Trip Idea

scrapsmac

Hi folks,

I have a free day coming up midweek. I'm based in Belfast but looking to spend the day taking a few train journeys.

I've headed West on the Derry / Coleraine line a good few times so I would preferably head South.

Presumably I'll take the enterprise to Dublin and connect. I'd prefer to visit a few smaller stations so any advice would be appreciated! If possible need to catch the last enterprise back to Belfast that night.

cgcsb

For scenery the dart journey along Dublin's coast is very beautiful and Greystones is a lovely spot for lunch.

scrapsmac

cgcsb wrote: »

For scenery the dart journey along Dublin's coast is very beautiful and Greystones is a lovely spot for lunch.

Thanks! I used to live in Dublin and take the Dart in and out of Connolly. Lovely trip.

Any other potential ideas?

On another note, I'm hoping to put together a 'real ale' trail of my own around Ireland and tackle it someday. I don't even know if it would be possible with our network. http://www.realaletrail.net/

dzilla

scrapsmac wrote: »

cgcsb wrote: »

For scenery the dart journey along Dublin's coast is very beautiful and Greystones is a lovely spot for lunch.

Thanks! I used to live in Dublin and take the Dart in and out of Connolly. Lovely trip.

Any other potential ideas?

On another note, I'm hoping to put together a 'real ale' trail of my own around Ireland and tackle it someday. I don't even know if it would be possible with our network. http://www.realaletrail.net/

Hello,

I really like your idea of combining Rail and Ale . the rail-ale-trail.

Anyway, my 2 cents -

Belfast - Connolly - Waterford

In Kilkenny I can suggest Brewary Corner / Bridies for beer

and in Waterford there is Tullys / Philly Grimes for the beer.

Cheers

D

scrapsmac

dzilla wrote: »

Hello,

I really like your idea of combining Rail and Ale . the rail-ale-trail.

Anyway, my 2 cents -

Belfast - Connolly - Waterford

In Kilkenny I can suggest Brewary Corner / Bridies for beer

and in Waterford there is Tullys / Philly Grimes for the beer.

Cheers

D

Brilliant. I'll have a look at the timetables today.

cdeb

If you're doing the DART around Dublin - which is highly recommended - you should try continue your trip down the entire east coast to Rosslare Europort; just try connect with a Rosslare train on arrival in Connolly. You've got Dublin Bay, emerging out the tunnel over Killiney Bay, the Bray/Greystones cliffs (if you know where to look, you can still see the old track route which was changed after the bridge collapsed, sending a train into the sea in 1867), Kilcoole beach, the foothills of the Wicklow mountains around Rathdrum, the main street of Wexford Town alongside the road traffic and then Rosslare Harbour, with the ferry in the harbour and nothing until France.

There's not a huge amount in Rosslare Harbour, but the train doesn't go back for half an hour, so you can have a wander around. There's a hotel up the top of the hill that does food if needed.

It should be possible to do all that as a day trip from Belfast. I don't know how best to tie that into visiting some of the smaller stations - maybe a wander around Rosslare Europort would suffice? Or of course you can always pick up on a stop (like Kilcoole) for a future explore.

dzilla

cdeb wrote: »

If you're doing the DART around Dublin - which is highly recommended - you should try continue your trip down the entire east coast to Rosslare Europort; just try connect with a Rosslare train on arrival in Connolly. You've got Dublin Bay, emerging out the tunnel over Killiney Bay, the Bray/Greystones cliffs (if you know where to look, you can still see the old track route which was changed after the bridge collapsed, sending a train into the sea in 1867), Kilcoole beach, the foothills of the Wicklow mountains around Rathcoole, the main street of Wexford Town alongside the road traffic and then Rosslare Harbour, with the ferry in the harbour and nothing until France.

There's not a huge amount in Rosslare Harbour, but the train doesn't go back for half an hour, so you can have a wander around. There's a hotel up the top of the hill that does food if needed.

It should be possible to do all that as a day trip from Belfast. I don't know how best to tie that into visiting some of the smaller stations - maybe a wander around Rosslare Europort would suffice? Or of course you can always pick up on a stop (like Kilcoole) for a future explore.

I wish the train went from Rosslare to Waterford still

Del.Monte

dzilla wrote: »

I wish the train went from Rosslare to Waterford still

It was closed to save on wear and tear on the rails - and to keep the great unwashed from ravaging the the beautiful South Wexford countryside.

end of the road

Del.Monte wrote: »

It was closed to save on wear and tear on the rails - and to keep the great unwashed from ravaging the the beautiful South Wexford countryside.

indeed, we can't be having that down here!!!
not forgetting the line was built by the wrong company, and the gsr probably disliked it later on.

anyway joking (or not) asside, you might just about get that trip done in a day. i suspect you will have a tight connection to the belfast train on the way back though. if you can do it it would be a worth while trip. the journey to rosslare is very slow, and if you are lucky you might get one of the ultra-noisy green rattle traps, but if you like sceenery then you will be on the right train.

tabbey

cdeb wrote: »

Or of course you can always pick up on a stop (like Kilcoole) for a future explore.

Up to now, Rosslare trains have not served Kilcoole.

Do you have information regarding future expansion of services here, given the recent development; namely new ramp and steps from platform to carpark?

Del.Monte

I shouldn't imagine that there's any plan to upgrade Kilcoole, and I certainly hope that they don't as there's already greatly increased pressure on the sensitive ecosystem of the area.

n97 mini

Don't bother with Rosslare, get off in Wexford town and explore some of its excellent pubs including a brew pub on Main St.

Re an ale trail, this would be just about possible on the DART line where services are frequent enough and there are pubs close to a good many of the stations. I don't think it'd be possible anywhere else.

end of the road

Del.Monte wrote: »

I shouldn't imagine that there's any plan to upgrade Kilcoole, and I certainly hope that they don't as there's already greatly increased pressure on the sensitive ecosystem of the area.

not only that, but upgrading Kilcoole would destroy the rain forrists.

cdeb

tabbey wrote: »

Up to now, Rosslare trains have not served Kilcoole.

Two Rosslare trains a (week-)day in either direction serve Kilcoole?

It's true they're only the evening rush-hour trains, and the other Rosslare services skip it. But that's not the point. If the OP wants to explore some of the smaller stations, they could, for example, get off in Greystones and walk to Wicklow, passing Kilcoole and the disused Newcastle and Killoughter stations.

I don't know exactly what the OP means by "I'd prefer to visit a few smaller stations", but there's an idea which a return trip to Rosslare Europort could help flesh out.

tabbey

cdeb,
You are quite right, Kilcoole is served by Rosslare trains up morning, down evening, which I tend to think of as commuter services, largely operated by 2900 class dmus. However, the OP wold not be able to use Kilcoole as part of a day trip from Belfast.

It seems he (or she) would like to stop at small stations for the experience of sampling alcoholic beverages in smaller towns, which tend to have more character.
For what it is worth, I have enjoyed such an outing in Rathdrum, although from Dublin, not Belfast. Rathdrum has a number of pubs with character, and a short, but hilly, walk from the station.
The problem for a person in Belfast, is that Irish Rail have not run an up afternoon train on the Rosslare line for many years, and the up evening train arrives in Dublin an hour too late for the last Belfast. The alternative is to start early, 0645 ex Belfast, have lunch in the Garden of Ireland, and return on the 1255 from Rosslare, due at Rathdrum 1430. Then have more refreshment nearer Dublin.

cdeb

tabbey wrote: »

It seems he (or she) would like to stop at small stations for the experience of sampling alcoholic beverages in smaller towns, which tend to have more character.

That was described as "on another note" though - so separate from the original query (which included the reference to smaller stations) to which I was replying.

dzilla

n97 mini wrote: »

brew pub on Main St.

sam quighleys i believe? great spot

n97 mini

dzilla wrote: »

sam quighleys i believe? great spot

Simon Lambert & Sons.

n97 mini

tabbey wrote: »

It seems he (or she) would like to stop at small stations for the experience of sampling alcoholic beverages in smaller towns, which tend to have more character.

Stations, plural. The idea is that you get the train between pubs. DART aside I'm struggling to think of another route that has frequent service and more than 4 or 5 stops with pubs within a short walk. Maynooth line doesn't really make the grade as I can only think of pubs at Drumcondra, Ashtown, Castleknock and Maynooth, and Maynooth is the only one with any sort of choice.

dzilla

n97 mini wrote: »

dzilla wrote: »

sam quighleys i believe? great spot

Simon Lambert & Sons.

ah yes

scrapsmac

Thanks for all the suggestions folks! I haven't logged in in a few days so missed these. I'll scour the timetables and see what I can put together from this info.

I'm a big ale man myself (and homebrewer) so I love the idea of a real ale trail. Unfortunately I think you are all right that we don't have the same network as across the pond so it is difficult to piece one together.

Thanks again!

L1011

Stations too far outside towns and poor presence of much beyond the macro brews everywhere really make a DART one the only option. Even the Maynooth line is very poor for it.