Ireland Motorhome
 

We will be visiting Ireland in june/July 2014. We would like to rent a motorhome for about one week. We will appreciate any suggestions.

Couple of points. 1)A Motorhome can be a pain on narrow roads. I have a 6' 6" wide whale on wheels Renault Master, a home build in the making which has given some insight. 2)The cost of renting and insuring a Motorhome from the few companies offering the service is astronomical.

I don't aim to put you off but a reasonable car and B&B's each night might be a better option.

I agree with Tony. On my last trip to Ireland, I lost 3 of the hubcaps on my little car because the roads were so narrow that the roadside bushes scraped them off.

And driving on the other side of the road would stop me from renting one of those big rigs, a car is trouble enough.

I personally wouldn't -- main reasons being.

Too wide for some of the very narrow roads/villages

More expensive petrol/diesel

The already slow roads will be even slower

A small/compact car and B&Bs will likely be cheaper

Fifth agreement with all of the above!

Ditto. I can;t imagine driving a huge motorhome down those tiny little roads - and avoiding all those wandering sheep. Plus what kind of mileage will you get at $8 per gallon.

A car and B&Bs will be much less expensive and a lot less anxiety making.

>>I can;t imagine driving a huge motorhome down those tiny little roads<<

One thing - many Americans will visualize the massive motorhomes in the USA. That isn't what you'll find in the British Isles. But even considering the much smaller sized caravans/campervans you'd get there . . . still too large to comfortably maneuver over the small rural roads.

I get about 25mpg out of the Master 2.5 (non turbo) Diesel compared to just over 40 mpg from the 1400cc everyday car (Renault Megan).

http://www.campervansireland.com/motorhomerentals.php

Thank you for your advice. The other side of the road is not a probler for South Africans as we also drive on the left side of the road. BUT, I agree with you that the other side of the road is something to keep in mind. We will not consider a motorhome in Europe. We have decided not to rent a motorhome but a car for the 3 weeks we plan to be in Ireland. As we have been to Co Wexford, Cashel (on our way) and Co Kerry we have the following "outline" for our tour.
1. Co Cork
2. Co Galway
3. ? Should we stay longer in the two places I mentioned or should we add another destination. Northern Ireland is not an option for this trip as South Africans need a visa to enter the UK.
We plan to fly into Dublin.
Thank you.
(Also best company to rent a car. Small, but must have aircon.)

Clare is the natural option between Cork and Galway if you are skipping Kerry. There is a whole lot of options in the old "Shannon Region" starting in Limerick upto around Loughrea with Lough Derg as a key point in East Clare. Then of course the Burren Cliffs "Eco Park" (faf knows what is happening to Tourism Ireland?) South Clare has the Loop Head Peninsula which up to now as here in east Clare avoided the tourist throng which has transformed the Cliffs and Doolin area..

Car hire.. Bit of a mine field unless you are fully prepared..My recommendation is go Direct to the rental company rather than trying to save a bit via an agency which is the root cause of 95% of complaints on the forum. Dooley, Budget,possibly Easytourireland who link direct to Hertz without the pushy desk jockeys and are becoming a favoured company with US visitors.