Drive from Connemara to Dingle
 

How long should it take? Can it be done in one day?

Try one of the mapping websites:<BR><BR>www.mappy.com<BR>www.shellgeostar .com<BR>www.viamichelin.com<BR><BR>Most comments I've seen on this board say they give pretty reasonable estimates. I've personally used shellgeostar and liked the results. <BR><BR>I believe Connemara is a county in Ireland. You'll have to pick a town in that county as your starting point.

It should take about 6 hours,especially if you travel via Killimer-Tarbert Ferry.It may take a lot longer though if you decide to stop at Ailwee Cave,The Burren,Cliffs of Moher,Bunratty Castle and Folk Park to name only a few stops.Fortunately in the summer the days run from 6 am to 10pm so you can take it at your leisure.

I did the drive from Galway to Dingle. I also did it by bus once while I was there. It will take 5-7 hours Galway to Dingle (even farther from Connemara)because of the narrow roads. It is very nice to have a car in and around the Dingle Peninsula area. You could take a bus to Tralee and then rent a car from there.

I tried each of the three mapping websites recommended by David, and had various problems with each one. Anyone else have recommendations for mapping websites for Ireland?

www.mapquest.com also works but you must remember that these sites typically underestimate times on the slow Irish roads especially since you never know when you be stuck behind a tractor or have sheep in the road which are both very commen especially out in the west

The best way to calculate times is to get a good map (like Michelin), and measure the trip segment by segment. Figure about 30-35 miles per hour--small country roads take more time than the main 'highways' (still not like our expressways). This way you can also decide if it's better to take the longer road to see a sight, etc. From Dingle Town to Clifden would be about seven hours, if you take the coast road thru County Clare--the Cliffs of Moher are definitely worth a stop! Taking the direct road from Galway to Ennis will save time--definitely take the Tarbert ferry, Limerick can be difficult to navigate.