After a few days rest in Ennis from our transcontinental flight, landing at Shannon Airport, we are considering our route to Dingle by way of the Cliffs of Moher. Google Map suggests a 42 minute drive to the Cliffs. From there, Google suggests retracing to Ennis on the road to Dingle, but our love for coastlines (we are Southern California natives and Washington state residents) attracted us to the road through Spanish Point, Kilrush, Tarbert, Tralee.
Or, perhaps we should see the Cliffs after breakfast in Ennis our first full day, making sure we are back in time for a visit to Scéal Eile Books, good pub grub and music. Actually, we land at 9ish for a two nights stay at the Old Ground Hotel. So, we could get our wits about us including books, walks and grub beginning that first day.
Then, on the third day, soak in our drive to Dingle on a scenic and sane route. Safety on the road, our first extended drive in Ireland, is also a critical consideration. Same side of the road as we Yanks, correct? Google notes the Kilrush to Tarbert ferry, which could be a pleasant experience in its own right. Is frequency and availability a concern? We will be there the first week of August. Thinking a good nights rest, breakfast, check out and on the road by 9:00, wishing to arrive in Dingle for check in around 4:00.
In review:
Day 1 Land, nourishment, walk, book store, music and rest
Day 2 Drive to Cliffs of Moher, explore, soak in culture of Ennis
Day 3 Take the scenic route, by suggestion, to Dingle
What do you think? What do you know?
Thank you
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
Like many of the more popular tourist attractions in Ireland the Cliffs can get overrun with day trippers and tour buses from around 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, and many here suggest just skipping them for that reason. However, if you can get out the door early (talking crack of dawn here) and be there well before the buses start to arrive then you'll have the place mostly to yourself and it will be a totally different experience. That goes for places like Glendalough, Clonmacnoise, etc. too.
The coastal drive south of Lahinch is indeed quite pretty on a sunny day - lots of terrific seascapes and photo ops. You won't make good time but you really won't care. There's a nice cliff walk at Kilkee that's frankly better than Moher (IMO) and is a pleasant place to stretch your legs, take more photos, and maybe have a picnic lunch. The loop drive down the N 67 and back to Ennis doesn't take that long, even at a meandering pace with lots of stops, so you could conceivably make a day of it after stopping by Moher and still be back in Ennis by mid afternoon.
The Tarbert ferry is first come, first served and departs every half hour or so. The wait is never terribly long in our experience.
You are aware that it's left-hand traffic in Ireland, right?