Northwest Car trip help
 

My husband and I will be visiting Ireland in May. We will enter and leave through Dublin (can't change plans). I wish to visit my grandmother's home town of Ballani and generally tour and stay in the Northwest area (Donegal, Westport etc). I think restricting ourselves to one general area will be more peaceful and less stressful. (We have previously been in the south and Dublin on an escorted tour). Questions

Could someone suggest an itinerary for about 7-8 days (including arrival date)?

How best to get to Ballani?.

We would like to leave Dublin airport and drive to a nearby town (50 mi or so or more) and spend the 1st night rather than staying at the airport lodgings. I realize jet lack etc so we don't want to be too ambitious but would love to spend a night in a little town or city and relax.

Any lodging suggestions appreciated. We like B&B's if located in town or walking distance from the pubs and restaurants. We also prefer small towns rather than cities.

I hope this is not to much information to ask for. I have read some of the replies on this forum and you people are incredible with the amount of effort and detail you provide.

Thanks in advance.

Lateinlifetraveler

SOOO Sorry. Ballina is the name of the town, Ballani

Again Ballina not Ballani. It is getting late in life and my eyes don't work so well. Sorry to be annoying

You need to re-post your question with Ireland in the title--otherwise people might think you're asking about the Seattle area.

How 'late in life' are we writing about? The reason for my question is that some car rental companies won't rent to us Septuagenarians (over 75). Someone told me that if you book a fly/drive 'package,' they have to honor it; but I can't independently confirm that.

Westport is south and west of Ballina (on the coast) and also on the N-59 (NOT a limited access Expressway). The general area you are restricting yourselves to is too much territory for 2-Seniors to cover in a week (assuming your 8-days also includes departure date when your flight will probably leave around midday). That assumption suggests that you have to be back in Dublin the 7th night to make it out to the airport at least 2-hours before your flight.

2004, I visited a 106-year-old cousin (my (RIP) mother's first cousin) in Bangor Erris. I flew into Dublin, caught a CityLink bus to Galway, BusEireann Galway to Ballina and, after several hours BusEireann to Bangor (there's only 1-bus a day, each way). That was day-1.

I think you should narrow your focus, spend a night or two in Ballina, maybe visit Knock Shrine, Croagh Padraig, Westport (all in County Mayo).

Well, maybe I aged myself too much. We are in our early 60's and quite fit. Have driven across US for a month and don't mind the travel. With that any further suggestions?

Thanks

Ballina is a 3 1/2 hour drive from Dublin. on the Northwest Coast. I would recommend stopping at midpoint, perhaps in Longford. That would be an easy hour and a half on the first day. I would highly recommend the Viewmount House B&B, http://www.viewmounthouse.com/house.html. It is less than 1 km from city centre and is set in its own gardens, which will be in full blossom in May. You could then continue the next day to Ballina. There is a new B&B which has just recently opened up , Abbey B&B,http://abbeybandb.com/, of which I have heard wonderful reviews. You could stay in Ballina for two nights, then head to Donegal for three nights. I would recommend The Water's Edge B&B,http://www.littleireland.ie/thewatersedge/. Donegal is the perfect base for a day trip to Derry in Northern Ireland or a day trip to the Inishwen Peninsula. You can then head south to Navan and overnight there before heading to Dublin. I would recommend Daly's B&B, as it is in close proximity to the Dublin airport (40 mins, http://www.navanbandb.com/#bottom, or Athlumney Manor, http://www.athlumneymeath.com/, which is 45 minutes from the Dublin Airport.

Have a Grand Adventure!

Slan Agus Beannacht,

Bit Devine
www.cowboycraic.com

" ... We are in our early 60's and quite fit. Have driven across US for a month and don't mind the travel. ..."

Sorry, I got the impression from your byline that you were 'Seniors'

You'll find some 'Dual Carriageways' (i.e., 4-lane divided highways) in the Republic, mostly around and between the larger cities (and airports). Most of your driving will be on 2-lane roads: not like Interstate-40 or I-70 across the US (been there; done that!).

Unless it's predominantly a dual Carriageway route, you can expect to take at least half again as long to cover distances as you are used to in the U.S. Your major redeeming factor is that you get daylight until 9:30 or so in mid-to-late May.

In Ballina, I often stay at Crocket's on the Quay: it's a mile or so from the center of town, has an excellent restaurant. Trad Irish Music in the front bar Monday nites.

If it's still in business, there was a B&B called BrigOwn a few doors away. Marjorie Nolan, Owner/Operator has a cooking show on local radio. http://Ballina.mayo-ireland.ie/Brigown/Brigown.htm

Marjorie Nolan
Brigown B&B
Quay Road,
Ballina
County Mayo
Ireland

Tel: + 353 (0) 96 22609
Mobile 087 2304986
E-mail: [email protected]

I went to Mass in St. Muredach's Cathedral in Ballina - also on the River Moy. I can't seem to get that link to work but if you just do a google search on BrigOwn you'll bring up everything you need.

Thank you all for the quick replies. I guess it is only my children who think I am old. This information really helps my planning. It is so difficult determining how much distance and time to devote to each day. Reading the different notes on this site gives a good feel for the areas. Thanks again for your help

Ballina is quite a large town now & is central for quite a bit of the NW.
Enniscrone is a short scenic drive & has a small harbor & miles of sand. Famous for its seaweed bathhouse but I prefer the cafe.
Ballina is more than 3 & 1/2 hours & the suggestion of a stop over will be up to you.The N4 from Dublin to Longford is now a fast route that takes about 2 hours. Depending on your travel time you might stop for a break along the way. Longford is a dusty grey lacklustre place & if you press on a further 45 minutes you come to Carrick on Shannon - one of my favourite places.
Head up the N4 towards Sligo next day & at Ballisodare take the 'coast' road to Ballina.
Places I would visit from Ballina include Westport, Cong, Galway & Knock.

Carrick-On-Shannon is a much better choice than Longford, most definitely. I would recommend stopping there and staying at Hartley Lodge, http://www.hartleylodge.com/, over my suggestion that you stop in Longford. A word of caution though, you may find yourself wanting to stay in Carrick on Shannon.

Slan Go Foill,

Bit Devine
www.cowboycraic.com

CowboyCraic-Have you stayed at The Hartley lodge?
I have and I am surprised that you would recommened them.
Loved the town just not this B&B.

Nj,

I had a very nice stay with them while I was there. I thought the hosts were very considerate.

Bit Devine
Cowboy Craic

CowboyC-Yes, the hosts were very nice.
It was the house that was not up to par with the other B&Bs we stayed in,and were in the same price range .The picture on the website was much nicer then the house in person.

Thanks again all for your comments.

I definitely agree that Carrick on Shannon is the choice. Are there any other recommended B&B's besides the one mentioned? Is there a web site devoted to Irish B&B's that can be checked?

Again thanks

Here is one site that you could look at, http://www.ebookireland.com/leitacc.htm. Here is another, http://www.bnbireland.net/Tables_Leitrim.htm. That will give you a good start for lodging in Carrick-on-Shannon.

I would have to agree with you Nj, that Hartley Lodge was not what appeared to be in its pictures. However, the hosts were amicable, the food was good and the bed comfortable, so I was willing to overlook the outward appearance.

Slan Go Foill,

Bit Devine
www.cowboycraic.com

B&Bs, guest houses & hotels in Ireland:

Town & Country Homes: http://www.townandcountry.ie/
Family Homes: http://www.family-homes.ie/
Irish Farmhouse B&Bs: http://www.irishfarmholidays.com/ifh/index.cfm
Hotels & Guesthouses: http://www.irelandhotels.com/

I have found that people assess accommodations and restaurants differently. Some have high expectations and some are happy with middle-of-the-road. As for me, no matter how nice the hosts are the rest of the package is equally important. As we have found many times on the forum people have differing opinions. For instance some like Killarney and others hate it. I'm sure the same thing goes for B&Bs.

CowboyC-I guess we were spoiled with our other B&B choices.They were all from Michele's book,and of course perfect.
I guess we have to get Michele to find one of her special places for us in Carrick.

Nj,

You can rarely go wrong when choosing from Michele's information. She is one of the best! I too am usually a total package person but the friendliness won me over at Hartley's. Having had the ultimate bad B&B experience in County Mayo, I am very choosy about my lodging choices now. Hartley's happened to have a vacancy and a warm welcome when I, road weary, needed it most.

Slan Go Foill,

Bit Devine
www.cowboycraic.com

Who is Michele and where can I find her book? Cowboy,which B&B should I avoid in County Mayo? With no consensus on B&B's in Carrick on Shannon would the Bush Hotel be an alternative?

IrelandYes : Michele Erdvig
IrelandExpert : Pat Preston
Karen Brown
All of these ladies give good information. They have web sites and books which you can buy from their web-sites. I have two of Michele Erdvigs, she keeps them up to date. I have looked at IrelandExpert many times. She has a good list on her web-site for everything.
Karen Brown I bought many times but a few times her lodging recommandations were not up to par. I'd notice the next year these places would not be listed. The other two ladies concentrate on Ireland.

The B&B that I had my "Bates Hotel" experience at was the Yellow Rose B&B.

Both Michele at irelandyes.com and Pat Preston at irelandexpert.com have wonderful guide books and very helpful forums.

I am not familiar with the Bush Hotel. You could also stop in to the tourist information centre in Carrick -On-Shannon and they will help you locate lodging that day. May is still off-season so finding an availble B&B that is well suited shouldn't be difficult.

Slan Agus Beannacht,

Bit Devine
www.cowboycraic.com

If the intention is to stay in Carrick then I can offer some advice - 15 years holidaying there. There are 2 main hotels - Landmark & Bush. The Bush is the oldest & the Landmark, occupying the riverside frontage, was built about 6 years ago. Both hotels are in the higher price bands. The food is hit & miss - one year it is great the next it is poor but the Bush has been consistently better for dinners. The Boardwalk at the Landmark is excellent for afternoon teas or a quiet evening drink. Hartley Lodge boasted its Egon Ronay awards but that was some years ago. Its location is really good but I have never stayed there. There are only a couple of B&B's in the town & if none of them appeal you might consider Jamestown.

We did a very similar trip --- did a 10 day Northwest trip, heading from Dublin to County Meath to Fermanagh to Donegal to Galway to Clare and had a wonderful time. For your first night, if you haven't been to Newgrange, that is a very easy drive (about 45 minutes) and an amazing site. We liked Navan a lot, it is a very cute town but I think if we stayed in that area again, we would probably try to stay in Trim. My trip report is on the site. You can get to it if you click on my name.

Has anyone considered that Dublin to Carrick on Shannon is a pretty long drive afetr an overseas flight. I know it's gotten quicker because of the M4, but still, after that, it's not particularly fast. I'm still in my 40's and I wouldn't really want to drive that far on the 1st day.
Bill

We are not looking to make time or drive a long distance. We just do not want to spend the rest of day (arriving in the am) and the night at the airport. We were hoping for an interesting nearby town with a good restaurant, B&B or hotel. Whether it is 5 miles or 50 makes no matter. I agree, after an all night flight we do not want to drive a long distance. Thank you everyone for your interest and replies.

An interesting nearby town would be Malahide village. It has good places to stay, nice restaurants and walks along the beach. There is a castle to visit. It could be what you are looking for. If you prefer to get a head start on driving you could stay in Maynooth or Mullingar.