Ireland Itinerary- biting off more than we can chew?
 

My husband and I are planning an 11 day trip to Ireland in Mid-May. So far- this is the itinerary we've come up with. We don't mind moving from place to place every day, but just wondering if we're trying to go too many places!
Day 1- arrive in Dublin, 8 am. sightseeing until we get too tired, stay overnight.
Day 2- drive to Ballycastle, stopping at Tollymore Forest, Glenoe and Cranny Falls and Dark Hedges along the way. Overnight at Marine Hotel, Ballycastle.
Day 3- Visit Giant's Causeway, Dunseverick Falls, Dunluce Castle and the Bushmills Distillery. Overnight at Ballycastle again.
Day 4- Drive from Ballycastle to Sligo. Visit Sligo Abbey, Glencar waterfall and Marble Arch caves. Overnight in Sligo.
Day 5- Drive from Sligo to Galway. Visit Quiet Man cottage in Cong. Overnight in Galway.
Day 6.Visit the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. Overnight in Killarney.
Day 7. Drive the Ring of Kerry, overnight in Kenmare.
Day 8- drive along the coast, overnight in Kinsale
Day 9- Drive up through Cork, stopping at Rock of Cashel and Dunmore Cave,overnight in Kilkenny
Day 10- Visit Rock of Dunamse and the Tullamore Dew distillery before landing back in Dublin.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Yes, not so much a question as a statement of fact. I don't think there is any way you can achieve all of that. You will need to prioritise what you see en route from place to place and be prepared to skip things. Day 8 in particular looks impossible unless you leave super early and never get out of the car. It genuinely looks exhausting and I love driving holidays.

If you do stop in Kinsale, may I recommend Fishy, Fishy. Great food!

Sounds EXTREMELY exhausting. I was there in 2014 (within a similar time span) and had an extremely ambitious itinerary that was completely shredded right before my eyes. Have you driven in the UK before? Distances can take much longer to get to compared to the US and the learning curve slows things down until you really get the hang of it. GPS and cellular reception can be spotty. Even if you're a fast paced traveler like I am Ireland isn't the kind of place that's best enjoyed by zipping from one place to the next. It's like chugging hot coffee! Take it a little bit slower one sip at a time! :-) My suggestion is to cut at least 50%- 60% of your destinations or rent a helicopter

You have nearly three weeks worth there. Cut back/slow down.

And in your re-thinking this, realize you will average around 35 mpg, maybe less

Thanks so much for the input. Now the question is- what (or maybe where) to cut.

There's so much in the north we want to see- would we be better off just focusing on that and cut out the southern part altogether?

Try this 10 day plan https://drive.google.com/open?id=13p...L0&usp=sharing

I would do the north and Dublin. Add Belfast also.

Yes - either concentrate on 'northern half' or the southern. Not exactly half but you know what I mean. If more of the sites you want to visit are in the north 'half' of your itinerary, then go that way.

Thanks, Tony. Will look into this itinerary in detail. Appreciate the help.

One more question- we're going in mid-May. Would we be smart to book all our lodging in advance, or is it possible for us to have a few nights we could book on the fly depending on how far we get in a day?

Depends on how particular you are (I'm very fussy) and how much of your limited vacation time you want to spend hunting for lodging.

Good point, abram. Clean and comfortable are usually our only criteria, but taking a lot of time to find which place have availability might be another matter. Thanks.

At that time if year I'd pre book any city accommodations but otherwise just do some 'pre-scouting' on line and look for places seem what you want. The you can ring them up a day or so ahead as you are touring around. That way you can change plans if you want to stay somewhere longer, or the weather turns foul and you want to go elsewhere.

In August I would book every single place months ahead, in mid May that is not necessary.

Tony- thinking of visiting both Tollymore Forest Park and Glenariff as well. Worth doing?

Ennis has the Fledh in May so if thinking of there then Book ahead, Now..

Everything is optional.. when I plan its Bases first then what to see between bases then maybe reconsider the bases to best fit what fits between but its A to B in comfort that counts.

Okay- revamping the itinerary- here's what I have so far

Day 2- Dublin to Tollymore Forest Park, Glenoe and Cranny Waterfalls, overnight in Cushendall.
Day 3- Caves of Cushendun, Glenariff Forest PArk, Dark Hedges and Bonmargy Friary, overnight in Ballycastle.
Day 4- Kinbane Castle, Carrick-a-Rede, Dunseverick Falls, Giants Causeway. POssibly Bushmills distillery, overnight in Bushmills.
Day 5- Dunluce Castle, Mussenden Temple, Slieve League. Overnight in Donegal.

How does it look so far?

My fiancée and I did an 8 night road trip in March where we stayed in a different place every night, except we spent two nights in a row in Killarney.
So if you know that you are ok staying in a different place every night then I think I'll be fine.
We had a blast and loved seeing so many different places. Our longest drive was the last day I believe from Kilkenny back to Dublin, but we made a detour in Glendaloguh (which I really recommend this city. It had such a cool feel about it).

We usually ever left the room till 9 AM to ensure we were rested and ready for the day.
Honesty, you know your pace. Just don't try to over book on activities and tours and you should be ok.