I'll be working in Belfast in February and hope to spend about a week seeing some other areas when I'm through. I'm especially interested in seeing the country's natural beauty -- possibly the Giant's Causeway, Antrim Coast, Donegal, etc. I'll also probably spend some time in Dublin and the surrounding areas such as the Wicklow Mtns.

The big question is whether I'll be able to enjoy exploring by using public transportation -- or whether it'll be constant hassles of dealing with schedules and not being able to easily get to parks and scenic areas. Are there guided tours that provide time for walking in the countryside, exploring cliffs, wandering around castles, etc.? (I can't afford to simply hire a driver.) If not, I guess I'll bite the bullet and rent a car.

But I HATED driving in Ireland many years ago -- I found it very stressful driving up the west coast (including the Dingle Peninsula). I'm concerned about the possibility of slippery roads as well, and I've heard that Ireland has Europe's highest prices for rental cars.

HELP! I have a feeling that there's no perfect solution; either way, I'm going to have to give up something. Any advice will be appreciated.

P.S. I'm not concerned about getting to the cities; that should be relatively easy. My bigger concern is getting to scenic areas outside the cities. Again thanks for your help.

Songdoc,

Well, if it makes you feel any better about it, driving in NI is a lot easier than driving in the Republic, especially compared to those narrow road of Dingle! The roads in NI are in better shape and are, IMO, a good deal wider, even the "back" roads. So if you rented a car and drove around NI you should do just fine. Driving, IMO, is the best way to see Ireland, North or South.

You may want to rent a car in NI for a few days and then take the train to Dublin before renting another car from there. Not sure about the legalities of driving in both countries, especially if you are picking up a car in one and dropping it off in the other. Look into that first so you know before you go.

Safe travels,

Wendy

Songdoc: I would personally drive but using public transport is not impossible. However - especially in rural/remote areas buses are few and far between.

But my main advice is to re-post this with a better title. &quot;<i>Should I Drive?</i> could be asking about anywehere in Europe.

Try something like &quot;Reluctant to drive in Ireland/Northern Ireland in Feb. Can I get to the beauty spots by public transport?&quot;

&quot;But I HATED driving in Ireland many years ago -- I found it very stressful driving up the west coast (including the Dingle Peninsula). I'm concerned about the possibility of slippery roads as well, and I've heard that Ireland has Europe's highest prices for rental cars.&quot;

You are right, there is no perfect solution. If you hate driving, don't let anyone talk you into it. Take the bus. You should have no trouble find tour busses going anywhere you woulf want to go.

Hi Songdoc:

If you don't want to drive, don't drive. With that in mind, you may have to revise your itinerary ideas.

If you only have a week, seeing the Antrim Coast, Donegal, Dublin and Wicklow by public transit is probably a stretch. There are a fair amount of tours that will hit the Antrim Coast and lots that will take you into Wicklow from Dublin. I'm not as confident about tours of Donegal. I've never done the guided tour option so I can't give you a lot of info on that.

You might want to contact the NI tourist board (http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/) for info on tour companies.

Donegal tourism: http://www.donegaldirect.com/

and Dublin Tourism: http://www.visitdublin.com/

There are lots of tours from Dublin into the Wicklow moutains, Glendalough, Powerscourt and Newgrange.

Bill

Would the prospect of paying $7 a gallon for gasoline affect your enjoyment?

In February, it may be slow going to get to the more remote, scenic areas using public transportation. And, it does sound like you'd like to do some exploring and wandering on your own schedule. I'd give the driving a try.

Remember, too, that the Ireland of 'many years ago' may not be the Ireland of today. Certainly there are still lots of very narrow, winding roads...but there's been an enormous amount of road construction in recent years, resulting in many more direct routes from place to place, along with roads that make for much easier driving.

For what it's worth, we drove there in a February. The roads (except for the cities) are quite empty compared to high season, and as mentioned, the NI roads are much better than other areas. But with such little traffic at that time of year, it was a breeze everywhere, even in the NW and west.