Reservations in Ireland
Mar 7th, 2004 | 04:26 PM
#2
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We're going in May ourselves. I've booked first and last nights and one place that we wanted to make sure we could get in. Other than that, we are going to wing it. I've got several places in mind, but I not sure where we are going to be from one day to the next.
I've found that if you know where you are going to be the next night, the B&B you are staying in will recommend and call ahead to make you a reservation. Those places have always been very nice.
Do you have an itinerary? If you have the whole month of May, you will thoroughly enjoy Ireland.
I've found that if you know where you are going to be the next night, the B&B you are staying in will recommend and call ahead to make you a reservation. Those places have always been very nice.
Do you have an itinerary? If you have the whole month of May, you will thoroughly enjoy Ireland.
Mar 7th, 2004 | 06:27 PM
#3
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We will start in Dublin (May 9-12th).
May 12th Wicklow Mtns to Kilkenny.
May 13th Kilkenny Castle, Jerpoint Abbey, and onto Cashel.
May 14th Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle, and then Cobh.
May 15th Cobh to Blarney Castle (grounds only), Cork, Kinsale, and arrive in Kenmare.
May 16th Ring of Kerry overnight in Killarney.
May 17th Dingle Penisula and onto Adare
May 18th Adare to Ennis (Bunratty Castle)
May 19th Ennis, Cliffs of Mohr & Burren, and night in Galway
May 20th Galway to Clifden
May 21th Clifden to Slingo
May 22nd Slingo to Ardara (Slieve League on the way)
May 23rd Adara to Dunfanaghy
May 24th Dunfanaghy through Derry to Portstewart
May 25th Portstewart, Giant Causeway, Night in Carrickgergus
May 26th, Belfast, down to Newcastle
May 27th Newcastle, Mourne Mtn, to Carlingford
May 28th, Carlingfod to Trim seeing Monasterboice, Newgrange, and Hill of Tara.
May 29th Trim Caslte and onto Dublin
I hope we do not have too much or too little each day. Any information would be great
May 12th Wicklow Mtns to Kilkenny.
May 13th Kilkenny Castle, Jerpoint Abbey, and onto Cashel.
May 14th Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle, and then Cobh.
May 15th Cobh to Blarney Castle (grounds only), Cork, Kinsale, and arrive in Kenmare.
May 16th Ring of Kerry overnight in Killarney.
May 17th Dingle Penisula and onto Adare
May 18th Adare to Ennis (Bunratty Castle)
May 19th Ennis, Cliffs of Mohr & Burren, and night in Galway
May 20th Galway to Clifden
May 21th Clifden to Slingo
May 22nd Slingo to Ardara (Slieve League on the way)
May 23rd Adara to Dunfanaghy
May 24th Dunfanaghy through Derry to Portstewart
May 25th Portstewart, Giant Causeway, Night in Carrickgergus
May 26th, Belfast, down to Newcastle
May 27th Newcastle, Mourne Mtn, to Carlingford
May 28th, Carlingfod to Trim seeing Monasterboice, Newgrange, and Hill of Tara.
May 29th Trim Caslte and onto Dublin
I hope we do not have too much or too little each day. Any information would be great
Mar 8th, 2004 | 12:22 AM
#4
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If you are here the May Bank Holiday you MUST book places as many Irish people go away for the weekend in the country. The Weekend is the 1-3 of May with Monday being a holiday. Many popular places will be booked out this weekend so don't leave yourselve stuck at the last minute!
Mar 8th, 2004 | 05:22 AM
#5
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lmartin129, your itinerary looks overly agressive. We are hitting nearly identical locations to what you have listed for May 12-19, except we are doing that over the space of two weeks rather than one. We will be about 3 days behind you as we arrive in Dublin May 15 and leave May 30. In fact, I am worried that covering as much as we plan to in 14 days is still too aggressive. I can't imagine doing it in 7 days. Good luck!
Mar 8th, 2004 | 05:35 AM
#6
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May 15th Cobh to Blarney Castle (grounds only), Cork, Kinsale, and arrive in Kenmare?
Sounds like you are going to do a "drive-by-shooting." If you are not going up to kiss that stone, I would leave Blarney, Cobh, and Cork off the itinerary and spend some time in Kinsale. Also, I would forget the Ring of Kerry and spend the time in Dingle. You are shooting by all the SW Peninsulas and their breath-taking scenery.
You might want to consider leaving the northern portions of Ireland for another trip and spending more time in SW Ireland, up to Galway, and then across to Dublin to catch your flight. Just a thought.
We are spending 9 days just doing Loop Head Peninsula, all the way around to the Mizen Peninsula, Kinsale, and back to Shannon, and I still don't think that will be enough time.
Sounds like you are going to do a "drive-by-shooting." If you are not going up to kiss that stone, I would leave Blarney, Cobh, and Cork off the itinerary and spend some time in Kinsale. Also, I would forget the Ring of Kerry and spend the time in Dingle. You are shooting by all the SW Peninsulas and their breath-taking scenery.
You might want to consider leaving the northern portions of Ireland for another trip and spending more time in SW Ireland, up to Galway, and then across to Dublin to catch your flight. Just a thought.
We are spending 9 days just doing Loop Head Peninsula, all the way around to the Mizen Peninsula, Kinsale, and back to Shannon, and I still don't think that will be enough time.
Mar 8th, 2004 | 05:57 AM
#7
Joined: Nov 2003
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We arrive Shannon May 19 and leave Shannon May 27. I have our first two nights booked at one B&B in Oughterard, Co Galway and our last night booked in Ennis, Co Clare at a B&B. This rest of the time, we'll book at we go since I don't know exactly where we'll end up!
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Mar 8th, 2004 | 06:53 AM
#8
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Except for 'Bank Holiday' weekends it shoud be fairly easy to find B&B-type accomodations in May. But booking in advance might give you some price 'leverage.' We just spent a few days and were able to find more than one B&B tat started at 30 Euro pps but quickly came down to 27.50 Euro )pps).
Adare has some great 'Photo Opps' but I don't think it's worth an overnight stop. You should be pretty well wasted after driving the N-21: Dingle-Tralee-Abbeyfeale so you might consider an overnight stop in NewcastleWest. Killeline Leisure Park is 1km south on the Old Cork Road (take a half-right after you pass the Church then a right at the Texaco station). They have a 20m heated indoor swimming pool and a fully equipped Spa, a 34-room lodge and Mick McCoy's Sports Bar & Restaurant.
Have you considered stopping in Doolin rather than Galway? Galway is great on weekends but since you plan to be there midweek, it may not be all that great.
I don't know where Slingo is (or could it be Sligo?). If it is Sligo, maybe you should consider Ballina instead. A lot of people from Sligo come over to Ballina for weekend nights. I spent a weekend in Ballina last May. My B&B was BrigOwn right on the Moy river and 50m away from Crocket's on the Quay.
Adare has some great 'Photo Opps' but I don't think it's worth an overnight stop. You should be pretty well wasted after driving the N-21: Dingle-Tralee-Abbeyfeale so you might consider an overnight stop in NewcastleWest. Killeline Leisure Park is 1km south on the Old Cork Road (take a half-right after you pass the Church then a right at the Texaco station). They have a 20m heated indoor swimming pool and a fully equipped Spa, a 34-room lodge and Mick McCoy's Sports Bar & Restaurant.
Have you considered stopping in Doolin rather than Galway? Galway is great on weekends but since you plan to be there midweek, it may not be all that great.
I don't know where Slingo is (or could it be Sligo?). If it is Sligo, maybe you should consider Ballina instead. A lot of people from Sligo come over to Ballina for weekend nights. I spent a weekend in Ballina last May. My B&B was BrigOwn right on the Moy river and 50m away from Crocket's on the Quay.
Mar 8th, 2004 | 08:48 AM
#9
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It's a VERY full schedule and you will probably find that you don't get to see everything that you want. I wouldn't say that you have a single day with too little to do. It also appears that you will be staying at a different place every night with the exception of Dublin. That would not be my choice for 2.5 weeks. It looks like 18 different B&Bs. For instance, it appears that you are spending a night in Kenmare and a night in Killarney. My suggestion would be to choose one or the other.
Budman is absolutely right about the Cobh to Kenmare day. At best, you will be able to say you've been to those towns, but I don't think you'll be able to stop on tour them.
I also think that Killarney to Dingle to Adare is too much. Granted, tours do that kind of high speed touring, but you will be doing the driving here. Dingle is considered by many as one of the high points in Ireland and you will just have a chance to see it and then stay in Adare. I would stay in Dingle that night and then just drive through Adare the next day and take a picture or two.
You could easily choose one place to stay in Co Clare the next two days and then on to Clifden.
A few things to keep in mind. Since you will be packing and unpacking every night, it's unlikely that you will be out of your B&B much before 9:00 AM if you take any time at all to enjoy the massive Irish breakfasts. The appropriate time to arrive at a B&B is between 4-6 PM. Remember these are people homes and they have a very full day as it is, much less if you arrive after 6:00. They don't have a staff that checks people in every late in the evening. If you feel that you will be arriving into your town after 6:00 each day, it would probably be a better choice to stay in hotels, though they are more expensive and not as personal.
Hope this helps.
Bill
Budman is absolutely right about the Cobh to Kenmare day. At best, you will be able to say you've been to those towns, but I don't think you'll be able to stop on tour them.
I also think that Killarney to Dingle to Adare is too much. Granted, tours do that kind of high speed touring, but you will be doing the driving here. Dingle is considered by many as one of the high points in Ireland and you will just have a chance to see it and then stay in Adare. I would stay in Dingle that night and then just drive through Adare the next day and take a picture or two.
You could easily choose one place to stay in Co Clare the next two days and then on to Clifden.
A few things to keep in mind. Since you will be packing and unpacking every night, it's unlikely that you will be out of your B&B much before 9:00 AM if you take any time at all to enjoy the massive Irish breakfasts. The appropriate time to arrive at a B&B is between 4-6 PM. Remember these are people homes and they have a very full day as it is, much less if you arrive after 6:00. They don't have a staff that checks people in every late in the evening. If you feel that you will be arriving into your town after 6:00 each day, it would probably be a better choice to stay in hotels, though they are more expensive and not as personal.
Hope this helps.
Bill
