My sister and I will be traveling through England and Ireland for two weeks in May. I was wondering what is the best way to travel between London, Bath, Dublin, and Dingle? I know it is easy to get by train from London to Bath, but I'm stumped as to where to go from there. Is it best to go by ferry from England to Dublin? Or is it faster and cheaper to book a flight on a smaller airline like Aer Arann? I have to start and end in London, so whatever advice you can give on planes, trains, buses, and ferries you can give would be great!
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
If you are travelling from Bath to Dublin I think your best option is to fly from Bristol Airport. Ryanair and Aer Lingus both offer flights on that route. (If flying Ryanair, note the usual warnings about reading the web page IN DEPTH to discover what precisely you are paying for in terms of luggage allowance, being required to check in online and print your own boarding pass, whether you have "inside" or "outside" seats on the plane, etc etc etc.) If you don't want to fly the most direct option is to get a train from Bath to Fishguard in South Wales and a ferry from there to Rosslare in Ireland, than take train or bus to Dublin (details at http://www.seat61.com/Ireland.htm#London%20to%20Rosslare%20via%20Fishguard). But that will take most of the day and the Irish Sea can be rough at any time of year.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32253 posts
Emily, I agree with Philip on travel from Bath to Dublin. Although it involves flying with RyanAir, the flight is relatively short. Bristol is a smaller airport, so reasonably easy to navigate. I'm not sure on the options for getting from Bath to Bristol airport. I had a rental car last time I took that trip. For the trip from London to Bath, I'd suggest either train or National Express Coach, which departs from London Victoria Coach station (which is not far from the rail station). You'll arrive at Bath Spa station, and can take a Taxi to your Hotel. Travel from Dublin to Dingle will be a bit more challenging, and will probably involve train part way and then Bus. I'd have to do some research on the subject. For the return from Dingle to London, you might consider travel from Shannon to London Gatwick. Unfortunately, that will involve another RyanAir flight. Good luck with your planning!
Posted by
OP
Chicago
2 posts
Thank you both for the advice! It does seem that flying will be much easier and faster than the ferry to get from England to Ireland.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
According to the airport website there are no direct buses from Bath, but there are frequent buses from the main Bristol railway station, Temple Meads.
Posted by
Carrollton, Texas, USA
81 posts
Emily, I can only comment on the Dublin to Dingle portion. I drove from Dublin to Cashel. It's about a 2 hour drive. Spent the night then toured the Rock of Cashel.
Then drove to Killarney and toured the Muckross House. That's another 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive. From Killarney, it's less than an hour to Dingle. Took us a little longer, we HAD to stop at Inch beach! It is a gorgeous drive. With your own car, you can do the Slea Head drive in Dingle. It is an incredible drive. Rick's book has every stop detailed down to the tenth of the mile. When you leave Dingle, you can drive through Connor Pass on your way to Tra Lee then on to Limerick. Before you get to Limerick you can then take the M7 all the way back to Dublin. I would estimate this to be ~5 hours. Google Maps says 4 hours & 38 minutes. M7 like all "M"otorways are like interstate highways. Safe & happy travels!