I am responsible for planning a trip to Scotland and Ireland for six other family members and need a little advice. We will fly into Glasgow and spend a week in Scotland then fly to Ireland for a week with a focus on the Southwest. Since there are so many of us I thought we would rent a self-catering cottage and do day trips out from there. Could anyone suggest the best central area for this or has anyone done a similar trip? Would it be best to fly into Shannon or Cork? We will rent a car and don't need to be on the coastline. I want to see Dingle Penninsula, Rock of Cashel, hopefully the Cliffs of Moher. Other suggestions? We are musicians and also want to be near somewhere that has lots of music in the pubs. Travelling at the end of June I think. Thank you!
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
Shannon would be the better place to fly into. It's more centrally located for a variety of sights/places than Cork is. Doolin is considered the center of Irish music, and is within an hour of Shannon airport, just past the Cliffs. And landing in Shannon, you're not that far from Galway.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2739 posts
There is no one place you can stay and see all the places on your list. Perhaps you could split your time between Dingle (which also has good music, though perhaps not as much as Doolin) and Doolin. I don't know if you can rent a cottage for less than a week though. That would be idea for your group.
Posted by
OP
SK, Canada
59 posts
Thank you both for your input! Would you say that a better plan might be to get a self-catering cottage for the week near Doolin but then when we travel to Dingle we could get a B&B for just one night? Is a stop at the Rock of Cashel feasable during the trip down to Dingle or should we stay down there two days in order to fit it all in? Thanks again.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
It's about a two hour drive from Doolin to the Rock of Cashel, at the very least. And the drive from Cashel to Dingle is over three hours, so I'm not sure it's possible as a detour on the way to Dingle from Doolin. I think you'd be better off just staying in B&Bs so that you can move around more easily, rather than getting a cottage for a week.
Posted by
Sacramento
39 posts
Helen,
Is there any reason why you want to see Rock of Cashel, as compared to other sights? It is quite beautiful - I was there last year - but it's a bit out of the way from either Doolin or Dingle. Nancy is right on with driving times - and I'll bet it would take longer given the time of year you're visiting.
For a good prediction of drive times - use the route planning feature on www.aaroadwatch.ie
Of course, Doolin is a good place to see the Burren - and a trip to the Aran Islands. The Dingle peninsula is beautiful in its own right - and you could spend a week exploring the peninsula alone. If you're set on seeing Cashel - I'd recommend driving to Cashel early in the morning and spending the night there.
In Doolin - check out the Roadford House. http://www.roadfordhouse.com/
It's a restaurant with a B&B on the 2d floor. Not fancy - but not expensive either. The owner, Marian Sheedy, is wonderful and her husband is a great cook. They also have a self-cater apartment on the premises. It's an easy walk to McGann's or Mc Dermott's Pub - great trad music.
In Dingle - I'd recommend Emlagh Lodge. Maggie has a great B&B - and also a nice self-cater cottage (Emlagh Cottage) right on the water in Dingle Harbor - a short walk to the town center. http://emlaghlodge.com/ and http://www.irishholidayrentals.com/property.html?id=244
We stayed at Greenmount last year in Dingle and have rented Maggie's Emlagh Cottage for a week this March . . . three weeks and counting.
Have fun!
Posted by
Atlanta
1358 posts
We're looking at a similar trip with a family group of 11. With that big of a group, staying in B&B's is going to be very expensive. We're going to pick a central location and get a self-catering cottage for a week. I've found several for less than 500 euro for a week that sleep up to 6.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2739 posts
I would definitely skip the Rock of Cashel. It's nice, but not worth all the extra driving. If that will allow you to spend two days in Dingle, I would defintely go with that plan. You'll be able to see plenty of great stuff near Doolin. The Aran Islands and the Burren are both great, and better than the Rock of Cashel, in my opinion.