Hi,
I'm planning a 26 day trip to Ireland for myself and my husband in May 2027. We'll start and end in Dublin. We will be renting a car.
Is it better for viewing the coast to drive south of Dublin then up the coast or, north then south. We do plan on going to Northern Ireland as well.
Thank you,
Theresa
Canada
FWIW, all three RS tours of Ireland start in Dublin and go clockwise. Maybe research average rainfalls and daytime temperatures for northern vs. southern cities?
We did a self drive in 2012. It was RS best 2 week drive (By Car). We added 10 extra days so we could slow down the pace.
I think it depend on whether you are planning to spend time in Dublin and whether you will do so before or after the road trip. The airport is north of Dublin, so to my mind it makes the most sense to head north immediately and do a counterclockwise loop (especially if you're not planning to spend time in Dublin). You don't have to go very far north. Less than a hour. Visit Newgrange the next day.
I went on a three week trip and traveled counterclockwise going north from Dublin. If I did it again I would drive clockwise so the ocean is on your side of the road.
Other than that I didn't see a difference.
It might be nice to start your trip in Dublin and end in Belfast so you don't have two large cities back to back. And when you leave Belfast the Dublin airport is on the north side so you really won't need a car at all in Dublin. Which you don't want. I rented a car in Dublin after staying there a few days then returned it at the airport. If you do it this way you never have to drive in Dublin. Just star south or east whichever way you want.
Have fun.
As suggested just above, if you’re driving clockwise, south, then west, then north, then east, then south, the passenger will have the views out to sea on their side of the car. The driver, frankly, will be so focused on driving (keeping to the left of the centerline, not going so far to the left that you go off the road or into a stone wall, minding the speed in Kilometers Per Hour, dealing with oncoming traffic) that admiring the scenery while moving will be difficult (and potentially dangerous). Driving counterclockwise, so the driver has the sea views out their side of the car, won’t help the driver too much, and blocks the best views for the passenger, a lose/lose proposition.
Our last two trips, one in the north half of Ireland, and one in the south half, were both clockwise. Allow plenty of time for stops, so that both of you can get out and enjoy the scenery, viewing out to sea and also inland.
