We are taking a trip to explore ireland and Scotland. (I have now cross-posted on Scotland forum :))We will have approximately 20 days and would love to have suggested itineraries. We planned to start in Dublin and wind our way around Ireland to Belfast and then take a ferry to Scotland. Would prefer to use public transportation though I suppose we could rent a car if we absolutely had to. Can anyone help?
Posted by
3122 posts
Have you read the RS guides to Ireland and Scotland (or the Scotland section of the Great Britain guide)? Those will give you plenty of info on how to decide on an itinerary. As for public transportation, you can probably have a great trip without having to rent a car. Both Ireland and Scotland have fairly robust networks of rail and bus services, and the RS guides include info on using them.
What are your interests -- any particular affinity for art, architecture, history, family roots, nature, sports, beaches or seacoast, etc.? Do you want to divide your 20 days 50/50 between the two countries, or are you more interested in one or the other?
Why ferry boat and not fly? Flights to both Glasgow and Edinburgh are convenient and not too expensive.
I suggest you post your Scotland itinerary question on the Scotland section of this forum.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you. I will get that guide.
As far as purpose, I love history and architecture as well as nature and beaches. I recently discovered ancestry in Scotland and Ireland through ancestry.com (I was adopted) so I'd like to see where I "came from" so to speak. My husband has traced his roots to Ireland and Scotland as well. (I must confess that I am a huge fan of Outlander and would like to see the locations used in the series) I would like to divide my days equally, but if there is more to see in one than the other, i am flexible. I simply have a one-way flight to Dublin from the US (home) and a one-way flight from Edinburgh home. We are open to all suggestions on travel from one country to the other. Would like to end the trip in Edinburgh as the return flight departs there.
Thanks so much!
Posted by
Pantego, NC, USA
1014 posts
If you wish to go from Scotland to Ireland or Ireland to Scotland, you can do so fairly cheaply by using the rain/sail option on Irish Ferries and UK trains. See: http://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/special-offers-from-britain-to-ireland/rail-sail/
Posted by
not here anymore
631 posts
the Irish Ferries link is a terrible idea for the itinery requested. They sail from Dublin and the journey would go a couple of hundred miles out of your way.
There are regular direct ferries from Northern Ireland to Scotland provided by Stena Line and P&O. They sell through tickets for longer journeys. It is also possible to buy a long distance bus ticket which includes the ferry. The two bus operators, Ulsterbus and Scottish Citylink run a joint service.
It will depend on where in Scotland you are heading, but who has the easiest online bookings is probably the deciding factor!
https://www.stenaline.co.uk/routes/cairnryan-belfast
http://www.poferries.com/eu/larne-cairnryan
Posted by
Michigan, United States
703 posts
Sounds like a wonderful trip. We visited Ireland for the first time this year and loved it. Places in Ireland I would recommend are the Cliffs of Moher, Glendalough Monestary, Atlantic Sheepdog trials in Grange and the Giants Causeway. We also visited Edinburgh and it was wonderful too. We added Liverpool to our adventure and flew from Dublin to Liverpool but I would think you could also get an inexpensive flight from Belfast instead of the ferry. Enjoy your trip!