Final Ireland Itinerary. Is it too much????
Jul 11th, 2005, 02:39 PM
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Final Ireland Itinerary. Is it too much????
Here is my whirlwind trip. Please please let me know if I have overdone it.
DAy one: fly into Shannon at 7:40am. pick up rental car and drive to Cashel. Visit Rock of Cashel and make way to Cahir to see the Cahir Castle. Sleep in Cahir.
DAy two: drive to Blarney. My friend MUST KISS THE STONE. I tried talking her out of it but she insists. Drive to the Middleton Distillary for the tour and spend the late afternoon/evening driving to Killarney. Sleep in Killarney.
Day Three: Drive to Dingle and drive the Dingle Peninsula. From there drive thru Tralee to get to the ferry to bypass having to drive around the Shannon River to get to Clifden. Sleep in Clifden.
DAy Four: Visit Cliffs of Moher at sunrise. Drive thru the Burrens on the way to Galway. Spend the afternoon in Galway then drive to (I forgot the name of the city but it is by Kylemore Abbey). Sleep there.
Day Five: Drive the Connemara (starting from Kylemore Abbey north to Westport then southeast to Ashford Castle. Then we head north and spend the night in Knock.
Day six: Visit the knock shrine then go to the Famine Museum in Strokestown. Then we head to Dromoland Castle to sleep.
Day seven: homeward bound.
Ok - I know it is a lot but is it doable? I want to see as much as possible and have already cut out so much that I wanted to see. I really need a month instead of just six days, but is this itinerary workable or am I deluding myself?????
DAy one: fly into Shannon at 7:40am. pick up rental car and drive to Cashel. Visit Rock of Cashel and make way to Cahir to see the Cahir Castle. Sleep in Cahir.
DAy two: drive to Blarney. My friend MUST KISS THE STONE. I tried talking her out of it but she insists. Drive to the Middleton Distillary for the tour and spend the late afternoon/evening driving to Killarney. Sleep in Killarney.
Day Three: Drive to Dingle and drive the Dingle Peninsula. From there drive thru Tralee to get to the ferry to bypass having to drive around the Shannon River to get to Clifden. Sleep in Clifden.
DAy Four: Visit Cliffs of Moher at sunrise. Drive thru the Burrens on the way to Galway. Spend the afternoon in Galway then drive to (I forgot the name of the city but it is by Kylemore Abbey). Sleep there.
Day Five: Drive the Connemara (starting from Kylemore Abbey north to Westport then southeast to Ashford Castle. Then we head north and spend the night in Knock.
Day six: Visit the knock shrine then go to the Famine Museum in Strokestown. Then we head to Dromoland Castle to sleep.
Day seven: homeward bound.
Ok - I know it is a lot but is it doable? I want to see as much as possible and have already cut out so much that I wanted to see. I really need a month instead of just six days, but is this itinerary workable or am I deluding myself?????
Jul 11th, 2005, 03:50 PM
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it sounds like WAY too much to cover. Also on day 3 I see you drive from Dingle to Clifden then back to the cliffs of Moher the next day. Two points are bad about this....A:it will be nearly impossible to drive from Dingle to Clifden that fast. B: You are coming back to the Cliffs the next day after you drove right past them...then you go back to Connemara to visit Kylemore Abbey.It would seem to make more sense to Drive from Dingle...on day 3 to say...Doolin or Ballvaughn maybe. Then see the Cliffs of Moher. Then drive to Galway from Doolin or wherever to Clifden.Then see Kylemore Abbey etc. The drive from Clifden to Doolin alone took us the better part of a day! Leave yourself plenty of time to explore...get lost...and visit with the locals. Personally I would recommend skipping alot of what you have as I would usually say...one day travel...one day explore...then travel....then another day explore. You dont make it very far but you get to meet so many more people if you arent in such a rush. Anyway...my two cents. I am sure you will have fun no matter but just be prepared not to see everything in one trip!
Jul 11th, 2005, 06:45 PM
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syclark: I'm not going to say this itinerary is too much because I suspect you already know it is.
But just a bit of a reality check; On day 1 you are arriving at 7:30 a.m. after a probably sleepless overnight flight. Driving very far exhausted and jet lagged isn't just tiring -- it is downright dangerous.
Also - plan on averaging 35 to 40 mph over the entire 7 days. Once in a while you might get up to 45 mph - but there are also lots of stretches where you will be lucky to make 30 mph.
But just a bit of a reality check; On day 1 you are arriving at 7:30 a.m. after a probably sleepless overnight flight. Driving very far exhausted and jet lagged isn't just tiring -- it is downright dangerous.
Also - plan on averaging 35 to 40 mph over the entire 7 days. Once in a while you might get up to 45 mph - but there are also lots of stretches where you will be lucky to make 30 mph.
Jul 11th, 2005, 11:37 PM
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1. The locals have to be extremely athletic to be a able to pee on the stone...
2. As already mentioned before, Your plan makes no sense at all:
Driving on the day of arrival on the wrong or right side of the road and running from one place to the other - is unreasonable. Ireland is a place to enjoy driving leisurely, stopping at pubs, enjoying Irish music, exploring Irish towns and villages. Some of the roads are narrow. This is not the U.S.
I Understand that youe friend must kiss the stone in Blarney. But is it worth driving down south just for that that?
The third day does not make sense at all. Driving to Dingle and not even staying there? And then from there to CLIFDEN? And then on the fourth day you plan to drive back to Moher? And what about staying overnight in Doolin and enjoying a full afternoon and/or evening at the Gus O'Connor Pub? This is the Mecca of Irish music.
The drive fronm the cliffs to Gallway is crazy. You won't be able to see or enjoy anything.
I really feel that you have to rethink your plans. It will be a pitty to fly that far and just run from one place to another.
In any case, have a great trip!
2. As already mentioned before, Your plan makes no sense at all:
Driving on the day of arrival on the wrong or right side of the road and running from one place to the other - is unreasonable. Ireland is a place to enjoy driving leisurely, stopping at pubs, enjoying Irish music, exploring Irish towns and villages. Some of the roads are narrow. This is not the U.S.
I Understand that youe friend must kiss the stone in Blarney. But is it worth driving down south just for that that?
The third day does not make sense at all. Driving to Dingle and not even staying there? And then from there to CLIFDEN? And then on the fourth day you plan to drive back to Moher? And what about staying overnight in Doolin and enjoying a full afternoon and/or evening at the Gus O'Connor Pub? This is the Mecca of Irish music.
The drive fronm the cliffs to Gallway is crazy. You won't be able to see or enjoy anything.
I really feel that you have to rethink your plans. It will be a pitty to fly that far and just run from one place to another.
In any case, have a great trip!
Jul 12th, 2005, 05:08 AM
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We just got back and spent two nights at each stop. I wished we had spent more at a few stops. One night is definitely not enough. What is the point of trying to see everything if you don't enjoy the trip?
If you have to go to Blarney (we skipped it) and you only have 6 nights, plan your trip around that and skip the more northerly destinations.
I see you plan to sleep in Killarney but not see any of the surrounding sights. The town of Killarney is not why people go there, it's the beauty that surrounds it in Killarney National Park.
If you have to go to Blarney (we skipped it) and you only have 6 nights, plan your trip around that and skip the more northerly destinations.
I see you plan to sleep in Killarney but not see any of the surrounding sights. The town of Killarney is not why people go there, it's the beauty that surrounds it in Killarney National Park.
Jul 12th, 2005, 09:12 AM
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syclark,
To answer your question: YES, you have overdone it.
I absolutely concur with the points ther other posters have made about: (1) spending only one night in the Killarney region (you are rushing through what many think is the best of Ireland); (2) Drive the Dingle peninsula AND then drive all the way to Clifden, in ONE day--madness, I tell you, madness; (3) Going from Clifden, through Galway, to the Cliffs of Moher--to arrive by sunrise???, then back to Galway, then back to Connemara (Westport) the next day--there must be word for this; uber-backtracking?
I don't mean to sound harsh, but anything I can do to prevent you from having a sub-par time in Ireland is worth it.
I have one suggestion: LINGER! Honestly, if I were you, and I had to start with kissing the stone, I would then make a beeline for the Killarney National Park are (actually, I'd base myself in nearby Kenmare) and make day trips out to all the wonderful nearby areas (at least part of the ROK, Beara). Stay the whole time in Kenmare, or perhaps split your time between Kenmare and Dingle, then catch the Burren and the cliffs on your way out on the last day before your flight.
To answer your question: YES, you have overdone it.
I absolutely concur with the points ther other posters have made about: (1) spending only one night in the Killarney region (you are rushing through what many think is the best of Ireland); (2) Drive the Dingle peninsula AND then drive all the way to Clifden, in ONE day--madness, I tell you, madness; (3) Going from Clifden, through Galway, to the Cliffs of Moher--to arrive by sunrise???, then back to Galway, then back to Connemara (Westport) the next day--there must be word for this; uber-backtracking?
I don't mean to sound harsh, but anything I can do to prevent you from having a sub-par time in Ireland is worth it.
I have one suggestion: LINGER! Honestly, if I were you, and I had to start with kissing the stone, I would then make a beeline for the Killarney National Park are (actually, I'd base myself in nearby Kenmare) and make day trips out to all the wonderful nearby areas (at least part of the ROK, Beara). Stay the whole time in Kenmare, or perhaps split your time between Kenmare and Dingle, then catch the Burren and the cliffs on your way out on the last day before your flight.
Jul 12th, 2005, 01:05 PM
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my 2cents... I recently took my first trip to Ireland,had 6days and wanted to see as much as possible. My itinerary changed many times since I first started planning and I had to cut out a lot of what we wanted to see.. but I didnt cut out enough. It took me a while to understand my disappointment with my trip.. (specially after people just rave about Ireland, I was feeling I had missed something)and it was that we did not stay and linger in any one place. Different B&B each night, driving 830 miles (not really that bad, I actually enjoyed it, but we did constantly feel that we had to be somewhere, and therefore didn't take the time to see where we were). I would strongly recommend staying in one place longer than one night. I like Panhandle's idea - travel one day, explore the next, then travel again. much more relaxing. I hope to have the opportunity to do it again some day- the right way.
Jul 12th, 2005, 05:21 PM
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I just got back and stayed in Galway 2 nights, Dingle 2 nights, Kenmare (2), then Kinsale(2).Flew in and out of Shannon. I was happy w/ the itinerary and I do not recommend moving and driving every day and night.Traveling through the countryside w/ hairpin winding turns and sideswiping bushes on narrow streets is exhausting (althought the scenery is beautiful)Hanging in the pubs drinking stout and listening to music is part of the culture and lots of fun. My vote is for a base of at least 2 days w/plans.
