Edinburgh & Ireland itinerary

[Maricat]

Hi all!

I am planning a trip to Ireland, and would love some feedback re: the following tentative itinerary.

16 July - arrive Edinburgh, Scotland - 3 nights
19 July - Fly to Dublin arriving 5pm, stay 2 nights
21-22 - Kilkenny for 2 nights, w/ side trip to Cashel
23-24 - 2 nights either Kinsale or Cork (which??)
25th - Kenmare (Ring of Beara, possibly Ring of Kerry)
26-28th - Dingle Peninsula, 3 nights
29-31st - Galway, w/ side trips to Connemara, Cliffs of Moher, Burren
Aug. 1st - Fly home from Shannon

Does this look reasonable? Anything hidden treasures I am missing? We want to get a real flavor for Ireland, without spending all of our time looking out the car windshield, but still getting to see as much as possible... trying to find a mix between quantity of sights and quality of experience.

Any feedback appreciated!!

Thanks much,
Mari

[madamtrashheap]

Welcome back Maricat!

There has been a flurry of discussion on places to go in Ireland and Scotland of late, so if you haven't already, take a peek at pretravel.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&n=1&thread=2949&page=1 for ideas on places to visit in Ireland and Scotland in addition to what you have already.

Your itinerary looks good at the moment, I gather you're planning on driving around which will be a great way to explore hidden nooks (just watch the dreaded Dublin traffic - congested roads). A couple of suggestions:
Dublin: I'm assuming you've factored in Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College and the Book of Kells and this is probably already on your list, but if not then try to get to Kilmainham Gaol (Jail), very interesting tour to take.
Dublin to Kilkenny: that drive is only around 2 hours, so you can divert a little and spend time dropping in to Killiney (small seaside town), drive through the Wicklow mountains, maybe stop in Kildare for the Japanese Gardens and Horse Stud ( www.irish-national-stud.ie/japanese.html ) if that interests you.
Kilkenny - great town, lots to wander around and good pub life; Cashel (the Rock) is worth the trip and you could easily vear off for a few hours on the way to either Cork or Kinsale.
Kinsale or Cork: Cork is, obviously, the bigger of the two. Kinsale centre is pretty and if you decided to stay in Cork, you could visit Cobh (pronounced Cove; port where boats took people to the boats leaving for America during the great immigration wave in 1800s, and the last port of call of the Titanic) on the way to Cork, then Kinsale as a day trip (or vice versa).
Kenmare - if you can manage both circuts (Kerry and Beara) then do so, scenery is just perfect. Otherwise Ring of Beara is a hidden treasure in itself (and much less visited that the Ring of Kerry) - nice find!
Dingle Peninsula - the western Peninsula is my favourite area of Ireland. You'll be able to explore the area well with three nights (make sure you drive the road west of Dingle, around the coast past the Blasket Islands towards Ballyferriter - my Gaelic isn't good - and explore the ruins of the Pagan and early Christian "churches" and beehive huts (clocháns). Here are some maps for your reference: www.dingle-peninsula.ie/maps.html ) and might even try to look for Fungie the Dolphin (who is still supposed to be around occasionally, even though he's quite old now). Tralee is fun in early August for the "Rose of Tralee" pageant, but other times warrants just a short stop if you have time.
Galway - you have all the places I'd suggest so enjoy. There's also adventure activity places off the coast, Aran Islands and Kylemore Abbey if your interested in those too.

As Shannon Airport is between Galway and Dingle, so to speak, you could change the order you visit places, but it's not really that necessary as the distance from Galway to Shannon isn't far (1hr) and a fast road than from Dingle.

Looks good. Enjoy your trip and let us know how it goes when you get back - we like travelling vicariously too! ;D

[crystal]

I love Edinburgh and was there last year for a week. I was there as a teacher on a school trip so we had a different idea of activities than you will have but I saw most of the big sights and a few lesser known sites here is my quick run down.

Edinburgh Castle- Exactly what you would expect. History laying all over the place. Fantastic views over the city. Queues can be a problem in peak season.

Edinburgh Dungeons - The ultimate horror house retelling Edinburgh's dark side. Great fun as long as you have a strong heart. Had me jumping out of my skin eventhough I didn't let on to the kids! You have to get into the spirit of it.

Ghost walk - A guided interactive tour around the city by actors who are mostly students. The actors are based along the tour frightening the life out of you when they appear from nowhere. They give you loads of history about the city and some great tales about burning witches and the like. A great way to spend an early evening. We used www.witcherytours.com but there are loads of companies offering tours.

Sealife centre - Not great and located outside the city. I would only visit if you have a real interest and there are probaly others around that are much better.

Dynamic Earth - Exhibition about - surprise, suprise - The Earth. Some great exhibitions and special effects but a lot of it comprises of reading off video displays. Only worth a visit if you have a lot of spare time or have kids to entertain. www.dynamicearth.co.uk

Camera Obscura - Love it, love it, love it. It is located right beside the castle. An exhibition of visual effects and optical illusions. There are some absolutly brilliant holograms. Worth a trip if you are close to the castle area. www.camera-obscura.co.uk

Hope this helps.
Happy travelling.