Driving Times in SW Ireland
Sep 25th, 2004, 02:12 PM
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Driving Times in SW Ireland
How long will it take to drive from Kinsale to Kenmare with a stop at Mizen Head? Could it be done comfortably in a day?
What about driving around the Dingle Peninsula, assuming that we'd like to visit Slea Head and Mt. Brandon? Is two days enough?
Dingle to Doolin? Doolin to Galway?
It's our first time and despite the seemingly short distances, we're weary of a designing a schedule where we spend entire days in the car...
Thank you!
What about driving around the Dingle Peninsula, assuming that we'd like to visit Slea Head and Mt. Brandon? Is two days enough?
Dingle to Doolin? Doolin to Galway?
It's our first time and despite the seemingly short distances, we're weary of a designing a schedule where we spend entire days in the car...
Thank you!
Sep 25th, 2004, 02:26 PM
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kew, I think a lot of what can be done comfortably depends upon how many things you see that catch your attention; routes taken and what time of year you travel.
We haven't been out to Mizen Head, but have done Kinsale to Kenmare by way of Clonakilty and Skibereen without really pushing it and with time to look around some towns. This was in May though, and days are fairly long in May.
Your best bet is to use a map site like www.viamichelin.com or similar to plan your route. Most have a "via" sort of option where you can plot other towns along the way from a start and arrival town. My suggestion would be to ignore the estimated times (at least for Ireland) and pay attention to the quoted distances. Then divide that distance by 35, as 35mph is a pretty good estimate for travel times generally.
Sep 25th, 2004, 02:50 PM
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Thanks. We'll be there in 2 weeks, for 8 days, and until now I thought I had a good itinerary.
It seems hard to balance leisure time (after all, this is a vacation) with not missing too much. We definitely want to see the Dingle Peninsula, Clifts of Moher, Doolin and the Aran Islands, but then there's Mizen Head, Kinsale, Killarney National Park, etc.
I'll definitely look at the Michelin website. Any other advice on how to determine what's too much? I'd hate to be "on the clock" the whole time...
It seems hard to balance leisure time (after all, this is a vacation) with not missing too much. We definitely want to see the Dingle Peninsula, Clifts of Moher, Doolin and the Aran Islands, but then there's Mizen Head, Kinsale, Killarney National Park, etc.
I'll definitely look at the Michelin website. Any other advice on how to determine what's too much? I'd hate to be "on the clock" the whole time...
Sep 25th, 2004, 03:29 PM
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I've never figured out how to see everything either! Our next trip (not to Ireland this time though) is in 26 days and I'm still trying to convince myself that we can't see everything.
You have a pretty good list going though. I've never been to the Aran Islands, so I'm looking forward to hearing what you find there. Killarney Nat'l Park I will say is just something else though. At the very elast, do try to route yourself past Ladies View for a look over the lakes as you head north from Kenmare. It's the usual route anyway. I do think that 2 days is enough on Dingle for a short itinerary and should allow you some downtime.
Sep 25th, 2004, 04:15 PM
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Kew, it sounds like we will be two days ahead of you. We feel as though we can comfortably take this route: Kinsale to Kenmare to Killarney to Dingle to Bunratty in our 9 nights. If you have a few extra days, then you should easily be able to get up to the Aran Islands, with a stop along the way at the Cliffs and Doolin. We keep finding more to see, so we keep going back. (We are doing a little bit of "been there, done that" on this trip. You will see why!) See you there!
Sep 25th, 2004, 07:42 PM
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Kinsale to Kenmare, w/ Mizen Head, is doable in one day.
We did the same route, only in reverse, in June though (light out til 11pm). Started out from Kenmare at 930am. Went to Beara Pn and Healy Pass (very cool) after some wrong turns to Gouganne Barra. Stopped in Bantry, and got down to Mizen Head around 3pm, stayed there for about an hour, and headed East, with a stop in Glandore, and made it to our BB in Kinsale around 7pm.
So, I would say even with a few "wrong turns", it was easily doable. Once you reach Bantry, it'll be about an hour to reach MH. Definitely stop at Mizen Head if you can.
I started creating our itinerary with our must sees, and then seeing what else was of interest in the area. After much great advice from here, we were able to set our itinerary nicely, although fast-paced for some.
You will probably want to plan on a full day at the Arans (Inis Mor perhaps - very neat). If you can catch the Cliffs of Moher in the evening right before and during sunset, it's awesome. Doolin is right there also, could spend the nite. You could then take a ferry from Loop Head area to avoid driving around and thru Limerick. Then you can spend a day or more on Dingle Pn, including Slea Head (very nice), but I don't know anything about Mt Brandon. You'd probably want to plan a full day at Killarney Natl Park also. Then you can make your drive to Mizen and over to Kinsale.
If you go up to Galway, it's about an hour drive from the Cliffs of Moher. You'll want to drive thru the Burren when you're there. Neat landscape.
That covers most of your listed items. You can add days to wherever you like, but I think it's pretty doable.
Depending on when you arrive (probably early morning?),
You could drive up to a BB base and catch Galway that first day. Go out to the Arans the second day, and catch the Cliffs one of those evenings. On the third day, head down to Dingle Pn, and spend the remainder of that day. The fourth day, more exploring Dingle on your way to Killarney. Spend the fifth day in Killarny Park, and on the sixth, head down to Mizen Head and over to Kinsale. Seventh and eight day spent however, or add days to a prior location. I can't recommend anything to omit, because all those places are fascinating. If it's too tight, you might consider not going as far out as Kinsale unless you really want to, or maybe skip Galway. Tough decision, but I think you'll manage.
Have a great time!
We did the same route, only in reverse, in June though (light out til 11pm). Started out from Kenmare at 930am. Went to Beara Pn and Healy Pass (very cool) after some wrong turns to Gouganne Barra. Stopped in Bantry, and got down to Mizen Head around 3pm, stayed there for about an hour, and headed East, with a stop in Glandore, and made it to our BB in Kinsale around 7pm.
So, I would say even with a few "wrong turns", it was easily doable. Once you reach Bantry, it'll be about an hour to reach MH. Definitely stop at Mizen Head if you can.
I started creating our itinerary with our must sees, and then seeing what else was of interest in the area. After much great advice from here, we were able to set our itinerary nicely, although fast-paced for some.
You will probably want to plan on a full day at the Arans (Inis Mor perhaps - very neat). If you can catch the Cliffs of Moher in the evening right before and during sunset, it's awesome. Doolin is right there also, could spend the nite. You could then take a ferry from Loop Head area to avoid driving around and thru Limerick. Then you can spend a day or more on Dingle Pn, including Slea Head (very nice), but I don't know anything about Mt Brandon. You'd probably want to plan a full day at Killarney Natl Park also. Then you can make your drive to Mizen and over to Kinsale.
If you go up to Galway, it's about an hour drive from the Cliffs of Moher. You'll want to drive thru the Burren when you're there. Neat landscape.
That covers most of your listed items. You can add days to wherever you like, but I think it's pretty doable.
Depending on when you arrive (probably early morning?),
You could drive up to a BB base and catch Galway that first day. Go out to the Arans the second day, and catch the Cliffs one of those evenings. On the third day, head down to Dingle Pn, and spend the remainder of that day. The fourth day, more exploring Dingle on your way to Killarney. Spend the fifth day in Killarny Park, and on the sixth, head down to Mizen Head and over to Kinsale. Seventh and eight day spent however, or add days to a prior location. I can't recommend anything to omit, because all those places are fascinating. If it's too tight, you might consider not going as far out as Kinsale unless you really want to, or maybe skip Galway. Tough decision, but I think you'll manage.
Have a great time!
Sep 27th, 2004, 07:22 AM
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Kew, you have the same aspirations as all of us when we first started to visit Ireland. My advice for first time. Pick a smaller region, spend a couple of nights in designated towns and try to spend less time in the car. You can easily make this trip, but it will be tiring. Personally, I would cut out Kinsale this trip and begin from Kenmare upward. Leave SW Cork for another trip because there is so much to see. You could stay in Kenmare two nights touring Beara and ROK. Then, you could go over to Dingle for two days which is definitely worth your time. Finally, travel up to Doolin and onto Galway. The Aran Islands are a must see but you may find more to do on the mainland this trip. The Burren, alone, will take you breath away. Kinsale to Kenmare - plan for the whole day - Dingle to Doolin - 5hrs via Tarbert ferry and Doolin to Galway with stops 1.5hrs. I hope that you have good weather as this is a good time of year with less of us. Enjoy
PS I have completed this same trip with a visit to County Cavan thrown in, so it is doable. Remember, you don't want to spend too much time in the car!!!
PS I have completed this same trip with a visit to County Cavan thrown in, so it is doable. Remember, you don't want to spend too much time in the car!!!
Nov 11th, 2004, 08:09 PM
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Thank you for your advice everyone! We had a wonderful trip. Here is a report in case you're interested...
Our final itinerary:
1: fly into in Dublin, day in Dublin
2: Dublin- Kinsale via the Rock of Cashel and the Cahir Castle
3: Kinsale- Kenmare via Mizen Head and the Healy Pass
4. Kenmare- Dingle town, with a stop at the Killarney National Park
5. Drive around the Dingle Peninsula, spend another night in Dingle town
6. Dingle town- Castlegregory via the Connor Pass
7. Castlegregory- Doolin via the Cliffs of Moher
8. Doolin- Ballyvaughan, explore the Burren
9. Ballyvaughan- Bunratty, explore the Burren further
10. fly out of Shannon
Since we were there in the first half of October we had decent daylight-- it didn't get dark until 7 pm or so. The weather was much colder than we expected. It rained a lot, but amazingly, with the exception of an aborted hike in Killareney National park, the rain didn't manage to interfere with our plans.
Some observations/lessons learned:
- Although I started looking for accommodations in Dublin four weeks before our trip, I should have done that earlier. Since we only had one day there we wanted a central location but everything under Euro 140 per night was booked. We were there on Saturday, the first weekend of October, but there was no big game or bank holiday to account for the demand so booking early seems key in any season. (We ended up staying at the Abbey Court hostel; a double w/bathroom was Euro 88. It was centrally located and clean but certainly very basic and nothing special)
- I'm glad we saw Dublin even though flying into Shannon would have been more convenient. Dublin is not a breathtaking, exciting city but it?s worth seeing, even just to see how it does compares to other European capitals. The Book and Kells and the Long Room in the Trinity College Library were the definite highlights, as was the Charles Beatty museum in the Dublin Castle. The Old Jameson Distillery gives a thoroughly enjoyable tour.
- If you don't have enough time for both the Rock of Cashel and the Cahir Castle, skip the Castle but do try to give yourself enough time for both
- The drive from Kinsale to Kenmare was definitely doable in one day. We left Kinsale ~ 9:30 am, made a small detour to visit Charles Fort and then stopped at the Dromberg Stone Circle. Both the Charles Fort and Dromberg circle were worth the stop unless you've seen dozens of ring forts (Charles Fort) or do not tend to be awed by two thousand year-old structures (Dromberg). Mizen Head was amazing and not very crowded-- we spent about 2-2.5 hours there. Given that we left Mizen Head before 3 pm, we decided to take the Healy Pass to Kenmare. This was probably the highlight of the day (sorry, Mizen Head). Breathtaking scenery and lots of sheep. We were in Kenmare by 6pm.
- Two full days was enough for the Dingle Peninsula, but we could have definitely spent more time there. Other than the major sites, we really enjoyed the Blasket Island Heritage center and would have taken the ferry to the Islands if we had one more day.
- Planning to see the Burren and Aran Islands over two days was too ambitious, especially since it was off season and we'd have to drive 2.5 hours from Doolin to Rossaveal to catch the ferry to the Arans. But I'm happy that we didn't have the option of going directly from Doolin because we had a wonderful time exploring the Burren. In fact, we both wished we had another day. The Burren has much to offer--- stunning views, endless ancient ruins/historical sites, great hiking opportunities, lots of little towns to explore-- but you do need time to take advantage of it all. Although we didn't decide to stay in Ballyvaughan until we arrived there at 5 pm, it turned out to be one of our best nights in Ireland and the town felt a lot less touristy than Doolin.
- Our itinerary did involve a lot of driving, which of course left less time to do other things, but driving through amazing scenery was quite a treat in itself (both for the driver and passenger). We found that for the first few days we didn't mind the driving at all due to the never-ending vistas, but as time passed we wanted to spend less time in the car (thus no Aran Islands).
- Our favorite B&Bs: O'Donovan's in Kinsale, the Emlagh Lodge in Dingle, the Shores in Castlegregory and the Atlantic View House in Doolin. We also liked our B&B in Ballyvaughan (I don?t remember the name but it was right by Monk?s Bar) and the Ashgrove House in Bunratty. Don't stay at the Rose Cottage in Kenmare-- the owners are very nice but unfortunately the place seems to be on the decline.
- Our favorite place to see Irish music: O?Flaherty?s in Dingle
Overall, a great trip. We'll be back to see Galway, the Arans, and the north. Maybe the exchange rate will improve by then...
Our final itinerary:
1: fly into in Dublin, day in Dublin
2: Dublin- Kinsale via the Rock of Cashel and the Cahir Castle
3: Kinsale- Kenmare via Mizen Head and the Healy Pass
4. Kenmare- Dingle town, with a stop at the Killarney National Park
5. Drive around the Dingle Peninsula, spend another night in Dingle town
6. Dingle town- Castlegregory via the Connor Pass
7. Castlegregory- Doolin via the Cliffs of Moher
8. Doolin- Ballyvaughan, explore the Burren
9. Ballyvaughan- Bunratty, explore the Burren further
10. fly out of Shannon
Since we were there in the first half of October we had decent daylight-- it didn't get dark until 7 pm or so. The weather was much colder than we expected. It rained a lot, but amazingly, with the exception of an aborted hike in Killareney National park, the rain didn't manage to interfere with our plans.
Some observations/lessons learned:
- Although I started looking for accommodations in Dublin four weeks before our trip, I should have done that earlier. Since we only had one day there we wanted a central location but everything under Euro 140 per night was booked. We were there on Saturday, the first weekend of October, but there was no big game or bank holiday to account for the demand so booking early seems key in any season. (We ended up staying at the Abbey Court hostel; a double w/bathroom was Euro 88. It was centrally located and clean but certainly very basic and nothing special)
- I'm glad we saw Dublin even though flying into Shannon would have been more convenient. Dublin is not a breathtaking, exciting city but it?s worth seeing, even just to see how it does compares to other European capitals. The Book and Kells and the Long Room in the Trinity College Library were the definite highlights, as was the Charles Beatty museum in the Dublin Castle. The Old Jameson Distillery gives a thoroughly enjoyable tour.
- If you don't have enough time for both the Rock of Cashel and the Cahir Castle, skip the Castle but do try to give yourself enough time for both
- The drive from Kinsale to Kenmare was definitely doable in one day. We left Kinsale ~ 9:30 am, made a small detour to visit Charles Fort and then stopped at the Dromberg Stone Circle. Both the Charles Fort and Dromberg circle were worth the stop unless you've seen dozens of ring forts (Charles Fort) or do not tend to be awed by two thousand year-old structures (Dromberg). Mizen Head was amazing and not very crowded-- we spent about 2-2.5 hours there. Given that we left Mizen Head before 3 pm, we decided to take the Healy Pass to Kenmare. This was probably the highlight of the day (sorry, Mizen Head). Breathtaking scenery and lots of sheep. We were in Kenmare by 6pm.
- Two full days was enough for the Dingle Peninsula, but we could have definitely spent more time there. Other than the major sites, we really enjoyed the Blasket Island Heritage center and would have taken the ferry to the Islands if we had one more day.
- Planning to see the Burren and Aran Islands over two days was too ambitious, especially since it was off season and we'd have to drive 2.5 hours from Doolin to Rossaveal to catch the ferry to the Arans. But I'm happy that we didn't have the option of going directly from Doolin because we had a wonderful time exploring the Burren. In fact, we both wished we had another day. The Burren has much to offer--- stunning views, endless ancient ruins/historical sites, great hiking opportunities, lots of little towns to explore-- but you do need time to take advantage of it all. Although we didn't decide to stay in Ballyvaughan until we arrived there at 5 pm, it turned out to be one of our best nights in Ireland and the town felt a lot less touristy than Doolin.
- Our itinerary did involve a lot of driving, which of course left less time to do other things, but driving through amazing scenery was quite a treat in itself (both for the driver and passenger). We found that for the first few days we didn't mind the driving at all due to the never-ending vistas, but as time passed we wanted to spend less time in the car (thus no Aran Islands).
- Our favorite B&Bs: O'Donovan's in Kinsale, the Emlagh Lodge in Dingle, the Shores in Castlegregory and the Atlantic View House in Doolin. We also liked our B&B in Ballyvaughan (I don?t remember the name but it was right by Monk?s Bar) and the Ashgrove House in Bunratty. Don't stay at the Rose Cottage in Kenmare-- the owners are very nice but unfortunately the place seems to be on the decline.
- Our favorite place to see Irish music: O?Flaherty?s in Dingle
Overall, a great trip. We'll be back to see Galway, the Arans, and the north. Maybe the exchange rate will improve by then...
Dec 2nd, 2004, 09:47 AM
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Hi Kew
Try www.aaireland.ie which has a relatively good route planner and timer - BUT be aware that any trip through Dublin city and environs is subject to the laws of Chaos theory - totally dependent on un specified, unfathomable factors....
Try www.aaireland.ie which has a relatively good route planner and timer - BUT be aware that any trip through Dublin city and environs is subject to the laws of Chaos theory - totally dependent on un specified, unfathomable factors....
Dec 2nd, 2004, 03:54 PM
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Kew, nice to read your report! Over the years, we have been to many of the places you visited, and it seems that we learn a lot about traveling in Ireland each time we go.
I'm glad to hear you liked Ashgrove House, because we feel Frank and Sheila are among the warmest hosts we have encountered in Ireland.
I'm glad to hear you liked Ashgrove House, because we feel Frank and Sheila are among the warmest hosts we have encountered in Ireland.
