Great Britain or Ireland?
Apr 28th, 2010, 01:25 PM
#1
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Great Britain or Ireland?
Staying in London with daughter for 2 1/2 weeks. Planning to rent a car and do a drive trip for 5-7 days...hotel/b&bs. First trip across the pond for both of us. Should we:
1. do one of the "30 Best Drives in Great Britain"? We've got the book if anyone wants to weigh in with opinions
or
2. get a cheap flight to Dublin and do a drive in Ireland? We'd need lots of itinerary suggestions
* we'd probably enjoy beautiful scenery...mountains, coastlline, quaint villages...rather than museums as we'll be just off a Med. cruise with lots of big city tours.
1. do one of the "30 Best Drives in Great Britain"? We've got the book if anyone wants to weigh in with opinions
or
2. get a cheap flight to Dublin and do a drive in Ireland? We'd need lots of itinerary suggestions
* we'd probably enjoy beautiful scenery...mountains, coastlline, quaint villages...rather than museums as we'll be just off a Med. cruise with lots of big city tours.
Apr 28th, 2010, 01:38 PM
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I would look through guidebooks, trip reports here, and pictures (I like to search on Flickr - use words like "dingle", "kerry", "glendalough", "cornwall", etc) to see what appeals to you more. I would pick Ireland, but not everyone would - it's really which you'd rather do.
If you do choose Ireland, keep in mind that you can't see the whole island in a week. (Same is true for Great Britain, of course.) Many people try to do that. There are MANY Ireland trip reports and itinerary threads on the forums if you search, so you can get an idea of which areas you'd like to focus on.
If you do choose Ireland, keep in mind that you can't see the whole island in a week. (Same is true for Great Britain, of course.) Many people try to do that. There are MANY Ireland trip reports and itinerary threads on the forums if you search, so you can get an idea of which areas you'd like to focus on.
Apr 28th, 2010, 01:48 PM
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It does depend on what you like to do/see. Sea Cliffs? Shopping? Ruined Cathedrals? Great Architecture? Neolithic sites? Stately homes and gardens? Choose some of your favorite things to see or do, and then we can help you better decide the best way to see them 
Apr 28th, 2010, 02:48 PM
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As I mentioned..."we'd probably enjoy beautiful scenery...mountains, coastline, quaint villages".
We don't expect to do the whole of either island...which is why I bought the Great Drives book for GB. Then daughter suggested a flight to Dublin and I was hoping to get some ideas of similar kinds of "great drives" in Ireland.
We don't expect to do the whole of either island...which is why I bought the Great Drives book for GB. Then daughter suggested a flight to Dublin and I was hoping to get some ideas of similar kinds of "great drives" in Ireland.
Apr 28th, 2010, 03:17 PM
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I think I can also not help you decide between Great Britain and Ireland.
I assume that either your daughter or you by yourself will go at least on some day trips during those more than 2 weeks in London. Again, there are more places worth seeing as a day trip destination than you could handle, but, for example, Oxford is a must-see IMO (and very easy to reach from London).
IF you decide to go to Ireland to see quaint villages etc. I would take almost ANY airport but Dublin. One advantage of having London as your hub will be that you get non-stop flights even to the small airports in Ireland which are much more suitable to explore the countryside:
Knock: for Mayo, Sligo, the NW (rugged, less tourists than elsewhere)
Shannon: for Clare, Tipp, and Galway/ Connemara (Galty Mntns
Kerry: well, Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Killarney (probably the most popular part of the island)
Cork: the SE
and one of the two NI airports for, well, Northern Ireland
You don't have to drop off your car where you picked it up (there will probably be a fee for renting in the Republic and returning in NI or vv), so you could do a half loop, e.g. in Cork/out Shannon or in Knock/out Kerry. The latter will probably give you a good mix of the (relative) remoteness of the NW and the favorite sights of the SW.
I assume that either your daughter or you by yourself will go at least on some day trips during those more than 2 weeks in London. Again, there are more places worth seeing as a day trip destination than you could handle, but, for example, Oxford is a must-see IMO (and very easy to reach from London).
IF you decide to go to Ireland to see quaint villages etc. I would take almost ANY airport but Dublin. One advantage of having London as your hub will be that you get non-stop flights even to the small airports in Ireland which are much more suitable to explore the countryside:
Knock: for Mayo, Sligo, the NW (rugged, less tourists than elsewhere)
Shannon: for Clare, Tipp, and Galway/ Connemara (Galty Mntns
Kerry: well, Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Killarney (probably the most popular part of the island)
Cork: the SE
and one of the two NI airports for, well, Northern Ireland
You don't have to drop off your car where you picked it up (there will probably be a fee for renting in the Republic and returning in NI or vv), so you could do a half loop, e.g. in Cork/out Shannon or in Knock/out Kerry. The latter will probably give you a good mix of the (relative) remoteness of the NW and the favorite sights of the SW.
Apr 28th, 2010, 04:58 PM
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Sorry, I missed that line (duh!) Of course you already told us
I would agree with Cowboy1968 that the west coust would be the best for such things that you like. The highlands and the islands of Scotland would suit fine, as well. Cornwall would do you fine in England, as would Wales. You have lots of choices
I would agree with Cowboy1968 that the west coust would be the best for such things that you like. The highlands and the islands of Scotland would suit fine, as well. Cornwall would do you fine in England, as would Wales. You have lots of choices
Apr 28th, 2010, 05:52 PM
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<i>beautiful scenery...mountains, coastlline, quaint villages...</i>
The thing is, you can find all of those in either country. Ireland is a little "wilder" than England (I haven't made it yet to the Highlands or to Wales), but that doesn't necessarily make it better for you. Flickr really is one of my favorite ways to figure out what I want to see.
Good to know you don't plan to see either island in a week. Believe it or not, it's a very common theme among a lot of itineraries here!
Absolutely agree with Cowboy - if you choose the west or southwest of Ireland, don't fly into Dublin. From London it's so much easier to fly to the west.
The thing is, you can find all of those in either country. Ireland is a little "wilder" than England (I haven't made it yet to the Highlands or to Wales), but that doesn't necessarily make it better for you. Flickr really is one of my favorite ways to figure out what I want to see.
Good to know you don't plan to see either island in a week. Believe it or not, it's a very common theme among a lot of itineraries here!
Absolutely agree with Cowboy - if you choose the west or southwest of Ireland, don't fly into Dublin. From London it's so much easier to fly to the west.
