Planning on a trip around Ireland, probably last two weeks of July. Obviously that's the "busy season." We're planning on winging it (i.e. no planned itinerary & therefore no hotel reservations). Will we likely have difficulty finding B&B's with rooms available, or during that time will they be full?

Yes, they could be full. That being said the travel industry isn't where it used to be so you might be okay.

I would recommend flying into Shannon on the West Coast. Rent a car and see the following while heading North up the coast then around the North and back south down the East coast.
Dingle Penninsula
Cliffs of Moher
Galway
Sligo
Donegal
Belfast
Dublin

You can also fly into Dublin and take a train to Cork, Limmerick, Galway, or Sligo.

I recommend the west central and northwest coasts. Much prettier and less tourists.


here are some other threads about Ireland:
http://www.texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?forum_id=54&topic_id=1466557

http://www.texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?forum_id=54&topic_id=1044486

http://www.texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?forum_id=54&topic_id=1394576

http://www.texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?forum_id=54&topic_id=1098375

Good luck.

Thanks

The cool thing about Ireland is there are a ton of B&Bs scattered throughout the countryside and in my experience, most are quite nice. They are people's homes and if you take a chance on them, you won't have a problem finding lodging. You might have to drive inland if you are on one of the coasts but it is such a small country that it is still a short drive. I had great luck and often had hosts who poured a bit of whiskey and chatted a bit when I got in for the night. It was a much better experience than staying in a Hilton.

I agree with everything that Ranger said.

The NW is the prettiest area I was in, it has old country feel, and the people are the hardest to understand when speaking. In other words many of them still speak Irish.

When I go to Ireland I never venture out of Donegal anymore. Unless I go to Dublin.

I loved Galway and the Aran Islands. And if there is a meeting you really need to go to a horse race in Clonmel. Waterford is nice but it is a long way over there. Most of the south is very touristy. In Donegal you may not see another tourist for a couple of days.

I have been there a few times during mid-late June and never have had a problem finding a B&B. If you stop by one and they are full, they will find you accomodations. It happened every time.

I would suggest public transportation from one area to another and then just rent a car where you end up. Traveling by train is fun in Ireland because you can get off when you want to and get back on. The buses are frequent between cities and areas and much cheaper than car rental and gas.

When you get to Donegal the only place to rent a car will be Letterkenny. It is the County Seat and pretty centrally located. You will definitely need a rental car in Donegal. It is a rural area and there are not many buses in comparison to the other parts of Ireland.

If you have any specific questions please feel free to e mail me at wmka89 at y --oo. I will gladly help with any plans.

The first time I went we flew into Dublin, stayed a couple of days and then caught the first train out of Dublin. The first train was going to Ballina, so that is where we went. It was a great way to travel.

it's been a few years, but I went from Cork up the sw coast in June. No probs staying at b&b's. I had a rental car & you can also hitch-hike. Few tourists when you get out in the boondocks. As said earlier, some people out there still speak Gaelic & their English is suspect. A very lovely part of the world.
The Guinness is outstanding!

Great info--thanks to everyone. By the way, Ranger, we have a guy at our company who is from Ireland & still goes there a lot. He said basically the same thing you did in terms of intinerary.

Should be a great trip. We're looking forward to it.

we did the South/SW "loop" a couple of years ago during the early spring "shoulder" season - it was awesome. Highlights included Cashel, Kinsale, and the Dingle Peninsula. We really look forward to going back to Galway and points farther north...