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Kenmore or Clifden Stay?

Posted by on

Hello,

I will be traveling to west Ireland in mid-October. The first 4 days of my trip will be in and around Doolin, visiting Burren, Cliffs, Aran islands, etc.

The next 4 days I'm looking to base myself out of either Clifden to tour Connemara or Kenmare to tour Kerry/Beara peninsula. My interests are smaller quainter towns, hiking + scenery, maybe castles, and culture.

Any help would be appreciated. Both seem really nice and I'm torn with which one to visit. It seems like the ring of Kerry dictates how you travel around that area and you are contending with many tourists and the direction you can drive. It seems like you can go about a bit more leisurely in Connemara.

What say you, and does time of year factor into the decision at all?

Thank you!

Posted by
1189 posts

Hi from Wisconsin,

This is a very difficult choice. Clifton is an old market town. It has a nice selection of restaurants. Thete is a nice loop of a drive just out of town. It is the gateway to Conemara. Westport, a lovely city is nearby.

But the Beara Penninsula is the loveliest pennisula in Ireland. That said, you can see it in an hour or two. I will likely misspell this, Gogan beara is close by and worth the time.

Doolin takes 30 minutes, unless you can find music, then it takes all night and a few Guinness to keep you going. But Ennis has perhaps the best medieval high street in Ireland. Don't be put off by the pay-by-the-hour underground parking. Watch for the Marian House.

Oh gosh and there is a really nice drive heading south from Ballyvaughan. Really. Much of Ireland has at least four times as many 'cottages' as it had pre-housing boom. But this drive is still native with a real Irish walk out to a 4th century castle ruin. Be prepared to scrape sheep dung off your soles.

If you would like a detailed map of this road email me at wmcca@hotmail.com and ask for the Irish road. Ping me if you don't trust my email, or check Rick' Spain teavel forum and you will see I am a regular. I off this map and a good map of Budapest.

Wayne iNWI

Posted by
1189 posts

Hi,
I reread what you wrote.
If you select Beara, let me recommend Dingle instead of Kerry.

Kerry is the most famous and most touristed. For three reasons.
1. What you can see from a car is pretty.
2. The railroad, oh so many decades ago (1870?), nearly reached Kerry so those early tourists could take the train from Dublin or Cork to rail's end and then hire a trap for the trip around the pennisula. One of the first west coast destinations was now within easy reach.
3. The road around Kerry now is wide enough for big busses and the bus seats are high enough for visitors to see over the hedge rows to the lovely green fields that yield such sweet butter. Kerry is Perfectly suited for tourist busses.

Dingle's roads are mostly too narrow for the busses although some do make it out to the village of Dingle. But none go through Connar's Pass. WHEE. If you are interested in early and prehistory Irish ruins. Dingle is filled with them. Really just filled with them. Most most unsign posted. But a book with the name of...let me see, National Monuments of Ireland by Peter Harbison, published 1970 is THE book to have. An archeologic I ran into was surprised I had a copy and was much impressed. I just checked and ebay has several for sale, which is unusual. But one can be yours fir $7. For that price you can tear out the pages and maps of where ever you end up going. Ireland is filled with standing stone circles, iron age earthen rings ( some of which are visible rrom the air as you land in Shannon).

Onviously, I could go on and on, sorry.

Map is still available.

Wayne iNWI

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