Dublin-Fanore-Dingle-Waterville-Cobh-Kilkenny in 7 days I am looking for advice on the best, most scenic routes to take from town to town. We want to take a tour of the Burren and see the sites including the cliffs. A tour of Dingle Peninsula and the Ring. Beyond that not sure maybe a drive the coastline then through the Wicklow mountains before heading home. Any advice on routes or self driving tours?
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
You may be chomping off more than you can chew in seven days - - it sounds like about a thousand miles of driving (maybe a bit less) in a country where you're lucky to average thirty-five per except on the freeways and you won't use much of those. Crude math indicates that's four hours a day. You'll have about twelve hours of daylight at the equinox, which doesn't leave you much time for eating and looking around. If you spend a couple of days in Dublin, you're at close to six hours of driving each day which really makes it rough. If something has to be cut, the Wicklows would by my choice of the first thing to go. My next cut would be ditching the Dingle and Ring in favor of the Beara peninsula. I'd substitute it for the Dingle in any case. It sounds like you have counter-clockwise in mind. Clockwise works better on the peninsulae since it puts you on the water side of the roads for a better view. 'Backroads of Irleland' in the DK Eyewitness series has a couple of dozen really good drives that you can cobble together to suit your needs. Most of the times I deviated from these, I'd wished I hadn't.
Posted by
OP
Lakeland, fl, us
3 posts
Thank Ed. The towns mentioned arse where we booked our B&Bs. The Wicklow mountains was just a thought as I do not know much about the Southeast or east for that matter. I was just fishing for ideas on routes and can't miss sights in between accommodations.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
None of these towns are near the Burren and the Cliffs, just so you know. There is no "most scenic" route, since anyway you could possibly go you will see beautiful scenery. Are you flying into and out of Dublin? Do your seven days include the day you arrive and the day you leave? That will impact how much time you actually have to get around. Check out the various legs of your trip at www.viamichelin.com. That site will show you the fastest route, or the shortest, or the preferred. It will also estimate gas costs and any tolls you might encounter (only around Dublin). Add about 25% to their driving time estimates, though, since driving there can be slower than you can possibly imagine.
Posted by
West Chester, Ohio, USA
9 posts
Jim, With the exception of Dingle and the Ring, it appears you are planning to stay on the east side to center of the country. If you are flying into Dublin, it will be approx. a 4-5 hour drive to Dingle or the ring area. We went this past March and had to fly into Dublin instead of Shannon so it is a long drive after flying all night. I rented a GPS unit but it was of little use. They load slowly and even using Lat. and Long. coordinates they are frequently confused. Get yourself a good map (Ordnance Survey of Ireland). You can get it at the airport or on-line. Don't get in a hurry as you go no where fast. Roads are narrow and the Irish like to drive in the center. Good luck and have a safe trip. PS - Recommend getting all of the damage insurance available for the rental car. I know I took ours back with numerous scratches on the left side from rubbing the side of the car on brush on the rural roads. John