Hello and thanks for any help you can give, here's my questions: I'm traveling to Ireland from February 16-26, 2013. I'm flying into Dublin, spending 3 days there. I would like to take a trip up to Portrush, to see and hike the trails along the Antrim Coast and re-visit the Giant's Causeway. I spent a month in Ireland, back in 1998. However, that trip, I was coming from Scotland across the ferry to Belfast. It was there, in Belfast, that I took a bus trip up the coast, getting off at Giant's Causeway and hiking along the coast back to Ballintoy. Now I'll need to get there from Dublin. So, wondering what options I had for getting up to Portrush from Dublin. I would consider taking a tour, but prefer just regular transportation. I'm not opposed to leaving super early in the morning, as I realize this might be a few hours in travel time. I'm hoping once I get to the Causeway, that there are trails along the coast leading to Portrush. Also, wondering what kind of weather the northern coast gets that time of year, and how heavy of a jacket I should bring? The rest of family flies into Dublin on the morning of 22nd, and then we are renting cars and heading to Galway for the remainder of the trip on the west coast. I understand there is reliable bus transportation between Galway and Dublin on these newer highways. Thanks!
Michael Whalen
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Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Check the bus schedules at www.buseireann.ie. This is the national bus service, so I'm sure you can find a bus to get there. Use the Journey Planner. My experience with weather in February in Ireland (two different trips) is that, particularly along the coast, it can be bitterly cold and windy....or not. On one trip we were wishing for parkas and heavy gloves at the Cliffs of Moher. On the other trip, it was so mild and green that they were mowing the grass at Newgrange. Both of these trips were in the same date range that you are planning. Even on the year of the mild weather, there was one day that was bitterly cold in Dublin. The rest of the week was warm-ish.