SteveBrickNJ
Well-Known Member
Great photos! Brilliant Post! I'm so thankful for you taking the time to share all of thisNo worries. Good for you, hiring a driver, you'll get lots of stories as well! You may find yourself stopping often.I've done it a time or two myself.
Coastal scenery is pretty awesome, as is the inland scenery--all around the whole island! You'll find some coastal beaches that will look like your average beach (except with many more rocks than you'd find on the Jersey Shore), easing smoothly into the water, and you'll find some coastal cliffs that really impress upon you that you are literally standing at the edge of a country. It doesn't look like the Giant's Causeway is on your route, that's an interesting landscape for sure, although I've never seen it in person.
When I'm staying in my house in the midlands, I look around and think, "this is the nicest scenery in Ireland". But when I drive up to my mom's side of the family, just south of the border with Northern Ireland, I come around a bend and see the Mourne Mountains and think, "oh, this is the nicest scenery in Ireland". And I once visited Loop Head, which is one of those coastal cliffs, and thought "this is the coolest thing ever". The Cliffs of Moher are overrated.
For instance, here's the view out my front door (the stop sign is fairly ordinary, but what's past it is nice to look at)
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I've been searching my photos for images of what you can expect to see in the area you're going to, these are the best I can come up with. You'll notice that even the graveyards in Ireland are very scenic. In the background of all three photos are the Mourne Mountains, which are actually located in Northern Ireland.
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Here's the cliffs at Loop Head, Co. Clare. As you can see, you can just walk right up to the edge. Disregard the silly redhead in the second picture.
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Beach in Co. Sligo:
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And this next one, random roadside shot that I actually did pull over to the side of the road to take.
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Oh, and if you see this sign over a door, it simply means "exit this way".
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Finally, here's an Irish rainbow for you. My husband took this last month while I was driving. We'd just come through a heavy shower of rain. Neither one of us had ever seen the end of a rainbow before, but you can literally see it coming down in this field along the roadside!! I really hope you get good weather.
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I know you have dual citizenship.(USA and Ireland)...when in Ireland, what county is your house in? Longford? Westmeath? Offaly? (You said it is in "The Midlands"...I had to google that
)My first 3 times to Ireland I rented a car (Irish as you know say: "hired a car") and I drove myself.
1996...flew into Shannon...saw Bunratty Castle, Cliffs of Moher...Galway....Kenmare, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Blarney Castle...Wexford....Waterford Crystal tour....ended up in Dublin and flew out of there. I was there for 2 weeks!
2 years later in 1998 I missed it so much so I went back.
Then it was forever until the third time....that was 2012 with my wife and daughter.
The first hour driving on the left is weird and then I get used to it. This August 2022 trip my wife wanted me to be able to just look out the window and not worry about being responsible for the driving.
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Fear not, we WILL see Giant's Causeway this August.
The previous itinerary I shared with you was for Friday the 12th of August.For Sat. August 13th this is the plan...
We will check out of our Belfast hotel and see The Dark Hedges...
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Next is Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge
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then Giant's Causeway
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Lastly Dunluce Castle
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That night we settle into a hotel in Derry/Londonderry
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