I am doing a self-drive tour of Ireland in July. We have plans to stay in Kinsale, and would like to make our next stop Newgrange. Because I have heard it's wise to arrive at Newgrange quite early, I would like to find a convenient place to stay overnight somewhere on the way. I've been looking at B&Bs in Kildare, but wonder if it would be smart to go a bit further and get closer to Newgrange so we don't have such a long drive in the morning. Any ideas or suggestions? One other question: I have heard that if you get a Heritage pass in advance, you won't have to wait in line to buy tickets at Newgrange. Is this true, and if so, where can I get one?
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1863 posts
We enjoyed the D Hotel in Drogheda, which also had a good restaurant and free parking. Drogheda is only a few miles from Newgrange. (Before or after Newgrange, you could also visit Hill of Tara, Monasterboice, and Trim Castle, all in that area.) I believe we bought our heritage pass at Newgrange - I don't know about lines since we got there at 8:45 on a midweek day in April.
Posted by
OP
Milford, PA, USA
3 posts
Thank you for the suggestion. I am just wondering if Drogheda might be a bit far from Kinsale to do the drive in one day? It's hard to tell on the maps exactly how long it will take.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1863 posts
Google maps says 204 miles, 3:03 hours. The drive is mostly on the fast roads so I don't think it would take you more than 4 hours. While it takes a long time to get anywhere in Ireland on the slow roads, traveling on the faster roads isn't much slower than the faster roads in the USA....I suggested Drogheda because if you want to see Newgrange in July, you really need to get there before it opens. You could also stay in Trim but it's a pretty dull little town, except for the castle. Assuming you have done Kinsale the day before, you could drive to the Newgrange area after breakfast, enjoy some of the other sites in the area, see Newgrange the next morning, then continue on to your next destination.
Posted by
OP
Milford, PA, USA
3 posts
That's very helpful, thanks!