Ireland by bus/train/on foot (I'm Italian)

Ciao a tutti, mi chiamo Marco e sono nuovo del forum.
Sto iniziando a pensare alle mie vacanze estive... Ormai sono praticamente convinto di voler farmi un giro in Irlanda.
Premetto che partirò da solo e l'idea è di stare via 2-3 settimane (a seconda dell'itinerario che deciderò di fare),
qualcuno ha qualche spunto da consigliarmi? Ammetto che mi sto già un po' documentando su guide e blog vari, ma il parere di chi magari ha già fatto un'esperienza simile penso sia doppiamente importante.In molti scoraggiano l'uso dei mezzi pubblici e consigliano l'auto. Ammetto che se non fossi solo la prederei anch'io, ma essendo appunto in solitaria preferisco girare coi mezzi pubblici o, dove possibile, a piedi.Secondo voi è fattibile un viaggio simile con bus e treni? Premetto che non vorrei limitarmi alle grandi città (Dublino l'ho già vista, ma ci ritornerei, quantomeno come polo aereo) ma mi piacerebbe visitare anche qualche zona più solitaria e remota dell'Isola...
Grazie a chi vorrà scambiare le sue esperienze.
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Hello everyone, my name is Marco and I'm new to the forum.
I'm starting to think about my summer holidays ... now I'm pretty much convinced that I want to take a trip to Ireland ..I state that I will leave alone and the idea was to stay away 2-3 weeks .. depending on the route that I will decide to do ..
Does anyone have any ideas to suggest? I admit that I'm already a bit 'documenting on various guides and blogs, but the opinion of those who have already had a similar experience I think is doubly important. Many discourage the use of public transport and recommend the car. I admit that if I were not alone I would take it too, but being just in solitary I prefer to go by public transport or, where possible, on foot. According to you, is a similar trip with buses and trains feasible? I state that I would not limit myself to the big cities (Dublin I have already seen, but I would return, at least as an airport) but I would like to visit some more lonely and remote island ...
Thanks to those who want to exchange his experiences .

Ciao Marco,

2-3 settimane d'estate in Irlanda sono un gran bel progetto!

Potremmo iniziare con il dare un'occhiata a queste idee di viaggio: sono complete di chilometraggio e tempo di percorrenza (*in auto), e possono essere combinate tra loro a seconda delle preferenze.

Viaggiare in auto dà la possibilità di essere completamente indipendenti rispetto ad orari e coincidenze, ma essendo da solo anche i mezzi pubblici sono un'ottima opzione che permette di rilassarsi e godersi la vista!
Sia il treno che l'autobus  sono soluzioni efficienti sull'isola, e puoi utilizzare questo pratico Journey Planner per ragionare su orari e combinazioni!

Ti suggerisco di dare uno sguardo anche alle App disponibili: ti saranno utilissime!

Per idee e spunti su un'avventura in solitaria con lo zaino, puoi dare un'occhiata anche questo articolo.

Sei nel posto giusto: aspettiamo i consigli e le esperienze di altri viaggiatori! 

We're looking forward to reading all your experiences, who has the best suggestions for Marco? :)

Laura

Hi Marco,
Welcome to the forum - It sounds like you will have the trip of a lifetime :) You are right to plan carefully in advance if you are using public transport, particularly outside of the bigger cities, as the timetables can be a challenge when you are trying to get around the country!
I think Galway would be a great base for you.   It is a really great city, plenty of things to see and do, and very easy to walk around.  From there you could take day excursions to Connemara and see the beautiful Kylemore Abbey and also take a trip down to us in Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher.
If you decide to come to Doolin, you have a choice, you could base yourself in Galway and take a bus trip that goes up and down the same day, which will cover the Burren region, and also includes a boat trip to the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher. This would be great if you are short on time.


Or you could choose to come and stay a few days in Doolin and take your time to enjoy this area.  It is a beautiful seaside village, with plenty of accommodation choices, and fantastic Irish music in the pubs each evening.



If you are here this summer, maybe you will get a chance to sail on our brand new ship, arriving this May.  We're very excited!!!

I hope you enjoy your visit Marco, and this has given you some ideas of what to do on our Wild Atlantic Way!  
All the best
Joan

Ciao Marco,

I am hoping I can give you a few ideas for your forthcoming trip to Ireland this summer. 

The Causeway Coast and Glens region is located about 50 miles north-west of Belfast.  It is a great place to explore, especially if you like walking in scenic, unspoilt, coastal and rural areas.  There are 2 main walking routes here, The Causeway Coast Way and The Moyle Way.  Both are superb walks and it is recommended to take 2 days to complete each one - or longer if you want to be relaxed about it!   The Causeway Coast Way takes you along the northern coast line, mostly by cliff paths and long golden beaches.  It is a great way to take in the rugged scenery and geology.  You will pass attractions such as The Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Bushmills Whiskey Distillery and Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge. The route finishes at the seaside town of Ballycastle.  From there you can take a ferry across to Rathlin Island where you can walk to the Westlight Seabird Centre to see the thousands of seabirds that nest on the cliffs there from late spring through to midsummer.  The Moyle Way runs through the heart of the Glens of Antrim, an area of forests and valleys, history and wildlife.  For more information on the area please visit: www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com.  For more information on the 2 walks please visit: www.walkni.com 

The town of Coleraine is a good starting point for exploring the area as there are good bus and train connections to and from the town.  There are also plenty of friendly hostels, B&Bs, pubs and restaurants to choose from in the area.

I hope you enjoy planning your holiday!
Anne

Hi Marco,
Its great to hear that you will be visiting Ireland this Summer.
While your visiting why not take a rail tour with a Railtours Ireland.
We run tours the length and breath of the country visiting all the must see tourist attractions like the Cliffs of Moher and the Giants Causeway.
We use modern, spacious trains and luxury coaches too for all our tours.
We run day and overnight tours and a full list with a detailed itinerary on each can be found here: https://railtoursireland.com/travel-tours
You will have a Railtours guide through out and be on tour with a group of our other clients too.
Railtours Ireland Car Free Care Free.
Kind Regards
Mervyn

Thank you all for your answers and information.With your help I'm starting to plan the trip. Thanks again!
I wanted to ask you another couple of advices:
- do you have the link for any excursion (on foot or by bike) in the Aran Islands?
- recommended to book hostels and B & B in advance, as I will travel in August? Because, for example, by consulting the site of excursions in Northern Ireland there are beautiful routes, divided by relatively short stages. I thought to group at least a couple of stages, so as to be at least 15/20 km a stage (I'm a walker).

Thank you,
Marco

Hi Marco,

Great to hear you are thinking of coming to Northern Ireland in August!  it is a popular time for holiday makers so it is probably advisable to book your hostels or B&Bs in advance.  If you would like to search online for places to stay, there are a couple of web sites you should find helpful: www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com and www.discovernorthernireland.com  Both of these sites have accommodation sections.  The staff at the Visitor Information Centre in Coleraine can also help you find suitable accommodation for your trip if you would like to contact us.

You mention that you might be interested in walking some routes here.  I will let you know the length of the routes I mentioned before.  The Causeway Coastal Way is approximately 50 km and most of the walking is off road.  The Moyle Way is approximately 38km and is also mostly off road.  The walks round Rathlin Island would probably amount to about 20 km.

I hope this is helpful!
Anne

Thank you so much Anna, for all the information.
At the moment I'm just starting to evaluate the routes I can do during the holiday. Surely, as far as the North is concerned, I want to do the Causeway Coast Way and once I get to Ballycastle take the Moyle Way (I'll be going to see if I'm going to Rathlin Island that day).
In the West, however, I would like to travel the Great Western Greenway and one of Bloody Foreland, the Loop of Arranmore Island and the Inishowen peninsula.
Now I'm looking for some interesting ride or hike in Connemara and Donegal. I would like to be in a completely green place, after all Ireland is the Green Island.
I would like to visit Derry and Belfast (I have read many books on the Northern Ireland conflict, and I would like to give a picture to those readings).
Then I think I'm fine. Surely I will have to delete something from the program, because I do not know if in three weeks I will be able to do everything I have set myself.In the meantime, I will continue to "study".

Thanks again for the information and help,
Marco

Ciao, Marco!

Come sono andate le tue vacanze estive? Sei riuscito a trovare l'itinerario giusto che facesse per te?

Io e gli altri membri della Community siamo curiosi di sapere com'è stata la tua avventura in Irlanda! Se ti fa piacere, puoi raccontarci delle tue esperienze, dare dei consigli e condividere le foto del tuo viaggio all'interno del forum Tell Your Story. 

A presto!

Francesco

Marco hi,

To find out what is happening around Ireland during your stay please follow our social media at

https://www.facebook.com/WorkingHolidayIreland.ie/

https://twitter.com/Work_Hol_Ire

We keep them updated daily so there is always something to see and do,

Enjoy!

Working Holiday Ireland