Thanks to everyone's replies/suggestions, I've revised my itinerary.

Keep in mind that we LIKE casual drive-by scenic routes, NOT paying admission at places nor city life/shopping. As you will see, by my calculations, it still seems like I have one whole day EXTRA. March 9th arrive. Have to be in RASHARKIN by Sat. night 13th.

Any thoughts?

Tues. 9th

Leave Airport w/ rental car 11:30-12:00 noon
95 miles / 3 hrs. to
Belleek (pottery tour)
37 miles / 1 hr. to
Omagh (overnight ? friends)

Wed. 10th

Omagh ? leave 7:00 a.m.
121 miles / 5-1/2 hrs. to
Cliffs of Moher (& Burren area)
(1 hour sightsee/walk)
60 miles / 3+ hrs. to
Clifden (Sky Drive)
(1 hour -scenic drive ?walk/sightsee)
couple miles to
Kylemore Abbey (Pass of Kylemore)
(Can it be seen from road w/out admission fee for a photo? ? if not, skip it)

OR
Option ? if arrival at Clifden is DARK (see below)

Overnight (Brookside Holiday Hostel ?)

Thurs. 11th

Clifden / Kylemore Abbey (finish yesterday's)
couple miles to
Connemare National Park
(2 hours walk/sightsee)
96 miles / 4+ hrs. to
past Killybegs to Slieve League Cliffs
(1 hour sightsee/walk)

Strabane (overnight ? friends)

Fri. 12th

Strabane
55 miles / 2 hrs. to
past Portsalon to Fanad Head
(1 hour walk/sightsee)
57 miles / 2 hrs. to
Dunluce Castle (between Portrush and Bushmills ? before Giant?s Causeway)
(not open in March - just photograph)
couple miles to
Giant?s Causeway
(1 hour walk/sightsee)

Sat. ...?

I?ve already added about an hour to the estimated driving times between points suggested by viamichelin and AA route planners.

Am I way off ? or do we have time to do Dublin or Ring of Kerry BEFORE heading up the west coast ??

I realize a lot of you don't travel this way, but is it do-able? Or are my calculations way off?

Sylvia

Sorry - should have mentioned we fly into/out of BELFAST.

Sylvia

Also - not sure why my hyphens in first post turned into question marks once posted. Oh well.

I wouldn't travel that way and I think you'll need a vacation from your vacation when you get back, but here are my pointers. You might also go to www.irelandyes.com and ask Michele about this itinerary. She's been there about 40+ times, so she can give you an idea.

I just checked a few of the times. Dublin to Belleek is 123 miles and will take much more than 3 hours. I would guess 4-5. I can't remember if you are flying in from Canada that day, but if you are, that is a very long drive.

Generally, I can't figure out why you are traveling way north on day one, turning around and traveling way south on day two and then turning back araound and heading way north on day three. You milages are off by quite a bit from what I can tell. According to AA these are the distances:

Omagh to Doolin - 193 miles
Doolin to Clifden - 96 miles

This is almost 300 miles in one day which I would consider impossible.

Clifden to Teelin(Slieve League) - 183 miles
Teelin to Strabane - 62 miles

add to that thr loop around the Sky Drive.

By my calculations, you will drive 528 miles in two days and your accommodation on at the end of the drive will be twenty miles from where you started. Any money that you save by staying with friends will be lost by buying enough gas to cover 528 miles at about E.90 per liter, maybe higher in the UK due to bad exchange rate. The other problem is that again, I believe you are facing an undo-able task. If you want to visit these places (which I believe is too much) start by going south and then north. My estimation is that you will spend all day in the car on both of those days. To through in the Ring of Kerry or Dingle just won't work.

Now, there are those that will encourage you to go for it (some guy name TooFarGone) but I assume that you are here for advice and so I'm trying to give you my best IMHO. There is nothing about this itinerary that is "casual drive by". It seems very hectic and I doubt that you will find time to hike. Sunrise is around 7:00 when you are there and sunset is about 6:30. My guess is that you'll be doing some night driving.

In response to the question about needing to get into Kylemore, the best pictures are from outside the grounds. I can't remember if you have to pay to walk to the small chapel.

If you must see all of these places (and I wouldn't) start out by heading south first, then head north. You are probably adding at least 200 miles using the route you have chosen. 200 miles takes a long time to get through in Ireland.

If you stick to your plan, please tell us about your results. I would love to be wrong and know that you had a great time, but I can't imagine how you can do that unless you enjoy time in the car.

Bill

Sorry - it wasn't clear that I'm flying into/out of BELFAST, not Dublin. (see 2nd post)

That's odd. When I use AA (just did it again to check), I get:

Omagh to Doolin - 120 miles
Doolin to Clifden - 59.3 miles
Clifden to Teelin - 108.4 miles

??

I think you will need to take one of the hard hats that has water bottles on each side filled with liquids for nourishment. Don't you fiqure any time to stop for a pint and good Irish food?
A recent issue of Saveur Magazine just listed the top 100 things to do or eat and #47 is a full Irish Breakfast.

I think you've planned a trip that may have you marching through Ireland with military precision. You may find that it's not a country that's best approached that way. I hope you'll be open to things, people, and places that may throw your schedule way, way off.

Syv:

Sorry about missing the Belfast part. My brain clearly hit a snag.

On the mileage, this is very confusing. The first time I went to the site I used http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/routes/
and they listed the mileage at 193. Then i went to theaa.com and they listed 120 miles and when I clicked convert to kilometers it told me it was 193 miles, not kilometers. So I went to viamichelin and they listed the mileage as 193. Then I went to irelandtravel.ie and they listed the distance as 170 miles. That was the same as what michelin listed for the shortest distance, but not the quickest route. Ah, but lets ad to the confusion. For the shorter distance but longer drive time, michelin lists (essentially the same route as irelandtravel) the drive time to be 7 hr 2 mins while ireland travel lists the time at 4 hr 41 mins.

I think the 193 is right because I know Dublin to Galway is just short of 130 miles and Omagh to Doolin is much further. Driving times are even more confusing as you can see. My guess is that the route that takes you straight west and then down will be quicker than cutting through the middle.

Regardless of your starting point, you are still making what appears to be a 500+ mile round trip in two days. I think that anyone that is familiar with the country will tell you that it is too much.

As a reference, on our 1st trip to Ireland we sought no advice and foolishly decided to drive from Dublin to Goleen. A mere 230 miles we thought. No big deal. We left the hotel at about 9:30, stopped for a late lunch in Waterford and then did the factory tour. The whole stop probably took about 3 hours. We ended up arriving in Goleen at about 11:30 PM. Not a good plan. Now granted, we got lost 3 times in Cork City alone (that was before the "beltway&quot. It was November, so the bulk of the driving west of Waterford was done in the dark. The total driving time is listed as 5.5 hours. We were admittedly amateurs at the drive on the left thing at the time and it is no small wonder that I survived this with my marriage intact, but this just gives a point of reference.

I hope this helps and again, if you want to go with your plan, don't let me stop you. I just think that it will be all day and part of the night in the car.

Bill

Please take to heart what wojazz3 has said. Mileage makes very little difference in Ireland - it is speeds/driving times you need to consider. In parts of your itinerary you will be LUCKY to average 35mph. If you have driven in Ireland often then you might make better time - but the driving will be slow in most areas.

And besides some difficulties on other days, I think your first day could be a REAL problem. Are you flying overnight into Ireland? If so, immediately getting into a car and driving 3+ hours to Beeleek to try to catch the last tour is tough. Even if the driver manages a couple of fitfull hours sleep on the plane he/she will not be at their best. I would recommend a shorter drive the first day.

Bill,

I'm glad to hear that we're not the only ones to have gotten lost in Cork. I remember winding up on that north quay more than once, and I didn't have nice things to say about it at the time.

Clifton:

That trip was nightmarish. I'm not sure how my wife and I avoided marital counseling after that. The decision to go to Ireland was a last minute thing and we just threw a dart at the map and said this is where we are going. It was a very bad plan.

Bill

I'll re-do / re-think the itinerary over the next week, and post again.

Thanks for the bits of humourous advice too! At least, I'm starting out the trip "single" (ha!).

p.s. Bill - love your website posting how you 'arrived at Dublin, got in the rental car, started through the 10 roundabouts, etc. "with my screaming passenger" ...

Syv:

I've always believed it's worse to be the passenger than the driver. Thus, I drive every time and never tell my wife my secret ... shhhhhh

Bill

The Gaeltacht Regions of Ireland where Irish language is still spoken offer the most wonderful holidays for those trying to 'get away from it all'
Rugged scenery, unspoilt beauty coupled with high quality accommodation and good food and mild weather can make a very relaxing break.

These are very popular destinations for people who enjoy the outdoors: hillwalking, fishing, pony trekking or just sight-seeing are regular pursuits here. Also, those interested in history, folklore, language and traditional music should visit

There are very reasonable flights directly to kerry from various locations in the UK. Look up Ryanairs website.

LOL Bill. And here I was thinking the dartboard method might just work. The actual planning method sure hasn't kept me out of trouble.

Am I getting any better / more realistic? See below...


Tues. 9th

11:30, 12:00 noon leave Belfast Intl Airport
89 miles, 2-3 hrs. to (extra time allotted for our first driving on the left)
Marble Arch Caves, FLORENCE COURT (75-min. tour
1 & half hours at above


Marble Arch Caves to
35 miles, 1 to 1 &half hrs. to
OMAGH overnight
(bit off route but to stay w/ friends)


Wed. 10th

8:00 a.m. OMAGH to
37 miles, 1 3/4 hrs. to
Belleek Pottery
1 hour at above


BELLEEK to
160 miles, 5 1/2 - 6 hrs. to
Paddys DOOLIN Hostel
overnight



Thurs. 11th

Doolin area CLIFFS OF MOHER
Burren area
2 or 3 hours - cliffs/burren area (sunrise till approx 10:00 a.m.)
95 miles, 4+ hrs. to

CLIFDEN Sky Drive
1 hour scenic drive
Kylemore Abbey
Just drive-by/stop to photograph it

10 miles, 1/2 hr. to
CONNEMARE National Park
View until dusk OR (depending on arrival time) head straight to overnight at

Hostel in CLIFDEN area (not yet confirmed) Overnight


Fri. 12th

finish if needed(?) Connemare National Park
sunrise till 8:30 OR start driving (see below)

165 miles, 5 1/2 - 6 hours to

SLIEVE LEAGUE CLIFFS (past Carrick)
1 1/2 - 2 hours

65 miles, 2 hours to

STRABANE Overnight w/ friends


Sat. 13th

Strabane (8:00 a.m.)
60 miles, 2 hrs. to

Dunluce Castle (not open, just stop by to photograph)
GIANTS CAUSEWAY
2 hours

60 miles, 1 1/2 hours to

BELFAST (arrival approx. 2 p.m.)
3 hours here
meet friends at Martyr?s Memorial Free P. church

40 miles, 1 1/2 hrs. to

(note - only reason going to Belfast is to "kill time" before arriving in Rasharkin, and to have a quick tour with friends there)

RASHARKIN
(overnight Sat & visit friends Sun & Mon)

(back to Belfast Airport on TUESDAY) 27 miles, 1 1/2 hrs.

Much better , Syv. I've got my maps and diary out from our very first trip. I thougth I'd never ever have a chance to get back to Ireland and did exactly what you want to do. YOur latest version seems ok, although many will say still too rushed. But at least it's doable. I have a couple of concerns.
The night you stay with friends in Omagh, you had better not count on being right on the clock leaving at 8AM in the morning. I huge part of the Irish charm is their wonderful hospitality and they will feed you a huge Irish Breakfast. Don't give that up....the food and the company is too good to miss. YOu may want to get there a bit earlier in the afternoon the day you arrive to do muc of your visiting then.
On to Doolin....I stayed at that same hostel. It's a good one.
You will have a very long day getting to Sleive League and that is where I have the other concern. Tacking on the additional drive to Strabane is going to make for a very long day and most likely in the dark. Although I do understand wanting to stay with friends, it's a bit far, tacked on to what you are already doing that day.
Also, I know you don't want to shop and do want to see the country side, but do take some time to wander for a bit in some of the small towns you will drive through. They are so charming..and this way you will meet some of the people.
It sounds like you are going to be-line it from Giant's Causeway to Belfast and will kill some time there. Does this mean you are going to take the inland road? If so, I would strongly urge you to take the coast road down the Antrim Coast. It would make for a long day, but you'll be used to doing that!!!!
Hope it all works out well for you.

Yes - I was rethinking the Slieve League day too.

Might drive to Donegal to overnight at a B & B (Drumcorroy House).

Then Slieve League the next morning, stop in Strabane for an afternoon visit or late lunch.

Skip Belfast altogether.

** I'm having trouble getting responses to my emails to these hostels & a lot of B & B's. Do they close over the winter?

Is it trustworthy to just go ahead & book them online through hostels ireland?

Thanks.

Irish can be much more layed back than us and often they assume that you are coming and don't respond. I know, we think it's odd. But I never had a problem. You could send another email and tell them your concerned and specifically ask for a response. Some may very well be closed. On the other hand , you really would not have a probelm finding a place to stay at that time of year. I never book ahead anymore. But then you won't be stopping early in the afternoon, so you'll feel better knowing you have a place to stay.
I feel better about your plan to stay in Donegal for the night.
I stayed at a nice B&B on the main road at Killybegs called Oceanview B&B.
I hope you have the Accommodation book from the Irish Toursit Board. It's great.
One advantage to not booking ahead is that if you DO manage to wizz along faster than we think, you may get to see more. And if you've booked, you'll be antzy and thinking you could have gone further.You could always call ahead to a place mid afternoon when you see how far you are.
And if it does move along, you always have a tentative plan for Belfast for the last day.
Good luck..

kodi & Syv:

I chuckled at the thought of her traveling faster than she has already planned. Those are all very full days. In Syv's case, I would suggest that not booking ahead would save her in case she didn't make it all the way to the destination. Booking ahead would probably a good idea here because in the case of a B&B, she will probably arrive late and could give a call letting them know. Picking out a B&B after 6:00 PM in Ireland is pretty hard to do.

The Ocean View in Killybegs doesn't open until May. I really enjoyed my stay at the Credo House. I would suggest that you ask the owners to leave some bread and cereal out in the morning for you. Most don't start serving breakfast until about 8:00 AM and the meal is a work out.

Don't worry if you arrive somewhere too early. There is always something to do in the areas that you are visiting.

Clifton:

I believe that I actually plan to get in trouble.

Bill