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9 night itinerary- select bases or stops along the way?

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Hello - wondering if I can get an itinerary check on our Ireland road trip planned for September. I thought about selecting bases and day tripping but seemed like a lot of backtracking. (We did a new England brewery tour last fall and had 5 hotels in 7 nights and were unphased). So many things seem enroute. Flights are booked RT Dublin. We’ll be picking up a rental car on the morning of day 1.

Day 1:
Kilkenny - 1 nt

Day 2:
Ballyseede castle (Tralee) - 1 nt
stop at Rock of Cashel along the way.

Day 3 - 4
Dingle - 2 nts
Slea drive, pubs, trad music

Day 5
Doolin - 1 nt
Bunratty castle along the way
Maybe Cliffs here or morning day 6

Day 6
Doolin - Ashford castle lodge - 3 nts
Couple stops in burren along the way.

Day 7-8
Ashford - afternoon tea, hawk walk, cong
Possible Kylemore abbey and sheepdogs.

Day 9
newgrange (and possibly trim castle).
1 nt: Dublin airport

Day 10
Leave Dublin 1130a

Posted by
8661 posts

Our first trip to Ireland was by bicycle, so while we had a few stays that weren’t just one-nighters, it was mostly “stop for one night, then move on.” With a car, you’d be able to cover more ground more quickly, but it seems that your itinerary is spread out enough that not many places would benefit from a “base” for daytrips. You’ll pass through Tralee both going to/from Dingle, but I’m glad you’re staying in Dingle, and not doing daytrips from Tralee.

At least you’re not doing just one nighters for the entire trip. With your intended destinations and sights, it looks like you’ve figured out the best timing for stays. Just don’t expect that you’ll be going 60 miles an hour everywhere you go - it’ll be slower, and take longer than you might think, so build in some extra time allowance for driving.

Posted by
2963 posts

Day 9 could be a bit tight, especially if you are hoping to include Trim Castle as that could take 1-2 hours out of teh itinerary,.

You need to allow 4-4.5 hours for the drive from Ashfod Castle to Newgrange. THat is without any stops, so you may need to allow for a linch stop. Also give yourself plenty of time to get parked up at Newgrange and into the Visitor Centre. It is recommended youy arrive 30 minutes before your booked time.

You do need to prebook Newgrange. Access to the monument itself is by shuttle bus and guided tour only and there are limited numbers on each tour. Tickets are on sale 30 days in advance and do sell out quite quickly. (You can visit the Visitor Centre and exhibition without booking a tour to Newgrange itself.)

The exhibition is worth spending some time in so you are going to need to allow AT LEAST 2 hours for a visit.

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