Bavaria or Ireland in late May?
 

I am usually not so spastic when planning my trips but a change in my original plans due to work and a desire to avoid the sky high airfare of summer has had me in a tizzy. So after combing through airfares and possible itineraries I've narrowed my options down to Southern Germany or Ireland(Dublin and SW coast). Us- 2 adventurous 30 something's. What we're looking for: fantastic scenery, some cool castles, hiking and other outdoor activities(climbing, rafting, kayaking ect...).Is there any compelling reason to choose one over the other in late May or should I just throw a dart at my map and go to whichever is closest?

I read this article earlier this month about some adventures to be had in Ireland - and I've seen plenty of kite surfers on the SW coast.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/15/travel...iref=allsearch

I love Dingle and the surroundings - excellent pubs, great restaurants, the Slea Head Drive has great hikes and so much to see:

http://www.dingle-peninsula.ie/sleahead.html

Remember that you must drive on the "wrong " side of the road in Ireland. And in my experience, public transportation in Ireland leaves much to be desired compared to public transportation in southern Germany. (somebody will probably disagree with the last statement...)

Have a good time wherever you choose!

Driving on the "other" side of the road is no sweat, really. If someone can climb, kayak, etc. They can handle it!

The higher you wish to climb and the rougher you want to kayak the more will it be Bavaria. Or neighboring Tyrol where River Inn around Innsbruck is a mecca for wildwater rafting and kayaking. Or canyoning.
For regular hiking both destinations offer their share of beauty - mountain tops versus cliffs and ocean is more a matter of choice or taste.
Weatherwise it can be hit and miss in both regions.
May in Bavaria can be anything from 30C+/90F and blazing sun to 15C/60F and rain. In Ireland you probably just replace the first figure with 20C/70F.

Sheri- thanks for the CNN article, I've always wanted to try zorbing!

Both places are highly appealing and I really haven't come across anything that will sway me one way or the other. I thin I'm going to write down the locations on 2 pieces of paper and choose my vacation my drawing from a hat!

How long is your whole trip? It might be possible to get a taste of both places.

Are you clueless? Don't you know that your use of the term "spastic" is considered offensive? (I'm assuming you are not "spastic" because you suffer from cerebral palsy.)

Perhaps instead of going to Bavaria or Ireland, you could donate that vacation money to an organization that helps those with cerebral palsy, spastic paraplegia, etc.

8 nights so i definitely will only focus on one area. I have no illusions that i can cover 4 countries in 9 days :-)

Longhorn, in the US it is not an offensive term rather it is a slang term meaning frazzled. I had no idea it was an offensive term in the UK until your post which lead me to google that fact. To all the UK readers I apologize .

Four countries? I must have missed something because I thought you were just talking about two.

Sheri, i was just joking about the questions that ask about going to Spain, France, Germany and Italy in the span of 1 week. To clarify I am considering going to 1 country for 8 nights.

OH I did miss something... I've been to Germany and Ireland and I think Ireland is just more fun. You'll have a great time no matter where you go - might be fun to throw a dart at the map and see what comes up until you find something you're excited about.

Maybe it's just me. But I'm completely unaware of any significant opportunities for climbing, rafting or kayaking in Ireland. One commercial kayaking course in the middle of Europe's most boring inland countryside, and one rockclimbing company don't add up to the real mountains Bavaria is so stuffed with.

Ireland's close to being the trickiest and dullest part even of the British Isles for simple country walking. Its grotesquely limited amount of publicly-accessible rural walking routes (unless you really love walking along tarmac waiting for the next car to hit you) isn't even a pale imitation of Bavaria. On the basis of the tastes the poster describes, the question seems a complete no brainer.

It would be really helpful if the "Ireland" enthusiasts could offer some concrete examples of Ireland's apparently secret but outstanding climbing, kayaking and rafting resources (and, while we're at it: the simple provision of unobstructed footpaths across countryside). One planted article from the Irish tourist board wittering about one artificial ski slope really doesn't add up to anything more than a row of PR verbiage.

Wow, thanks for putting me in my place with your sarcastic rudeness. Oh, you forgot to mention the sausages and alpine slides.

Well, OP asked, and flanner provided a spot on assessment of the abundance (or lack thereof) of outdoor activities and water sports comparing the two destinations.
You can rent kayaks or boats on the Shannon and I think also on river Suir, for example. But I would not know about Dingle. Hiking is precisely as flanner described. You should plan ahead and not expect too much signage (or car free trails). For short routes, coillte.ie has several short hikes on their website.
So when benchmarked with OP's precise expectations, Dingle does not score really good.
If you have other interests, it will be a different result.

I'd go to Bavaria, despite Ireland's being the land of my ancestors. I suspect that you might have weather problems in Ireland that you probably won't have in Bavaria.

However, that's just a guess.

Thanks for all of your responses, We have chosen Bavaria for this trip.Now to start mailing down the details!

Bavaria is beautiful, and you'll get plenty of castles.