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The drive from Dingle to Cliffs of Moher

Posted by (Peterborough, ON, Canada) on

Hello everyone,

I am trying to plan my route for driving from Dingle to the Cliffs of Moher (and eventually on to Galway where we are the next night).

I was expecting the ferry at Tarbert to be more convenient, but online maps are showing it may well be 64 kms longer to just route through Limerick, but also 20 minutes shorter. I suppose to some extent this may vary even further if I arrive at the ferry at the wrong time.

Pushing up the estimate then to being 30-40 minutes longer, would you take the ferry (is it a nicer drive) or would you go through Limerick?

Thank you in advance for any input.

Posted by
404 posts

We took the ferry and I think it does save time. Googlemaps is usually off when it comes to driving in Ireland - that's a lesson to learn regardless of where you are heading. We were told by our B&B hosts that it was preferable. Plus the drive is prettier along the coast than long the highway. And you get to take your eyes off the road for a few minutes while you float on the ferry.

Posted by
19 posts

We took the ferry in September 2013, it was a great experience. You can get out of your car and see the land and sea which is nice, they even have a concession booth on the ferry. Very relaxing. I would do it again, time should not be the only factor in your trip

Posted by
1631 posts

Thanks Steve and krd7806. You have confirmed what I thought - that there is good reason to take this route regardless of time. I look forward to it!

Posted by
2262 posts

Andrea, we too took the ferry in September 2013, and we enjoyed the experience. There's a bit of a single file traffic jam (minor) when everyone drives off, but it was fine, and you will save time and hassle. I set up online before we left, showed the man my confirmation and drove right on. Arriving a wee bit early will likely get you off sooner, you'll exit the ferry at the opposite end to where you drive on.

http://www.shannonferries.com/c/buy-tickets-online/6

Posted by
1631 posts

Thanks Dave. The photo was great but I do notice that it looked a cold, grey day in September!

Posted by
7 posts

We just came back from Ireland this week. We took the Tarbert ferry and then N67 up to the Cliffs of Moher. I think it's worth taking the ferry and bypassing Limerick. Plus the views on N67 along the coast are wonderful. Happy travels!

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