Touring Ireland (1 Viewer)

My Dog Likes Fishing

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Thinking of touring Southern Ireland for a week in March. Has anybody been round the Ring Of Kerry? Can you recommend any good sites please? Also what to look out for and must see?
 
Sep 23, 2013
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Quite a few people have. Type 'Ring of Kerry' into the Search box (top right of the screen on a PC, little magnifying glass on a phone) & it will turn up several reports.
 

Lookaround

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Minxy

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Don't want to rain on your parade but ... the weather might not be that good then and only going for a week will mean you won't see a lot as the roads aren't as good as in the UK so travelling takes longer than you'd expect, also the cost of getting the ferry to/from Ireland is VERY, VERY expensive.
 
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A couple of my favourites - Mannix Point in Cahirciveen - http://www.campinginkerry.com
Wavecrest in Caherdaniel - http://www.wavecrestcamping.com/
Glenross in Glenbeigh - http://www.camping-ireland.ie/parks/kerry/glenross-caravan-camping-park.

These are all very good sites in lovely locations. There are also a few good sites in Killarney.
I visited southern Ireland about ten years ago and mannix point is the one site I would definately return to and recommend. We went at the beginning of May and almost had the site to ourselves ! It was raining tho and did so for 7 out of the ten days we were there but as they say "that is why it is so green" :ROFLMAO:
 

Lookaround

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The roads around the 'Ring' are quite narrow but that's because it's a very rugged route on a small peninsula. If you got the Ferry to Rosslare, it's about a 3 1/2 hour drive to Killarney, and from there you can drive the route over the next few days at your leisure - it's definitely worth it. As for the weather well ..........

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Lenny HB

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Did southern Ireland about 5 years ago, thought the Ring of Kerry is overrated far better places to go, if you do go don't make the mistake we did going round the opposite way to the coaches, they expect you to know the width of you vehicle to the nearest millimeter.
As Mel says a lot of the roads are boneshakers 100 miles in a day is about the most you will want to do and that is an effort better to take it slower. Main arterial roads are OK (new EU funded ones).
Can't help with sites, wild camping is the norm that's what we did.
 

s7ev0

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Thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Ireland last year. Agree that the roads are slower to drive than in the UK, but you do get used to them. I also found the roads were quite narrow, and to keep the offside wheel this side of the middle line we had the nearside wheel riding on the kerb side white line (or maybe it yellow, can't remember).

Sneem is a great place to visit on the Ring of Kerry, and the "are" there is in a lovely spot by the river, with just a stroll into the village. We've got three other "Irish Stops" on the Ring in our new book too... ;)

We had ten days over there, and managed to get from Cork (we whizzed down to Cork from Dublin on the motorway) round the west coast up to Sligo then back across to Dublin. I wish we could have done it a bit more slowly now, but we'll be back again one day, that's for sure.

Steve :)

Edit re Lenny HB's post above - I reckon we must have been very lucky, cos we went the "wrong" way round the Ring and never met a coach!
 

Lenny HB

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. I also found the roads were quite narrow, and to keep the offside wheel this side of the middle line we had the nearside wheel riding on the kerb side white line (or maybe it yellow, can't remember).
You obviously found the extra wide roads, we ended up on some with both door mirrors rubbing in the hedges on both sides, no they weren't one way.:D

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A couple of my favourites - Mannix Point in Cahirciveen - http://www.campinginkerry.com
Wavecrest in Caherdaniel - http://www.wavecrestcamping.com/
Glenross in Glenbeigh - http://www.camping-ireland.ie/parks/kerry/glenross-caravan-camping-park.

These are all very good sites in lovely locations. There are also a few good sites in Killarney.

Hi.
"Glenross in Glenbeigh" I will second that,and the Glenbeigh Hotel........ "Traditional sessions ?" Not half... The Bl;ack Pepper Chicken and the drink keeps coming,so WALK to this venue.Music and Dancing..... Make sure you have a good hold on "Bridie" if she gets you up to dance and starts spinning,as i have said on other posts."If she lets you go,you could end up through the window out into the car park.
If you have a growler,turn left out of the gates,walk about 100yds up the road and there is a little road/lane on your left,this takes you down to fields and a shingle beach,the beach in town is super,plenty of parking.
Inch beach is a must,we could drive on when we were there about 10yrs ago,and the poem on the wall of the cafe. Along the lines of.
Dear Inch i must leave you
For i have many miles to go
etc Sorry,forgotten the rest,but have a photo somewhere.
ENJOY!
Tea Bag
 

Minxy

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I love Ireland and I would go every year if it wasn't for the cost of the ferry! The last time we went was in 2013 and we wild camped all the time, we were there for a month and loved every minute of it, I could easily have stayed longer!

We had some lovely wild camping spots and when you wake up to views like the below it just cannot be beaten ... the Connemara mare with her foal was about 15ft away from us when we first looked out of the window! Oh, and they do 'traffic jams' in a totally different way in Ireland!

Connemara ponies.jpg
morning view.jpg
Irish traffic jam.jpg
 

Minxy

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Ooooo ... you've started me off now ... I've been looking to book a holiday later in the year (Sept/Oct) and hubby was thinking of Austria but looking at my photos of Ireland has got me all day-dreamy about the place .... I've just had a shuftie at the ferry cost and if I book now using my Tesco vouchers in 'real terms' the cost difference between either going to mainland Europe or to Ireland isn't that great so something to consider especially since the dogs alone cost us £102 on Eurotunnel, then there's the vet etc check on the way back ....

Hmmmmmmm ..... might have to work on persuading hubby a bit of Irish spirit is in order .... :D

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Lenny HB

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Nice view from one of our wild spots, few more pics in my gallery (link in signature).

Loved Ireland, but frightened to go back as we managed two weeks without rain can't see that happening again, been there dozens of times working, always peed down.

Ireland 196.jpg
 
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The DATeam

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The main thing to look out for is tourist coaches. The Ring of Kerry, The Blarney Stone and Cliffs of Moher are on the "see Ireland in a Day" tours. The tourist coaches use the Ring of Kerry as race track, a bit like Silverstone for coaches. There is an unwritten rule about which way around to go, make sure you go the same way as the coaches, as least you're with them then. As with the others, there are far prettier places in the West of Ireland than the Ring of Kerry.
 
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My Dog Likes Fishing

My Dog Likes Fishing

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Thanks for all your feedback everyone. Great photos and can't wait to go exploring .

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Minxy

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seatruckferries will do a motorhome crossing with two passengers. Much cheaper than the others :)
Unfortunately although cheap, £120 each way, they don't take dogs ... :(
 

nelly

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Direct Ferries have an offer on at the moment for ferries to N Ireland i think it is 25% off
Neil

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Sep 23, 2013
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Unfortunately although cheap, £120 each way, they don't take dogs ... :(
Nor wheelchairs, unfortunately - no lifts. Same with all the freight carriers, otherwise we would sail from Immingham when going in the opposite direction. :(

Suppose I could put her on Ryanair for a tenner though. :whistle: (Cue Fascinating Aida 'Cheap flights, cheap flights')
 

g8ysn

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Did eirl and couple of years ago with my brothers and sister (craignama ) on route to tippeery where my dad came from will go again soon to catch up with relatives over there
 

Minxy

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Nor wheelchairs, unfortunately - no lifts. Same with all the freight carriers, otherwise we would sail from Immingham when going in the opposite direction. :(

Suppose I could put her on Ryanair for a tenner though. :whistle: (Cue Fascinating Aida 'Cheap flights, cheap flights')
Piggy back???

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Sep 23, 2013
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Piggy back???
Bad back, snapped tendons in knees, dodgy ankle.
Suppose I could time the trip to coincide with @andy63 - he has form in carrying my OH, but I suspect he may not wish to repeat it, especially up & down step ships stairways! She isn't quite as delicate as she looks - think Andy got a surprise! :eek:

In all seriousness though, I don't suppose the ferry company would consider it.
 

andy63

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Bad back, snapped tendons in knees, dodgy ankle.
Suppose I could time the trip to coincide with @andy63 - he has form in carrying my OH, but I suspect he may not wish to repeat it, especially up & down step ships stairways! She isn't quite as delicate as she looks - think Andy got a surprise! :eek:

In all seriousness though, I don't suppose the ferry company would consider it.
Hi Simon. .. ah I remember... you are right of course I struggled on my own ,but we could always enlist Terry again lol...
Hope you are both keeping well...
On the subject of ferries.... I do the Cairnryan crossing regularly..The ships have lifts but access to them off the car decks wouldn't be easy from memory... There is so much most of us take for granted...until you actually think about it...
Regards to you both...
 
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Any idea of best ferry to take with a dog. Think we did Anglesey to Dublin (Dunleary?) last time (minus the dog) but can't remember how long the crossing was or if dogs were allowed on deck. Any ideas anyone?

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Oct 20, 2014
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Any idea of best ferry to take with a dog. Think we did Anglesey to Dublin (Dunleary?) last time (minus the dog) but can't remember how long the crossing was or if dogs were allowed on deck. Any ideas anyone?
Hi Landscaper....Ferry to Dun Laoghaire has ceased crossing last couple of years, Its all Dublin to Holyhead or Liverpool now. Crossing is about 3 hrs 15 mins or half that on the Swift Ferry. Unless you have a guide dog I'm pretty sure no dogs allowed on deck. You can travel with Irish Ferries or Stena Line.
 
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Cork n kerry mountains. The skelligs they filmed star wars here. Inch beach. Dingle blaskets slea head. Dunquin. Molls gap. Ladies view. Gap of dunlow. The burren. Conamara lovely friendly horses. Drive accross the beach at low tide to omey island from claddaghduff. Clifden sky road. Killary harbour ireland s only fiord. Then you could take the road to louisburgh via delphi lodge lovely and try to imagine what it was like during the famine. Clare island for granuaile our irish queen and her clew bay . Achille island keem bay amethyst hunting. Find the secret lakes? The secret beach? Arron island. Tory island. Donegall. North coast benone strand. Giants causway . Carrickareide rope bridge . Antrim coast . Game of thrones sets. Islandmagee gobins cliff path. Browns bay. Time for a pint of the black stuff and an irish coffee. Thats chilled me out just thinking about it.!!
 

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