Considering touring Ireland (1 Viewer)

[electricscott]

come spring/summer Di and I are thinking of Ireland, we have just cashed £100 worth of Tesco vouchers towards the ferry cost.
could anybody recommend/advise? we live in Newport Pagnell so a trip up north to catch the ferry is uneconomical.
regards mike:Cool:

 

[Landy lover]

Went over a few years ago - beautiful country - lovely people - expensive which ever way you look at it - due to the cost of the ferry best to go over for as long as possible and see as much as you can in one go - we said next time we go must be for a month. We sailed from Fishguard which at the time was the cheapest option but there are others at Swansea and Pembroke

 

[Snowbird]

A lot depends on which part of Ireland you plan on touring.If you are planning on going to the 5 counties or the State.
From Newport Pagnel you have a choice of ferries,one I have used quite a few times in the past is Liverpool Dublin,which is an overnight ferry that you get a cabin on,this gives you chance to take a shower and have a fresh start the next morning.Have heard somwhere there is a cheaper option from I think it was Fleetwood,but am not sure.The Hollyhead crossing was always expensive,and I presume the Scottish crossings into the North are to far for you to travel.Which ever way you choose be prepaired to pay a premium,as all Irish crossings are not cheap.If you are going to the state arrive with an empty fuel tank as fuel is cheaper there.

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[Wyaye wires]

Can highly recommend touring Ireland but then I am Irish!

The ferries are expensive no matter which one you choose as with a mh there is never any bargin fares. However if you are a Caravan Club member there is a discount and it is worth going through them - saved £65 the last time we went. I dont know if other clubs offer discounts and if you are a member it is worth enquiring.

Fuel is cheaper and althought people say that Ireland is expensive dont forget that the currency is the Euro and I think that people just do a like for like with the conversion and therefore think its expensive.

Food is the supermarkets is good value and they also have plenty of Aldi and Lidl shops too. Clothes are good value in Dunnes Stores and Penny's.

Our personal preference is Galway in the west coast and Kerry and Cork in the south. There are lots of motorhomes in the summer and we have always had a welcome where ever we have been.

Regards

Kath & Howie

 

[sue1959]

If you come west don't forget Co Mayo! Look at my photos and you'll see pictures from around where I live.

 

[electricscott]

ireland

thanks for the reply folks, its such a shame so many people are put off such a beautiful country becuase the ferries are so expensive.

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[Gooney]

come spring/summer Di and I are thinking of Ireland, we have just cashed £100 worth of Tesco vouchers towards the ferry cost.
could anybody recommend/advise? we live in Newport Pagnell so a trip up north to catch the ferry is uneconomical.
regards mike:Cool:

I,m so sorry and don't wish to sound smug, but what a change to hear a southerner complaining about the cost to come up north rather than us having to go south to get the channel ferries. (Still too bloody expensive a crossing compared with dover/calais wherever you live in the mainland)

 

[Cupcake]

We off to Ireland to...info please

We are going to Ireland next summer for 3 weeks (max amount of time we can get off work in one go) we have used Tesco vouchers to book Irish Ferries Pembroke to Rosslare. Cost was £320 (ouch!) but had enough vouchers to cover the whole cost (hurrah:thumb
If anyone can recommend sites /places to visit /parking spots etc it would be much appreciated. We have toured Cork / Kerry before (with caravan & by flying over / car hire) so will give these areas a miss. We also will try and visit Northern Ireland so again info would be welcome.

Deborah

 

[Rayb182]

When we go over we go to Pembroke to Rosslare then follow the south coast route to Mizen Head plenty of sleepyspots, then turn right and go up the west coast, so many sleepyspots, hope that helps.:thumb:

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[staging lady]

Not sure about sites as we went a few years ago and did a home swap in Dun Laoghaire.
WE went to Dublin to the Book of keels at Trinity college library, to Bewleys -
Ernest Bewley undertook a complete refurbishment of the building, drawing inspiration from the great European cafes of Paris and Vienna, as well as exotic oriental tearooms and Egyptian architecture (which influenced the facade and was inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamen’s Tomb in 1922).

The centrepiece of the Cafe remains to this day the six magnificent stained glass windows commissioned from the renowned artist Harry Clarke who completed them just prior to his death in 1931.

The grandeur and ambition of Ernest Bewley’s achievement resulted in Bewley’s Grafton Street becoming an essential part of the literary, cultural, artistic, architectural and social life of Dublin. The flagship Cafe became a haunt for some of Ireland’s most famous literary and artistic figures, including James Joyce (who mentioned the cafe in his book ‘Dubliners’), Patrick Kavanagh, Samuel Beckett and Sean O’Casey, and more recently Bob Geldof and Sinead O’Connor. Bewley’s Grafton Street has equally acquired a special place in the hearts of all Dubliners and visitors to the city alike.




( go for Irish tea brack ) then south to Avoca /Ballykissangel and North across the border to Larne and the Glens of Antrim. The latter area is beautiful and there is a description in this blog.


Giants Causeway was also worth seeing.
Lovely country and lovely people. Wish the ferries were cheaper. Strikes me they need competition.
Lucille

 

[Douzeper]

For anyone travelling to/from Northern Ireland/Ireland/europe, Nutt Travel have discounts for Motorhomes they have always gave me great discount.

Now if you want to make it even cheaper......... " I will say this only once "

Go to a website that promotes race meetings, be it motorbikes/stock cars/rally's and look for an event that is on while you are visiting, put the event in the form when you are booking or requesting a qoute and you will receive a huge discount!

http://www.nutttravel.com/

Hope this helps

P.S. if anyone visiting Northern Ireland and is coming anywhere near Antrim, I have an area where you can park your motorhome for as long as you like. An old disused car park, hard gravel surface and could probably arrange an electric hook up.

 

[DBSilverfox]

Bookmarked! Great advice, thanks a lot :thumb:

David

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[weejohnw]

Hi, ferrys are very expensive to and from the Emerald Isle. We spent a lovely week around the Tramore area. There are many hotels etc that will let you overnight in their carpark and we saw fellow motorhomers parked along the promenade in Tramore.
Donegal also highly recommended. Parking - same. Be aware however that many car parks have the dreaded height barrier. Prices in the republic are pretty high because of the use of the euro. A basic campsite in Tramore wanted to charge us thirty euros for a night!!!!
Don't forget to come north of the border but be aware too that many places are anti-motorhome. The friendly parking link that you will find elsewhere in this site gives a good list of overnighting facilities.
Don't plan on covering too many miles per day, you may not make it, roads can be rough and the scenery worth enjoying.
If I'm around, anyone is welcome to use our yard to overnight; you can dump toilet etc and take on fresh water if required.
Come and enjoy this beautiful country, north or south.
Regards