Yet another itinerary question!
Oct 27th, 2015, 03:29 PM
#1
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Yet another itinerary question!
I am in the throes of planning a 12 night trip to Ireland in late May/early June 2016 and need advice from experienced travelers to Ireland. Here is our tentative plan:
fly from Edinburgh to Dublin on Saturday morning, 5/28, pick up a car and drive first to Wicklow for one night. (1)
Wicklow to Kilkenny on Sunday, 5/29. Stay Kilkenny Sunday and Monday nights.(2-3)
Kilkenny to Kinsale on Tuesday, 5/31. Stay Kinsale Tuesday and Wednesday nights.(4-5)
Kinsale to Dingle on Thursday, 6/2. Stay Dingle Thursday and Friday nights.(6-7)
Dingle to Galway on Saturday, 6/4. Stay Galway Saturday and Sunday nights,(8-9)
Galway to Dublin on Monday, 6/6. Stay Dublin Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 6/6-8.(10-11-12)
Fly home Thursday 6/9.
Please comment if we are unrealistic in planning these stops in terms of timing, routing,things to see nearby, etc. I recognize we are giving short shrift to many places but we're trying to see as much as we can without rushing around too rapidly. Any and all suggestions welcome!
fly from Edinburgh to Dublin on Saturday morning, 5/28, pick up a car and drive first to Wicklow for one night. (1)
Wicklow to Kilkenny on Sunday, 5/29. Stay Kilkenny Sunday and Monday nights.(2-3)
Kilkenny to Kinsale on Tuesday, 5/31. Stay Kinsale Tuesday and Wednesday nights.(4-5)
Kinsale to Dingle on Thursday, 6/2. Stay Dingle Thursday and Friday nights.(6-7)
Dingle to Galway on Saturday, 6/4. Stay Galway Saturday and Sunday nights,(8-9)
Galway to Dublin on Monday, 6/6. Stay Dublin Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 6/6-8.(10-11-12)
Fly home Thursday 6/9.
Please comment if we are unrealistic in planning these stops in terms of timing, routing,things to see nearby, etc. I recognize we are giving short shrift to many places but we're trying to see as much as we can without rushing around too rapidly. Any and all suggestions welcome!
Oct 28th, 2015, 01:50 AM
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All the stages are easily managed, and you will give yourself a decent selection of destinations.
But what do you actually want to see or do? Scenery, hiking, history, fine dining, rock-climbing, drinking, diving, partying?
But what do you actually want to see or do? Scenery, hiking, history, fine dining, rock-climbing, drinking, diving, partying?
Oct 28th, 2015, 05:56 AM
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Looks like a snippet from a typical Coach tour. I am not sure what you aim to do from the base's or if that's what your asking. The pace itself is fine for the time you have available.
Whilst everything works Kinsale is not really a Touring base for Co.Cork and Dingle is a long way from a touring base for Co.Kerry. Fine if your not looking for touring bases and happy either driving a lot or staying close to each base.
As Touring bases Cork city works for Cork and Killarney works best for Kerry. Kenmare works as a base for the Ring of Kerry and the west Cork peninsulas Beara, Sheeps Head and Mizen. Galway is a touring base for north west Clare, Inis Mor and a quick flick through the Connemara.
The big question is where do you really want to see, what do you really want to do?
Whilst everything works Kinsale is not really a Touring base for Co.Cork and Dingle is a long way from a touring base for Co.Kerry. Fine if your not looking for touring bases and happy either driving a lot or staying close to each base.
As Touring bases Cork city works for Cork and Killarney works best for Kerry. Kenmare works as a base for the Ring of Kerry and the west Cork peninsulas Beara, Sheeps Head and Mizen. Galway is a touring base for north west Clare, Inis Mor and a quick flick through the Connemara.
The big question is where do you really want to see, what do you really want to do?
Oct 28th, 2015, 08:02 AM
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Thanks for your responses. We are a couple in our mid '60's from the Pacific NW (US) interested in scenery, history, art and crafts, easy walks not hiking- and not at all interested in nightlife/drinking/partying other than perhaps some music in a pub or a theater performances.We seek good food but not Michelin level "fine dining". We recognize that a fair degree of driving will be involved although hopefully in manageable chunks of no more than 3-3.5 hrs a day.
We love villages and smaller cities with charm, and lodging which is local and authentic (i.e. not bland chain hotels). This will be our first trip to Ireland, although we have traveled widely throughout other parts of Europe. Because we don't know if we'll ever be back, we do want to see a cross-section of the country (if that smacks of a "coach tour" so be it). We always go with the thought that if we love it we'll find a way back someday, but seeing an overview of the country will help us narrow down which places we actually do love.
I am glad to get a sense from those of you who've been kind enough to respond that at least my sense of timing/pacing isn't off the mark. Thanks again!
We love villages and smaller cities with charm, and lodging which is local and authentic (i.e. not bland chain hotels). This will be our first trip to Ireland, although we have traveled widely throughout other parts of Europe. Because we don't know if we'll ever be back, we do want to see a cross-section of the country (if that smacks of a "coach tour" so be it). We always go with the thought that if we love it we'll find a way back someday, but seeing an overview of the country will help us narrow down which places we actually do love.
I am glad to get a sense from those of you who've been kind enough to respond that at least my sense of timing/pacing isn't off the mark. Thanks again!
Oct 28th, 2015, 08:19 AM
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If you like little sleepy Villages than you are ok with a mix of Galway and Dublin. Great theater in Dublin. Kinsale is a pretty place with some good dining. Check out Cohb though. I love you he history there.
Oct 28th, 2015, 12:54 PM
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Tell me not to type on that tiny phone.
http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Cobh/Kinsale
You can stop at the English market in Cork.
Kinsale is very pretty and love walking around the town but two days is a lot so you might be able to check out other things in the area.
Time wise it seems very doable.
http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Cobh/Kinsale
You can stop at the English market in Cork.
Kinsale is very pretty and love walking around the town but two days is a lot so you might be able to check out other things in the area.
Time wise it seems very doable.
Oct 28th, 2015, 01:32 PM
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Two nights in one place can mean one full day. This is on the presumption that one arrives in the evening, having spent a day travelling and taking in some interesting stuff, and that one departs on the second morning with an interesting day's travel in prospect. So the question becomes one of "is there enough in and around Kinsale/Dingle to make for an interesting day?".
My answer is yes.
Why Wicklow? Don't construe that to mean that I am against the idea; it's just that it makes fewer itineraries than I think it merits. Are you thinking of Wicklow Town (pleasant, and not over-touristy) or some other place in the county?
My answer is yes.
Why Wicklow? Don't construe that to mean that I am against the idea; it's just that it makes fewer itineraries than I think it merits. Are you thinking of Wicklow Town (pleasant, and not over-touristy) or some other place in the county?
Oct 28th, 2015, 07:45 PM
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Flpab, yes, we plan to use each place we stay as a base from which to explore the area and other nearby towns, and the English Market is already on my list! While we are thinking of staying in Kinsale, we definitely plan to go to Cork and other surrounding towns.
And Padriag, Wicklow because the area sounds beautiful, the town sounds charming, it will make a short drive on our arrival day into Ireland via Dublin airport, and not least because I want to visit Avoca, and the base of the Avoca Weavers "empire"! We are thinking we'd stay that first night directly in Wicklow (we will have been moving every 2-3 nights at that point during our first 10 days in the UK, going from London to York to the Lakes to Edinburgh).
I did not specify all the places we hope to see in and around each of the towns we'd stay in, but we do plan to get out each day and go exploring, recognizing that the towns themselves that we stay in may not warrant our entire stay's worth of time. So from Kilkenny, for example, we would plan to visit Waterford, the Rock of Cashel and possibly Wexford. It's just that at the end of the day we might enjoy a quieter, small town rather than the larger cities such as Cork.
And Padriag, Wicklow because the area sounds beautiful, the town sounds charming, it will make a short drive on our arrival day into Ireland via Dublin airport, and not least because I want to visit Avoca, and the base of the Avoca Weavers "empire"! We are thinking we'd stay that first night directly in Wicklow (we will have been moving every 2-3 nights at that point during our first 10 days in the UK, going from London to York to the Lakes to Edinburgh).
I did not specify all the places we hope to see in and around each of the towns we'd stay in, but we do plan to get out each day and go exploring, recognizing that the towns themselves that we stay in may not warrant our entire stay's worth of time. So from Kilkenny, for example, we would plan to visit Waterford, the Rock of Cashel and possibly Wexford. It's just that at the end of the day we might enjoy a quieter, small town rather than the larger cities such as Cork.
