Where to stay in Northern Ireland and should we try to see Cliffs of Moher?
 

Based on feedback, we are scaling back our itinerary. My husband and I are traveling to Ireland in April of next year. We are going to be there for 7 nights. Our plan so far is two nights in Dublin, taking in Trinity and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then we plan to head up to Antrim area to do Giant's Causeway and Carrick a rede. We really want to do some hiking in this area as opposed to just visiting both sites. We are planning two nights in this area as well. Questions: Where to stay in that area? Should we look at Ballycastle, Portrush or aim for larger city (Belfast or Derry?) After that, where to next? I would have loved to do Killarney too but that seems like a lot of travel time and I think we'd prefer the sites in the North. We have the option to leave from Shannon vs. Dublin so possibly Cliffs of Moher? Any other suggestions instead or in between. Any help would be greatly appreciated. We want to do it all but are limited for time so any direction would be fantastic!

I think that you are wise to drop Killarney from the list this trip. I think it is beautiful, but it would add a lot of driving.

The glens of Antrim would give you some nice hiking. Glenariff is nice. Might do that on the way to Carrick-a-rede and Giant's Causeway stop.

From the area head toward Shannon and hit the Cliffs of Moher on the way.

However, you might just stay in the Derry area. There is a lot to see and many hiking opportunities. And return to fly out of Dublin via an inland route.

Green Dragon has done this area well and made some great trip reports. Put her name into the search box and her list of topics will tell you which ones to read. They are really interesting and might give you some direction on what to cover in your six days. Have fun!

We stayed in 3 areas in Nortern Ireland on our trip and that way we saw lots easily - stayed in Derry , Glenarm and Lisburn .

PS we found the North stunning

Derry to Cliffs of Moher is at minimum a 5hr drive, so if you don't mind loosing essntially a day it is doable. The advantage is you could then do some hiking through the Burren which is amazing and you are close to Shannon for your return flight.

Another option if you want to see cliffs is Slieve Leauge in Donegal which are actually taller than the cliffs of Moher. I'm not familiar with Donegal but there's sure to be good hiking there as well and you will have cut down the driving significantly. You would then fly out of Dub.

I'd stay in Derry London Derry (to be PC)

Personally if you want to see/hike the Antrim Coast I would stay in Portrush (Avarest guest house?) over Derry or Belfast.

https://goo.gl/xrDQtD is a 10 day plan from ~ to Dublin and would be the minimum time I would recommend for such a venture, maybe consider the route as far as Ennis which would be a good last night base for a SNN departure.

The only thing you are missing south of the Shannon estuary is some more of the same of the thinggs you have already seen. Except that you have seen the good bits that most who flock straight to Kerry can only dream off.

Be aware that this is a Road trip and as such would be out of favour for most forum contributors who tend to prefer 2 or even 3 night minimum stays.

Super nice folks at Valley View B&B in Bushmills. We did a little walking while there. See if my TR/blog is any help.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...elfast-etc.cfm

April will still be a bit blustery in NI. We were there middle of May and we had a mix of weather. Bushmill's is nice for over night stays. We really enjoyed Belfast and wish we had spent a couple more nights in NI. The coastal walk is something you would like. I want to explore more and with a week you will be able to do this, Green Dragon has good info.

Ballycarton House just outside Limavady (near Derry/Londonderry) is a good location and is a delightful B&B with a self-catering apartment.
http://ballycartonhouse.com

We were really disappointed by the cliff of Moher which do get very busy with tourists.

It does seem a lot of driving to fly out of Shannon just to see the cliffs. There is so much to see and enjoy in the north, it seems a shame to spend 1-2 days in getting to Shannon. Fly out of either Dublin or Belfast.

If you are wanting to see cliffs then I would second the suggestion of Slieve League (Sliabh Liag) in Donegal. You can actually drive most of the way up these, although the road is a bit hairy to drive. There is some good walking from the top.

Actually if you are wanting to do something after the Giant's Causeway then Donegal is the place to head for. It isn't on the usual tourist route which is the shame as the scenery is stunning with good coast and some quite serious hills.


The Waterfall walk in Glenariff is one of the best walks in Antrim and there are other walks you can do from here too. Allow yourself plenty of time as this is one of the best of the Antrim Glens.
http://www.dunamoy.com/downloads/Glenariff%20forest.pdf

There is also good walking along the Causeway Coast Way too.
http://www.walkni.com/walks/186/causeway-coast-way/

As far as places to stay - pick somewhere between Ballycastle and Portrush/Portstewart for the Antrim coast.

Thank you all so much! I think we are going to take the suggestions and stick with the Coastal Causeway, Derry/Londonderry and Donegal! We'll just have to plan another trip to head back and experience more. Can't wait!

That does make sense as there is so much to see in Ireland and the SW deserves a 'proper' visit. distances may not look far on the map but driving will take a lot longer than you think. Enjoy yourselves.