Please check Ireland / Scotland Itinerary
 

How does this sound? Please give advice. It is a tour we are thinking of taking.
Day 1- fly to Dublin
Day 2- bus to Kinsale, stqay overnight
day 3- norman castle, dinner at Clonakilty pub. sleep in Kinsale
day 4- bus tour of coastal villages in southwest Ireland , lighthouse, winding country lanes, overnight Kinsale
day 5- charter bus to cork city for tour and evening meal at pub, back to Kinsale
Day 6- bus ride to shannon airport fly to Edinburgh, scotland stay the night in Melrose
day 7- bus tour Border abbeys, visits to dryburgh alley, jedburgh abbey, Kelso abbey, visit cliffs of st abb's head, sleep in Melrose
day 8- morning to explres Melrose, afternoon visit to Peebles , overnight in Melrose
day 9- charter bus to St. Andrew's. drove to Dunkeld for live music
Day 10- bus to Edinburgh, stroll along royal mile old town, visit castle, overnight in dunkeld
day 11- but to Edinburgh airport, fly to Dublin, drive to Bitt, overnight in bitt
day 12- bus to BAnagher, visit Clonmacois, ruins,drive to Coolin for more music in pubs, overnight in Doolin
Daty 13- boat rid to ARan Islands, time to walk bike or tour in minibus to cliff of moher, spend night in pubs, sleep in Doolin
day 14- fly home

Please comment and thank you.

I'm knackered reading it

I don't like to say negative things, however, are you aware that tours start very early and that lots of time is spent riding rather than seeing. I suggest you re-read the tour and look for key words like "visit" rather than "see". Mostly "see" means a drive by.

lots and lots of coach time (especially in Ireland) and almost no time in Edinburgh. One day to cover from the Borders to St Andrews to Dunkeld.

And it honestly would make me bats&^t crazy to go from Dublin > the southwest coast of Ireland > Shannon > Scotland > Dublin > the west coast of Ireland > home.

Not nearly enough time in Edinburgh, IMO.

Girl, slow down! This is way to much. I cant believe that I am agreeing with Janis!

It looks like you have no time n Dublin, which IMHO deserves at least 2 days, practically none in Edinburgh and none at Hadrian's wall - which to me is the major sight in the area.

The days on the bus look hideous. Agree there is no way you can see all those things on the list - many will be drive bys or 5 minute photo ops. I would cut way back and actually see some of these places instead of viewing out of a bus window.

Thanks. I hate tours like this, but it is a local group led by a novice agent who likes back road travels, and I had no idea of the distances involved between sites. It seemed like a lot of pub time to me, also.Any other opinions?

a novice travel agent who likely doesn't realize these are two different countries and has little idea of what there is to see/do. Or at least s/he doesn't know how to write a tour description. Do you really want to depend on a "novice" who seems this confused/disorganized?

Most of us on here also prefer "backroad travels", but the backroads need to make sense. For instance - the Borders are wonderful - but to spend 3 full days in the Borders and less than one day in Edinburgh?? (Kelso Abbey is really just a "walk by" since most of it is gone and its just a small park in the center of Kelso)

&quot;pub time&quot; is the <b>least</b> of your worries. They are evening visits when you wouldn't be sightseeing anyway. The pubs won't keep you from anything else.

It does seem to me this agent is focusing on pubs/music more than sites/sights.

He has run these tours for many years. A lot of local 60s and 70s go along.I just want my travel time to be optimal and this is far from that, I am beginning to see.

OK, which is it?

First you say &quot;<i>led by a novice agent</i>&quot;, but now it is &quot;<i>He has run these tours for many years.</i>&quot; . . . . Can't be both.

It can. He is a nice guy who enjoys travel and takes people on tours as a second career, but is not a professional at all.Perhaps novice means new, rather than non professional.

novice means newbie, trainee, etc.

Most good agents/guides would plan things like flying open jaw so they don't have to backtrack to the first country. It is normally a better use of limited time to travel semi-linear instead of zigzagging back and forth across two countries. Plus he has them flying through Dublin, Shannon and Edinburgh twice each. A weird itinerary IMO.

Could budget be the reason for some of his choices? He keeps the two week tours to about 2500 per person.

&quot;<i>Could budget be the reason for some of his choices?</i>

not IMO - since the more flying back and forth the more $$$.

Open Jaw tix seldom cost more than R-T and sometimes they are cheaper. And when you factor in the extra &pound;/&euro;/$ to get back to the original airport - open jaws can save a lot of time/money.

Maybe there is a reason for him to plan it this way (Dublin/western Ireland/Scotland/Dublin/western Ireland/Home) but I can't think of any. Which airport does he have flying home from? If Dublin - it means crossing the whole country yet again.

Have you asked HIM why the back and forth? He knows why it is organized this way . . . . .

I am exhausted just reading this itinerary. Are you sure that you want to do this? I mean everyday on a bus and getting up early. To each his own.

Have not asked questions.Did tell him we will not be going because I prefer somewhat shorter trips to concentrate on one area or a smaller area.Flight home is from Shannon airport.

Here is another tour for 12 days
HOw does this one look to you guys??

day1- depart jfk
day2-arrive in Shannon , to hotel for dinner and overnight
day3-visit muckross house gardens, mini ring of Kerry , on our own in Kenmare before returning to killarny for sleep
day 4-dingle peninsula, sleep back at killarney
day5-head to Waterford to tour blarney village and castle, Waterford city for dinner and overnight
day 6- visit Waterford crystal before continuing to Glendalough
and then to Dublin for dinner and overnight
day 7- tour Dublin city- cathedral , book of kells, pub and sleep there
day 8- west to kinnitty through pastureland of county offaly , dinner and sleep in kinnitty castle
day9- tea and porte4rcake on clonmacnoise bog train guided tour, after lunch, boat trip on river Shannon from athlone, to galway for dinner and night
day10-to connemara are of galway, vist hyelmore abbey, back to galway for dunguaire banquet, authentic food and Irish entertainment
day11-west to rossaveal and gaeltacht. ferry to inis mor for an island tour galway to sleep
day12-Shannon airport for trip home

A bit busier than I would like, but far better. It's a fairly standard package.

But no Scotland?

We can do as well here, for you. Really.