I am planning on driving from Sligo to Sliabh Liag and then north along the coast from Ardara to Letterkenny. I have 3 days and will need to drop the car somewhere. Does it make sense to drop it in Letterkenny, take the bus to Glenveagh Natl Park and then north to Giant's Causeway - Carrick a Rede - Dunluce? Thanks!
Posted by
NORTHERN IRELAND UK
2 posts
Dropping a hire car in Ireland is a good idea, as once you cross the border into the UK (Northern Ireland), you will be charged a drop-off fee for returning it in the United Kingdom.
Instead, take the Bus Éireann service number 64 from Letterkenny to Derry (www.buseireann.ie
). Once in Northern Ireland, you can take a train from Derry to Coleraine. Translink is the public transport operator in Northern Ireland (www.translink.co.uk
), and they run all bus and train services there.
To get the train, walk across the Peace Bridge from the city centre, then turn right and follow the path to the train station. Alternatively, you can take the free shuttle bus from the bus station on Foyle Street, which runs approximately 15 minutes before each train departure.
When you arrive in Coleraine, exit the train and go into the combined bus and train station. Turn left, walk to the end of the building, and check the bus departures screen for a service to Ballycastle (Ulsterbus 402 service). This bus will take you to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Dunluce Castle.
If you purchase a Zone 4 iLink card in Derry at the train station information desk, it will give you unlimited bus and train travel in Northern Ireland for £19 and will cover your onward journey. You can also get a one-week card for £66.
Also, be aware that you will need UK pounds for Northern Ireland, and you may need to apply for an UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling (www.gov.uk/eta for entry into the UK
).
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you, Nightowl -- this is excellent information and extremely helpful! (And I have my ETA and some pounds left over from last year's trip.)
Posted by
Mountains of S. Oregon
1150 posts
There's a small onetime "recovery fee" of 30 Euros if you plan to go into NI. If you actually plan to fly out from NI, then there's a large drop-off fee or maybe even a "you can't do that", depending o the agency. I'd keep the car unless you're flying out of Belfast.
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
1791 posts
Are you picking up the car in Sligo? Even if you're flying out of Belfast, I would return the car at Dublin Airport. You'll probably have to pay a one-way fee, but it sounds like you'd be doing that anyway.
Posted by
3 posts
Hi, I live in Letterkenny, You only have 3 days total? I would keep the car when in Letterkenny, drive to Glenveagh National Park, it's a simple drive, you can go and come back on your own terms.