Car Hire in Westport to visit Achill Island

ScottSF

My wife and I are planning a long weekend visit to Westport by train from Dublin as we don't have a car. We also would love to visit Achill Island too, but I can't seem to find any car hire companies with locations in the city of Westport. Any suggestions? The hope was to hire a car for the day of driving and return it in Westport the next morning.

Alternatively do you know of tour operators who offer day trips to Achill Island from Westport? We want to stay in Westport so we can easily take Irish Rail to and from Dublin. Thanks very much for the advice.

thejaguar

Would you consider renting bikes?
The greenway cycle is fantastic and most of the bike companies will let you cycle one way and pick you up for the return leg.

It's 42km, but all very flat and goes all the way to Achill.

ScottSF

Yes the wife and I were thinking of renting bikes in Westport to bike a portion of the Greenway. Last time we visited we walked about an hour or two on the greenway, but certainly we need to hire bikes if we want to see a lot more.

I don't have the stamina for the entire ride from Westport to Achill. However even if I made it to Achill Island with the help of an electric bike, I still haven't seen the island right? The map of the Greenway shows that it ends at the sound connecting to the mainland. So it would be a lot more cycling or hiring a car to really explore the coastal route around the island and then get a shuttle or taxi back to Westport. Am I correct in my thinking? Thanks!

thejaguar

You're right about that - the thought struck me a moment after I hit submit.

Afraid I don't know any car rental places in the area - but that's probably the best way to get around the island.

thejaguar

Also, if you are thinking of doing some of the Greenway, I'd suggest getting over to Newport and starting from there. It knocks about 10k off the cycle.

yorlum11

+1 for the Greenway. Failing that Tim Hastings LTD in Westport do car hire. They might even deliver car to train station I'm not sure. Google them and give them a call. Enjoy Achill, it's blissful.

irishgeo

A guy does tours of achill in a minibus details here. http://www.teachcruachan.com/minibus--tours.html

The says s they will pick you up from the train station/airport so you might be able to get him to collect you in westport and return you that evening.

sorry just read you a minimum of 5 other wise its a €100 euro.

ScottSF

irishgeo wrote: »

A guy does tours of achill in a minibus details here. http://www.teachcruachan.com/minibus--tours.html

The says s they will pick you up from the train station/airport so you might be able to get him to collect you in westport and return you that evening.

sorry just read you a minimum of 5 other wise its a €100 euro.

It's an option at least so thanks for that idea!

I just noticed this company is listed on the Achill Island tourism website but the link is bad.
http://www.achilltourism.com/motor.html
http://www.teachcruachan.com/3094.html

ScottSF

thejaguar wrote: »

Also, if you are thinking of doing some of the Greenway, I'd suggest getting over to Newport and starting from there. It knocks about 10k off the cycle.

Do you know, is the most scenic part of the Greenway from Newport to Achill? I am not up to cycling the entire route but maybe half would be all I could handle. Unless I start training starting now

irishgeo

ScottSF wrote: »

It's an option at least so thanks for that idea!

I just noticed this company is listed on the Achill Island tourism website but the link is bad.
http://www.achilltourism.com/motor.html
http://www.teachcruachan.com/3094.html

yep the link i posted is the good one.

happyoutscan

ScottSF wrote: »

Do you know, is the most scenic part of the Greenway from Newport to Achill? I am not up to cycling the entire route but maybe half would be all I could handle. Unless I start training starting now

Achill-Mulranny-Newport is the most scenic stretch of the Greenway so I wouldn't bother cycling the Newport-Westport stretch. As long as you make sure that you are cycling with the wind at your back you will be able to complete the 30km from Achill to Newport. Just take your time and enjoy the scenery, plus its on an old rail line so it is relatively flat.

thejaguar

Yep, I'd skip the Westport > Newport leg.

As mentioned above it's all pretty much flat between Achill and Newport - the wind is the only thing that could cause a headache, if it's at your back, it's literally a breeze!

CiniO

Tim Hastings used to do car hire. We rented car off him few years ago. Give it a try Op.

biko

For car hire you can try www.timhastings.ie/car-hire.php

ScottSF

Thanks for all the advice and tips - much appreciated! Achill Island and the Greenway seem like two excellent reasons to visit and stay in and around Westport which is itself a lovely town. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to get as much tourism support and coverage as the "must see" destinations around Ireland.

I'll consult with the wife and see if we want to try go through the hassle to rent a car here or there, or we'll stick with the Greenway and maybe also do hiking or kayaking nearby instead of Achill Island itself. There is no bad choice, but I do wish car hire was more commonplace in smaller cities, especially for weekend holiday breaks. There are so many people living in Dublin without a car so there should be a demand.

CiniO

ScottSF wrote: »

I'll consult with the wife and see if we want to try go through the hassle to rent a car here or there, or we'll stick with the Greenway and maybe also do hiking or kayaking nearby instead of Achill Island itself. There is no bad choice, but I do wish car hire was more commonplace in smaller cities, especially for weekend holiday breaks. There are so many people living in Dublin without a car so there should be a demand.

What you mean car hire was more commonplace.
Did you try Tim Hastings? That is a car hire in Westport so it's exactly what you looked for...

ScottSF

CiniO wrote: »

What you mean car hire was more commonplace.
Did you try Tim Hastings? That is a car hire in Westport so it's exactly what you looked for...

Yes that is definitely a good option, I do agree with the helpful suggestion. However when I travel I tend to choose to hire a car from a major company I've dealt with before in case anything happens. I do not own a car or have my own insurance so to reduce my risk I try to go with the Europcar or Hertz or Enterprise (for example). I would guess these big companies have more standard rental policies and can handle claim issues more easily due to a larger customer support staff.

CiniO

ScottSF wrote: »

Yes that is definitely a good option, I do agree with the helpful suggestion. However when I travel I tend to choose to hire a car from a major company I've dealt with before in case anything happens. I do not own a car or have my own insurance so to reduce my risk I try to go with the Europcar or Hertz or Enterprise (for example). I would guess these big companies have more standard rental policies and can handle claim issues more easily due to a larger customer support staff.

Sorry, but this is pure nonsense.
What claim issues?
When renting a car, you leave deposit and take a car. If you crash the car, you will lose your deposit, unless you paid extra to cover it.
That's how it works with nearly all rental companies, no matter how big or small they are.

There's nothing more to handle really.

ScottSF

CiniO wrote: »

Sorry, but this is pure nonsense.
What claim issues? When renting a car, you leave deposit and take a car. If you crash the car, you will lose your deposit, unless you paid extra to cover it. That's how it works with nearly all rental companies, no matter how big or small they are. There's nothing more to handle really.

We all have our own risk preference so we'll disagree. I'm coming at it from an American perspective where everyone is ready to sue for anything and you have to be careful. I'm less concerned with damage claims than with if something more serious happens (liability, injury). If a friend visiting the US asked me whether to use a major US car hire company versus one I never heard of, I would tell the friend to go with the name brand for peace of mind, regardless of reality. Same goes for when I hired a car on holiday in South Africa and Croatia which are countries whose laws I am less familiar with.

CiniO

ScottSF wrote: »

We all have our own risk preference so we'll disagree. I'm coming at it from an American perspective where everyone is ready to sue for anything and you have to be careful. I'm less concerned with damage claims than with if something more serious happens (liability, injury). If a friend visiting the US asked me whether to use a major US car hire company versus one I never heard of, I would tell the friend to go with the name brand for peace of mind, regardless of reality. Same goes for when I hired a car on holiday in South Africa and Croatia which are countries whose laws I am less familiar with.

Well, let me explain then please.
Whatever rental company you will use, car will come with third party insurance which will cover you against any liability to other person caused by you.
I think in Ireland there is a limit of €30 million towards property damage, and unlimited amount towards personal injury or death claims.

So it will not make any difference for you, if you crash in car from Hertz, or borrowed off Joe from his shed once insurance is in place.

ScottSF

CiniO wrote: »

Well, let me explain then please.
Whatever rental company you will use, car will come with third party insurance which will cover you against any liability to other person caused by you.
I think in Ireland there is a limit of €30 million towards property damage, and unlimited amount towards personal injury or death claims.

So it will not make any difference for you, if you crash in car from Hertz, or borrowed off Joe from his shed once insurance is in place.

Thanks for the explanation about how it works in Ireland. If only every country had the same rules.

Because every country has its own insurance and liability requirements, it can be time consuming to figure it out every time. I usually buy the Super CDW/Cover to avoid the excess and sometimes I have to pay for a second driver depending upon country. Reading the fine print for every rental company is no fun. Unfortunately the TH site doesn't list rates, fees, or terms, so I'd have to contact them to find out more.

darka78

I would suggest take a train or bus to Galway and rent a car from major rent company as you wish. Galway is not that far away from Westport. Plus you would see Galway as well.

CiniO

ScottSF wrote: »

Thanks for the explanation about how it works in Ireland. If only every country had the same rules.

Every country in EU does anyway.
There's EU wide requirement what every car third party insurance policy must offer and every EU country must adhere to it.
Also this makes a third party policy issued in one of EU countries valid in all EU countries for the whole period of policy.
However it only applies to third party part of your policy, so if someone has comprehensive cover (which f.e. consists of third party, fire, theft, own car damage, windscreen cover, etc) only third party part has a set minimum requirements by EU. All additional benefit depends on insurer.

Because every country has its own insurance and liability requirements, it can be time consuming to figure it out every time. I usually buy the Super CDW/Cover to avoid the excess and sometimes I have to pay for a second driver depending upon country. Reading the fine print for every rental company is no fun. Unfortunately the TH site doesn't list rates, fees, or terms, so I'd have to contact them to find out more.

You are now talking about what usually rental companies insurance options are.
But the fact is that every car rented in EU, will have third party cover included so if you cause a big damage to someone, you won't be charged big money for it.
Also I haven't seen yet a rental company in EU, which would not offer comprehensive cover, however sometimes indeed they have high excess or requirement to name and pay extra for more drivers.
Super CDW lets you avoid this excess.
So all you really need to do when renting, is to find out what is the excess, and how much extra Super CDW costs assuming this rental company offers it.
It's not that much really to check.

ScottSF

For those reading this thread you may find it amusing to read the COMMENTS section of this very helpful article on how to rent a car in Ireland (written mostly for overseas visitors). As you can see there is a lot of confusion around this topic with many negative experiences reported. That is why I ask a lot of questions myself

http://www.infiniteireland.com/a-comprehensive-guide-to-renting-a-car-in-ireland/