Ambitous Itinerary?
 

I see that this is a much asked question, but here it is again~ (sorry!)
My husband and I are arriving Dublin the 9th of August. (early morning)
Our plan is to spend the day taking in the sites. We are spending our first night at the Brooks Hotel.
Day 2, we journey to Kilkenny for one night.
Day 3, off to Glin Castle, with stops at Cahir and Cashel.
Day 4, we journey up to Westport for one night.
Day5, we make the short trip to Clifden and stay for two nights.
Our final night is at Dromoland and we depart in the afternoon out of Shannon.
Is this too much in too short of a time? It's our first time in Ireland, and we hope to see as much as we can without being exhausted at the end.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Tauri

Please see my reply on http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34832802

Best wishes,

Rex

I'm really sorry. I can see your point entirely, however, I don't know how to edit. If you could direct me, I'd be happy to change the title of the post.
Thanks~

tlow74: I don't think Rex said anything about 'editing'. Believe his advice was to 'repost' with a more appropriate heading, something like "Need help planning a week in Ireland" or somethng similar. In other words, start all over with a new heading.

Appears to me as if you've got a ton of one nighters in your plans, probably much too ambitious.

By reposting with a new heading, I'm sure you'll get many worthwhile replies.

Enjoy Ireland--it's a great country!

As a rule,if you have to ask if your itinerary is too ambitious,it probably is!

I think in this case, you're probably trying to manage too much, in too wide of an area. I travel fast sometimes, but you're sort of going from east, to southeast, to northwest to southwest.

Traveling in Ireland isn't quick. You'll average about 35 miles per hour (rough rule of thumb). Personally, I'd at least eliminate that Kilkenny portion in favor of devoting the night to the Clare region. Cahir and Cashel would pretty tough to do in one day, in conjunction with a full drive across the country. They do take a bit of time to explore.

Correct. Editing is not possible on this web-forum. The only option is to re-post. You can cut and paste the full text of this posting.

I think your drive up to Westport puts you over the top. The other areas are rushed, but doable. However, if I was paying to stay at Glin or Dromoland, I would want to be around to enjoy the amenities...rather than a late check-in after a day of driving.

If you give us an idea why you chose the destinations you chose, we could make some suggestions on what to cut and offer some alternatives that might reduce the amount of driving.

Are you sure Glin Castle is available for overnight stays??

yesiree100 writes: "I was paying to stay at ... Dromoland, I would want to be around to enjoy the amenities... rather than a late check-in after a day of driving."

I concur 100%! Take time to enjoy the place, the beautiful gardens, etc.

Lots of European mainland vacationers in Ireland during August. Be sure you have firm reservations everywhere.

And, Yes! I think you are trying to do too much in one week.

I was afraid of that!!! I do, have firm reservations at all places. Infact, it's all paid for. Hmmmmm....now I have a dilemma. The reason I chose this itinerary was, I couldn't seem to narrow down exactly what I wanted to see in Ireland. I've wanted to travel there for 20 years now, and so I tried to cram too much into too little.. Is the drive from Glin to Westport terribly long? I was working with an Irish travel agent on this whole trip, and she had said it was doable. I'm not sure what I can do to cut back on anything now. If only I would have found this web site last January!! :)

I agree that if you could just switch day 4 it would be easier, westport will be atleast 4 hours if not more, just driving.

on our first day we arrived at shannon at 6am and ended up at westport at 5ish...lots of stops in between...you can see full story...trip report ceol agus craic...we put a lot into each day, but we had a private driver and a comfy coach, just had to sit back and enjoy.

I would suggest doolin for an alternative or ballyvaughn...if it is a good agent they can change it if you are concerned about long drive.

be sure to pack light so the frequent moves won't be as bad.

there will be plenty of scenic stops and pubs on the way for short breaks from driving....take advantage of these stops...will enhance experience and give time to relax

just got back...you will love ireland

suggest hop on /hop off bus for dublin and pub crawl tour

just outside of kilkenny...really enjoyed jerpoint abbey

maybe skip cahir to get to glin castle early to enjoy grounds

if skip westport or on way to clifden...do drive along doo loug valley to delphi and drive the sky road in clifden for that wow moment.

slainte