Ireland.....just read pls:)

!Nicky!

Hey all, so i'm coming back to Ireland in october with my gf and basically shes never been so want to take her around.

I land in Dublin on 7th,Monday and want to be back in cork on Friday/Saturday.

Plan is to head North from Dublin(will have a car) and go around the edge until maybe Galway, then head straight back to cork and hit Kerry and the west the following week.

Want to go see the giants causeway anyway but im looking for any other suggestions people have up around there on that anti-clockwise coast route..

Anything mentioned appreciated...sights,attractions,cool old irish things,pubs,restaurants etc.

Thanks in advance

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Climb Croagh Patrick, if you;re the energetic type (fantastic views). Also, Ring of Kerry and lakes of Killarney.

InTheTrees

Not sure where you're coming back from but remember the roads can be very very slow. I always seem to under estimate how long it'll take to get from place to place and those coastal roads can be sloooow.

Roselm

You can go kyaking in Clew Bay.There are seals that often follow the kyaks. I thought it was brilliant!

bogman_bass

Newgrange

Fratton Fred

Spend a night or two in Belfast. The titanic quarter is brilliant and a bus tour of the city is an eye opener to say the least.

Gatica

There's also surfing at Achill Island. And in Galway visit Kylemore Abbey and the walled garden. Well worth a visit...

miamee

!Nicky! wrote: »

Hey all, so i'm coming back to Ireland in october with my gf and basically shes never been so want to take her around.

I land in Dublin on 7th,Monday and want to be back in cork on Friday/Saturday.

Plan is to head North from Dublin(will have a car) and go around the edge until maybe Galway, then head straight back to cork and hit Kerry and the west the following week.

Want to go see the giants causeway anyway but im looking for any other suggestions people have up around there on that anti-clockwise coast route..

Anything mentioned appreciated...sights,attractions,cool old irish things,pubs,restaurants etc.

Thanks in advance

That is a shocking amount of driving unless you really planned to spend all week in the car. A cousin of mine did something similar in March and he was a broken man at the end of it, so much driving, sightseeing and partying - he was the only driver out of 4 of them over from New York. Never again.

I'd suggest seeing less of the country but enjoying what you do see without rushing around. Maybe head West first and do a bit of the coast before heading across to Cork?

Don't forget as someone else has already said, the roads will be small and slow and crappy. It may look a short distance on the map but there are very few motorways or even dual carriageways where you will be going. If you get stuck behind a tractor for an hour, for example, you're stuck there!

I'm jealous of the road trip though, enjoy it

131spanner

I'd say definitely take a boat from Doolin and do a tour of the Cliffs of Moher. It's an unreal experience, even on a rainy day. There's a picture of how close they'll bring you, amazing stuff.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8422/nqdr.JPG

!Nicky!

Thanks for the replies..

@131spanner I hadnt thought of doing the cliff tour, ill have to see what the weathers like as she gets seasick sometimes lol.

Ive it pretty much scheduled out, yes lots of driving but since i'm from the south we're gonna do more stuff the following week down west so a quick spin of the north should be fine. Might try take in a few of those spots though.

keithclancy

This guy did a great post on stuff to do in Dublin in one day:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/do-everything-dublin-1-day-for-30-guinness-zoo-bewleys-jamesons-aviva-stadium-airport-1637642

SpaceTime

If you want variety I would suggest making use of the motorway network to try several regions to avoid long, long drives on the scenic routes.

You really need to plan your journeys to minimise car time and maximise scenery and being in interesting places.

The most direct route on narrow roads isn't always the most time-efficient if you want to really take in a lot of Ireland in a few days.

guttenberg

If your going to the Giants Causeway(rip off IMO) you should also consider going to the Carrick A Rede rope bridge, lovely views if you go on a nice day.

Alias G

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Spend a night or two in Belfast. The titanic quarter is brilliant and a bus tour of the city is an eye opener to say the least.

Two nights would be overkill for Belfast. Aside from its lamentable history, it is an unremarkable city. An afternoon should suffice.

SpaceTime

In terms of scenery you need to really get to the West Coast. The Burren area is extremely accessible by motorway via Galway.

We stayed in Ballyvoughan just outside Galway city. Cute town, nice food, stunning scenery

Donegal is amazing but harder to reach.

Kerry is stunning too as is West Cork and Cork is very, very foodie if you're into that kind of thing. Lots of cute villages and gourmet / artisan food tourism stuff going on.

InTheTrees

!Nicky! wrote: »

Ive it pretty much scheduled out, yes lots of driving but since i'm from the south we're gonna do more stuff the following week down west so a quick spin of the north should be fine. Might try take in a few of those spots though.

So how long did you schedule to drive around the coast from Dub to donegal?

I would have said about five days. I'd be really interested to know though how long it really takes.

finnharpsboy

the leprachaun museum off jervis street

HodgeDog

I would recommend Ring of Kerry and like previous people have mentioned lakes of Killarney are a place to visit.