Newbie to Wicklow town

rdow

I'm a student in DIT, currently on Work Experience in Galway which is finishing up soon, and I thought I'd be moving back in with my family in Dublin for my Final year, but turns out they're moving to Wicklow town.

I just want to know what the buses are like getting to Dublin?
Is there a Night bus out that far from Dublin?
Whats the night life like in Wicklow?
Is there other things like cinema and what not?
What's the chances of a part time job there?
And basically any other useful info you can give me plz??

I want to know if I'll manage or should I just rent in Dublin.

I don't live in wicklow any more but I did for a few years!

There are bus eireann buses from dublin to wicklow all day there used to be a bus from Bus Aras that would go at about 12.30am and 3.30 am for coming home at night.

Nightlife is good, there are a few good bars that have music etc. Restaurants etc are lovely, it's a really nice place to live.

Not sure about a cinema? think Arklow may be the nearest big one and there's a big new shopping centre there too.

I liked living in wicklow, only thing that killed me was that all my friends lived in Dublin!

loyatemu

the Bus Eireann nightlink to Wicklow is no longer running.

spank_inferno

Plus the wicklow/dublin bus does not terminate in Busaras because the route is: Wicklow -> Dublin Airport.
The bus stops near the quays & Kildare street I think?
Services have improved a lot of late with hourly services now available.
(though cut backs may change that in time to come)
It can be relatively expensive to use (currently €11 day return)

There is is a train station on the northern edge of town but its services are less frequent.

The town has 1 nightclub and a smaller "late bar/club"
They are located beside each other and are the focal point for the usual weekend brawling.
There are about a dozen pubs throughout the town.

There are few if any jobs. Tesco is wicklow's largest private sector employer so you could try there.

There is no Cinema in the town, nearest ones being Arklow. Restaurants arent great (in my opinion)

Its an ok place to live.

Oh & statistics show it has more boy racer types than people *

*(statistic may not be true but you get the picture)


I did the commuting thing to DIT from here for 3 years and it gets very old very fast.

Your bus ticket will be between 160-200 per month
(its around 40 per week for students)
All for a 3hr daily round trip to dublin
If you can afford it rent in dublin

rdow

Thanks, that helps alot, I couldnt find much info on the net. Sounds like it wouldnt be much more expensive to rent in Dublin.
How long is the bus journey between Wicklow and Dublin?

remus808

rdow wrote: »

Thanks, that helps alot, I couldnt find much info on the net. Sounds like it wouldnt be much more expensive to rent in Dublin.
How long is the bus journey between Wicklow and Dublin?

It's about an hour and a half, probably longer at around 5-6pm in the evenings. I'm a student from Wicklow Town studying in Dublin and going back to getting the bus up and down again would wreck my head.. Renting in Dublin is very expensive but a much better option.

I'm not a big fan of the nightlife here having lived here and then moved to Dublin, but it might be ok as a novelty if your not used to it. Plenty of DIT heads around Wicklow so I guess that's a plus.

There's not a whole lot to do and not a sniff of a job either..

Húrin

rent in Dublin, seriously. I've heard many a Wicklow native say nothing but bad things about commuting, especially on public transport.

chocgirl

+1 for renting, Wicklow town's definitely not student central

spank_inferno

Húrin wrote: »

rent in Dublin, seriously. I've heard many a Wicklow native say nothing but bad things about commuting, especially on public transport.

Yeah I didnt want to diss the public transport but it is bad.
reason 1) The public, self explanatiry really
2) the transport.
The bus journey is as said 1.5 hours but this can stretch to 2 hours depending on route & traffic

considering we've a nice new dual carriageway the busses rambling along at 80kmh just doesnt cut it.
Also the lack of an express service doesnt help

Kildare_street

Hi, I would be truly grateful for any feedback from commuters who take the early morning trains from Wicklow to Dublin during the week. Is it possible to get a seat or is it a rarity?

Thank you very much.

Qs

Public transport from Wicklow to Dublin is shockingly bad.

Morgase

Kildare_street wrote: »

Hi, I would be truly grateful for any feedback from commuters who take the early morning trains from Wicklow to Dublin during the week. Is it possible to get a seat or is it a rarity?

Thank you very much.

You're much better off driving to the free park and ride car park in Greystones, and getting the DART from there.

It's been a while since I got the train from Wicklow, but you used to be able to get a seat on it heading in in the morning. The evening is a different story, I was often standing the whole way home.

Vic_08

Qs wrote: »

Public transport from Wicklow to Dublin is shockingly bad.

Absolute garbage.

A half-hourly or better bus from 5.30 am to 8am, hourly from 8am to 10pm and every 2 hours or better through the night.

The service isn't perfect and could do with some timetable adjustments to improve journey times but it is a long way from "shockingly bad".

spank_inferno

Agreed Vic,
"Shockingly bad" is way off the mark.

The bus eireann service has improved a huge amount.
Its probably the best means of commuting to the city centre.

My only gripe is the relatively high cost.
Its not that much less than motoring (if even at all).
So takeup of the service isn't as great as it could be.

Morgase

Could you guys tell me if the bus officially stops on the Convent Road / Ballyguile Road?

I see bus stops there and when I'm driving I often meet Bus Eireann buses on it. But when I check the official timetable it only has the Hotel and the Monument stops on it.

I think I might switch to the bus if it's a very good service, leave the car at home altogether and get some sleep on the bus!

spank_inferno

Yep it does indeed stop there.

Manky place to wait for a bus though as no sooner is the shelter glass get replaced does it get broken again.