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too much to go from Dingle to Westport?

My husband and I have ten days in Ireland in early May, our first time in Ireland.
Our itinerary:
Arrive Dublin from Brussels, night in Kilkenny.
Drive to Kenmare, stops at rock of cashel and?
Kenmare to Dingle, two nights in Dingle.
Dingle to Westport, three nights in Westport.
Westport to Dublin, drop car, 3 nights in Dublin.
too much?
how to arrange better?

Posted by
261 posts

It’s not clear, but I’m assuming that you’re spending the night in Kenmare; otherwise, you’ll be driving a lot from Kilkenny to Dingle, without much time to explore Kenmare.

The drive from Dingle to Westport is at least 5 to 6 hours if you don’t stop or do any sightseeing, and there are plenty of worthwhile places to view and explore along the way.

Whether the drive is worth it depends on your reasons for choosing Westport and for staying 3 nights there.

I enjoyed my stay there, and there, but I had a longer time in Ireland and drove from Dingle to Galway (spent several nights there and toured Inishmore one day) before driving to Westport and touring Maum and Cong and the surrounding countryside on the way.

If you mentioned what your major interests are in visiting these parts of Ireland, people might be able to suggest modifications to your itinerary.

All the best,

Raymond

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you for your thoughtful, kind reply. We are staying a night in Kenmare. Reading the travel guides makes me want to see so much but I don't want to feel frantic about getting places. My family heritage is Achill island so, of course, intriguing and Westport looks like a good place to be to explore that area and Doolough valley. Really interested in putting together an enjoyable journey, maybe 2 nights in Dublin instead of 3?

Posted by
265 posts

Drove from Dingle to Galway with a stop at the Cliffs of Mohr and a few stops in the Burren in early June last year. It was a long day,
I am a strong driver but did not want to see that Renault for a while when we arrived in Galway. We departed Dingle a little after 9 AM, it was I believe a little after 5 PM when we checked in our B&B in Galway.

Posted by
31 posts

My wife and I drove from Castlemaine to Westport in 2016. We stopped for a couple of hours in Tralee to visit the Kerry County Museum. We also enjoyed a leisurely visit in Cong before making the final leg to Westport. It was a long day, but it was doable. We had plenty of energy left to enjoy an incredible dinner and after strolling the town a fabulous session at Matt Molloy's Pub.

The West Coast of Ireland is full of natural beauty. You could easily spend your entire trip there. However, Dublin is also very interesting. It's full of history, and one can easily spend more than 3 nights there. Decide what is most important to you and make sure that you take enough time to enjoy. Whatever you choose, you will have a wonderful time. Ireland is the most amazing place to visit.