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 Edit for revised travel plan: Days 1-3: Dublin. One day may be a tour up to Giants Causeway and related, there are some decent rated tours on viator. Yeah it means I have to listen to a guy blurt out how so and so raped such and such on episode 18 of GoT but whatever, I've been on cruise excursions before and I doubt it can be worse than that... Anyway, that leaves one full day, one half day, and another good chunk of day in Dublin. We walk pretty fast. Maybe we don't do Causeway. Day 4: Dublin to Rock of Cashel to Dingle https://imgur.com/a/Jy9i316 It's driving time. It's a bit of a drive but it's mostly two 2-hour blocks to and from the Rock of Cashel. Spend the night in Dingle or somewhere near there. Day 5: Dingle Peninsula, drive to... Kilkey? https://imgur.com/a/IpsADnQ Take our time on the Dingle Penisula, like assume the entire morning, maybe more. Then drive to where we'll spend the next couple nights. This part I'm not sure on, and am up for options. The goal is a place that lets us easily get to Doolin the next day for the Aran Islands and Cliffs of Mohor. Kilkey seems kinda cute from google street view. So does Adare? Limerick? Some other rando village that isn't obvious to me? Day 6: Aran Islands and/or Cliffs of Moher or other stuff? https://imgur.com/a/rrORtLx Head out in the morning to catch a ferry to one of the Aran Islands, spend the day there hiking or maybe biking, boat back and do Cliffs of Moher. The ferry times are pretty set so we can only spend so much time, and the cliffs are open pretty late in May, so while this would be a long day of activity (or staring at water) it's doable, I think. Day 7: to the airport. https://imgur.com/a/2WcK9TZ Head back to England. The flight leaves in the evening and I think doing Cliffs of Moher in the morning would be pretty easy instead of the day before if we're tired after Aran.  Old info: Hello goons. Hello. In May of this year I will be going to Ireland with my wife for, I think, 6 nights. My wife, who I live with, provided me with a list of sights that she would like to see, as we will have a rental car to putter about the island in. Being a native of California I am used to long, LONG drives on coastal cliff-death roads, mountainous F&F3 Tokyo Drift roads, and driving through the brown poo poo cloud on the 5 a bit north of Bakersfield, so I am not unfamiliar with being behind the wheel. However, I don't really know how aggressive my route/itinerary is, so I am asking you, yes you, to tell me if I am setting myself up for merciless failure, especially if we stop for photos/sheep. If something on this list is not worth it (or if I'm missing something great), please speak up! For example, I don't know if both the Ring of Kerry and the Slea Head Drive are necessary or if one is good enough. I will add that while I am aware there is a travel subforum, and I did get good travel advice for a short trip to Portland OR, for this kind of active tour I think I need more focus from the greater hive. I do appreciate this and may post goon-interest-adjacent photos when I return home. A quick note - sunset in May in Ireland is apparently around 930 PM. Day 1 & 2 https://imgur.com/a/CdhcTKh Arrive in Dublin at noon and get the car. Drive to the Rock of Cashel, couple hours there maybe, then drive to Waterford for the night. Next day get going early to make it to Blarney Castle at 9, hour or two there, then continue to Kenmare and drive the Ring of Kerry. Return to Kenmare for the night. Day 3 https://imgur.com/a/GizKCwA This I consider the most challenging day. Get going early to get to Dingle and do the Slea Head Drive. Then a somewhat grinding drive to the Cliffs of Moher, followed by a drive to Galway for the night. There's a ferry that shaves off a lot of distance but I'm not sure if using it is realistic (or if cars can even use it). Day 4 https://imgur.com/a/XUQ1vLw A long chunk of driving to get to Giant's Causeway. This would include some rope bridge, and although I have not watched Game of Thrones, apparently my wife (who also has not watched GoT) will get good one upmanship over our neighbors who apparently spent a lot of time in Croatia going to GoT locations. Plus they might be nice to see? I really have no idea what to look at on the way there but Giant's Causeway is really the only Ireland thing that I 100% want to see as I am 40 years old and dumped a lot of quarters in to Q-Bert. Day 5 https://imgur.com/a/dDoin80 Back to Dublin Airport to ditch the car because apparently driving in Dublin is hell and then figure a way into Dublin (maybe the car rental place will drive us). We would also stop at Newgrange. While the route goes through Belfast, I'm not really expecting much time there, if any. Day 6 - Dublin, Day 7 (half-ish day) Dublin, go to the plane and return to England, who is the rightful lord of the Irish Isles, and report back on my findings. Day 7 isn't set in stone - I don't have a flight out yet so I could just add another day to Dublin. I don't really know what to do there yet; supposedly Guiness is the big draw but I live in a beer-heavy region and have had my share of brewery tours. Just think, you could actually influence someone's life for once instead of mercilessly posting about this dying forum on this dying forum; really, I'm doing this for you! edit: how in the hell do I do the thing with the thumbnails that expand when you click on them? timg didn't seem to work. Zachack fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Feb 23, 2019 |
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Feb 22, 2019 07:25
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Drive to the nearest Olde Irish Pube and drink heavily, then piss on a rock.
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Feb 22, 2019 07:28
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no whiskey, no visit to joyce’s house. pity.
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Feb 22, 2019 07:29
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ive got your itinerary right here day 1-7 
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Feb 22, 2019 07:30
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It's definitely a great idea to spend a large amount of your vacation driving.
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Feb 22, 2019 07:30
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WatermelonGun posted:no whiskey, no visit to joyce’s house. pity. Drinking and driving is wrong, presumably even in Ireland. I will drive during the day and then have whiskey at night. James Joyce house is in Dublin so that could be added in at the end.
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Feb 22, 2019 07:31
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You are making a big mistake in your itinerary, and that is going to Ireland HTH
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Feb 22, 2019 07:35
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BaconCopter posted:It's definitely a great idea to spend a large amount of your vacation driving. Well when you like going places and looking at things and the place you are going has things to look at in rural countryside then driving is a big part of that. There's a week before and after, too. The after is in London with no car. The before has a car but to get from York to Edinburgh to Inverness over 7 days or so with a lot of non-driving. Still, if some driving is unnecessary I am willing to cut things.
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Feb 22, 2019 07:36
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Take the plunge! Okay! posted:You are making a big mistake in your itinerary, and that is going to Ireland HTH
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Feb 22, 2019 07:37
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i bet partying in dublin is pretty alright
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Feb 22, 2019 07:37
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Take the plunge! Okay! posted:You are making a big mistake in your itinerary, and that is going to Ireland HTH My wife has an Irish last name but she is Korean so she probably harbors some secret celtic princess fantasy where she becomes the foreign queen of cats.
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Feb 22, 2019 07:40
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Just repeatedly insist you want to go see the Blarney Stone then afterwards in the hotel you say "I really wanna go see the Blarney Stone" and your wife says "We just saw it" then at night you sneak out to go to the Blarney Stone. You refuse to leave the Blarney Stone
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Feb 22, 2019 07:42
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Zachack posted:My wife has an Irish last name but she is Korean so she probably harbors some secret celtic princess fantasy where she becomes the foreign queen of cats.
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Feb 22, 2019 07:43
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Lil Swamp Booger Baby posted:Just repeatedly insist you want to go see the Blarney Stone then afterwards in the hotel you say "I really wanna go see the Blarney Stone" and your wife says "We just saw it" then at night you sneak out to go to the Blarney Stone. I have to bring the car back eventually. Will the Blarney Stone fit inside a Ford Fiesta?
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Feb 22, 2019 07:57
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Zachack posted:I have to bring the car back eventually. Will the Blarney Stone fit inside a Ford Fiesta? I think if you just take the bottom chunk everybody slobs on you could manage it.
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Feb 22, 2019 08:02
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FactsAreUseless posted:When she said she wanted to be "the queen of Irish pussy" that's not what she meant. She reads more than me so I assumed it was from a book about cats. Like maybe this one?
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Feb 22, 2019 08:03
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Zachack posted:She reads more than me so I assumed it was from a book about cats. Like maybe this one?
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Feb 22, 2019 08:05
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Vacations are supposed to be relaxing OP
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Feb 22, 2019 14:10
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Get ready for some harrowing times as you drive the Ring of Kerry. To your left a wall\hedgerow you are inches away from. To your right just a couple inches and you are over the center line. Ahead of you a blind corner that may or may not have a bus that spills into your lane that you are obligated to yield to so they can squeeze by. The Dark Hedges was p cool but a gently caress ton of people. Your wife will like it though since it's a big GoT thing. Even if you are just driving through Belfast at least check out the wall that was put up during the Troubles. George H.W. Cunt fucked around with this message at 14:19 on Feb 22, 2019 |
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Feb 22, 2019 14:17
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Be careful renting a car in Ireland, my mom got ripped off big time last summer, tried to hit her up for $2,000 in "damage".
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Feb 22, 2019 14:38
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protip: ireland is also called the 'emerald isles'
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Feb 22, 2019 14:46
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Rent a manual, shifting a stick with your off hand while driving on the other side of the road proves you're a badass motherfucker, not just a mofo.
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Feb 22, 2019 14:51
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On Day 3 or 4, you're gonna get caught at a rural checkpoint and done for drink driving for what little you had the night before. The new limits are insane. The Guards have recently begun a massive clampdown on 'morning-after' drink driving and focus on the boonies, because if they did it during morning rush hour in one of the cities, they'd fill a paddywagon in 20 minutes. But they have to be seen to be doing something, so they just piss off the local hicks. The ferry goes from Tarbert to Killimer every half hour in peak season and takes cars. Then you can travel the whole coast of Clare. Don't know why you wouldn't want to see the Burren though. All in all a very American tour of Ireland, OP. 4/10.
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Feb 22, 2019 14:51
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Now that's what I call a sobering story!
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Feb 22, 2019 14:53
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Try the Irish take on a super sized #1 combo at McDonald's.
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Feb 22, 2019 15:17
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BaconCopter posted:It's definitely a great idea to spend a large amount of your vacation driving. Yup. OP you should either visit for longer or visit less places for the time you're there. Although Ireland is beautiful you will tire of driving through greenery and not seeing much else for hours until you arrive at your designated tourist spot. *edit: oh and Giant's Causeway; they'll try and funnel you into the gift shop where they'll prod you to pay to actually get down to see the rocks. gently caress that noise, just walk through the tunnel to the right of the shop and walk down. Olympic Mathlete fucked around with this message at 15:22 on Feb 22, 2019 |
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Feb 22, 2019 15:20
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ive done this trip before but it over 3 weeks instead of 6 days
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Feb 22, 2019 15:24
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Driving 22 hours in 5 days seems like a poor way to spend a vacation imo
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Feb 22, 2019 15:33
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SilvergunSuperman posted:Rent a manual, shifting a stick with your off hand while driving on the other side of the road proves you're a badass motherfucker, not just a mofo. This is what I did and it indeed owned. Also yea go for longer. We did most of Ireland in 10 days and it still felt rushed.
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Feb 22, 2019 15:38
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Shats Basoon posted:Driving 22 hours in 5 days seems like a poor way to spend a vacation imo yeah, if you want to see nice scenery pick a spot and go for a walk, why do loop drives AND a massive cross country destination drive? Sitting in a car for hours on end is poo poo. I'd say wend your way from Dublin to the North coast over the course of the whole week, no more than an hour or two driving each day and picking tourist spots/activities/hotels that are on a nice direct route without too much detouring or long out-and-back drives. Then either drive back down in a single day to get your flight, or do a point-to-point hire and dump the car up north and either get a bus/train back down or fly from a different airport if you can make the costs work.
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Feb 22, 2019 15:39
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OP your plan is way overpacked. I live in Ireland and not a loving chance I would try to do all that in a week. You need to be able to savour your time!
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Feb 22, 2019 15:45
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Quantum of Phallus posted:OP your plan is way overpacked. I live in Ireland and not a loving chance I would try to do all that in a week. You need to be able to savour your time! I tell you what he needs to savor is any number of McDonald's burgers done with Irish flare. Perfect story fodder for the grandkids years from now.
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Feb 22, 2019 16:15
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Make sure to loudly state ‘boy this place is alright, but it would be a lot better if you let the English manage everything!’
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Feb 22, 2019 16:24
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King of Bees posted:I tell you what he needs to savor is any number of McDonald's burgers done with Irish flare. Perfect story fodder for the grandkids years from now. Do they serve a McHaggis?
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Feb 22, 2019 18:20
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Why don't you go to a country where they speak english?
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Feb 22, 2019 18:22
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Thank you for the comments so far, they are legitimately very useful. Based on those and a bit of additional research I will create a new map/plan hopefully tonight (phone posting now) and respond to some specific comments. In short, I am now thinking about staying in Dublin for a few nights (may buckle and do a tour bus to giants causeway, there are some day tours that hit a bunch of stuff up there) and then do a point to point car rental to another multi-night town in western ireland (most routes let me go to the Rock of Cashel on the way). What I'm not certain of is where to stay on the west side. Limerick and Galway both have airports so I'd need to at least finish at one of those (and the car dopo cost at Shannon aiport is very reasonable). Kenmare gets me near the two drives but I'm leaning towards just doing the Dingle peninsula. Galway I think provides access to the Aran islands. Limerick is in Burren. Or maybe theres some place I'm not thinking of?
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Feb 22, 2019 18:29
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Neutrino posted:Why don't you go to a country where they speak english? Mexico is too hot in May.
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Feb 22, 2019 18:30
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Mozi posted:Make sure to loudly state ‘boy this place is alright, but it would be a lot better if you let the English manage everything!’ Or better yet, pretend you think Ireland is part of England. They love that and think it's hilarious.
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Feb 22, 2019 18:37
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numberoneposter posted:i bet partying in dublin is pretty alright Drinking in Dublin is really expensive. And I’m used to London prices. It’s fun though and everyone is really friendly.
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Feb 22, 2019 18:43
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My now wife and I went to Ireland a couple years ago and drove across the country from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher to stay in a bed and breakfast there for a couple nights. I don't have any advice except make sure you stop at the Barack Obama Plaza somewhere in the middle of the country.  
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Feb 22, 2019 18:46
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