Help with Mid to Northern Ireland Tour
 

Hi All...have decided to visit Mid-to Nothern Ireland this year (along with a little trip to London).

We love western and southern Ireland -- but have never really been to mid-or upper Ireland -- so we are really thinking of doing a Dublin to Galway - then Connemara and Slingo and Mayo ...maybe even up to belfast --

What does Everyone Think???

Jeri

Ok...I should have said -- where in those places would you visit -- and do you think we could spend 8-9 full days in that area with plenty of stuff to do?

If you enjoy scenery and walking, you could easily spend 4 or 5 amazing days exploring Northern Ireland's Antrim Coast, visiting the Giant's Causeway; Dunluce Castle; the Glens; Bushmill's; and the Carrick-a-rede Bridge.

All the places you mentioned have much to offer--but if it were me, I'd go to Dublin and explore the Temple Bar area; Trinity College (with the Book of Kells exhibit); and Dublin Castle--with day trips to Glendalough, Newgrange, and Powerscourt--and then drive up to the Antrim Coast.

Otherwise, you'll be spending tremendous amounts of time driving ... but maybe you enjoy that :-)

NO...do NOT enjoy driving - that's why we were thinking - Dublin - train to Galway - tours that take us to Connemara, Sligo and maybe over to Lobster Pot Cottage then driving up to northern ireland --- love photography (over 3,000 pics on my last trip to Ireland) ....

Want Scenic beauty, water, palm trees, hiking, and the glorious green that is Ireland -- can't wait to go back to the Burren (to see the wildflowers in summer) and the cliffs - we went in Feb 09 and can't wait to go back in August of this year!

Agree with Songdoc, particularly if you DON'T like driving, but ...

From Galway, Make the Doo Lough Drive. Consider basing in Westport for a couple of days. The town itself has MUCH to offer, plus daytrips to Achil Island, Museum of Country Life in Turlough (plus Turlough Abbey).

From Westport to Donegal, Knock Shrine, Drumcliff (Yeat's Grave)Carrowmore ( http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Nor...ithicCemetery/ ), Donegal. Area around Glencolumcille for photos :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itallia...7600769833589/

Loved Derry / Londonderry and the area around Ballycastle. Dunluce Castle, Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-rede are MUSTS if you are a photo buff.

LOTS of driving, though :( ... Think I totalled 1800Km, that trip, Dub to Dub ... :)

Bob

And between Westport and Donegal, I highly recommend driving the Gleniff Horseshoe. Stop at the mill and wander around the trees along the river (okay, maybe it's a creek but I grew up in the Little House on the Prairie and we didn't have such).

Skip Belfast and continue straight on to Co. Antrim. I am an amateur photographer myself and took hundreds of pics of the Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, Dunluce castle, drive to Torr Head, and on and on. Glenariff is also a very scenic park with complete with waterfalls and wild flowers. Hopefully www.discoverireland.com/us/ireland-places-to-go/ will convince you!

kcapuani...

thanks! i really really want great shots.....will check that website!

Irishgal127A - The Burren wild flowers appear between the crevices in the rock in early spring. May is the main month from what we saw of the advertising boards around the countryside. We were there in the first three weeks of May 2009 and this is what we saw:
http://tinyurl.com/m2o5dv

"Skip Belfast and continue straight on to Co. Antrim. I am an amateur photographer myself and took hundreds of pics of the Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, Dunluce castle, drive to Torr Head, and on and on. Glenariff is also a very scenic park with complete with waterfalls and wild flowers."

I agree with all of the above, but ... if you're not a fearless driver -- skip the Torr Head road.

By the way, I recently recommended this itinerary to someone who hadn't even been considering the North. They said it was pure magic.

My photos of Dunluce Castle with the sun just right are spectacular--if I must say so myself ;-)

We did a day trip last April from Belfast along the Antrim Coast to Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-rede Bridge and Dunluce Castle. We also included a hike amongst the waterfalls in Glenariff Forest Park. I think I took the most photos this day than I did on any other day during our stay in Ireland.
We loved our short stay in Northern Ireland (including Belfast) so I'd highly recommned that you include it in your itinerary.

Here i was thinking the Giant's Causeway and the bridge were IN belfast - are they north of it -- that is one reason i wanted to go to belfast was to see those items -- any recommendations on where to stay and how far out of belfast it is???

Does anyone know if there are trains from belfast to galway - without going back thru dublin????
thanks!

Tod...beautiful pics! thanks for sharing!

We had SUCH a horrible time with driving last year (accident and all) -- my sister in law is just petrified of driving or having anyone else drive -- i'm just not sure we can do the trip we want and not have a car!

right now it's looking like - flight into shannon - stay around galway/westport / connemaro/mayo area for a week - then up to belfast area for two days (see the sights i want) then down to dublin --if we rented a car at shannon to get to whereever we stay -- Im thinking if we stayed near galway - lots and lots of bus tours to places we want to see....but no direct train to belfast from galway - have to go thru dublin - that's a waste of time! any suggestions?

Hi Irishgal,

There are no trains from Galway to Belfast, you would have to connect in Dublin...but it is quicker then doing the bus route!! You will appreciate having a car in the Galway/Mayo area. Sorry to hear you had a terrible experience last year.

Thanks....gablues -- i really want to try the car thing again -- so may just get the sister some xanax - and go for it - lolol -- I am thinking if we reverse the trip might be better - get it in shannon - return it (if possible) in belfast - then take the train to dublin - that way would have for about 10 of the 14 days -- researching and if any one has pictures to share - would love to see them -- I love taking photos ... as my last trip indicated - lolol

The Giant's Causeway, Dunluce castle and Carrick-a-rede bridge are in the vicinity of the towns of Bushmills and Ballycastle.

PIX from June, 2007:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itallian_chauffeur/

Link to Trip Report of same (REALLY looong!):

http://ireland.activeboard.com/forum...2825158&page=3

We spent 2 nights in Ballycastle, 1 in Greencastle and 2 nights, in Larghy. To do the Northern Ireland/donegal area JUSTICE, you would need to spend a MINIMUM of a week, I think.
Remember that, for a FUTURE trip! ;)

If the goal is JUST the high-lights that you specifically mentioned, consider this DAY-TRIP (by rail and bus)that runs out of Dublin: http://www.railtours.ie/dc10.asp

A report on the trip offered (from a RELIABLE source):

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...inbus-tour.cfm

Hope this helps ...

Bob

So Bob, we have the time we have 13 days -- i was thinking belfast because of giant causeway, etc....where would you suggest staying (not in town but nearer to attractions)

then we are going to the west to see connamara, aran islands, ailwee caves that we didn't get to last trip.

Jeri

How about:
Fly into Dublin and out of Shannon:
1 night Dublin
2 nights BallyCastle
1 nights Greencastle
1 night Gwedore or vicinity
2 nights Larghy
1 night Boyle or Knock
2 nights Westport
2 nights vicinity of Rossaveal -- I liked Carraroe
2 nights Ennis

OR, REVERSE the order and fly INTO Shannon and OUT of Dublin.
Yar, that's 14 nights ... You COULD drop either the Gweedore night of the stop in Boyle/Knock, to make it 13. If you MUST, Larghy to Westport is a MODERATELY LONG day, but it would be nicely 'Broken Up' by stops ....

Too MUCH to See and NEVER enough time to see it ALL!! ;)

Bob