I'm hoping to get some opinions on this rough itinerary outline for travel in June. We're traveling with our 16-year-old son, so the pace will be a little quicker. Things on our absolute must-see list: Giant's Causeway, Skellig Michael (we're planning two days to attempt this as a contingency for weather), and a Hawk Walk. We'll be self-driving part of the trip. My husband and son like a fairly full itinerary, with a little bit of free time every few days or making a stop for a day or two in a slower pace area. I'm trying to see if this is reasonable and for suggestions on towns to stay in where noted (trying to limit 1-night stays if possible). Thanks so much for any input!
6/18 - Arrive in Dublin mid-morning. Self-tour around Dublin. Overnight Dublin
6/19 - More Dublin touring. Overnight Dublin
6/20 - Train to Belfast in morning. Touring in Belfast. Overnight Belfast.
6/21 - Giant's Causeway area touring. Overnight Belfast
6/22 - Train to Dublin in the morning. Pick up rental car. Tour in Glendalough. Overnight Waterford.
6/23 - Tour around Waterford area. Overnight Waterford.
6/24 - Rock of Cashel. Drive to Ring of Kerry. Overnight Portmagee area (3 nights)
6/25 - Skellig Michael (attempt 1 or more Ring of Kerry touring). Overnight Portmagee
6/26 - Skellig Michael (attempt 2 or more Ring of Kerry touring). Overnight Portmagee
6/27 - The Burren & Cliffs of Moher. (Can both be done in one day?) Overnight Galway or Doolin - any opinions?
6/28 - Tour Aran Islands. Overnight Galway or Doolin
6/29 - Ashford Castle Hawk Walk. Drive to Dublin, return rental car. Overnight near Dublin airport
6/30 - Depart for US mid-morning
Note: We did look at flying into Belfast and out of Shannon, but the options for getting into Belfast require connections in AMS and we wouldn't arrive until late afternoon. We felt that would be wasting our first full day in Ireland.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2834 posts
Looks like a fast moving but eminently doable itinerary to me.
Some general thoughts: you might consider returning to the vicinity of Dublin airport the evening of 6/21 and picking up your rental car then. That way you could set out early the next morning for your stop in Glendalough. Getting there before the tour buses arrive around 9:30 is highly advisable - you'll have the monastic settlement virtually all to yourselves that way. Only detractor is that the bathrooms are located in the visitor center...which doesn't open until 9:30. There are a number of scenic hiking paths in the immediate vicinity that might be attractive to you as well. Time and interest permitting you might want to drive the old Military Road on your way there - it's quite beautiful.
Wise choice to delay in Portmagee in order to maximize your chances of getting out to (and on to) the island. Remember to book well ahead - the boats that land on the island are booked months in advance. On the days you don't go to the Skelligs consider exploring Valencia Island, the Skellig Ring Road (and the Kerry Cliffs), and the beautiful Gap of Dunloe. An early arrival is highly advisable at the Gap too. Like Glendalough the tour buses start to arrive around 9:30, so getting there early will make it truly magical.
The Cliffs and the Burren can easily be combined into a single day if you have a car. An early arrival at the Cliffs will beat the crowds, giving you the rest of the day to explore the Burren at your leisure.
If you're going to do the Hawk Walk you might consider spending the night before in or near the village of Cong itself just to make the logistics a little easier on yourselves.
You'll be seeing long days during the time you're there. Suggest making the most of them by getting early starts each day to beat the tourist crush.
Posted by
76 posts
I personally would skip the train to Belfast and back and just pick up the rental car in Dublin on the 20th and drive north. Since you're wanting to explore the Giant's Causeway and surrounding area, you really need to have a car to do the Antrim Coast right. In addition to the Causeway, there's White Rocks, Magheracross View, Dunluce Castle, Dunseverick Castle, Dunseverick Falls, Ballintoy Harbor, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Kinbane Castle, and The Dark Hedges (of course that's not everything, but it covers a lot). The great thing about driving the Antrim Coast is that it doesn't take you all day to do it, which means you can spend more time at each of the stops.
Regarding 6/27, yes, the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren can both be done in one day, no problem. The thing to think about is how long it takes to drive from Portmagee to Doolin.....which is about four hours. To Galway it's about five and a half. Either way you're going to be spending most of your time driving, and you're only going to see the Cliffs and the Burren. If it were me, instead of spending 6/26 in Portmagee, I'd drive up as far as Tralee (about 90 minutes). That way, the next day, you could drive from Tralee, take the ferry from Tarbert to Killimer, visit Loop Head, Bridges of Ross, the Kilkee Cliffs, Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. You'd still be driving about four hours on the 27th, but you'd see a lot more.
Also, make sure that, at some point while your touring the Ring of Kerry, you drive through the Ballaghisheen Pass and the Ballaghbeama Gap....two relatively unknown but incredibly scenic drives.
Just my two cents.
Posted by
OP
Ann Arbor, MI
25 posts
Thank you for the helpful suggestions! We're going to make some adjustments to the itinerary. And you've both given us some great additional things to look into.