IRELAND - May/Jun 2015
15 Days 14 Nights
Self Drive Trip - 4 pax
26 May 2015 - 9 Jun 2015
Highlights:
- Birthplace of Guinness Stout ( refreshing to drink stout from the tap )
- Gap of Dunloe heritage area ( cars not allowed, only horse carriage, walkers & residents )
- One of Ireland's prettiest village " Adare " ( historic thatched cottages)
- Cliffs of Moher ( plunging 214m depth at it's highest point & stretching 8km long; breath-taking and super strong winds )
- UNESCO's World Heritage Site "Giant's Causeway" ( 40,000 interlocking basalt columns )
- Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge ( spectacular & jaw-dropping views )
- Stayed at many beautiful and cosy bed & breakfast ( really yummy breakfasts !! )
Map of our roadtrip: Dublin > Kilenny > Cork > Bantry > Tralee > Listowel > Ennis > Galway > Westport > Sligo > Letterkenny > Giant's Causeway > Belfast > Dublin
HOTELS
|
DUBLIN
We touched down in Dublin International Airport around 10am, and collected our rental car from Eurocar (booked through www.rentalcars.com). We originally rented a Ford Mondeo for S$1,185, but decided to upgrade to a new BMW 5 series by topping up another S$500 since it included a build in GPS. The drive from Dublin Airport to our hotel Kilronan House was about 25mins. After settling in, our first stop was none other than the Guinness Storehouse, the birth place of Guinness Stout :) The entrance fee (18 Euro each) included a tour of the factory and a complimentary pint of Guinness in the a bar at the top floor, where you can enjoy a great view of Dublin and the surrounding landscape. Next, we drove to the Trinity College, where the famous The Book Of Kells is located. Unfortunately, we were late and the library was already closed for the day. Following that, we head to the Temple Bar to have our dinner, and stroll around before driving back to the B&B. |
|
DUBLIN > ENNISKERRY > WICKLOW MOUNTAIN > KILKENNY
We started our day driving to the Powerscourt Estate & Gardens.(33 min, 27km), located in Enniskerry, County Wicklow. It is a large country estate noted for its house and landscaped gardens, occupying 19 hectares. After that, we drove to the Powerscourt Waterfall, Ireland’s highest at 121m, and is 6km from the main estate to have a picnic before setting off to Glendalough (34 mins, 28km) and the Wicklow Mountains Upper Lake. We ended the day driving to Kilkenny (98 mins, 120km), where we stay at Hotel Kilkenny. Kilkenny is a medieval town in southeast Ireland. Its grand Kilkenny Castle was built in 1195 by Norman occupiers. |
|
KILKENNY > HOOK LIGHTHOUSE > WATERFORD > YOUGHAL > CORK
We visited St Canice's Cathedral and Dominican Black Abbey in Kilkenny in the morning before setting off to the Hook Lighthouse located at Wexford, stopping by The Ross for some quick shopping. The driving time, excluding the stopping time at The Ross is about 1 hr 20 mins (59km). Thereafter we drove to Waterford (1 hr 5 mins, 58km), and had our lunch at one of the restaurants beside the Waterford Museum of Treasures. After lunch, we toured around Waterford before driving to Youghal (1 hr 5 mins, 76km) to have our dinner at Aherne's Townhouse & Seafood Bar. From here, it was about an hour drive to our hotel (67km), The Blarney Hotel & Golf Resort, in Cork. |
|
CORK > BLARNEY CASTLE > KINSALE > BALTIMORE > BANTRY
Our first stop was the English Market in Cork, where we had breakfast and oysters in the market (23 mins, 13km). The English Market Cork has entrances on Princes Street, Patrick Street, the Grand Parade, New Market Lane and Mutton Lane. It is a covered market supplying mainly food produce, local and imported to the people of Cork. Next, we backtracked to the Blarney Castle (20 mins, 10km), and spend 1-2 hrs touring inside the castle. Entrance fee to the castle is 13 Euro each. After that, we drove to Kinsale (43 mins 39km), and visited Charles Fort Kinsale. Thereafter drove towards Baltimore (1 hr 40 mins, 88km), where we had our dinner at, La Jolie Brise, which overlook the harbour. From there, we drove about 50 mins (41km) to our hotel, The Maritime, located in Bantry. |
|
BANTRY > MIZEN HEAD > KENMARE > DERRYNARE HOUSE > TRALEE
We started the day driving up a hill for an overview of Bantry bay area. After that, we headed to Mizen Head (50 mins, 42km), located at the extremity of a peninsula in the district of Carbery in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of the extreme points of the island of Ireland and is a major tourist attraction, noted for its dramatic cliff scenery. Following that, we drove to Kenmare (1 hr 50mins, 87km) and did the popular Ring of Kerry drive, driving to Waterville, a favourite holiday spot for Charlie Chaplin and his family. We were unlucky as the weather was bad and hence we did not have a great view. Our drive from Waterville to our hotel in Tralee took us more than 1 hr 30 mins (75km). We stayed at Sean Og’s B&B, where our room is above a bar restaurant. |
|
TRALEE > GAP OF DUNLOE > DINGLE PENINSULA > DUNBEG FORT > LISTOWEL
We drove about 50 mins (40km) to Gap of Dunloe, which is a narrow mountain pass between MacGillycuddy's Reeks and Purple Mountain in County Kerry. Cars are not allowed to drive into the area (only access to accommodation and business purposes allowed), and hence we took the horse carriage into the narrow mountain pass, which is about 11km from north to south. Within it are five lakes: Coosaun Lough, Black Lake, Cushnavally Lake, Auger Lake, and Black Lough (north to south). We paid about 70 Euro for the ride. After Gap of Dunloe, we drove to Dingle Peninsula (1 hr 20 mins, 60km), and did the Slea Head Drive, which is part of the Atlantic drive, stopping at a few towns along the way. We had our dinner in The Chart House at Dingle, where they serve very good food at reasonable price (reservation is recommended). After dinner, we drove towards our hotel at Listowel, Cill Chiarain B&B (1 hr 30 mins, 82 km). |
|
LISTOWEL > ADARE > ROCK OF CASHEL > ENNIS
We started the day driving to Adare (slightly more than 1 hr, 65km) to see the historic thatched cottages. Renowned as one of Ireland's prettiest villages, Adare is designated as a Heritage Town by the Irish government. From Adare, we drove more than an hour (75km) to Cashel to visit The Rock of Cashel - one of Ireland's most spectacular archaeological sites. Sturdy walls circle an enclosure containing a complete round tower, a 13th-century Gothic cathedral and a 12th-century Romanesque chapel in Ireland, home to some of the land's oldest frescoes. Following our lunch at Oneil Restaurant in Cashel, we continued our drive towards the hotel at Ennis where we stayed at Railway View House B&B (1 hr 35 mins, 100km). |
|
ENNIS > CLIFF OF MOHER > DOOLIN > GALWAY
Today, we make our way to the Cliffs of Moher which took us about 45-50 mins (41km) of driving. The Cliffs of Moher are Ireland’s most visited natural attraction, standing 214m at their highest point and stretches for 8 kilometres along the Atlantic coast of County Clare in the west of Ireland. The wind is super strong here, especially near the cliff, and hence visitors need to be cautious when walking near the edge. We had a quick lunch at the cafe here, and continued to explore the left side of the Cliffs of Moher before setting off to Galway (1 hr 50 mins, 78km) for the night, staying at Jameson Court Apartment. |
|
GALWAY > CONNEMARA NATIONAL PARK >> CLIFDEN > SKY ROAD > KYLEMORE ABBEY > WESTPORT
The ladies spend the morning shopping in Galway before we drove 1 hr 30 mins (82km) to the Connermara National Park, where we spend some time hiking at the Máméan Pilgrimage Walk, where its like a no man's land as we were the only four tourists here. After the hike, we continue our journey and did the scenic Sky Road drive in Western part of Ireland (20-25 mins, 13km). From there, we continue our drive towards our hotel at Westport, passing by Dan O’Hara’s Homestead Farm (15 mins, 12km) and Kylemore Abbey (30 mins, 26km). We put up at The Helm Apt B&B in Westport (50 mins, 49km). |
|
WESTPORT > ACHILL ISLAND > SLIGO
We headed to the open air market at Westport in the morning, but unfortunately it was a rainy day and thus not many stalls were opened. Instead, we spend more time in the supermarket and bought some takeaway for lunch. Thereafter, we drove to Achill Island (1 hr. 53km), Strandhill (2 hr 20 mins, 147km) and ended the day at Sligo where we stayed at the Strandhill Lodge & Suites. |
|
SLIGO > BEN BULBEN > GLENCOLUMBKILLE > THE ROSSES > SLIEVE LEAGUE CLIFF > LETTERKENNY
We started the day with a 2 hour hike in Knocknarea in Sligo (9 mins, 5km), where we enjoyed a panoramic view of the surrounding and caught a glimpse of the Ben Bulben from a distance. Knocknarea is well known for its flat topped cairn which is believed to be the resting place of the legendary Queen Maeve of Connacht. After the long hike, we drove to Carrowmore (6mins, 4km) which is one of the four major passage tomb complexes in Ireland. The site is managed by the Office of Works, and there is a small visitor center where you purchase the ticket to enter the site. Next, we drove to the Ben Bulben forest walk (20 mins, 16km) and snapped a few nearer views Ben Bulben photos before we moved on to Rosses Point (15 mins, 12km), where the 'Waiting On Shore" statue is located. From there, we drove to Slieve League Cliff (2 hrs, 116km), situated on the north west coast of Donegal and is one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. Rising almost 598m from the Atlantic, it is twice as high as the cliff of Mohers. Be warned that the wind is REALLY strong here, but the view is majestic. We drove on from here and ended the day staying at Gallaghers Hotel in Letterkenny (1 hr 35 mins, 82km). |
|
DONEGAL > LONDONDERRY > PORTRUSH > DUNLUCE CASTLE > THE GIANT'S CAUSEWAY
From Letterkenny, we headed to Derry, officially Londonderry, (35 mins. 35km) which is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Daire or Doire meaning "oak grove". We did not spend too much time here and continued our way to Portrush (15miles, 30min) and drove passed Dunluce castle (4miles, 8min) before reaching our final destination for the day, The Giant's Causeway (3miles, 7min). The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, and a national nature reserve in 1987 by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. Our accommodation for the night was Carnside Guest House, a short drive from The Giant's Causeway. |
|
THE GIANT'S CAUSEWAY > BELFAST
We started the morning at the The Giant's Causeway again, taking more photos of this amazing place. Its quite a long walk from the entrance to the basalt column, but we drove in before the official opening hour at 9am, saving us lots of walking time. Thereafter, we drove to Ballycastle to visit the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (18 mins, 9 miles), a famous rope bridge that links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede. It spans 20 metres and is 30 metres above the rocks below. The entrance fee is 5.90 pound each. Afterwards, we drove to see The Dark Hedges (17 mins, 9.3 miles) at Ballymoney, where you see this beautiful avenue of beech trees, planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century. From here, we drove to Torr Head (32mins, 16 miles), before continuin to make our way to Belfast (1 hr 30 mins, 64 mile) using the Causeway Coastal Road, which is a scenic drive along the coastline. We would recommend people to take this route especially on a fine day. The contrast of the green field and dark blue ocean is just amazing! We stayed at The Gregory in Belfast and had Thai food takeaway (short walking distance from the hotel) for dinner. |
|
BELFAST > NEWGRANGE & BOYNE VALLEY > HILL OF TARA > DUBLIN
We drove around Belfast in the morning, stopping at the iconic Titanic building. After exploring Belfast, we drove to Newgrange (1 hr 30 mins, 80 miles) in the Boyne Valley, a prehistoric monument in Meath. It was built during the Neolithic period around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Newgrange was built by a farming community that prospered on the rich lands of the Boyne Valley. Knowth and Dowth are similar mounds that together with Newgrange have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Access to the Newgrange monument is via the Bru na Boinne Visitors Centre. After purchasing the tickets, walk cross a small bridge towards the bus stop where scheduled buses will transport you to the site entrance. Once inside, the crowd will be divided into two groups with one group exploring the external part of the monument and the other within. After 20 mins or so, the two group will switch. Next, we drove to the Hill of Tara (30 mins, 28km), located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex. It contains a number of ancient monuments, and, according to tradition, was the seat of Árd Rí na hÉireann, or the High King of Ireland. Recent scholarship claims that despite the rich narratives derived from mythologies, Tara was not so much a true seat of kingship, but a sacral site associated with kingship rituals. We ended the day back to Dublin city (40km, 34mins), where we stayed at Donnybrook Hall for our last night in Ireland before we flew off to Iceland the next day. |