kevin hawkins Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 My wife and I are thinking of going to the Republic of Ireland next year for a week and not having been before we would be grateful for any help. Which are the best ferries and which would you avoid. We live in the North West of England. Which towns and cities would you visit? The ones showing the true Ireland would be ideal and which would you avoid? Which scenic routes are ideal? Once again to show the true Ireland and which should we avoid? Does anyone know any good campsites? I know this is a tall order but any advice would be much appreciated Kind regards Kevin and Kath :-S 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 We have been to the Ireland a couple of times, once towing a caravan and the next time we took a cottage for a couple of weeks. A week isnt very long if you want to see much, like the Ring of Kerry or the Dingle penincular which are lovely places to visit but quite a journey. We find that the price of crossing is very off putting as it is over £300 which is much more than crossing to France. You can apply to the Irish tourist board and they will send you a small book of sites which you might find helpfull or have a look in W.H. Smith etc; and see if they have sites books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solwaybuggier Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 We went 18 months ago and loved it - if you get Tesco Clubcard vouchers they can be used on many of the ferry routes to Ireland. (We went Cairnryan-Larne on the fast ferry.) We did find it expensive - both buying food and drink, and on the sites, which seemed to be 20€+ for fairly basic facilities. But the country is amazing, and the Guinness is even worth Dublin prices! We particularly loved Achill Island in Mayo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 I just posted this on another thread but hopefully it will interest you too. Most sites open in April or early May - some earlier depending on the Easter Bank holiday. In West Cork my favourites are The Hideaway in Skibbereen, Dowlings in Glengarrif, and Eagle Point in Bantry (no dogs allowed here though). In Kerry you can't miss Wavecrest in Derrynane - in a stunning location - and Mannix Point in Caherciveen - this won an award for the 'Best Welcome' in 2009. The Glenross in Glenbeigh is also very nice and in a really nice village. The are plenty of sites in Killarney and the Woodlands Park in Tralee is also very good. Another favourite is Nagles in Doolin in Co Clare this is again in a fantastic location with the Cliffs of Moher in the distance and great music on the local pubs. A word of warning though when you travel the Ring of Kerry if you have a big Motorhome make sure you travel the same way as the tour buses. They are only allowed to travel in one direction and you should go the same way - in high season there are loads of them and the roads can be quite narrow in places - don't let it put you off though. I hope you enjoy your trip in what is a great corner of Ireland. As another member recommended check out the following web site http://www.camping-ireland.ie/index.html Have a great trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojitoes Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Hi Kevin My wife is from a little village in the middle of Ireland and we go there several times a year, recently with the motor home. I cannot give you much advice re campsites but I can suggest a few places for you to see around the isle. Firstly if you are travelling from the North West will you go Holyhead to Dublin or Dun Laoghire or Liverpool to Belfast. If the latter take the opportunity to go look around Belfast and the North. we were there a couple of months ago and it is a very beautiful and welcoming city nowadays. We travelled on to Bushmills for a visit to the Distillery and the nearby Giant's Causeway, both well worth seeing and there is an excellent campsite in Bushmills. After that cross over the border into Donegal and explore the rugged north west coast. The Doagh island famine museum is a must. Then head to Achill Island and Connemara before seeing the sun go down on Galway Bay. On the west coast Ennis is a lovely town, not far from the cliffs of Moher. next stop the Ring of Kerry. Personally I have always found this very nice but hopelessly outrageous re cost. Prices were always inflated for visiting Americans and never got reduced - it is worth seeing though. West Cork, Skibbereen, clonakilty and particularly Kinsale are all must sees and then as you follow the coast around Waterford & wexford are both well worth the trip. Up the east Coast Wicklow is beautiful, particularly Glendalough. Nearby Avoca is where they filmed ballykissangel. Bray is good and then you are in Dublin. If you want to see Dublin find somewhere to camp either north, south or west, do not go into the centre- it is too easy to get waylaid and overtaken by the hospitality! Hope this helps. Times are hard in ireland now and they welcome all tourists with a smile and an open hand. have a laugh and enjoy the Craic! Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Mike Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 You mentioned the Republic so I expect you will be avoiding Belfast etc. A week is not enough to do both north and South. If you are heading via Dun Laoighaire then Camac Valley site is ideal for Dublin city centre. 20 mins from the ferry and on the Luas ( tram ) route to the capital. Ten all the other suggestions are all perfect. I would head down the east coast for wexford/waterford then onto cork/kerry. Dingle and inch strand are closly liked to the film Ryans daughter. Beautiful scenery. Upto Clare/Galway then at that stage you probably need to think about heading home. New motorway from West to east will make the journey easier. I have a 7 mtr motorhome and I am a HGV driver and I avoid Donegal like the plague. The roads are crap and unfortunately the leval of accidents up there are high. Enjoy. Ireland Like everybody else is going through a recession. No worse then anyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magbrin Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Bailey - 2009-12-29 6:55 PM The Glenross in Glenbeigh is also very nice and in a really nice village. I have to agree - this is where we spent our honeymoon, too many years ago to admit! However we have been back to Ireland several times since - though none of them in a van. The South West, particularly Ring of Kerry, is a must but watch Killarney - very touristy! Dublin, too, is a must. We are not city people but it is full of culture and craic! Also Wicklow mountains, Sligo etc, etc. I could go on ...... and if you are in the North Giants Causeway, which although a major attraction was unspoilt and not busy the day we were there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin hawkins Posted January 1, 2010 Author Share Posted January 1, 2010 Thanks very much for all the info and time and trouble which people have taken in replying. It sounds fantastic and I am sure we will have a great time. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 If you PM me with your rough itinerary I will post you on campsites en route and any other information you request, Regards, Brendan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin hawkins Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 thanks brendan thats very kind of you kind regards kevin and kath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 The Giant's Causeway is great but can be like it's been invaded by hoards of human ants. When we went it was late on, after the shop etc had closed and there were only about a dozen people up there in total including us. It was lovely to be able to take photos without having loads of people in them and also to be able to just sit and admite the view in peace. :-S In the same area if you're feeling brave have a look at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge ... I dare you to cross it!!!! >:-) Also, make sure you get to see the megalithic passage tomb at Newgrange, it's an absolutely beautiful thing and well worth the visit, there are a couple of others which you can visit too - you buy a ticket to see the ones you want and are then taken on a bus to see them - you can't get there any other way: http://www.knowth.com/newgrange.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan Lee Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Kevin, I agree with just about everything written above, Ireland is great, both north and south, and the people are just marvellous. We went last Easter on the Stranraer-Belfast crossing, the Stena line HSS, for less than £200 including Stena Plus lounge tickets for two people and one motorhome. Can't remember the exact price but there are deals out there with specialist travel companies, so keep looking. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin hawkins Posted January 5, 2010 Author Share Posted January 5, 2010 thanks again for every ones help my last question what month is the best to go we were thinking of july but any month will do kind regards kevin and kath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I would certainly say no earlier than June and no later than September as the weather can be very wet indeed in the other months (although it does ran a lot in Ireland anyway ...). Make sure you have some good waterproofs with you so that if rain does attempt to stop play you can get round it otherwise you could end up spending a lot of time in your van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazdog6007 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 my daughter lives near ennis and we took the van this year for a visit and a look round.pembroke-rosslare.the roads apart from motoways are awful.and everywhere is height barred. (due to travellers)take loads of dosh it is expensive(two pints two soft drinks two bags of crisps,nineteen euros !rugged galway soft waterford.sites standard vary, all expensive.irish are great but let their dogs run free.and it rains.apart from that its o.k going in feb forty pounds return for two of us. rynair . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aido Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 tazdog6007 - 2010-01-07 2:55 PM my daughter lives near ennis and we took the van this year for a visit and a look round.pembroke-rosslare.the roads apart from motoways are awful.and everywhere is height barred. (due to travellers)take loads of dosh it is expensive(two pints two soft drinks two bags of crisps,nineteen euros !rugged galway soft waterford.sites standard vary, all expensive.irish are great but let their dogs run free.and it rains.apart from that its o.k going in feb forty pounds return for two of us. rynair . From reading your post one would wonder how we can travel around our roads.They are as good as you will find in many rural parts of the UK . Height barriers are not everywhere. The price of a pint of Guinness can cost from €3.20 to €4.50 you can buy a litre of orange or lemon in a supermarket for a €1 There are more than 3,000,000 more people living in London than in Ireland.so you can't compare Ireland to the UK. It rains everywhere not just Ireland. Some good Campsites some bad . www. campingireland.ie will send you a free caravan park guide .then you can pick the best ones I dont know what you are refering to regarding dogs. When you return in Feb. you might like to check out the above.and have a good time. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin hawkins Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 thank you to all the people who took the time and trouble to reply Ireland here we come kind regards kevin and kath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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