Tour of Ireland - Itinerary suggestions

Monty Burnz

I hope this is an appropriate forum for this thread, but I guess I'll soon find out if it isn't!

Here's what I'm looking for - an itinerary of places to stay and things to see over a ten day tour of Ireland. There are some restrictions:

1. Day one is spent in Limerick county.
2. Cork must be visited.
3. The last 3 or 4 days must be in Dublin.
4. The day before going to Dublin is again spent in Limerick.

(I'll be borrowing and returning a car to Limerick - this is the reason for number 1 and number 4)

So where should I go and where should I stay? I'd like to get up to the Cliffs of Moher, and it might be nice to visit Dingle or some scenic area in Kerry. Accommodation will be in hostels or cheapo B&Bs.

Any thoughts will be gratefully received.

hytrogen

If you want to test your driving skills & the cars brakes find the healy-rae pass near Kenmare, way better than the ring of Kerry imho.
Do the sugarloaf walk while in south Dublin
drive from Limerick to Carlow town, there's an incredible castle about half way along that road south of Port Laois just off to your left that's definitely worth a visit.
Galway because it's Galway & amazing buzz any time of the year & while you're there get lost trying to find Cliften or onto Achaill

Just a thought or two..

mel.b

Monty Burnz wrote: »

I hope this is an appropriate forum for this thread, but I guess I'll soon find out if it isn't!

Here's what I'm looking for - an itinerary of places to stay and things to see over a ten day tour of Ireland. There are some restrictions:

1. Day one is spent in Limerick county.
2. Cork must be visited.
3. The last 3 or 4 days must be in Dublin.
4. The day before going to Dublin is again spent in Limerick.

(I'll be borrowing and returning a car to Limerick - this is the reason for number 1 and number 4)

So where should I go and where should I stay? I'd like to get up to the Cliffs of Moher, and it might be nice to visit Dingle or some scenic area in Kerry. Accommodation will be in hostels or cheapo B&Bs.

Any thoughts will be gratefully received.

Do you really need to spend the last 3 - 4 days in dublin? Will you have transport while in Dublin? If you dont then I'd cut that down to 2 days max. if you have transport then you could do a day trip to the Wicklow mountains and maybe another day trip somewhere else if you spend 4 days there.

While having access to the car is very handy it is a bit of a pain that it is Limerick:p You'll just be backtracking if for example you head up to the Burren & Connemara for a couple of days and then down to Kerry/Dingle/Healy Pass - what ever you decide to do.

Maybe to minimise the backtracking something like this...
Day 1 - pick up car in Limerick, day trip to Burren (cliffs of Moher etc). Spend night in Limerick
Day 2 - Drive to Dingle and around the Dingle Pennisula. Spend night in Dingle
Day 3 - Drive to Kerry - My favourite and IMHO the most scenic part of the Ring of Kerry is - Drive Gap of Dunloe (they don't like you doing it, but it can be done - take it slow, pull over for the horses or do it early in the morning when it is quiet), then drive through black vally up to Moll's gap. You could drive to Kenmare and back to Moll's gap - its not far and that is very scenic as well. Then from Moll's gap drive to Killarney, stopping off at Muckross house etc. Spend night in Kerry
Day 4 - Drive to cork, do what ever it is that you want to do there - 1 or 2 nights depending on your plans
Day 5/6 - Drive back to Limerick - about 2hrs from Cork city. you could stop of at Blarney castle if you haven't visited already and then there is the ruins of a Friary (i think - someone will know the name) along the way on the right hand side that look very nice. I've always meant to stop and have a look at them but have never had the time.

As mentioned, Healy pass is spectacular but a fair bit out of your way on the drive from kerry to cork.

From there it depends if you are going to spend the night in Limerick of head straight up to Dublin after dropping the car off and then spending the time however you want in dublin.

This is a busy itinerary, but it is possible. If you cut the the time in Dublin (which you really dont need unless it is for a specific purpose such as work or a course etc) then you could include thinks like Rock of Cashel, or head up to the connemara (but more backtracking to get back to Limerick to drop off the car)

Monty Burnz

mel.b wrote: »

Maybe to minimise the backtracking something like this...
Day 1 - pick up car in Limerick, day trip to Burren (cliffs of Moher etc). Spend night in Limerick
Day 2 - Drive to Dingle and around the Dingle Pennisula. Spend night in Dingle
Day 3 - Drive to Kerry - My favourite and IMHO the most scenic part of the Ring of Kerry is - Drive Gap of Dunloe (they don't like you doing it, but it can be done - take it slow, pull over for the horses or do it early in the morning when it is quiet), then drive through black vally up to Moll's gap. You could drive to Kenmare and back to Moll's gap - its not far and that is very scenic as well. Then from Moll's gap drive to Killarney, stopping off at Muckross house etc. Spend night in Kerry
Day 4 - Drive to cork, do what ever it is that you want to do there - 1 or 2 nights depending on your plans
Day 5/6 - Drive back to Limerick - about 2hrs from Cork city.

Interesting - that's the opposite way I was thinking of doing that stuff but it might work better. I'm just wondering if I could squeeze out a bit more time around Galway/Mayo, I haven't seem that much of the area. And of course I don't want to spend too much time in the car if I can help it.

Thanks!

mel.b

You could do, but i think it would mean missing out on the south

Something like

Day 1 - limerick, burren, cliffs of moher. Maybe stay the night in doolin
Day 2 - galway. Spend night in galway
Day 3 - drive theugh connemara. Maybe spend night in clifden
Day 4 - Drive to somewhere like westport - spend the night
Day 5 back to limerick, onto cork. Westport to limerick is about 2.5 - 3hrs drive then another 1.5 hours onto cork. Even if don't go to westport and from clifden go to limerick and then cork it is still going to take around 4 hours
Day 6 - 7 cork, then back to limerick
Day 8 -10 dubin

A bit more backtracking, but you are still getting to see some spectacular countryside. Whichever way you go you wont be dissapointed.

Tech3

Westport has got to be done if you havnt been before. Croagh Patrick, beaches, cycle tracks around the town, cycle track from Mulranny-Newport is brilliant and of course the good range of restaurants and pubs in the town itself. Renting bikes are cheap from €12 a day. Westport house is another thing to do.

Adare is worth considering to stay but accomadation would be expensive on day 1.

Killarney. Cycle the gap of Dunloe instead of driving it. I think if you could bring the bike up on the car to Molls Gap and go down the Black valley towards dunloe it would be much easier as it is mostly downhill and the views are breathtaking. Torc waterfall and Mucross house are worth visiting if you havnt seen them before. Drive to Dingle via Conor Pass.

The model rail farm in Clonakilty is something different and worth going to if you do pass through the town. Inchydoney is also worth spending time at if the weather is good.