Please Help with Itineray
 

We are planning a trip to Ireland and Scotland in May/June 2014. We are a couple in the 55-65 range. We will be renting a car outside of the cities. About the only thing we are not interested in is museums. We like natural beauty and scenery, architecture and interior period decoration. Golf is a must. We don't go out much at night and we rise early.

My initial itinerary would have us spending 2 months. I'd like to cut this down some. I'd appreciate it if you could make some suggestions on our itinerary below. Where can we spend less time? Can we combine the the activities for some days so we can cut days? Conversely, should we add something of interest near the area we are are going to be in?

Your assistance is appreciated.

Day See/Do Stay
1 Arrive Dublin Dublin
2 Moore st Market, Guinness Storehouse, Christchurch Cathedral Dublin
3 Rest Dublin
4 Dublin Castle, Castle Market Dublin
5 Temple Bar, O'Connel Bridge, Haypenny Bridge Dublin
6 Trinity College, Grafton St., Merrion Square, #29 Georgian House Dublin
7 Rest Dublin
8 Castletown House, Kilkenney, Kilkenny castle Kilkenney
9 R ock of Cashel, Kinsale Kinsale
10 Play Old Head Kinsale
11 Blarney Castle, Kenmare Kenmare
12 Mizen Head, Bantry Kenmare
13 Ring of Bearra Kenmare
14 Rest Kenmare
15 Play Waterville Kenmare
16 Molls Gap, Muckross House, Killarney Kenmare
17 Play Dooks at Gleinbeigh Kenmare
18 Dingle Penninsula Dingle
19 Play Ballybunion Ballybunion
20 Glin, Adare, Bunratty, Clifs of Moher Bunratty
21 Tour Doolin Doolin
22 Play Lahinch Doolin
23 Poulnabrone Dolmen, Galway Galway
24 Galway Galway
25 Inishmoore, Aran Islands Inishmoor
26 Clifden, Conemara National Park Clifden
27 Play Connemara Clifden
28 Tour Westport County Sligo
29 Play County Sligo Donegal
30 Donegal Portrush
31 Portrush Portrush
32 Giants Causeway, Bushmills Portrush
33 Play Royal Portrush Belfast
34 Belfast Belfast
35 Belfast Belfast
36 Newgrange, Dublin Dublin
37 Transfer to St. Andrews St. Andrews
38 Golf Old Course St. Andrews
39 Golf Castle Course St. Andrews
40 Anstruther Golf Course St. Andrews
41 Rest/Tour St. Andrews St. Andrews
42 Glamis Castle St. Andrews
43 Rest St. Andrews
44 Drive to Portree Porttree
45 Isle of Skye Golf Course Porttree
46 Dunvegan Castle and drive Isle of Skye Porttree
47 Fort Augustus, Loch Ness boat, Glencoe Glencoe
48 Inveraray Castle, Loch Lomund Luss Luss
49 Glasgow Glasgow
50 Glasgow Glasgow
51 Stirling, Falkirk Wheel, Roslyn Chapel, Dalhouse Caslte Dalhousie Castle
52 Abbey Tour to Seahouses, England Seahouses
53 Golf Bramburgh Castle Seahouses
54 Drive to Edinburgh Edinburgh
55 Edinburgh Edinburgh
56 Edinburgh Edinburgh
57 Edinburgh Edinburgh
58 Arrive Edinburgh Airport

Just a couple of quick comments:

I'd try to add more time to Scotland. Even if that means cutting a bit from Ireland. Except for Fife and Edinburgh you are rushing too much. Plus you are missing out on some "must play" courses IMO. Royal Dornoch is about tops for any golfers I've ever taken to Scotland. Most have actually preferred it to the Old Course (but I'm NOT suggesting dropping the Old Course - just try to fit in Dornoch too). Then you've missed all the Ayrshire course. Especially Prestwick and Troon.

And you have things like driving from St Andrews to Portree in one day - that is one heck of a looooong slog. You could try to work out a northerly loop Fife to Inverness (maybe play Cruden Bay enroute - which is wonderful), up to Dornoch, down to Skye, eventually down to Ayrshire, across to Bamburgh/Seahouses and finishing in Edinburgh.

Machrihanish is absolutely terrific, but fitting it in is a bit tougher (though doable)

Also Roslyn is an easy bus ride from Edinburgh, but a bit of a stretch, from Sterling! ;-)

Bob

I am revising my itinerary to include Cruden Bay Golf and Royal Dornoch. My road planner says it is 2 hours from St. Andrews to Cruden Bay. And it is 4 hours from Cruden Bay to Royal Dornoch. Is that realistic? Is there anything we should stop and see enroute? Still looking at Ayrshire.Thanks for your suggestions.

Bob, my road planner says it is 2 hours from Glasgow to Roslyn. I thought that would be plenty of time to stop at Stirling for a visit to the castle and lunch getting to Roslyn by 5pm at the latest. We will be driving. Would you be able to suggest a better plan? How long do you think it will take with stops?

A quick look suggests that (like janisj) that you have given too much time to Ireland and not enough to Scotland.

My guidebook for Scotland is half the size of the Ireland book. Where should we go for great scenery, great castles or great golf?

Golf at the top courses in Ayrshire is too expensive. If there were some lesser known courses with great recommendations from locals we would definitely do that. Golf with scenery and wildlife is my definition of a great course...we don't necessarily need a golf "challenge".


Thanks for the help

>>My road planner says it is 2 hours from St. Andrews to Cruden Bay. And it is 4 hours from Cruden Bay to Royal Dornoch. Is that realistic? Is there anything we should stop and see enroute? <<

There are many MANY things ti see in those areas.

One can never rely on the on-line mileage calculators for rural Scotland -- and ESPECIALLY for rural Ireland. You will generally need to add from 30% all the way up to 100% to the drive times. Plan on averaging about 30-35 mph in Ireland and 35-ish to <i>maybe</i> if you are very lucky, 40 mph in Scotland.

The drive from Cruden Bay to Dornoch could be done in between 4 and 4.5 hours 'car time' - assuming no traffic in Inverness, no roadworks, no livestock on the road, and no caravans (travel trailers). But there are places like <u>many</u> castles, Elgin Cathedral, Culloden, the Black Isle and more in between.

You apparently don't have good resource material on Scotland. That is a shame.

janisj can you suggest a guide?

That's guide book or website? Thanks.

"My guidebook for Scotland is half the size of the Ireland book"

wow, all I can suggest is get hold of a rough guide to Scotland. I lived for some time over looking Troon and there seemed to be golf courses from the coast to Glasgow, many council owned with low fees as golf is very much the working man's sport in Scotland and having over 500 courses kinda helps.

I assume you've found this http://www.scottishgolfcourses.com/

Thanks bilboburgler, no I had not found that page. Great!