'highway' in Ireland is often a euphemism...barely a 2-lane road where cars pass in opposite directions (in many cases without lots of room in each direction)
There were "highways" where traffic maintained reasonable speeds, but once you got off those, it fairly quickly turned into one lane roads with pull-offs to let opposing traffic get past.
Of course they won't!Midges shouldn’t be a worry in the last two weeks of September, though.
cars have a steering wheel and we know how to use it.
+1 (ditto for gearshifts...)We don't have any problem with the smaller roads or lanes because our cars have a steering wheel and we know how to use it.
Yes, but the wheel is in front of the passenger seat, which is really strange....
This screams Ireland to me. (I'm a student at Trinity College for context).My wants are stunning landscapes, castles, seashore, pubs and small villages.
This screams Ireland to me. (I'm a student at Trinity College for context).
I made a two-week trip around Ireland in September of 2021, and I had such a wonderful time. I know you said you don't want to drive, but if you change your mind, I recommend renting a car and touring yourselves. It's a small island (relative to most states/provinces), so you really won't be doing long amounts of driving, especially if you stop and stay the night here and there. Of course, there are plenty of tour buses that go all over, so you can arrange that route if you'd prefer.
You could start in Dublin for a day, see some of the highlights, go to Howth and enjoy the pubs in town—but you don't need more than two days to start. Then you can drive south, hit the Wicklow mountains and Glendalough, maybe Kilkenny, Cashel, Cahir, Cork, Killarney, and drive the ring of Kerry, Dingle, Doolin, and Galway. Then drive back to Dublin. There are lots of stops in there; the Skellig Islands are really cool as well if you can book a day trip. Tons of great places to stay— you honestly can't go wrong. If you're interested at all, I can send you some photos I took on this trip to convince/inspire.
This screams Ireland to me. (I'm a student at Trinity College for context).
I made a two-week trip around Ireland in September of 2021, and I had such a wonderful time. I know you said you don't want to drive, but if you change your mind, I recommend renting a car and touring yourselves. It's a small island (relative to most states/provinces), so you really won't be doing long amounts of driving, especially if you stop and stay the night here and there. Of course, there are plenty of tour buses that go all over, so you can arrange that route if you'd prefer.
You could start in Dublin for a day, see some of the highlights, go to Howth and enjoy the pubs in town—but you don't need more than two days to start. Then you can drive south, hit the Wicklow mountains and Glendalough, maybe Kilkenny, Cashel, Cahir, Cork, Killarney, and drive the ring of Kerry, Dingle, Doolin, and Galway. Then drive back to Dublin. There are lots of stops in there; the Skellig Islands are really cool as well if you can book a day trip. Tons of great places to stay— you honestly can't go wrong. If you're interested at all, I can send you some photos I took on this trip to convince/inspire.
I lived in Dalkey as a graduate student at Trinity — on the Coliemore Road, just past the convent. (And tended bar at the Dalkey Island Pub, ages ago.) It was a sweet place. Also nearby is a pleasant walk around Bray Head to Greystones. You could do worse.
This screams Ireland to me. (I'm a student at Trinity College for context).
I made a two-week trip around Ireland in September of 2021, and I had such a wonderful time. I know you said you don't want to drive, but if you change your mind, I recommend renting a car and touring yourselves. It's a small island (relative to most states/provinces), so you really won't be doing long amounts of driving, especially if you stop and stay the night here and there. Of course, there are plenty of tour buses that go all over, so you can arrange that route if you'd prefer.
You could start in Dublin for a day, see some of the highlights, go to Howth and enjoy the pubs in town—but you don't need more than two days to start. Then you can drive south, hit the Wicklow mountains and Glendalough, maybe Kilkenny, Cashel, Cahir, Cork, Killarney, and drive the ring of Kerry, Dingle, Doolin, and Galway. Then drive back to Dublin. There are lots of stops in there; the Skellig Islands are really cool as well if you can book a day trip. Tons of great places to stay— you honestly can't go wrong. If you're interested at all, I can send you some photos I took on this trip to convince/inspire.
Yes, but the wheel is in front of the passenger seat, which is really strange....
Except in Ireland, the UK, Japan, Australia, India and a dozen or more other countries...Yes, but the wheel is in front of the passenger seat, which is really strange....
But not on a right hand drive car.......................................... that drives on the left side of the road.
Of course in some parts of Ireland, you can drive in the middle of the road and then move to the left when meeting oncoming traffic (only try this on very narrow roads), and don't forget to raise your index finger very slightly from the steering wheel to acknowledge the other driver.
Here are some more helpful hints for driving in Ireland
I'll be in Scotland (driving up from Wales) in late May to early June. Does the wind keep the midges down at all?
I hate trips like this. I prefer to pick a place and spend time in it, to get a more intimate sense of it. For example, you can easily burn two weeks just hanging out in the west of the country. Visit the Gaeltacht around Carraroe, drive up through Connemara to Clifden for the sights and the music, watch out for the herds of wild horses along the way, pay your respects to Billybob Yeats's grave in Sligo (Drumcliffe churchyard), explore the Dingle Peninsula, go for a pint in Doolin after a visit to the Cliffs of Moher, get hitched in Lisdoonvarna.
That's just one example. You could as easily head up to Derry and Donegal. Or to Belfast and the north coast (Portstewart, Portrush) and the Ards peninsula. Or Dublin and its surrounding counties. Or Cork and Kinsale. Or the Ring of Kerry. Pick one. Don't try to do them all.
This screams Ireland to me. (I'm a student at Trinity College for context).
I agree. I'm more of a hub-and-spoke traveler: I like to set up a base camp and do day trips out and back from there. Get to know the people in the B&B/hotel/whatever where I'm staying. And take many photos....I hate trips like this. I prefer to pick a place and spend time in it, to get a more intimate sense of it.
I hate trips like this. I prefer to pick a place and spend time in it, to get a more intimate sense of it.
Yes! One time I was vacationing in County Carlow and someone in a local cafe told us about a ruined castle overlooking the Barrow river. Not signposted at all--we had to open a farmer's gate and slog across a mucky field and there it was: a very old ruin, probably Norman, with a skinny stone circular stairway up to the top with no handholds or safety devices at all. It was on a bluff above the river valley and the view was astonishing. I've tried to find it again and always failed.When I travel I like to ask the locals where the secret special places are that only locals know about. Most people are very proud to tell you where they are and how to get to them.
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