Hello. Hoping RS members have some great suggestions for me. I'm a seasoned traveler, interested in going to either Ireland, Scotland, Wales or England mid to late Sept. for a week. What I'm interested in is staying in a village or small city that is walkable to pubs, historical sights, nature, trails, etc. My preference would be to stay along the coast for a view of the water, but a pastural or mountain view would be nice as well. I won't be renting a car so I must be able to reach "this" place by bus or train, preferable no more than two hours by train from a airport. I've been to all four countries before, haven't spent as much time in England as I have the other countries though. Two of my favorite places were Conwy in Wales and Galway in Ireland. Galway might be just a tad bit too big for what I'm looking for this time though. I just want to get away for a week to hike, read a book, take long walks, walk to the pub for a pint, basically just relax. Any ideas or suggestions? Will be the last week of Sept. and can fly into either Shannon or Dublin. Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Land of La
8655 posts
If you arrived at Shannon the obvious answer would be Doolin. Bus transport.
If you arrived at Dublin I’d opt for a 2 hour bus ride to Carlingford.
Posted by
Southern California
62 posts
Candi - you might also consider Adare.
Posted by
OP
NYC, NY, usa
148 posts
Adare and Doolin might be too small if I'm not renting a car. I read that there is limited accommodation in both villages. Both places are such a close match to what I'm looking for, but I won't rent a car. Thanks for the input though.
Posted by
OP
NYC, NY, usa
148 posts
Carlingford looks interesting. Thanks!
Posted by
29 posts
Dingle Someone on this site should be able to help with info on transportation.
Posted by
Cape Ann, Massachusetts
3207 posts
Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales. Lovely country walks to pubs from the village. The village has many pubs/restaurants/shops, etc. We fly into Leeds and just have the taxi in Grassington pick us up, so not sure of bus or train schedule. Buses to/from Grassington with Skipton worked well if you wanted to visit a larger city. We used the bus for drop off for walks as well; ie, Bolton Abbey. I swear I didn't see one ugly thing within 45 minutes of this wonderful village.
Posted by
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
101 posts
I second Dingle. Was just there a couple of weeks ago. Great pubs, very walkable. Feel free to message me if you want more details. But whatever you choose - hope you have a great trip!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Candi - I just saw this post. If you can, join us at our Rick Steves Travel Group this Sunday at 1 PM in Manhattan, where several of us meet and discuss all things travel-related. I haven't been to Ireland, so I don't have direct suggestions, but I know some other group members have.
Details of the meeting are here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/travel-meetings/new-york-city-meeting-sunday-june-9-2019
Posted by
S.F. Bay Area, CA, United States
1878 posts
Galway does not feel that big, there is also a seaside suburb or outer area that is quieter. The bus directly from Shannon Airport is very easy, did this in 2016 to shorten our time with the rental car, two days later took the bus back to Shannon to pick up the car. I also really like Ennis which I think is also easy to reach from the airport by bus. Kinsale is another good one but not that close to an airport that's a realistic choice to fly into. You could try and fly into Cork but chances are you will pay a lot for that. Dingle is also far from Shannon.