Dublin to Ennis/Spanish Point this Friday

Shadowless

Hey,

As per the thread title I'm planning on heading west this weekend and I'm trying to figure out the best route to avoid as much bank holiday traffic as possible.

I'll be leaving from Aungier St in Dublin CC around 5:30.

Plan A: M7, follow the sat nav and take the Red Cow/Nass/Limerick route.
Plan B: M4/M6, Palmerstown/Athlone/Loughrea
Plan C: A bit out there perhaps. Park the car in Nass or somewhere in commuterland on thursday evening. Take the train out on friday and drive from there.

Any advice or alternatives appreciated.

Poxyshamrock

Shadowless wrote: »

Hey,

As per the thread title I'm planning on heading west this weekend and I'm trying to figure out the best route to avoid as much bank holiday traffic as possible.

I'll be leaving from Aungier St in Dublin CC around 5:30.

Plan A: M7, follow the sat nav and take the Red Cow/Nass/Limerick route.
Plan B: M4/M6, Palmerstown/Athlone/Loughrea
Plan C: A bit out there perhaps. Park the car in Nass or somewhere in commuterland on thursday evening. Take the train out on friday and drive from there.

Any advice or alternatives appreciated.

Find Plan A handy enough. You're talking motorway/dual carriage way from Red Cow all the way to Ennis.

coylemj

You're leaving the city centre at 5:30 so it's a bit futile to have an aspiration to avoid as much bank holiday traffic as possible

Please don't take this as criticism, I understand that you'd probably get out of the city earlier if this was possible, just recognise that you will experience delays. There are no secret shortcuts to the M7 from the city centre.

Forget Option B. Loughrea to Gort is an 'N' road but is a narrow old country road with a never ending series of gruesome bends, around any of which can come a local nutter in an SUV straddling the continuous line down the middle of the road, avoid at all costs.

Take the M7 to Limerick and the tunnel to the Ennis road. The M7 will be busy all the way to the two Naas exits but should be ok after that.

flyingsnail

M7 to limerick, tunnel to Ennis. By the time you hit single carriage roads most of the traffic should be gone.

Shadowless

Thanks folks. Looks like I'll just have to leave as early as possible and follow the sat nav. Appreciate the replies.

coylemj

Shadowless wrote: »

Thanks folks. Looks like I'll just have to leave as early as possible and follow the sat nav. Appreciate the replies.

I'd be very wary about following satnav, it's 50/50 whether it will direct you to Ennis via Gort (not advisable as per my earlier post) or Limerick (recommended). That in turn will depend on whether your maps are up to date and whether the satnav is set to route according to fastest route (using motorways) or shortest distance (any crappy road will do).

Just follow signs for the N7/M7 in Dublin, then stay on the N7/M7 all the way to Limerick and follow signs for Ennis, forget the SatNav.

Kumsheen

M7 the only way to go:) Comfort.