good luck!

myles

as before ryan airways to stanstead<BR>aerlingus to heathrow<BR>british airways<BR>ryan air usually the cheapest but very strict on baggage allowances only 15kg per person<BR>golleen area is beautiful ate in a fantastic b&amp;b with restauant couple of years ago barleycove and schull are a must

Lillie Harty

I would choose Portmageee and use it as a base to visit Skellig,Ring of Kerry,Dingle,Killarney National Park and Mizen Head.Visit Skellig only on a fine day-the boats are small-but it is a very special place.You can fly to London Stanstead from Kerry Airport which is 12 miles from Killarney (www.ryanair.com)

joan

Thanks guys! I don't want to sound stupid, but how hard is it to get from Gatwick to Stanstead? (we will be flying there from states, and then head immediately to ireland.) Thanks.

jill

Hi, I've just returned from a weekend in Valentia Island and I was in Portmagee (the town is directly across from the island)- it's probably the seaside cottages that you're thinking of. They look really nice and Portmagee is a lovely village with a couple of great pubs. valentia is an interesting island.The scenery is brilliant around there.. <BR>Re Goleen and Rosscarbery- It depends on what kind of things you want to do. Goleen would be my favourite as it's quite remote, on the sea and close to the Mizen head experience (most southern point in Ireland- or southwesterly, I can't remember!). Goleen is a small village, but it's quite near other towns such as Schull and Ballydehob.<BR>Personally, Rosscarbery would be my last choice, although it is nearer Cork city (i.e about an hour away) and close to major towns such as Skibbereen and Clonakilty. But if you want a more remote place near the sea then either Portmagee or Goleen..<BR>Have a great time!

joan

Thanks Jill, Tell me more about PortMagee. Are the cottages right on the water? How about the Skelligs - did you go? And the people, are they as friendly there as they are in most other places? <BR><BR>I thought of Valentia Island, but the rest of the family thought it may be too remote. It looks interesting, though. So much to plan for when considering everyone's interests!!<BR><BR>Do you have any suggestions for the last three nights (itinerary) in Ireland before heading to London? Would sure appreciate ANY suggestions. Maybe Cashel, or Kinsale or maybe Galway or Limmerick? Please - anyone - an opinion?

jill

Hi, <BR>If they were the seaside cottages then they are just facing the sea, looking out onto Valentia Island. They are stone fronted and very pretty. I think there's about 6 of them in all.<BR>Valentia,although it's an island, is not really remote. It's not like e.g. the Aran Islands, and there are lots of historical sites. There's also a visitor's centre just before you go on to the bridge linking Portmagee and Valentia. The people there are very friendly- I liked the Bridge pub esp. as they have good food and I think also traditional music sessions at weekends.<BR>I didn't go to the Skelligs as there were storm force conditions when I was there, and the boats don't go out in bad weather. You would probably have better luck in April.<BR>Re other places: Kinsale is nice, but it is rather touristy. Still, there are lots of shops and pubs. The other options in Cork might be Cobh (which has an interesting museum about the Titanic and emigration to the US, smaller version of the museum on Ellis island) and /or perhaps Schull/Ballydehob. Also, if you want to go around the ring of Kerry then you might want to check out Kenmare which I think is the nicest town in Kerry..<BR>Can't help you on Cashel as I have only ever passed through it on my way to someplace else.<BR>Galway is a big city, but it's popular with tourists. It depends on where you're flying out from. If it's Dublin then you might consider a night or two there, as there's a lot to see and it would be a contrast to Portmagee etc..<BR>good luck with your plans

John

Hi Joan,<BR><BR>Stanstead and Gatwick are on opposite sides of London. There is an express bus that travels between Stanstead/Heathrow/Gatwick - approximately 2.5 hours travel time between Stanstead and Gatwick. (Bus leaves appx every hour up to about 10:00 p.m. I believe)<BR><BR>Under my email address you will find a bunch of threads regarding Ireland. If you have enough fortitude to filter through them you may find lots of items that apply to your Ireland trip - including self-catering, driving, areas of interest in Ireland etc. Some are definitely tongue-in-cheek.<BR><BR>

joan

Thanks John, <BR><BR>I have tried to access your email, but no luck. What am I doing wrong? Would like to look through the information you mentioned. Joan

Cathy

Joan,<BR> My husband and I spent almost two weeks in southwest Ireland this summer. We rented a self-catering cottage in the countryside outside of Balleydehob. We loved being off the beaten track. We flew to Heathrow on Delta, then took the &quot;Speedlink&quot; train to Gatwick (1.5 hours). Then we flew Aer Lingus to Cork. We spent our first night in Kinsale, which is only a 25 minute drive from the Cork airport. I wish we had another night or two in the Kinsale area, and I'd recommend Kinsale for your extra three nights. We drove the backroads that hug the southern coast from Kinsale to Skibberen. Many breathtaking vistas! One in particular that stands out (and that would interest your daughter), was a beach called &quot;Garrettstwon&quot;, about 15 or 20 minutes west of Kinsale. We had just pulled the car over to get out and admire this long stretch of beach before us, when seemingly out of nowhere a group of horseback riders began galloping the full length of the beach. It was a beautiful sight! We saw another group of riders about 15 minutes later along the side of a narrow, quiet, beautiful coastal road. I don't ride, but if I did, I'd like to be part of one of those groups! I'd guess they were based in, or very near, Kinsale. <BR><BR>If you do head north, I wouldn't stay or stop in Limerick, and I'd just visit Galway as a day trip. A few years ago we stayed in the lovely small town of Adare, which is about 20 minutes from Limerick. Personally, I like to stay away from the cities. Ireland is all about the incredible countryside ... and the wonderful people! Good luck, Cathy

joan

Thank you, Cathy,<BR><BR>Could you tell me more about the self catering cottage you had, and perhaps describe that experience. This is probably the only BIG family vacation we will have with the kids.(almost grown) I want so very much to make it as perfect as possible. I haven't yet made a firm confirmation on a cottage - seems like I keep running into more and more web sites. I would like to stay within the Kerry/Cork area, as my family is descended from there. I know I have to finally decide to just QUIT, but I want it to be just right.<BR><BR>Interesting, Gatwick to Cork! We are flying into Gatwick and I haven't been able to locate any direct (or otherwise) flights into Cork from Gatwick. Did you use Aer Lingus? I look forward to heaing from you.<BR><BR>Joan

adams

Here's my suggestion for a self-catering cottage in SW Ireland:<BR>Glenview Cottage, Brennans Glen, Tralee Rd, Killarney<BR>We stayed there this past Spring, and it is a wonderfully, completely remodeled and redecorated cottage, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, sleeps 6, has 4* rating, but very reasonable, at least when we rented. It is conveniently located to Killarney, Tralee, Ring of Kerry, and Dingle Peninsular. Contact John &amp; Eileen OMahony at [email protected].

pgo

jill,<BR>where did you stay on valentia island?<BR>we are looking for recommendations for a b&amp;b or guest house to stay the night before we try to take a trip to skellig michael.<BR>thank you,