ilovelabs2003

Well, we were all set to fly with Flybe out of Birmingham to Shannon for the Ireland leg of the trip. I was going to book today, and the only flight they have is at 6:00 at night (the times have changed). I don't mind taking a mid-morning flight to Shannon, but we have to get their by noon or so b/c we plan to see the Cliffs and drive to Dingle on the 3rd, where we will be staying for 2 nights. So, we are in a pickle again as to how to get to Shannon from England.

We will be in the Cotswolds for three nights (June 30th, July 1st & 2nd) following 5 nights in London. The London hotel is already booked through Priceline, but we have not made accomodations in the Cotswolds yet. I know that Ryanair flies from Stansted (sp?) to Shannon, but I was told by a poster that Stansted is quite hard to get to from the Cotswolds.

What can we do? I checked some other airlines and none are as cheap as Flybe or Ryanair. I do not want to spend a lot on this flight, but perhaps I may have to suck it up and fly with a higher cost airline out of Heathrow, which another poster said is somewhat convenient to the Cotswolds.

Any advice? TIA!

flanneruk

IN order of convenience from, say, Broadway, airports go:

1. Birmingham (1 hr drive under reasonably OK circumstances)
2. Heathrow (1.25)
3. I'd then say Gatwick (2 hr, but a LOT longer if there's trouble on the M25), which is a bit easier than:
4. Luton (2 hr), followed by
5. Stansted (2.5),Both LTN and STN are subject to M25 problems, and if you're driving during rushhours, you might find it easier to head for
6. Bristol (2 hours and messy, but my experience of Bristol area rush hour travel is that it's horrible, though I've no experience of getting to the airport during rush hours)

Flight availability for all these is at www.nonrev.net (follow for timetables).

Easyjet is currently advertising good prices from Gatwick to Shannon from early in the new year.

But you might want to rethink what you're doing. To get to SNN by 1200, you need a flight leaving the London area by no later than 1030. That means you have to have checked the car in by 0900, which means you're having to go round the M25 at the worst possible time.

Personally, I'd happily drive to Heathrow at that time, but not to Luton, Gatwick or Stansted. I'd get a train, changing at Reading, to Gatwick, but there's no similar option for Luton or Stansted.. If I were a visitor here, I'd spend the night nearer the departure airport

janis

I'd definitely consider flanneruk's suggestion to stay that night near which ever airport you end up using.

You aren't going to be able to spend any time touring in the Cotswolds the last day anyway, since you want to get to Ireland early enough to see thew cliffs.

So I would spend the two full days in teh Cotswolds and then off towards that airport in the early evening after the worst of the rush hour has neded. It really doesn't matter what time you get to the airport hotel since you can guarantee your room. Then the next morning take the first flight that meets your needs.

You won't lose any useful "Cotswold time" and will gain almost a full day in Ireland.

ilovelabs2003

Thanks for the info. It does seem to make sense to stay nearer to an airport the night before. I will look into the best flights from the best airports and then make our accomodations accordingly.

welovedonegal

hi ilovelabs (i love english bull terriers ) on a more serious note: why don't you simply do the cotswolds as you want then take an easyjet flight from birmingham to belfast. the drive from belfast international airport to letterkenny in county donegal is only a couple of hours on fairly good roads. (you could easily drive the antrim coast all the way to donegal to see magnificent views while you travel). stay over that night and see a bit of donegal when you arrive and early the next day. drive on to galway (three plus hours) and do the cliffs, etc. then onto dingle the next day. no problem! for road routes go to www.aaroadwatch.ie/routes and it will give you exact distances, time to travel them, and road numbers to follow on any place from a to be in ireland. (excellent site).

i just checked easyjet prices for such a flight at the end of july and at the moment it is only 4.50 stg (about nine dollars) each way. amazing prices you'll agree. go to www.easyjet.com with easyjet it is cheaper the further in advance you book it. and another thing with easyjet - when they say the time you must check in they mean it. no leeway given - they keep the flights cheap because they have a quick turnaround on the tarmac. they don't give free drinks or coffee on the flight but it is only a short hop so it doesn't matter.

for any info you need on driving in ireland, safety, money saving tips etc. go to my site: www.welovedonegal.com

hope this makes your journey an easier mission! enjoy your hols