Hi all

So a couple of friends and I are planning on doing a road trip around Ireland and/or Northern Ireland in January, our first trip, and I've been doing a lot of research and I just wanted to get people's opinions about a route.

The dates are that we will arrive in Dublin on the 25 January and flying out of Dublin on the 29 January. I know that's not long and it will be a tight and probably hectic trip but I would love anyone's suggestions. I have looked at a map and I know that doing too much is gonna be hard. Things we would love to see but I know we will have to pick and choose: Giant's Causeway, Cliffs of Moher or Slieve League.

I would love any thoughts you have on a possible itinerary that we could do in that limited time.

Thanks in advance for any help!

As you are probably aware, January isn't a good time as day length is short. Sun rise is around 8.15 and sunset around 5pm. It could also be wet. Dublin has an average of 24 wet days in January...

What time are you arriving in Dublin on the 25th and are you likely to be jet lagged?

What time are you flying out of Dublin on the 29th?

The reason I'm asking is you could effectively just have three days to play with and that is going to restrict what you can do.

The cliffs at Slieve League are stunning BUT the road up to them is 'interesting' - narrow, steep and with very steep drops downwards. You may not want to drive it in rain or strong winds...

My vote is for Giant's Causeway as you could then also check out Dunluce Castle, Bushmills and the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. They're all in close proximity to each other and can be done in one day.

we went in January
it was fine
we didn't book any accommodation and had trouble finding a b and b in Belfast cos most were closed but we knocked on the door of one and she directed us to a few possibilities

giants causeway was great
also the rope bridge...it used not to open in winter but it is now...very spectacular

port stewart is very nice and all the towns round there

we only had a week but it was fantastic
got as far as cliffs of moher which are a must
then we had to cut across to the east again and fly on to paris
but boy do we want to return to see more of Ireland...
best pub food ever!

(dunluce castle is great..we had it to ourselves..just ruins...you don't pay...you just walk around it
read the history of it before you go)

in Dublin have a drink or meal at the café which used to be a boys school
its in the pedestrian area...ask someone..i think it starts with m...someone may know here

you wont have time to do everything we did so if I did it all again id head to cliffs of moher
the wilder the weather the better cos the spray is phenomenal
you cant really go wrong
its all so brutally beautiful

Thank you for all of the suggestions.

So to answer we will be travelling from within Europe so there will be no jetlag.

We haven't booked our tickets but I think we will arrive in Dublin before noon or latest noonish. Flying out I think will depend on what we want to do.

So far from all your suggestions these seem to be the options.

Option 1: Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Bushmills and Carrick-a-Rede Bridge

What route would we do to get back to Dublin including this - what are other stops recommended. Should we do something like

Jan 25: Check out Dublin and stay over
Jan 26: Drive to Belfast
Jan 27: Drive to Giants Causeway etc
Jan 28: ??
Jan 29: Fly out of Dublin

Option 2: Cliffs of Moher

What is a good route there and back?

Jan 25: Check out Dublin and stay over
Jan 26: Drive to Cliffs of Moher and Burren
Jan 27: Drive to Ring of Kerry
Jan 28: ??
Jan 29: Fly out of Dublin

Thoughts fill in the gaps of where we could go on the way back. All of your help is greatly appreciated.

Personally I would do the Northern Ireland route. I don't know if you would enjoy the southern route as much if the weather turned out to be poor. I would also allow for more time in Belfast; it's a great city and you could check out the Titanic Museum there. So in essence:

Jan 25: Dublin
Jan 26: Dublin/Belfast (perhaps a stop at Trim Castle (where Braveheart was filmed)
Jan 27: Belfast (Titanic Museum/Black Taxi Tours)
Jan 28: Carrick-a-Rede Bridge/Bushmills/Giant's Causeway/Dunluce Castle
Jan 29: Depart Dublin

Either route you choose - have a fabulous time!

Also look into flying in/out of Belfast and/or Shannon. Since most of the things you want to see/do are in the north and west, I wouldn't fly into DUB myself.