We will be spending a couple days in Dublin then driving towards the North West Corner of Ireland. We are thinking about driving to Limerick, Doolin, Westport and ending up in Belmullet to visit family. We are looking for things to see along the way. We have 2-3 days before we need to be in Belmullet. So any suggestions would be great on things to see or places to stay. The trip will be at the beginning of April.
Thank you!
What has attracted you to Limerick, Doolin and Westport?
What sort of things are you looking to do and see on the way? That will help suggest things - there's no point in my giving a list which could be the type of things places you wouldn't
We like culture, small towns and coastal beauty. We would like to see castles and historic sites. We picked Limerick because it was directly across from Dublin. We picked Doolin because a friend recommended it and it is close to the Cliffs of Moher. Westport looked like a nice town to stop on the way North. We are not set on any of it except for maybe Doolin.
Athlone, which is in the middle, just two hours (ish) from Dublin. Has a castle and an old pub. Nearby is the Clonmacnoise monastic site.
I disagree that Limerick is "right across from Dublin." Galway is, though I don't necessarily recommend Galway. Loads of people on the forum love it, though. Nor is Limerick worth your time.
So go to Doolin and see the cliffs and hear the music in the pubs. I think you can take the ferry to the Aran Islands from there, as well.
North of Galway is Connemara, which is very much worth a visit. I think folks like to stay in Clifden for this area.
With a car, you can stay anywhere, so use your preferred accommodation site (booking or AirBnB or whatever), set your parameters for size, price, etc. Then zoom the map area wide and see what you find that suits you. Another approach is to use Google Maps and zoom in on towns on your route to see what is there as far as accommodation, pubs, etc. A town you haven't heard of could be a great discovery.
I’m with G3rryCee
Clonmacnoise Early Christian site set on the banks of the River Shannon is well worth a visit with its round towers, ruined chapels and carved crosses. It fits in nicely with Athlone. Both have a lot more going for them than Limerick.
Connemara is wonderful and scenically dramatic. Rather than Westport, think about Cliftden instead. On a clear sunny day, the circular Sky Road drive from Clifden imust rank as one of the best short drives in the world
Roundstone with its small harbour is only a short distance from Clifden and has one of the best n in County Galway. There are a lot of delightful small villages and secluded beaches to find in this corner of County Galway.
