Northern Ireland - 8 days vegan, crafts, yoga, cemeteries...
Jul 16th, 2012, 04:53 AM
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Northern Ireland - 8 days vegan, crafts, yoga, cemeteries...
Hello Expert Travelers,
My husband and I are headed to Ireland in August for 8 days and I need help with our itinerary. We would like to have time to get off the beaten path... but I don't know enough to figure out where the path is. We like vegan/vegetarian food, friendly pubs, castles, old cemeteries and I wouldn't mind stopping at a good hot yoga studio for a class. This is what I have thus far:
Day 1 - Dublin (after arrival at 0900). Staying at the Fleet Street Temple Bar. This is a day to shop and go to pubs.
Day 2 - Monaghan - we have family there so we are stopping to say hello & spend the night.
Day 3 - Drive to Belfast & spending the night at the Merchant Hotel. Planning on taking a black taxi tour of the city.
Day 4 - Drive to Portrush?
Day 5 - Drive to Donegal? My husband's family came to the US from Donegal in 1770, so we wanted to stop here.
Day 6 - ??
Day 7 -?? - Someplace headed back towards Dublin.
Day 8 - Back to Dublin and staying in Fitzpatrick Hotel
Day 9 - Leave
We have different interests than what's listed in most travel books, so I am hoping to get some good suggestions.
Cheers!
My husband and I are headed to Ireland in August for 8 days and I need help with our itinerary. We would like to have time to get off the beaten path... but I don't know enough to figure out where the path is. We like vegan/vegetarian food, friendly pubs, castles, old cemeteries and I wouldn't mind stopping at a good hot yoga studio for a class. This is what I have thus far:
Day 1 - Dublin (after arrival at 0900). Staying at the Fleet Street Temple Bar. This is a day to shop and go to pubs.
Day 2 - Monaghan - we have family there so we are stopping to say hello & spend the night.
Day 3 - Drive to Belfast & spending the night at the Merchant Hotel. Planning on taking a black taxi tour of the city.
Day 4 - Drive to Portrush?
Day 5 - Drive to Donegal? My husband's family came to the US from Donegal in 1770, so we wanted to stop here.
Day 6 - ??
Day 7 -?? - Someplace headed back towards Dublin.
Day 8 - Back to Dublin and staying in Fitzpatrick Hotel
Day 9 - Leave
We have different interests than what's listed in most travel books, so I am hoping to get some good suggestions.
Cheers!
Jul 16th, 2012, 07:23 AM
#3
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BigRuss, I am a vegan but my husband likes steak... If we can find vegan friendly restaurants he's always willing to visit them with me. Generally I can find a salad or plain pasta and veggies anywhere.
Jul 17th, 2012, 03:05 AM
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Sounds great!
For Dublin make sure to visit the Guinness brewery, Kilmainham Goal and Chester Beatty museum. Also Bewleys cafe on Grafton street and the archaeological museum are worth a visit. For Yoga have a look at a website called spotted by locals they have lots of info on unusual places in Dublin.
For Dublin there is also www.visitdublin.com with a lot of info about the city.
Belfast www.gotobelfast.com is great, visit the Crown Liquer saloon opposite the Europa hotel. It is a great Victorian pub. Merchant hotel is great, has a wonderful spa, pub, bars and restaurants. Have afternoon tea there. You are also in the Cathedral quarter with some nice pubs and restaurants. The Ulster Museum is worth a visit and is close to the Botanical gardens and Queens University. And there is the Titanic Belfast with everything about the Titanic.
The Giant's Causeway, Bushmills distillery, Garrick a Rope Bridge, GarrickFergus Castle and Dunluce Castle are all on the Antrim Coast and a must visit when in Northern Ireland.
When you follow the coast you nearly automatically arrive in Londonderry which is worth a visit and there take one of the city walks they are good. From there you are close to Donegal. There is lots to visit, like Glensveagh Park and the Slieve League Cliffs. Maybe visit Donegal town and Castle and head back to Dublin.
Close to Dublin you can also visit Trim Castle, Newgrange and the Boyne Valley. You can do this on your way back from Donegal via Enniskillen, Cavan, Kells.
If you have time to spare. From Donegal you can always visit Carrowmore megalithic cemetery and Yeats's grave at Drumclif and see Ben Bulben in Sligo and then return to Dublin.
Have a nice holiday!
For Dublin make sure to visit the Guinness brewery, Kilmainham Goal and Chester Beatty museum. Also Bewleys cafe on Grafton street and the archaeological museum are worth a visit. For Yoga have a look at a website called spotted by locals they have lots of info on unusual places in Dublin.
For Dublin there is also www.visitdublin.com with a lot of info about the city.
Belfast www.gotobelfast.com is great, visit the Crown Liquer saloon opposite the Europa hotel. It is a great Victorian pub. Merchant hotel is great, has a wonderful spa, pub, bars and restaurants. Have afternoon tea there. You are also in the Cathedral quarter with some nice pubs and restaurants. The Ulster Museum is worth a visit and is close to the Botanical gardens and Queens University. And there is the Titanic Belfast with everything about the Titanic.
The Giant's Causeway, Bushmills distillery, Garrick a Rope Bridge, GarrickFergus Castle and Dunluce Castle are all on the Antrim Coast and a must visit when in Northern Ireland.
When you follow the coast you nearly automatically arrive in Londonderry which is worth a visit and there take one of the city walks they are good. From there you are close to Donegal. There is lots to visit, like Glensveagh Park and the Slieve League Cliffs. Maybe visit Donegal town and Castle and head back to Dublin.
Close to Dublin you can also visit Trim Castle, Newgrange and the Boyne Valley. You can do this on your way back from Donegal via Enniskillen, Cavan, Kells.
If you have time to spare. From Donegal you can always visit Carrowmore megalithic cemetery and Yeats's grave at Drumclif and see Ben Bulben in Sligo and then return to Dublin.
Have a nice holiday!
Jul 18th, 2012, 03:51 AM
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Great suggestions! The megalithic cemetery is something we would love. There are so many additional places we would like to add to the trip... like the cliffs of Mohor... is it too much to add that into our trip?
Jul 18th, 2012, 09:23 AM
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My husband and I are strictly vegan. We recently visited Ireland and Northern Ireland in May/June. This was our third trip to Ireland. Although we had been vegetarians for many years, it was our first trip to Ireland as vegans.
You will have difficulty finding vegan food. Almost everywhere has one or two vegetarian options, but they are most often something like a quiche, which of course is not vegan and cannot be made vegan. There's only so long you can live on salads and sometimes that was even hard to find.
In Dublin, we ate every day and almost every meal at Cornucopia. It was delicious! Vegan and gluten free food.
In Belfast, we could not find any vegan place. I had done an internet search beforehand, but every place had closed.
We spent almost the entire two weeks eating vegetable paninis for lunch and dinner. For some reason, we had trouble finding Italian food at the places were visited. Italian is always our fall back option.
If you are near Dunfanaghy, there is a small grocery store that has vegan protein bars and some other vegan items. I think it was called the Green Man or something like that.
Of course, you probably know that Guinness is not vegan! Sorry!
Hope I don't sound too discouraging; just want you to be prepared that vegan options are not as easy to find as in the U.S.
Have fun!
Have a great trip!
You will have difficulty finding vegan food. Almost everywhere has one or two vegetarian options, but they are most often something like a quiche, which of course is not vegan and cannot be made vegan. There's only so long you can live on salads and sometimes that was even hard to find.
In Dublin, we ate every day and almost every meal at Cornucopia. It was delicious! Vegan and gluten free food.
In Belfast, we could not find any vegan place. I had done an internet search beforehand, but every place had closed.
We spent almost the entire two weeks eating vegetable paninis for lunch and dinner. For some reason, we had trouble finding Italian food at the places were visited. Italian is always our fall back option.
If you are near Dunfanaghy, there is a small grocery store that has vegan protein bars and some other vegan items. I think it was called the Green Man or something like that.
Of course, you probably know that Guinness is not vegan! Sorry!
Hope I don't sound too discouraging; just want you to be prepared that vegan options are not as easy to find as in the U.S.
Have fun!
Have a great trip!
Jul 20th, 2012, 03:20 AM
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From Sligo you can also follow the N59 and visit the Ceidi Fields and Ballycroy National Park, Wonderful scenery. Take an overnight at Westport it is the loveliest place, have a meal at Saga ( italian)and then follow the N59 towards Galway visit Kylemore abbey in the Connemara. From Galway ( good food ) it is easy it to visit the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren. Although the Slieve League are as spectacular as The Cliffs of Moher. From Galway You can drive to Dublin within 3 hours on the motorway.
You can always give us a call on 800-Shamrock
You can always give us a call on 800-Shamrock
