PaddyCinn

My fiancee and I are planning to go to Ireland and Scotland for our honeymoon. We hope to spend most of a week in Galway, then most of the next week on the Isle of Skye. My question is about the timing. We get married here in the States on the second-to-last weekend in July. Will Galway and/or Skye be horribly crowded and not worth going at that point (late July, early August)? Or is it that so many people go there (I'm thinking esp. Galway) in the summer with good reason! i.e., if we waited 'til September, would the weather be that much crappier? I've been to Galway once, but it was late May/early June. I didn't think it was overly mobbed. My bride-to-be loves beaches, which is why I'm thinking we *should* go in July, when it must be (relatively) the hottest. But she also has concerns about going at the height of tourist season. Thoughts? (Also any thoughts at all on Skye are welcome, since neither of us have *ever* been there.)

irishface

There will be loads of people in Galway in July, but it is easy enough to get out of the city and explore the countryside of Connemara. Galway's beach is in Salthill, one of the suburbs and a ten minute trip by public bus.Take a trip to the Aran Islands and spend the night. It is wonderful after the daytrippers leave on the last boat.

As for weather, I have been to Galway only once when I was dying from the heat (in the 80's), have been mostly when it was comfortable 70's, and once when I was in a turtle neck, sweater and jacket. These were all July trips.

As for Skye, I have only been once. It was July and the rain was bucketing down so hard, one barely see to drive much less look at scenery or think of the beach.

However, I have seen pictures taken in gorgeous weather there so it on my list of want to go backs.

Have a great trip! whenever you go, there is lots to see and do.

Padraig

Galway is likely to be crowded in July, but not intolerably so. There are many better beaches than that at Salthill, at various points along the Connemara coast, and most of them don't get very crowded.

Even in July, I don't think Ireland is sunbathing country.

Mimar

There are beautiful beaches in Scotland but they're rarely warm enough to sunbathe on. Allow enough time there so the weather can change.

How do you plan to get from Galway to Skye?

Padraig

Mimar asked: "How do you plan to get from Galway to Skye?"

There's a song about it: "Speed, bonny boat ..."

jaja

Can't speak to Skye, but how about Westport instead of Galway? Or a week spent on Achill Island would be brilliant. Stay at The Bervie guesthouse and walk out of your room onto the beach.

Or a bit further north around Sligo there are beautiful beaches (Rossknowlagh comes to mind) and lots of wonderful scenery and antiquities.

PaddyCinn

Oh, right, when I said "beaches" I was thinking Salthill (where I stayed my one time in Galway), not Skye.

Did I mention we won't be driving? My thought is to do as little traveling as possible that first week, and pretty much hang on the beach at Salthill (do people do that? again, when I went it was May, so it didn't come up) and walk around Galway City. That's why I'm torn about staying on one of the Aran Islands vs. being day-trippers ourselves. I'm inclined not to stay over. Would we be missing out on a lot there?

I definitely want to do one or two day trips (in four or five days there). I was thinking one would be an Aran island (now that I think of it, any recommendations as to which of the three?) and the other would be the Cliffs of Moher (perhaps by boat, for a perspective opposite from my previous visit there).

Anyway, then the second week we'll be a little more adventurous, partly out of necessity, when we travel to and in Scotland. As to the question how we plan to get from Galway to the Isle of Skye -- let me run this by you and you can tell me if it sounds crazy:

* Bus from Galway to Carrick-on-Shannon, where we'll visit relatives for a couple days

* Train from Carrick to Dublin

* Plane from Dublin to Glasgow

(keep in mind I'm not yet sure how long these trips will take in total, so I don't know if we'll need to stay in Glasgow or what...)

* Train from Glasgow to Mallaig via Fort William (some confusion here -- Does the scenic steam train start in Glasgow or is there a switch in Fort William? And how long is the trip, total? The Scottish Rail site seems to say 10 hours, which seems crazy, as Google Maps says it only takes 3 hours to drive!)

* Ferry from Mallaig to Armadale on Skye

Then I'm trying to figure out what to do from there. We'll be taking buses, though. (We don't even like driving in our native U.S. So driving winding roads, on the opposite side of the road, in the opposite side of the car, on our honeymoon? Forget it.)

Itallian_Chauffer

http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/skye.htm

Bob

twk

PaddyCinn: Skye by public transport is impractical. It's also not particularly beach country. I understand the desire not to fool with a rental car, but there are some regions where if you don't want to drive, you're betting off just giving it a miss altogether, and I'd say that Skye is one of those places.

Skye isn't the worst place to drive on the "wrong" side of the road, by any stretch. Few, if any, confusing roundabouts, virtually no city traffic and confusing turns. The only challenging part is the single track roads that you will encounter (and only some of the time), and that is more a matter of education in the proper etiquette than anything.

Jackie

I was in Skye in July and it was cold. We wore sweatshirts and rain jackets. We did stop to walk on a few beaches and it was really cold (for July). I don't think its a good place for a beach type vacation.

PaddyCinn

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I meant week one at Galway we'd hit the beach (if the weather is nice). Week two on Skye we're *not* thinking beaches, but rather hope to go sight-seeing -- via tour buses from Portree (e.g. on day trips to single site such as Dunvegan Castle) as opposed to public buses. But that's all hypothetical. Does it make any sense in real life? I can't stress how much driving is to be avoided.

Mimar

I had some communication with a driver you could hire to take you places on Skye. We decided to drive ourselves, but, though I've tossed the details, such a thing is possible.

historytraveler

I'm fairly certain that there are no tour buses that do day trips to single sites. There is a company at Kyle of Lochalsh that does a very hurried tour of Skye. It is certainly possible to hire a driver to take you to various sites. If you do decide to rely on public transportation, Portree is ther best place to be.

GreenDragon

We were in Skye during the last week of June in 2008, and it was chilly (60s during the day), a little overcast, but still beautiful. We have also been there a couple days in August, and found it in the 70s, sunny. I would recommend, I suppose, MacBackpackers tours, because those were the only busses I saw on Skye It is still a place best explored at your own pace, though - we were there 4 nights, and could have seen lots more.

PaddyCinn

Thanks, everyone, for all this feedback. Hiring a driver -- is that wicked expensive? The websites I've seen don't seem to advertise rates. (I'm just imagining taking a taxi around Eastern Massachusetts -- nobody does that because it would cost an arm and a leg. But then again, we have the MBTA...)

GreenDragon

Not as expensive as a taxi. When I hired a private driver for the whole day in Salisbury, it cost us a total of £100. That included a personalized itinerary, and we had him from 10am through 10pm.

sheila

Paddy, you can find some drivers on this web site http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/skye.htm

The whole train journey from Glasgow to Mallaig is top, but the bit from Fort William to Mallaig is particularly fine, and runs the Jacobite steam train.

historytraveler

I can personally recommend both www.nicolsonhire.co.uk and www.lochalsh.net/taxi. You might also try www.scotland-info.co.uk/skye-tours.htm

One of the best things about hiring a local driver is that they provide excellent commentary, if you want and a bit of the local gossip.