lenlu

Okay, so we're heading to Ireland in August (I know, worst time to go) and will be with our two elementary aged kids. I'm wondering just how awful it is to drive on the left side? Seems like I keep hearing awful stories and yet, driving appears to be the best way to go. My husband IS a good driver but even so...what are your opinions on this? For example, we want to go to Ashford Castle and some other places that aren't accessed by rail. What do people do? Any advice is helpful. We're not sure where to start with this trip. Also, we're heading to England and France afterward. Is it best to fly to Heathrow?
Thanks!

Michel_Paris

You will get used to it fast. At first, you have to think about every move, but it gets easier. When we went we ha an automatic, but standard would be more common, which adds another level of challenge.

Driving , IMHO is the way to go. You stop when you want (and you will, for the vistas and sheep), go where you want (buses can't really go on some of these roads). And..you will find that it always slower than you had planned. If you are booking hotels based on being somewhere going at 30 mph...

Lots of people rent cars, you can do it. Get all of the insurances, go slow, and you will be fine.

You would fly directly to Shannon or Dublin?

Ryan Air is one option to get to continent.

griz_fan

I'll echo what Michel_Paris said. I too was pretty nervous when I first did this last summer. Tired from a long, overnight, trans-Atlantic flight from the western US, hadn't driven a stick in years, driving on the left, it was pretty intimidating at first. But, we landed in Shannon, and the helpful staff at Dan Dooley really helped out. The shuttle driver had some great advise, "look right, keep left." I chanted that mantra quite a few times that first day. Also familiarize yourself ahead of time with common speeds and the miles per hour to kilometers per hour conversion. Finally, don't get too ambitious on your first day.

PollyWest

lenlu,

In my opinion, July and August are the best times to visit Ireland...less chance of rain and nice temps. I guess it's always been a nice escape for me from the humid 100 degree F weather in Texas.

As far as driving, I would recommend flying into Shannon ande driving along the Dingle Penninsula. It is beautiful and because of the lovely scenery, it's a little more acceptible to drive slowly. Be patient with yourself and you will do fine. We used GPS a couple of years ago and had some problems, so be sure and bring a good map!

janisj

"<i>I'm wondering just how awful it is to drive on the left side? Seems like I keep hearing awful stories</i>"

What awful stories? The driving is not fast -- but it is not difficult. The 'horror' stories are mostly from folks who try to drive 100 miles a day and dash from place to place ticking sites off some list >>We are used to long road trips, yada yada yada.<<

As long as you 1) don't drive at all (or more than 5 or 10 miles) right off an overnight flight; 2) don't try to cover the whole country in a week (or two weeks even); and 3) don't schedule one-night stop after one nighter after one nighter . . . You'll have a great time.

irishface

It is not hard to drive on the left. When starting out or approaching and intersection where you need to turn, keep the mantra, "Stay Left, stay left." I found that I was likely to go to the passenger side rather than the driver's side when returning to the car after a break and that usually woke me up to the fact that I was not at home.

speaking of home, I found after several trips to Ireland or the UK, I would let down my guard and find myself driving on the left. Fortunately I met no traffic before a passenger would ask, "What are you doing!?" in a horrified and terrified voice. I have heard similar stories from others, so be prepared for the return home.

And yes, a rental car is the way to go in Ireland! Especially with kids. When I traveled with youngsters, we would always stop at the first grocery store and stock up with a carton of nonperishables such as peanutbutter and jelly, bread, fruit, cookies, juice boxes, roll of paper towels, so then we could picnic if everyone was hungry before we got to a reasonable lunch stop or if we came to a beach or good hiking area. Also meant a snack was always available if regular meal was going to be delayed for whatever reason (traffic tie up, detour to explore something off the main road with an unexpected signpost)

Have a great trip!

janisj

"<i> I have heard similar stories from others, so be prepared for the return home.</i>"

Ain't that the truth! I drive on almost every trip to the UK/Ireland. Never have any problems -- BUT am a total wreck for the first few days back home.

Once, after a 3 week trip to Scotland, an overnight at an SFO hotel to ensure a safe 2 hour drive home, a week doing errands around town --on a Saturday afternoon in a nearby rural area I came tooling around a bend smack dab in the path of a huge 4X4 (who was where he was supposed to be)

I swerved back into my lane in time but must have scared the bejeezus out of that poor cowboy!

lenlu

Oh my gosh, this info from all of your experiences makes me feel better! (minus getting home...oh my!) I'm glad to know we can take it at a slower pace, I have no interest in going fast.
Also, we don't have too long to spend in Ireland, about a week. In case you check back, are there any parts of Ireland you think shouldn't be missed? We're flying into Dublin from Seattle. You all seem like veterans...I'm totally lost with this planning. If it were France, I'd know exactly what to do, see and where to stay! I suppose more research is in order. Thanks guys!

jaja

If you do end up at Ashford Castle, consider taking the kids for a Hawk Walk at the Ireland's School of Falconry. www.falconry.ie . I guarantee you all will have a wonderful time.

janisj

If you are flying into Dublin your options are a bit more limited. The most famous of the mega-scenic bits are on the other side of the country. Nearer to Shannon than to Dublin. Have you already booked your flights? And -do you fly home from Dublin too?

If so, there are a few options (and of course you can have a wonderful trip based in Dublin and the east side). But R-T in/out of DUB does mean at least 3 days will need to be in or very near Dublin. 2 at the beginning to see the city and get over the jet lag and 1 at the end before flying home.

But if you want to see more of the west coast you could fly into Dublin, immediately fly on to Cork and spend the night. Then after a good night's sleep, pick up a rental car and explore up the coast and inland for 4 or 5 days, make your way back towards Dublin, and fly home.

If you haven't booked your flights you'd have a lot of other options.

rfische1

I too was nervous at the thought of driving on the left after an overnight trans-Atlantic trip. No worries. When pulling out of parking lots I kept muttering to myself "stay left, stay left." My wife also reminded me constantly. When we got back to Maine, the mantra changed to "stay right, stay right." Only lapsed once on our 12 day trip. Both of our cars are standards, so this was not an issue. The speed limits in many cases seemed too fast for the condition of the roads. Drive at a speed that is comfortable and let people pass you.

twk

Driving on the left isn't that difficult. I've been a passenger in Ireland and a driver in Scotland. For me, the key thing that you have to do is focus on the center line. It's impossible for you to accurately judge distances to your left, so what you should do is focus on staying as close to the center line (on your right) as possible. At intersections, the tricky turn is the right turn. When making a right turn, imagine that your intersection had those dashed white lines that you see in some American intersections to guide you through the left turn, then stay close to that line as you do the center line.

On my trip to Ireland, my friend who was driving hit a couple of mirrors of cars that were illegally parked such that there really wasn't room on the streets for cars coming opposite directions to safely pass. It was probably just a fluke, but that's the one thing I'd be wary about. We never encountered a situation like that in Scotland.

janisj

"<i>On my trip to Ireland, my friend who was driving hit a couple of mirrors of cars that were illegally parked such that there really wasn't room on the streets for cars coming opposite directions to safely pass</i>"

It is a pretty safe bet those cars were not illegally parked. One is allowed to park on either side of most roads (in either direction) and it is very common that there is enough room for two cars to pass. If she hit mirrors it was most likely her fault and not because of other cars. If the roadway is too narrow -- you wait for the oncoming cars to come through (or they wait for you)

Worktowander

I'd like to add, in all seriousness, that you should plan to get lost - because unless you're sticking to the major highways, you will.

And that's not a bad thing. Some of my most vivid memories from our trip were along unintended detours. Have fun!

janisj

Oops - my post should have read >> . . . and it is very common that there is <u>not</u> enough room for two cars to pass.<<

twk

<<It is a pretty safe bet those cars were not illegally parked>> Unless it's leagal to park two feet off the curb, I think they were illegally parked. What was unfortunate is that they were both in the middle of a long string of cars, most of them parked properly, and you really couldn't tell at a glance that these cars were so much further off the curb than everyone else, especially while trying to avoid contact with oncoming traffic.

janisj

The point is really -- it is VERY common for a roadway, especially in a village, to be too narrow for 2 cars to pass. Driving is a team sport -- you wait for the oncoming car (often flashing your lights to tell him to come through) or s/he waits for you. If it is too narrow you don't just drive through. Whether they are illegally parked or not.

twk

janis: The point is that when some moron fails to park properly in the midst of a long line of cars, it's hard to tell that until you are in the middle of it. That's one of the challenges of having to drive on the "wrong" side--making quick judgment calls. Obviously, one should be cautious and not proceed headlong into a difficult situation, but for you to make the assumption that my friend was driving like an idiot is really uncalled for. Even good drivers can screw up in these situations.