Greetings,
I will be travelling by myself to Ireland mid April to mid May. I want to do the whole trip without renting a car (with perhaps the exception of a day or two to the far northwest out of Derry). This is my tentative schedule based on Rick's books:
Dublin (one week), Kilkenny (2 nights), Kinsale (2 nights), Kenmare (two nights), Dingle (two nights), Galway, (4 nights), Westport (2 nights), Derry with drive to the Northwest (four nights), and Belfast (4 nights to include trips to Giant's Causeway, etc.). I would love to go to the Rock of Cashel but the buses/ trains don't seem to work so I would have to take a minibus tour from somewhere.
What are your thoughts? I know the travel will take me hours longer, but I'm ok with that. I like taking trains and buses.
Thanks for all your feedback. It's pretty overwhelming.
Posted by
Medford, OR, USA
5837 posts
I have no personal knowledge of transportation options in Ireland, but enjoy being car free in my UK and European travels. London and other European cities have useful journey planner websites. Test out the Irish journey planner for options:
http://www.transportforireland.ie/
ABOUT THE NATIONAL JOURNEY PLANNER
The National Journey Planner provides journey planning, timetable and
travel information from all licenced public transport providers across
Ireland.
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
932 posts
I did a no-car, staying in hostels, three week trip to Ireland about a dozen years ago. I hit a lot of the same spots you did with some exceptions. I stayed in Killarney instead of Dingle as it was easy to catch day tours from Killarney. I did not go to Kenmare, but stayed a couple nights in Kinsale and walked out to Charles Fort. I stayed four nights in Belfast instead of spending the time to get to Derry. Again, lots to see and do in Belfast, and easy to get day tours from. I managed to see the Rock of Cashel when traveling from Kinsale up to Kilkenny. I took a bus from Cork to Cashel and just walked to the sight. There was no place to store luggage, but a guide let me lock my backpack up under some stairs. To get to Kilkenny I took the bus from Cashel to Portloise, where I caught another bus to get to a train station to get to Kilkenny. So, yes, you can do Cashel by bus, but it is a bit of an ordeal. Of course, schedules have probably changed in 12 years. the most important thing when travelling like this is to be well organized, and always try to catch the first bus or train so you still have some of your day left when you get to your destination. Print out the schedules, also, as I had one driver try to convince me I couldn't get to Kilkenny the way I was going until I showed him the schedule, and he made a phone call to double check. I'm not sure how you have your route planned, but I started in Dublin, then train to Killarney, then train/bus to Kinsale, then the all day bus/train trek to Cashel ending in Kilkenny, then train to Galway via a one night stop in Athlone for Clonmacnoise. Train from Galway to Belfast where I flew out of. You have more time than I did so I'm sure you can fit in Cashel, but it won't be easy. It's well worth it, though. I also travelled in April, and the weather was so nice I got a sunburn!
Posted by
Waterville, Ireland
409 posts
Margo,
You don't mention how old you are? I ask because I - as a 55 year old sensible woman - hitchhike a great deal in Ireland. I haven't gotten a car yet, as my American drivers license means I can't get car insurance here. I hitchhike - and i would NEVER do this in America - often. As the first person who picked me up said - "you'll get a lift from people over 45 because we all remember when we didn't have cars." That's true, so far. But I've also gotten lifts from German tourists with their 2 week old baby in the car seat next to me, a Polish man with his 3 dogs, and my favorite - an Irishman with his 4 kids in the car who screamed "did you see those 5 cars pass by you in this rain?? What is ireland coming to?? 10 years ago no one would pass a hitchiker in the rain!!!" He was quite miffed at those others!
Enjoy!
Susan
American living in Waterville,
The only seaside village on the Ring of Kerry
Posted by
OP
Tacoma, wa, usa
4 posts
Oh my gosh, thank you guys. A huge help with some great ideas. Anita, your itinerary sounds very familiar. It's very reassuring. After your advice, I won't give up on the Rock of Cashel yet.
And Susan, I am wayyyy too chicken to hitchhike. I think I've seen too many horror movies. I too am over 55 so probably wouldn't look too threatening but your are so much braver than I am.
And I have to admit that Ireland is significantly more expensive that I expected. I've been travelling in Eastern and Central Europe and was used to those prices. Ouch. But I'm sure it will be worth it!
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help, Anita and Susan! Cheers.
Margie