We are planning a trip to Ireland with my 88 yr old mother. She can walk some but for walking city tours we use a wheelchair. With the help of this sight we had a successful trip to Switzerland.
She is most interested in the coast lines. We need to travel at a slower pace. For example we stayed 4 days in Murren in the Swiss Alps and people said that would be too long and it was about right.
We will have 10-14 days. Many tours recommend flying into Dublin and out of Galloway.
We will likely rent a car as this seems to be the best way to get around Ireland.
Thank you for your help.
Posted by
Vermont USA
359 posts
We are bringing my mother in law for part of this upcoming trip. She is 76 and uses a walker and a wheelchair. Sadly her physical limitations do limit quite a lot. Still we are doing the west with her....it's her lifelong dream.
Sadly she couldn't handle the Cliffs of Kerry which we vastly prefer to Moher...... but Moher isn't exactly a bad option. In the visitors center they have an elevator that takes you right up to the cliffs so she can handle that. She is super excited about seeing the Puffins.
There are also several nice stopping points for viewing on the Dingle peninsula through Slea Head that are easy to access from a car.
Instead of bouncing around B&B 's we are renting a house/cottage on the Skellig Ring .....right on the beach for a week. We are only using 5 nights of the seven but it's still cheaper than a B&B and offers her the comfort of a home.....and a place to calmly sit either in the living room with a view or outside on the patio......where she can enjoy the coast and her beloved birds.
The beach in the Glen is a great stop for her with nice picnic table seating views of the ocean, Skellig Michael etc right next to where you park the car. It's nice and calm to. And a stone's throw away is Skellig Chocolates.....which is easy to visit and she would love.
Waterville and Sneem are very easy to stop in and park near restaurants, pubs or in Waterville the beach. They are nice too as they aren't crazy hectic spots.......Just nice calm towns, especially in the evenings when what tourists are there have mostly left.
Anyway the quiet, beauty and accessibility for some things make the Skellig Ring area and parts of the Ring of Kerry ideal for my mother in law and her physical limitations.
What are the things she hopes to see ?
Posted by
Waterville, Ireland
409 posts
Both my parents were in wheelchairs so I have often traveled with an eye for that. Also when I first visited Ireland and ran the Dublin Marathon it was horrible and I was somewhat crippled for about 5 days (really, it was bad). I realized Dublin is NOT NOT NOT handicapped friendly.
That said, there are definitely places here in the Southwest I was eyeing with my mom visiting, in mind.
Waterville, where I live and love, has a paved promenade along the sea front. For some it's a short stroll, but I often think of how nice it is for those on wheels. It's long, smooth and easily accessible from the car park! One of the neighbors is in a wheelchair and she zooms along it every evening (its not lashing)..... ;-)
DO tell hotels/B&Bs that you're looking for something without steps..... one hotel we stayed in in Mallow had 4 sets of 2 stairs we had to maneuver up and down to get to our room. I remember thinking "no way is this handicapped friendly." I had a hotel in England when I checked in they said "do you need help?" (I had a broken arm) and said "is that the elevator?" yes, so I said no... turns out there were 2 VERY heavy doors and a cubby hole to squeeze through after I got to my floor..... Europe is not as handicap understanding as the USA - fact!
The Kerry Cliffs are certainly a challenge, and a push!! However they've been recently repaved and smoother than in the past. stunning views!!!
A VERY important thing to know: There is a new beach friendly wheelchair in Ireland that is available in some places to use/borrow..... the wheels are small but baloonish.... beaches like Ballinskelligs and others are very hard and flat and would be lovely to have your mom enjoy the breeze!!
Hope this helps,
Susan
Expat living in Waterville, Ring of Kerry