We will be traveling to Ireland in the Spring. We will be landing in Shannon Airport and renting a car. We would like to hike/walk as much as possible and leave the car at our hotel/B&B. Here is our draft itinerary:
Day 1 - Drive from Shannon to Dingle Town (possible stop in Adare)
Day 2, 3, 4 - Stay in Dingle Town (Is the Castlewood House convenient to pubs etc?)- Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula Loop, Blasket Island.
Day 5, 6 - Drive to Doolin (any recommendations for lodging would be greatly appreciated. Again, walking distance to pub would be great) - Cliffs of Moher, Doolin Cliff Walk
Day 7, 8 - Galway (plan on possibly staying at the Parkhouse Hotel or Galway Bay Hotel Salthill) - Aran Islands, I have read that it is easier to get to the Cliffs of Moher from Galway vs Doolin but not sure.
Day 9 Drop car at Shannon airport and stay at Bunnratty Castel Hotel or Avarest B&B for the last night/walk to Durty Nellies Pub
Day 10 - Take taxi to Shannon Airport
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2822 posts
We had good luck with this website for our own hikes last year: http://www.irishtrails.ie/
Galway will be a good base for exploring Connemara. There are some very nice walks/hikes out near the village of Clifden in the far west of the county, and the Diamond Hill hike in Connemara National Park is also quite nice.
Be sure to pack you waterproofs...boots especially.
Yes, Doolin will closer to the Cliffs of Moher than Galway. If you're considering a trip out to the Aran Islands (Inishmore) it's a much shorter, and more direct, trip if you depart from Rossaveel just west of Galway. The Doolin ferry goes out there too, but I'm told it's a much longer and more meandering trip.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you Robert - I just went on the website you recommended. Its great and so helpful !
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
I'm a little confused by your sentence about Day 7,8. The Cliffs of Moher are just a few minutes from Doolin, but probably 40 minutes or so from Galway. You can get to the Aran Islands from either Doolin or Rossaveel. The Rossaveel ferry is a bit less likely to get canceled due to weather, but either one can unexpected cancel sailings if the winds or waves are high, even if the weather is otherwise good. Doolin has a brand new dock, so that might be less likely than before, but it is still possible.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks very much Nancy - I guess I am a bit confused as I have read different things about the best way to get to the Cliffs of Moher. I will definitely look into Rossaveel.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13934 posts
I stayed in Castlewood House on a Rick Steves Ireland tour and it was fabulous. Really, one of the nicest accommodations I've ever stayed in and certainly one of the most amazing breakfast spreads. It is a 5-10 minute walk from the main part of Dingle. Altho it is along a main road there is sidewalk the whole way. If you are on the front of the hotel you have a wonderful view across the end of one of the small bays. Lovely hosts as well.
If you have a chance, do the walk Rick lists in his guidebook out to the lighthouse. We walked out there (use his directions to actually find the trail as they are perfect) and wished we had brought lunch and water so we could have kept going. We were able to see Fungi the Dolphin swim out to meet the cruise boats. Very neat! Gorgeous views.