Touring Ireland

[insignia]

 

Can anyone suggest an Itinerary for a four week tour most ideas I have seen only take in the northern part is the southern part below Dublin worth visiting any comments gratefully received

[mikejkay]

Depends what you like. The south west, west and north west coasts offer magnificent scenery and are ideal for wild camping. Very quiet and peaceful and well worth visiting for as long as you can manage. Ireland has a huge number of megalithic and mediaeval sites if you are interested in that kind of thing. I personally avoid the more populous west.

[Bojitoes]

With 4 weeks you could try do an entire circuit of Ireland.

 

Starting wherever your ferry docks and go either clock or anti clockwise. Definitely take in Donegal, Galway, Achill, the Cliffs of Moher, maybe the Arran Isles, then on down the Wild Atlantic Way to Killarney and the Dingle Peninsula. Then Cork, Skibereen or Clonakilty, definitely Dingle, Wexford, then up to Glendalough, Bray & Dublin. This misses the inland area where there are great places to see but having done a bit you will want to go back again anyway.

 

The above is ambitious, particularly given that Irish side roads can be somewhat narrow and a bit rough. There is an excelle4nt campsite brochure produced by the Irish Tourist Board showing campsites throughout Ireland and it is also worth joining Safe Nights Ireland if you are looking for cheaper places to stay.

 

Be warned, Ireland is not Cheap- but it is beautiful and the people are brilliant !!

Bob

[Will86]

We preferred the South. There are parts where hardly anyone goes. Close to Kerry there can be large tourist coaches doing set circuits like The Ring of Kerry (Why). I believe they go anticlockwise so check and do the same to avoid meeting them. We only did the outlying bits of the South. Dublin was avoided. Its a city.

 

Make sure you stop and talk to the locals if you want the real Ireland. Don't act the tourist too much, you are obvious, we had Eastern European females serve us at one eating place who were determined to overcharge us so double check the till costs and what they may ask ! But they are I think easily identified. There's a lot of traditional music but also there's the tourist music, be aware that what may be on the pub notices may not be what you're expecting when your sat down.

 

We went to the North at the end of our visit and would choose to keep to the South all the time. Ireland is costly and often has an added tax for something way distant to what you can work out, but that's Ireland.

 

Some of the roads had repairs on top of repairs on top of more repairs so a little bumpy at times.

 

4 weeks is great. There's an interesting book THE WAY IT WAS about some of Ireland's past traditions and ways of life. I've re-read parts many times, curious comes to mind.

 

One thing I never quite worked out was when paying for an item you may be asked Euros or Pounds, which was the better cost wise I never decided.

 

They tell me it can rain but we saw none.

 

Will

 

PS some of the smaller towns are rabbit warrens of streets with few directions. We aimed to visit the famous glass factory, its still there but all manufacturing is now in the Czech Republic.

 

 

[Sydney1]

We had a great time touring around the ring of Kerry a couple of years ago

 

Don't miss Mannix Point and a trip over to Valentia is worth considering while there;

 

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/detai ... revid=6042

 

and these were good

 

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/detai ... revid=5622

 

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/detai ... revid=7825 (stayed here before and after crossing)

 

[Flyinghigh]

South every time for us, we have been to Ireland many times and still have locations to see,

The west coast is rugged but some fabulous beaches dotted here and there, the Wicklow mountains and area ( glendalough ) is surperb,

The roads are narrow and some could do with a bit of TLC but they also have quite a few aires,

It's worth joining motorhomecraic to get a list of suitable parking places in the Republic,

[insignia]

THankyou everyone for your very helpful views on this I am most grateful we are arriving in Dublin and will certainly go south thanks again

[Billggski]

Don't miss Dublin, an amazing city.

If you stay at Camac Valley there is a bus into the centre every half hour and the tourist coach actually starts it's tour there.

Too many sites to list but the Guiness brewery, Temple Bar, Ha'penny bridge, University, Book of Kells or just wander around soaking up the atmosphere.

The Atlantic way has been resurfaced for tourists, mainly Americans staying in Kilkenny, where you can try the "jaunting horses".

We met one couple from Florida who looked at the the clouds above Inch beach (where Ryan's Daughter was filmed) and asked when the sun would come out, a local leaned over and said "over here this counts as sun".

[insignia]

Thanks for your post we found the camac site on uk campsites so are booked in Dublin sounds worth a visit so will do before going south

[Bojitoes]

Hi Again

Just to let you know that Camac valley is a very nice site but a bit in the sticks. The nearest village is about 20 minutes walk away through the park, there is nothing around locally- unusually for Ireland not even a pub! We have stayed there on a number of occasions and think it's a great site.

Enjoy the craic

Bob

[Billggski]

The park itself has a lot of walks, a fishing lake with cafe, a recreational cycle track and an enclosed dog exercise area. The bus to Dublin runs until quite late and can be picked up in the city centre. True, it is a way out but we found it quite easy.