Itinerary help for 18 night road trip

Our September 2018 trip was a road trip, and we stayed in Bushmills, rather than Portrush. Is Giant’s Causeway a big part of your trip? If so, do what we did - 2 nights up in that area, and just 1 night in the Belfast area. We didn’t see the Titanic exhibit, which is apparently a big reason many people spend more time in Belfast.

Galway needs at least 2 nights, so it’s good you are doing that. To maximize your time, fly to/from Inishmore (big Aran island), rather than taking the ferry. We’ve done each, on separate trips. The plane is so much faster, and isn’t affected by the rough seas that can delay ferries. And the small airport is closer to Galway than the longer drive to the ferry port. Both trips we’ve taken, June 2009 and September 2018, ferries were delayed and even canceled, but with the plane, we flew back to the mainland to continue our trip, while others were still waiting to see if they could sail back sometime that day. The drive on to Clifden after the flight was relaxed and easy.

Oh, and we enjoyed a B&B a few miles northwest of Sligo town, rather than staying in the city itself.

I might suggest spending a night on Aran. The experience in Kilronan changes abruptly when the last boat leaves and the crowds evaporate. We're older than you, but we really enjoyed renting bicycles and traveling the length of the island. Maybe at the sacrifice of one of the Kinsale nightsMe love Galway for the music, while Kinsale didn't seem that special to us. We travel the same way you do - moving constantly rather than the homebase approach, which makes no sense to me. But we don't vacation to "relax".

You don't mention when you're traveling. Be prepared for advice not to drive the day of arrival.

We had planned end of May but just had to change to first 2.5 weeks of July unfortunately. So lots of tourists which has us scrambling to find places to stay. I don't tend to have issues with jet lag & on many overseas travels, I've managed several hours drive after landing - we will stop & start to break it up to refresh ourselves. I'm booking our trip accordingly & then going to try booking the same trip again but starting 2 nights Dublin & see what's best because of this late start booking & lack of lodging. I have 2 days Kinsale because we'd like to take 1 day to drive Ring of Beara but also want to see some of the Cork/Kinsale/Cobh areas. I like the idea of staying overnight in Aran - will look into it & look up flying there. I agree about staying north of Sligo & found one NE. Struggling with Giant's Causeway - very booked up including Bushmills so trying to figure out best town near there to stay & whether we do as you suggest 2 nights there, 1 night Belfast. Thanks for the suggestions.

I would stay in less places and do a longer time in each place. 2 nights is only 1 full day. I would aim for 3 nights. You are covering a lot of area in your 2.5 weeks. Expect a lot of time in the car.

Great plan approaching Kenmare via the Ring/Beara. Fewer cars, no buses, wonderful views/scenery.

One word of caution, especially for 2 ladies, if you go far enough down the peninsula and traverse Healy Pass on Rt 574. This Tripadvisor link (not ours) has the details.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g2065470-d216131-r574294386-Healy_Pass-Adrigole_County_Cork.html

We also encountered the same creepy old fellow in May 2018. We made the mistake of stopping, thinking he needed assistance. Our experience wasn't as intrusive as that of the TA poster, but once he's leaned into the car window, it's hard to shake him off. The conversation started off in a friendly manner (Where ye from? Any children?), but soon he was quizzing my wife with inappropriate questions about our adult daughters. An on-coming vehicle required him to get out of the roadway and we drove off. When we told the tale to our B&B hostess (Mary at the excellent Ashfield Inn in Kenmare) she said: "Oh, near Healy Pass? I've heard about him from other guests. He's looking for a wife."

I wouldn't suggest avoiding the route through Healy Pass, it's very scenic. Just don't stop to chat with the sheep farmer.

Thanks for all the responses. Much appreciated to know about the Beara Pass. I've copied the info so we won't forget. Still struggling with where to stay in Northern Ireland - it's so booked up, and am leaning towards 2 nights there and only 1 in Belfast. Thanks for the vote of support for our itinerary. I do realize it's not for everyone to keep moving but it's our style and we'll be stopping and starting all along the way.