As mentioned in previous posts, my sister, daughters (ages 9 and 7) and I will be traveling throughout Ireland from August 19 - 29). While we have rented a car, we were thinking of taking a tour of either the Ring of Kerry or the Dingle Peninsula to avoid the narrow roads and so my sister could enjoy the drive as well. From reading other posts, it seems that at the time we are traveling the Dingle Peninsula would be the better option. It also seems as if the tour with Dennis Ryan might be the way to go. Was curious about your thoughts and/or suggestions. TIA.
Posted by
15 posts
I highly suggest the Dingle Slea head drive or even the Beara Peninsula drive south of Kenmare over the Ring of Kerry any day.
The Ring of Kerry takes a full day and if the weather is bad it would make for a long day. We did the Beara Peninsula and literally we were the only ones on the road. I met only one tour bus the whole time and we could literally stop any place and have the whole peninsula to ourselves.
The Dingle Slea Head drive is a lot shorter than Ring of Kerry and we did it twice because its so pretty. Once again we only met one tour bus on Slea Head Drive. A lot of the locals insist Dingle/Kenmare rings are better than the Ring of Kerry.
We did not do the whole Ring of Kerry but only a leg of it up to Torc Waterfall etc., and the traffic was pretty heavy and packed with tour buses.
Posted by
44 posts
We did the ROK with a local bus tour group. The bus stopped at a couple of spots we had little to no interest in and drove right thru a couple of spots we could have spent considerable time at. We learned a few days later that private drivers are available at 35 to 40 euro/hour and can detail the history of most of what you see on the drive; they can suggest "off route" diversions you won't even be aware of; will stop when you want for how long you want and your sister will be relaxed and able to see and enjoy the scenery. It will be an incremental cost but will provide a step function improvement in your enjoyment of the experience. Email your hotel and ask if they can organize a driver for you if you're interested.
Posted by
OP
18 posts
iffrwatson - thank you for your advice; it reiterated what I was already thinking. We are definitely thinking of doing the Seafari out of the Kenmare area so driving the Beara Peninsula seems like a possibility. As we will be there in the popular month of August, do you think my sister (who has travelled and driven in Ireland before) would be able to manage the roads? The biggest concern are the tour buses but that doesn't seem to be an issue from your post.
Posted by
OP
18 posts
charley.barron - thank you for your input as well. I was definitely afraid of feeling "forced" into doing things with the big bus tour. I agree a local tour guide is probably the way to go.