Travelling from Letterkenny to Belfast

stephen090

Hi Guys, hopefully this is an appropriate thread:

I'm about to start a course in Jordanstown, near Belfast. It's only 2 days a week (Monday,Tuesday 9-5) for the first semester anywho! I'll be working part time at home in LK most other days. I've been weighing up the pros and cons of driving. It could be anywhere from 2-3 hours with rush hour traffic I'm guessing? I don't mind driving distances at all per say, but is counter-productive?

-Could probably get campus accommodation for £75 per week, including utilities - though I'd probably only be staying 3 nights a week anyway with work at home.
-Mammy's "dinners and washing" available at home
-Car gets more or less 35 miles per gallon, unleaded
-I'm not overly interested in the social aspect of college as I've been there done that before; and campus accommodation will be mainly internationally based students
-Winter weather could prove a hindrance and affect travel?
-Money is an issue, as always, but there is room for flexibility

Anyone with any experience of a similar commute? What would you recommend?

Thanks!

buckfasterer

stephen090 wrote: »

Hi Guys, hopefully this is an appropriate thread:

I'm about to start a course in Jordanstown, near Belfast. It's only 2 days a week (Monday,Tuesday 9-5) for the first semester anywho! I'll be working part time at home in LK most other days. I've been weighing up the pros and cons of driving. It could be anywhere from 2-3 hours with rush hour traffic I'm guessing? I don't mind driving distances at all per say, but is counter-productive?

-Could probably get campus accommodation for £75 per week, including utilities - though I'd probably only be staying 3 nights a week anyway with work at home.
-Mammy's "dinners and washing" available at home
-Car gets more or less 35 miles per gallon, unleaded
-I'm not overly interested in the social aspect of college as I've been there done that before; and campus accommodation will be mainly internationally based students
-Winter weather could prove a hindrance and affect travel?
-Money is an issue, as always, but there is room for flexibility

Anyone with any experience of a similar commute? What would you recommend?

Thanks!

There used to be a bus that went up there every day from letterkenny in the mornings and back in the evenings, I'd check that out. If not that, there will definitely be one that goes from Derry.

dwayneshintzy

Patrick Gallagher's leaves LK at 9:00, and then leaves Belfast at 5:30, so probably wouldn't suit. You could drive into Derry and get the bus though, think they've got them going every 30 minutes from 6am or so.

stephen090

Thanks guys. I didn't even think of bus/train from Derry. Though; any handy/free/cheap parking near the stations?
Getting as far as Jordanstown seems to be a bother then though. It adds on 40 minutes between waiting on a connection and travelling there. Making the journey nearer 3 hours on top of driving the 20-30 mins to Derry. Maybe I'm missing a trick there somewhere though!

dwayneshintzy

There's loads of buses leaving the Queen's area every morning, at the end of Botanic

4odh4n

done two years part time in Jordanstown driving up and down on the days required, it is do-able, from memory think it took just over two hours (i am 15mins from derry) in the morning, i hit the road at 6:30 n would only have hit slow moving traffic on the motorway coming into belfast, grand again once turned off for J-town (junction 2 i think it was), tried to get there in time to get a bite of breakfast before day kicked off. slower on way home as you are heading out with all the traffic, i usually done anything i needed to do in library for few hours and left after the evening rush. it is a long day though and would only recommend it if you dont mind the idea of the few hours driving either end.
Find out the cost of parking in J-town too, its a right few quid per day i think, and prob not got any cheaper. it will add up over the year! the second year it worked out that was able share the driving which was a big help.
Never had any major bother with weather, only day i remeber the glenshane was closed i couldnt get out of my own driveway anyway!
if two days in a row maybe a b&b?, might get a decent rate on a week night n not cost much more than the fuel driving up n down and leave the monday evening to work from the library...

Durnish

I was hoping that there might have been some thoughts from a Letterkenny "Mammy".

Plan, Gallagher's Coach, (a great service and non-mammy dinner is available at the handily located chip shop) Sunday evening, 6:45 p.m, L'kenny to Belfast. Coach back on Tues at 5;30.

stephen090

Durnish wrote: »

I was hoping that there might have been some thoughts from a Letterkenny "Mammy".

Plan, Gallagher's Coach, (a great service and non-mammy dinner is available at the handily located chip shop) Sunday evening, 6:45 p.m, L'kenny to Belfast. Coach back on Tues at 5;30.

Thanks haha! In that case I could drive up- the problem then rests on accommodation for the few days in that case!

stephen090

4odh4n wrote: »

done two years part time in Jordanstown driving up and down on the days required, it is do-able, from memory think it took just over two hours (i am 15mins from derry) in the morning, i hit the road at 6:30 n would only have hit slow moving traffic on the motorway coming into belfast, grand again once turned off for J-town (junction 2 i think it was), tried to get there in time to get a bite of breakfast before day kicked off. slower on way home as you are heading out with all the traffic, i usually done anything i needed to do in library for few hours and left after the evening rush. it is a long day though and would only recommend it if you dont mind the idea of the few hours driving either end.
Find out the cost of parking in J-town too, its a right few quid per day i think, and prob not got any cheaper. it will add up over the year! the second year it worked out that was able share the driving which was a big help.
Never had any major bother with weather, only day i remeber the glenshane was closed i couldnt get out of my own driveway anyway!
if two days in a row maybe a b&b?, might get a decent rate on a week night n not cost much more than the fuel driving up n down and leave the monday evening to work from the library...

Thanks, that's good to hear! I think it would probably be worth my while buying a year Parking pass with the Uni for £75ish! BnB is a good shout if there is a period of bad weather! I think ill chance it for the first semester and reasses it once I see the next timetable!

Cheers

harpstilidie

I done a Masters at Jordanstown that was 2 days a week (Thursday and Friday). I drove up on Thursday morning, crashed at my aunt's house Thursday night and drove home on the Friday. Do you know of anyone that lives in Belfast or the surrounding areas that you could stay with? I'm sure if you give them a few quid for the night you'll be there that would do.

From recollection journey time for me was about 1 hour 50 mins from Ballybofey area so easily doable IMO.