Where would you recommend to home base for a week to explore Ireland points South?
Mar 25th, 2007, 09:27 AM
#1
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Where would you recommend to home base for a week to explore Ireland points South?
August 2007 travel; 2 couples, seasoned travelers, good stamina. Will have a car; would prefer to keep the pace at 2.5 driving hours O/W to get to a sight. Examples of MUST see sights; Rock of Cashel, Waterford (one shopper), Dingle Peninsula. Preference is to rent a house and stay put for a week.
What do you think? Thanks for any advice.
What do you think? Thanks for any advice.
Mar 26th, 2007, 01:08 PM
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We stayed outside of Blarney at a B&B and loved the area - found it within driving of most of the sights but were away from the big city - great bars there too! Hmm would like to be going back there some day soon!
Mar 26th, 2007, 01:11 PM
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I think Killarney is probably going to be the most obvious choice. There's a lot to see and do near Killarney.
You might also consider Kenmare, which is south of Killarney. Kenmare is smaller than Killarney and not quite as "touristy" (though nothing on the ROK will be entirely free of tourists, especially in August) and would still suit your purposes.
You might also consider Kenmare, which is south of Killarney. Kenmare is smaller than Killarney and not quite as "touristy" (though nothing on the ROK will be entirely free of tourists, especially in August) and would still suit your purposes.
Mar 26th, 2007, 01:32 PM
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Viajero2,
I've been to Ireland many times and much of the fun is staying in B&Bs along the way. If you rented a house in the Killarney area, your day trips would be lengthy. I think you would have much more fun overnighting in a select few cities. My favorites:
Kilkinney: Medieval town with a castle and nightlife (music).
Kinsale (south of Cork): Charming town and culinary capital of Ireland. Great
pubs. Could do Blarney Stone before or after. Drive west along the coast is spectacular.
Kenmare: One of my favorite cities in all of Ireland. Great restaurants and pubs.
Killarney: bustling town with many attractions in the area. The Ring of Kerry is nice, but takes forever. I'd opt for the lakes.
Dingle: not the sleepy port it used to be, but still a must stopover. Great pubs. Beach at Inch en route is awesome. Must go to Slea Head as well.
If flying out of Shannon, consider
Adare or Ennis for your last stop. If
you choose Ennis, go via Tralee and Listowel to Trabert and take the car ferry across. It will save you an hour's drive.
Best way to meet people? Go into a pub
with a map and start arguing about which highway to take ... you'll soon
have everyone in the place telling you
exactly how to go (and all of the directions will be different!)
Erin go braugh ...
Tom
I've been to Ireland many times and much of the fun is staying in B&Bs along the way. If you rented a house in the Killarney area, your day trips would be lengthy. I think you would have much more fun overnighting in a select few cities. My favorites:
Kilkinney: Medieval town with a castle and nightlife (music).
Kinsale (south of Cork): Charming town and culinary capital of Ireland. Great
pubs. Could do Blarney Stone before or after. Drive west along the coast is spectacular.
Kenmare: One of my favorite cities in all of Ireland. Great restaurants and pubs.
Killarney: bustling town with many attractions in the area. The Ring of Kerry is nice, but takes forever. I'd opt for the lakes.
Dingle: not the sleepy port it used to be, but still a must stopover. Great pubs. Beach at Inch en route is awesome. Must go to Slea Head as well.
If flying out of Shannon, consider
Adare or Ennis for your last stop. If
you choose Ennis, go via Tralee and Listowel to Trabert and take the car ferry across. It will save you an hour's drive.
Best way to meet people? Go into a pub
with a map and start arguing about which highway to take ... you'll soon
have everyone in the place telling you
exactly how to go (and all of the directions will be different!)
Erin go braugh ...
Tom
Mar 26th, 2007, 02:08 PM
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WOW! So may great ideas and suggestions!!
bcirish: I am definitely looking into Blarney and close environs. Thanks for the idea.
aegris: I have sent a couple of inquiries to holiday rentals in Kenmare. Thanks for the reassurance.
Tom: great ideas; priceless descriptions. I hear you about the B&B, this would be my prefenrence. However, we are traveling with a wheelchair bound traveler and we have dfound that settling once and day trips from there works better in this situation. That said, I am still open to the possibility of 3 day stays, for which you offered very good ideas. Thanks again.
Any thoughts on holiday rentals in the area, particularly if you think they are wheelchair accesible would be greatly appreciated.
By the way, any thoughts on Ballina? would it work for touring the Southwest?
bcirish: I am definitely looking into Blarney and close environs. Thanks for the idea.
aegris: I have sent a couple of inquiries to holiday rentals in Kenmare. Thanks for the reassurance.
Tom: great ideas; priceless descriptions. I hear you about the B&B, this would be my prefenrence. However, we are traveling with a wheelchair bound traveler and we have dfound that settling once and day trips from there works better in this situation. That said, I am still open to the possibility of 3 day stays, for which you offered very good ideas. Thanks again.
Any thoughts on holiday rentals in the area, particularly if you think they are wheelchair accesible would be greatly appreciated.
By the way, any thoughts on Ballina? would it work for touring the Southwest?
Mar 26th, 2007, 03:09 PM
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Viajero2
I think Ballina would be a bit out of the way for much of the SW. It's a cute little village and Lough Derg is lovely but the big hitters are quite a drive.
With all that you are trying to see, you may have to stay somewhere more centrally located than the coastal villages which is usually my choice.
Access wise, Killarney would probably be a better choice than Kenmare in August, pretty crazy. Every third vehicle will probably be a tour bus. I greatly prefer Kenmare.
Waterford from Kenmare/Killarney seems out of the question as a day trip by my tastes. Certainly much more than a 2.5 hour drive. Viamichelin puts it at 3.5 hours from Kenmare, but takes you right through the city center to get there. Figure at least 4.5 hours.
You can buy all sorts of Waterford and prices no higher than the factory at stores all over Ireland. With that in mind, most of the master craftsmen consider Waterford to be "mass produced" crystal and lower quality. Consider Kinsale and Dingle crystal as an option.
I'm not a fan of Blarney. The village is OK but in August it will be a madhouse. The castle, on the other hand, is Ireland's biggest tourist trap. It doesn't hold a candle to Cahir Castle and the lines in August just to climb up and kiss that stupid stone will be a couple of hours. Getting around Cork is not particularly easy and I don't find the city itself to be that interesting, though I haven't explored it in depth.
Mallow may be the most central of the villages to all you want to see. I don't know a lot about Mallow, but it has a very nice castle that you can rent for a princely sum starting at about E16,000 per week. Nice digs though. The Blackwater river runs through Mallow and it is quite a pretty area Mountains not far off in most directions.
If you stay in Kenmare, you may have to cut some must sees out. Cahir would be over three hours, the ride just to Dingle is over two. That said, there is much to see around Kenmare that could easily fill a week. It's a beautiful area.
Bill
I think Ballina would be a bit out of the way for much of the SW. It's a cute little village and Lough Derg is lovely but the big hitters are quite a drive.
With all that you are trying to see, you may have to stay somewhere more centrally located than the coastal villages which is usually my choice.
Access wise, Killarney would probably be a better choice than Kenmare in August, pretty crazy. Every third vehicle will probably be a tour bus. I greatly prefer Kenmare.
Waterford from Kenmare/Killarney seems out of the question as a day trip by my tastes. Certainly much more than a 2.5 hour drive. Viamichelin puts it at 3.5 hours from Kenmare, but takes you right through the city center to get there. Figure at least 4.5 hours.
You can buy all sorts of Waterford and prices no higher than the factory at stores all over Ireland. With that in mind, most of the master craftsmen consider Waterford to be "mass produced" crystal and lower quality. Consider Kinsale and Dingle crystal as an option.
I'm not a fan of Blarney. The village is OK but in August it will be a madhouse. The castle, on the other hand, is Ireland's biggest tourist trap. It doesn't hold a candle to Cahir Castle and the lines in August just to climb up and kiss that stupid stone will be a couple of hours. Getting around Cork is not particularly easy and I don't find the city itself to be that interesting, though I haven't explored it in depth.
Mallow may be the most central of the villages to all you want to see. I don't know a lot about Mallow, but it has a very nice castle that you can rent for a princely sum starting at about E16,000 per week. Nice digs though. The Blackwater river runs through Mallow and it is quite a pretty area Mountains not far off in most directions.
If you stay in Kenmare, you may have to cut some must sees out. Cahir would be over three hours, the ride just to Dingle is over two. That said, there is much to see around Kenmare that could easily fill a week. It's a beautiful area.
Bill
Mar 26th, 2007, 03:29 PM
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Might I suggest Croughmore Cottage, http://www.cork-guide.ie/mitchels/croughmore/index.htm. It might be just the perfect bas for you to reach Killarney, Cashel, Dingle, etc.
I am not a big fan of either Blarney or Waterford but I do understand that some people have to see either one or both. I would definitely recommend Cashel over Blarney, hands down.
You had best be making a reservation within the next few days though, as August is prime time in Ireland!
I hope this helps!
Slan Agus Beannacht,
Bit Devine
Cowboy Craic
I am not a big fan of either Blarney or Waterford but I do understand that some people have to see either one or both. I would definitely recommend Cashel over Blarney, hands down.
You had best be making a reservation within the next few days though, as August is prime time in Ireland!
I hope this helps!
Slan Agus Beannacht,
Bit Devine
Cowboy Craic
Mar 26th, 2007, 03:32 PM
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Viajers2,
Are you thinking of staying in Ballina at Waterman's Lodge? I stayed once and it is a very wheelchair friendly. My stay was 2000 and at that time it was a lovely place and very comfortable with good food. It would be good for touring Cashel, Cahir, Kilkenny, the lake is lovely and I think it is a beautiful part of Ireland.
The Lodge in Kenmare has one room that is for wheelchairs. The bathroom is great.
I don't use a wheelchair but have a friend who does and he asked me to look for places he could go. You know, I didn't find many places outside of the cities.
Have a great trip, Joan
Are you thinking of staying in Ballina at Waterman's Lodge? I stayed once and it is a very wheelchair friendly. My stay was 2000 and at that time it was a lovely place and very comfortable with good food. It would be good for touring Cashel, Cahir, Kilkenny, the lake is lovely and I think it is a beautiful part of Ireland.
The Lodge in Kenmare has one room that is for wheelchairs. The bathroom is great.
I don't use a wheelchair but have a friend who does and he asked me to look for places he could go. You know, I didn't find many places outside of the cities.
Have a great trip, Joan
Mar 28th, 2007, 02:49 PM
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Finally, some free time to check on advice!
woja-- I am taking in your advice on Ballina. It is out as home base, but definitely an option for a couple of nights. Definitely appreciate and made notes of the Waterford Crystal tips. The way this trip is shaping up, I think that 2 home bases are the minimum that would be appropriate. Good points
cowboy: I e-mailed the Croughmore Cottages. Guess what?: Booked. This August timeframe is a killer. I am taking in your advice on Blarney and Waterford. They are out (never felt strongly about these cities anyway....).
Chatam-- I am e-mailing the Waterman's Lodge. What is the name of the place in Kenmare? Thanks a million for the suggestions!
People: I am dying to know: what does Erin go braugh and Slan Agus Beannacht means????
woja-- I am taking in your advice on Ballina. It is out as home base, but definitely an option for a couple of nights. Definitely appreciate and made notes of the Waterford Crystal tips. The way this trip is shaping up, I think that 2 home bases are the minimum that would be appropriate. Good points
cowboy: I e-mailed the Croughmore Cottages. Guess what?: Booked. This August timeframe is a killer. I am taking in your advice on Blarney and Waterford. They are out (never felt strongly about these cities anyway....).
Chatam-- I am e-mailing the Waterman's Lodge. What is the name of the place in Kenmare? Thanks a million for the suggestions!
People: I am dying to know: what does Erin go braugh and Slan Agus Beannacht means????
Mar 28th, 2007, 03:38 PM
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Slan Agus Beannacht means Good Bye & God's Blessings
I am sorry to hear that Croughmore is booked but I thought that might be the case.
You could try Courtyard Irish Holiday Cottages, just outside of Tralee, http://www.countykerryholidays.com/.
This site, http://www.accessatlast.com/disabled...AND/Co.+Kerry/, might also prove helpful with the wheelchair issue.
Slan Go Foill (Goodbye for Now),
Bit Devine
I am sorry to hear that Croughmore is booked but I thought that might be the case.
You could try Courtyard Irish Holiday Cottages, just outside of Tralee, http://www.countykerryholidays.com/.
This site, http://www.accessatlast.com/disabled...AND/Co.+Kerry/, might also prove helpful with the wheelchair issue.
Slan Go Foill (Goodbye for Now),
Bit Devine
