Looking to travel in March. Now I know weather is unpredictable, we are from Florida, so drastic changes in weather are not uncommon. However, I don't want to be naive and miss some beautiful scenery because I picked the wrong month. Went to England and Scotland last June and it rained one day for maybe 10 min. It was sunny most of the time and 3 of the days in London, felt like Florida minus the humidity. We were very blessed. We love the outdoors and really want to see a lot of the countryside as well as local BBs, pubs, etc etc. We will be driving own car. We are adventurous and we did same thing in England and Scotland. What are thoughts and experiences if any? We wanted to do in Summer but are going somewhere else for my daughters graduation. Thanks for your time and attention.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
There's a saying that I think originated in Ireland ... something along the lines of "There's no such thing as bad weather - only improper clothing".
On one of our hikes during our last visit in March we experienced rain, snow, hail, and then sunny skies within a 2 hour period, so we can confirm that everything they say about Irish weather being changeable is true - especially in March. Still, we only had about 3 days in a 2 month trip when being outside was simply not an option. Summer would indeed be better, but as long as you bring your waterproofs (including waterproof boots for hiking) you should be fine.
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
933 posts
I was in Ireland in April for three weeks some years ago a,d experienced temperatures that ran from just above freezing and almost cold enough to snow, to weather that had me searching for sunscreen and wishing I had brought my shorts. On the Dingle Peninsula there was a wind that blew the rain horizontal, and on Inishmore a sudden downpour that had us soaked through in a couple of minutes. I’m guessing March would be similar, but colder. Take gortex and dress in layers.
Posted by
WI
370 posts
We are also going to Ireland with our family in March 2019. It is said to be one of the wettest months in Ireland on average and we're expecting highs in the 40s and perhaps some in the 50s. I understand too the weather changes a lot, but we're expecting some rain. It seems to me the scenery of Ireland would be accentuated by moody grey skies and some rain, at least for part of the week. When we go I think we'll be happy we don't need sunscreen and when it rains we'll put on our waterproofs and make a day of it.
Posted by
OP
21 posts
I definitely expected rain. I also expected it in London and it turned out great. I was attracted to March because of the great deals I saw. And let's face it, with a family of four, savings are great! I have never let weather stop me before and with two teenagers in high school, it is much harder to pull them out on off seasons. So gotta take what I can get. Thanks everyone for the tips. It sounds like despite the weather you still had a great time! It is all in what you make it right! That is why we love to travel. I would be interested in knowing your itinerary for March if you have one. How many days are u going for? I know I want to focus on North and west side and then do whatever towards Dublin at the end.
Posted by
WI
370 posts
@ amknight73
Agreed, March seems like it'll be a good time - less crowded we hope. Our kids will be 7 and 12 at the time of the trip. We took our 12 year old to Scotland last year and he loved it - this is the first trip to Europe with our youngest. We wanted to have multiple night stays in the same spot, which means we won't see as many parts of Ireland but hopefully the areas we do see we'll enjoy more (happy kids, happy parents). We're flying into Dublin, then taking the train right away to Galway where we'll stay for 3 nights. We plan to rent a car and see parts of County Clare/Cliffs of Moher/Burren on one day and then Connemara on another day (or the Aran Islands - not sure). Then we'll spend 4 nights in Dublin, perhaps with a day trip out to the Wicklow Mountains on one of those days.
Posted by
OP
21 posts
That sounds great. The problem with us we want to conquer as much as we can cuz we never know if we will go back. The world is so big! I like the train idea, before renting car, so we don't have to drive in Dublin. Definitely want to do cliffs and Ring of Kerry, Connemara was also on the list. I definitely need to decide for longer stays in great places or full on tornado thru as much as possible. Hope you have a great trip!
Posted by
39 posts
We were in Ireland early March of this year, just as the "beast from the East" was ending. Lots of snow and no snow plows to speak of. Of course this was a "once in every 30 years" storm, so you probably don't have to worry about that. The rest of the weather was fine, the crowds very small and the b&b's priced to match the slower tourist time. Dublin was not very crowded, we were able to get into all of the popular sights without much waiting.
Posted by
OP
21 posts
What things were your favorite? I am a planner so for the big stuff and I like to get ideas from travel forums and trip advisor. Especially from people who have been more than once. Any particular B &B's u loved. I was also going to look into farm stays. Anyone done this before or not enough of them..