Dublin direct to London OR stop in Wales?

I'd take northern Wales over Dublin any day. Last summer I flew to Dublin from London, took the ferry to Holyhead, train to Bangor, and spent 5 days in Wales. I loved it, loved the people, loved the cream cakes. The ferry trip CAN be unpleasant (anything bad I've said about BC Ferries, I take it back), and not really much to see... and I'm not sure if a day is enough. With a day, I'd recommend somewhere like Conwy, and if you're uberfast, maybe Caernarfon or Beaumaris as well.

You don't NEED a car, but if you're on a tight day, it would make things a lot easier.

thanks, both :)
If my London flight was 3 or 4 days after we checked out of the Dublin hotel, then Wales would be a given. But having under 48 hours between the two - and needing to travel so far to get to London - is the stickler.
Ferry to Holyhead is 2 or 3 hours. We would have only an afternoon plus the next morning in Holyhead, Wales(no car) before having to catch a 5 or 6 hour train (no direct nonstops) to London.
I've always wanted to see Wales - and would like to add another country to my "list of countries traveled to" :) but not sure if the long ferry/train journey, plus short time in Holyhead, makes it worthwhile.
If not Wales, then I would fly direct to London on the 25th (under 2 hour flight) and spend an extra day-n-half there instead of tacking on another day in Dublin. Return flight back to USA is early 8:30AM on the 27th

There's absolutely nothing to see at Holyhead.

I've driven all over Wales a bunch of times, but, in trying to figure an alternate way into Ireland during the volcano business, I looked into the Holyhead ferry.

Essenitally I found that the only real way to get there by public transportation was a bus from Bangor. The frequency was adequate, but there isn't much to really see in Bangor either.

In your case, that would mean a second bus to either Beaumaris or Caernarfon. The first is closer, the second is much more interesting.

Also, I suspect that you would have to go back to Bangor by bus to catch a train to London.

Frankly, I don't see how you could do either and have a meaningful amount of time to see anything.

If there's a logical Dublin - Cardiff flight, that would open up some more possibilities (Aer Lingus ?). So would getting out of Dublin on that extra day and going up to Newgrange.

I agree with above totally. Have you seen everything in London/Hampton Court/train to Windsor or day trip to Bath/Stonehenge/London walks? If not/Newgrange outside of Dublin great but not sure of crowds in summer. Skip Wales this time.

Yes, you are all probably right "sigh" ... I'm killing myself trying to figure out a way to get 1 day in Wales but still catch my flight out of London.

I've already had two separate weeklong trips to London, ten years apart, but almost 10 years ago :) so I'm sure there's still more to see...
I'll look into flying there on the 25th. Ryan Air flies into Stansted airport far north of London, while Aer Lingus flies into Heathrow west of London.

Since Ed suggested flying to Cardiff, I can tell you that Aer Lingus has cheap flights from Dublin to Cardiff. Morning flights leave at 06:50 and 10:20.

The train ride from Cardiff Central to London Paddington takes two hours.

There you go!

Get to Cardiff by noon and you can run up to Caerphilly (one of the best castles in a country full of great castles) and be back by supper. The next day you can hit the National Museum and do a harbor tour before catching the train to London. Another notch in your belt.

Bring on you next problem, but run it by Tim first. I only know where stuff is, not how to get to it.

Susan: You can take a ferry train combo fro Dublin to London. It could be just the ticket for you. It goes thru North Wales, by Conway and Chester. Some tickets are only $59.00 US. Parts of Wales are surprisingly rural and you really need some time to get around because of the narrow winding roads.

^But amazing transit. Last summer I went up the windiest road, much of the time with only room for the bus... once we got up to the top, near an abandoned slate mine, there was a bus stop before we turned around... which had a digital display saying when the next bus was due to arrive. The bus trips were long, but delightful.

My local transit has nothing on Wales.

Thanks to everybody, but especially Ed and Tim for solving my puzzle - I was too attached to the "ferry to Holyhead" concept and didn't even think of flying to Cardiff! Duh!
So I will depart Dublin morning of 25th and fly to Cardiff - will have the afternooon & evening for this city - plus one night - then most of next day for a tour.
http://planeteyetraveler.com/2010/06/16/in-love-with-cardiff/

Finally, a flight or train to London to catch my early flight leaving Heathrow early on the 27th. YAY!

We did the opposite trip last summer and passing through Wales was by far a highlight of our trip. I highly highly highly recommend the Mt. Snowden railway as a good afternoon trip. RS recommends it and it is well worth the small logistical hurdles it takes to get there (it isn't on a main rail like so you have to use a bus or taxi). It is amazing.

We did the ferry and it wasn't amazing so the flight wouldn't cause you to miss much. But the trainf rom Holyhead to London is great because it is a slower train so you can actually see some of the Welsh countryside.