Gentle critiques on my rough itinerary...

Hi there, Just a couple of thoughts about driving - I've driven on 2 holidays to the West of Ireland, the roads are narrow, you're driving on the 'other side' of the road and the hedges make visibility difficult. Personally, I would take the train to & from Dublin, it was a beautiful, relaxing train ride. And then rent a car in Galway, perhaps later in the trip again out of Cork, as you mentioned Cork? There's a very cute little fishing village somewhere near Cork, sorry can't recall the name, RS had a recommended day walk with a guide that was wonderful. (Perhaps someone else knows the name of the village?) Looks like a great trip! We stayed away from the Ring of Kerry, because it was so very well-known, stayed on the next little peninsula SE and had the place almost to ourselves, did some lovely hikes. Hope that's helpful....

I know how grief makes you feel a bit like you are trying to walk through thick mud, but you have good bones for your trip. I might make a few comments.

Oct. 22 - Clonmacnoise makes a nice stop on the way to Galway if you have time, but it would short your time in Galway since you aren’t staying there.

Oct. 23 might be overly optimistic if you have golf and falconry in the morning. But it’s a lovely route and interesting places if you pick your top sights and are flexible on where you stop if you start to run out of daylight or energy.

Oct. 25 - if the day is nice enough, you have time for the Kilkee Cliffs here and wouldn’t have to also include that on Oct. 24. You could play those two days by ear. It could be a pretty full day of driving.

Oct. 26 - probably just a line out of place but the Gap of Dunloe isn’t close to Dingle. It’s closer to Killarney. Also check times of tours for the Distillery. They aren’t terribly frequent and you need a tour to see most of it.

Oct 27 - it’s completely doable to drive the Ring of Kerry yourself. But be aware that whoever is driving will miss a lot of the views that aren’t from a pullout because it requires a lot of concentration. (I didn’t find the same level of concentration required for the Slea Head Loop in Dingle as a solo traveler.) On the other hand, a tour means someone else controls your timing and stops. However if you have your trip to Skellig Michael reserved, then of course you need to drive. And this timing determines the rest of your day - AND where an overnight is feasible.

Oct. 28 - Have you considered a stop in Cobh along with your stop in Kinsale? I like Cork, but it’s a big city and not as easy to just pop in and out of. On the other hand, perhaps you could overnight there instead of Clonakilty. That would give you an evening in Cork.

The really good thing about your itinerary AND Ireland in general, is that you mostly have the freedom to change up /skip what you are seeing if you want to. It’s a gorgeous country so whatever you end up with will be great. And know that the driving is tiring, so with as much as you are covering in such a short time, two drivers might be nice. If you don’t have two, then give yourselves the freedom to cut your day short if your driver is getting tired. I did much of your itinerary (over a longer period of time) by myself in June - so I know it’s doable but I was also my own “decider” about when enough was enough. That’s why I didn’t end up driving Conor Pass. Each of your overnight stops could fill extra hours well.

I’m a bit concerned your itinerary may be a bit over optimistic and you may need to pare it back a bit. Even though you’ve cut out Northern Ireland, it is looking more like a two week itinerary than 9 days. I definitely wouldn’t want to add anything else in, although there are so many other wonderful places... I've tried to look at some days and highlight some of the issues.

October 23rd - There is a lot planned for this day and depending what time you will finish at Ashford Castle. Just driving past the places listed is going to take about three hours. Dunguaire Castle is temporarily closed at the moment, so may still be closed in October. That is a drive past. Corcomroe Abbey took us about an hour by the time we’d found it, parked up and explored. Gleninagh Medieval Church and Gleninagh Castlemay take longer to get to and see than you might expect. Poulnabrone Dolmen is a quick photostop. Burren Visitor Centre shuts at 5pm.

October 26th I agree with TexasTravelMum’s comment about Gap of Dunloe . It is completely the wrong way. You won't have time to do it that day and there isn't time to fit it in anywhere else I'm afraid.

October 27 is unworkable. You won’t have time to visit the Skelligs. Even the sea cruise takes 2.5 hours, and are also weather dependent. so that will have to go. The drive alone from Dingle via Ring of Kerry to Clonakilty is going to take 6 hours PLUS time for stops (comfort breaks and food). Also factor in the clocks go forward an hour between 26/27th October, so you lose an hour's daylight from October 27th. Sunset will be about 5pm. Not only is it a long day, you could well end up driving in the dark.
Rather than stopping in Clonakilty , have you thought about Cork instead.

October 28 Kinsale and Cork in a day will be rushed depending on what youe expectations are.

Is there any chance of cutting out at one or two overnights and build in extra time for the rest of the itinerary? Driving in Ireland is slow and will take a lot longer to cover distances than you might expect. It is a place to slow down, relax and enjoy.

Also are you arriving off a transatlantic flight and have you allowed a day to recover from jet lag?

Most of the Skellig boats leave pretty early, and later boats have lower odds of going due to rough seas. You need to spend the night before in Portmagee or thereabouts to include Skellig. We loved Skellig more for the puffins than the beehives, which won't be there in October. Maybe save Skellig for a Spring trip?

Thank you all for your ideas. I’ll get back to the drawing board and work on another plan.

I love your ideas!

I think you'll have a great trip! Add/subtract/slowdown/speed up-- no matter what you do, you'll still be in Ireland and the people and the music and scenery and the beer, gosh-- they are all fantastic. If on a given day, you miss one or two things, all that means is you had great time doing the other things!

Happy travels!

Other than Skellig Michael, if you don’t have it booked already, you don’t really need a whole new plan. Most of it is solid if you are able to allow yourself flexibility. You have done a lot of good research on this.

In Dublin, just north of Trinity College I always recommend the Famine Statues, an open air series of art....

TexasTravelMom, I have booked all hotels. Thankfully, they graciously let me cancel at the Airbnb in Clonakilty.

That’s the part I’m re-working.

I think we will stay one night in Kenmare do RoK and then head to Kinsale the next day. Does that work?

I have no clue what I am doing…ha! I’m laughing at myself at this point.

LOL, you are doing great. Yes, a stay in either Cork or Kinsale instead of Clonakilty on Oct 28 will probably work better. But either works - as would Cobh.

Now that you have taken Skellig Michael out of your thought process, you can flex with almost everything else. Things to reserve ahead: Long Library, Kilmainham Gaol, probably the Guinness Storehouse (but I don’t know), golf, and falconry. Everything else you mostly decide as you go!

Let me ask y'all a question:

I cut out RoK. I just don't think it's going to be feasible and I appreciate the advice! Should we stay in Kinsale or Ballymaloe? I was able to find some accommodations in Kinsale. This allows us to do that region. Clearly, we have to go back asap. During that stay, we'll do the RoK.

Thanks!

I got lost. Is that for nights of 27th and 28th? Coming from Dingle?

But you are 100% right you can cut things and go back! No matter what you squeeze in you cannot see everywhere. So no guilt! There are few bad choices.

Yes! 27-29th in Cork. It’s all good. When I do RoK, I want to take the time to enjoy it.

It will be a great trip - enjoy!

For lodging in Kinsale try:
We stayed here and love it!

The Old Presbytery Luxury Apartments & Georgian Townhouse
43 Cork St.
Kinsale
Co Cork IRELAND P17AE80
TEL:(INTL) 353 21 4772027
E-MAIL [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.oldpres.com