Hello again. We have our first few days booked, Dublin first night then 3 nights in Galway. We will leave Galway on August 29, and keeping in mind we MUST be in Ballymena, NI on September 1st, may I have some suggestions for best leisurely route to get there, whilst doing some sightseeing on the way? We've never driven in Ireland before and my husband is somewhat anxious about making sure we're not going to be too rushed.
Thank you so much!
Linda
Posted by
Utah
446 posts
Do you have all day on the 29th and the 1st to travel/sightsee? 3 or 4 days? There's a lot of territory between Galway and Ballymena. We traveled that distance in May 2015 in 4 nights, stopping in Westport, Donegal, Derry and Cushendall. It was very doable and we saw a lot of great things. It could be done in 3 nights as well. To narrow down recommendations it would help to know what type of sights you are interested in visiting. Ancient, castles, scenery?
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Carolyn, we check out of our B&B in Galway in the morning of the 29th and hope to arrive in Balymena by early afternoon on sept 1st. As far as our interests...love castles, history and beautiful scenery. Just want to experience as much as we can. Thank you so much for reply!
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thank you Paul...we are from Canada and also have the metric system here, but also travel and spend a lot of time in the US so we are familiar with the signage difference. Easy for us to adapt in our circumstance but I understand that would be confusing to many! I purchased an Ebook for some international driving tips as well so I'm sure my hubby will be fine that way! Just very excited...5 weeks to spend on your lovely country...3 in NI and 2 in the Republic!
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2832 posts
While in Galway you'll hopefully have time to get out to Inishmore for a day and drive around Connemara...Clifden, the National Park, Cong, etc. If those are not already included in your itinerary I'd suggest extending a day to include them.
Derry is an obvious choice for at least a couple of days. Beautiful city with an evocative history, plus it's convenient for a day trip out to Portrush, the Causeway Coast, Dunluce Castle, etc.
If your heritage traces to Ulster I'd recommend the Ulster-American Folk Park near Omagh - another easy day trip from Derry (or Ballymena for that matter). http://nmni.com/uafp. We thought it well worth a day in the country.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thank you Robert! The sights you suggested near Galway are already on our to do list and we look forward to them! We were thinking Derry as a good stop. I DO have my birth heritage in Ulster, in fact will be meeting family members in the area for the first Time, so excited. We have been to Giants Causeway and Dunluce on a previous visit...Portrush has also been recommended. I appreciate your suggestions, thanks again. You Irish are just wonderful💗