Advice on Bristol, Dublin, Galway, Dingle, Donegal, Edinburgh, Manchester?

An ambitious plan but definitely doable - although you've got some backtracking which, if tickets haven't been purchased, you could work around. Instead of flying into Bristol, why not fly into Shannon? Pick up your car there, see Dingle, Cliffs/Aran Islands and Galway. Drop off car and then take the train to Dublin and then fly to Bristol and work your way up, ending up in Edinburgh - train to London and then Eurostar to Paris and then home from there. This would eliminate some of the backtracking and make more efficient use of your time.

Couple of recommendations. If you like good fish and chips, McDonagh's in Galway is excellent. I don't know what your budget is, but I can recommend the Western Hotel in Galway as well - nice rooms and friendly staff and an easy walk to the center of town.

Murphy's Ice cream!!!

My son and I spent some time in Galway city last June. One of the activities we both enjoyed a lot was the greyhound races, We were staying at a B & B right next door and just went there on a whim. It was a true blast. We sat in the grandstands, drank a couple of pints, chatted up the locals, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. BTW, neither of us bet on any of the races ...

Hello again everyone,

Thank you for all the great advice! It was so helpful, and helped us to replan our trip. I’ve been reworking things, and changed nights to days. Anyways, I wanted to give a complete update on our planned itinerary for future posters or further feedback, which is why it’s taken me so long to say thank you.

Anyway we’ve decided to fly into Shannon instead of Bristol (great suggestion Shannon! Bristol was originally the cheapest fare I could find, then it went up and now Shannon is a LOT better… and I know this is the UK forum, but I’m posting in case it helps someone in the future).
Then rent/hire a car to go up to Galway for 2.5 days – spend 1 day on Aran islands, look for Murphy's ice cream and McDonagh's, and see if the greyhound races are on while we're there. :)
Drive to Dingle for 2.5 days, drive by Cliffs of Moher on the way down
Drive to Dublin, where we will return the rental car and stay for 3.5 days.
Fly to Edinburgh and stay for 2.5 days
Rent/hire a car and down to Windermere instead of Keswick, possibly stopping outside of Carlisle to see Hadrian’s wall, and stay for 2.5 days, do some hiking, etc.
Drive to Liverpool instead of Manchester, return rental car, and spend 2.5 days there. (Keith, you were right about training down to Manchester then going up to Keswick not making much sense - thanks!)
Train or bus to London, stay for 7 days (this is taking into account the half days required for travel), fly out of Heathrow.

We decided to cut out Bristol and Paris out trip (sadly), it was just a little too much for us. We also increased our budget to what I think/hope is a liberal $4200 (about 2500 pounds, 3100 euros).

For driving times, I’ve added about an hour to whatever googlemaps said… hopefully that will account for getting lost/slow traffic/winding roads/detours/etc. We’re also going to rent a GPS.

And that’s the plan! Any other feedback about this new itinerary would be great. Thanks again for all the previous help!

Lisa

Do not drop Paris. It is amazing and wonderful and no place else like it. Considered one of, if not the most beautiful city in the world. You might not want to leave.

I think 2 nights in Edinburgh, which gives you only 1 day, is not enough. I'd say 3 nights minimum.

Susan is right about Edinburgh, can you take a day away from London so you will have at least three days in Edinburgh? It will be tight but you can also stay on dingle for two full days and save a half a day there, just an idea.

A nice journey maturing well.

There are certainly plenty of shows to see in London.

Paris would provide a wonderful contrast.

What sort of restaurants are you looking for in London?

Hello all,

Thank you for your responses. Sorry for my late reply and thanks - life got a little hectic for a bit, and trip planning was put aside. But now we're back at it!

We've decided to stay three nights in Edinburgh, as suggested. That only gives us two days there - I still wish we had more time there. I wish we had more time everywhere! We did ultimately drop Paris. But the next trip I'm planning is France, Spain, and Italy. That way I can spend more time in Paris, and also see sites like Normandy and Monet's Gardens. It's something to look forward to. :)

Nigel, for restaurants in London, we are not too particular. We are open to pretty much everything - from food stalls to nicer "sit-down" restaurants. We don't want to spend too much on dinner, but two or three nicer meals would be good. We are staying near Notting Hill, but will be all over central London exploring. Sorry to be vague, we're open to pretty much everything. Any recommendations you have are appreciated!

Thanks again!