Motorhome and Away
A Tour of Ireland 2018


Home > European Touring > Ireland 2018

A Tour of Ireland 2018


We decided to visit Ireland for a month this year and enjoyed unusually good weather with just a few wet days. We travelled from Liverpool to Belfast on the Sunday daytime (eight hour) crossing as motorhomes are only charged the car rate saving a considerable amount. Our route took us along the picturesqe Antrim and Causeway coast to Derry then around Donegal, often following the well signed Wild Atlantic Way, down the west coast to the Burren in County Clare before heading back to the east coast and back into Northern Ireland and Belfast for an unexpected short ferry trip back to Cairnryan in Scotland.


Campsites and Aires 2018
Antrim and Causeway Coast
Donegal
 Back to Ulster then the West Coast
Connemara and County Clare
Across to the East Coast then Home


After an easy drive to the Wirral we caught the Sunday morning Stena Line ferry for the eight hour crossing to Belfast, luckily on calm seas, and a short drive to a CL at IslandMagee. After a night at NI's first official aire at Broughshane near Ballymena, we drove through attractive scenery along the Glens and Causeway coast road stopping at several small villages and a short diversion inland to see the Dark Hedges, now famous as are many places as a location for Game of Thrones TV series. After visiting the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the ever busy Giant's Causeway, we called in to Portrush then on to Derry. From there we toured around the north coast of county Donegal with huge empty sandy beaches and rocky headlands.

We then returned to Northern Ireland to visit the interesting Ulster American Folk Park, and Enniskillen, then back to the Sligo coast. We meandered southwards through Connemara and Galway to cross the dramatic scenery of the Burren to Kilfenora. From there we crossed quickly through central Ireland to the east coast and Carlingford Lough, before heading across the border and over the Mountains of Mourne to Strangford Lough. We again drove inland to visit a modern art gallery and Lough Neagh before reaching the Belfast ferry, which we found had left early due to technical problems. Luckily we were able to get on the next short ferry crossing to Cairnryan in Scotland and the much longer drive home.
Ireland route
Our route around Ireland 2018

Dark Hedges
The Dark Hedges
Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge
Carrick-a-Rede
Giants Causeway
Giant'sCauseway
Derry/Londonderry peace bridge
Derry Peace bridge
Doagh Famine village
Doagh Famine village
Rosguil bay
Rosguill Bay
Ulster American Folk Park emigrants ship
Ulster Folk Park
The Burren County Clare The Burren Carlingford LoughCarlingford Lough

Antrim and Causeway Coast and Glens >>
Costs
Ferry :  
Outbound: Stena Line Liverpool to Belfast through the Camping and Caravanning Club
Return:  Stena Line Belfast to Cairnryan  total £252 (-£77 refund)
Due to technical problems the Sunday morning sailing to Liverpool left early and as we had booked through an agent (the C&CC) Stena had not been given our mobile number to advise us of the timetable change. We were refunded the difference in the fares and the extra costs of driving home from Cairnryan.

Fuel  for 1811 miles:    Diesel: £350       LPG:£25

Campsites and Aires

Campsites: 18 nights £301
 
Aires, SafeNights and free parking: 12 nights £32  (8 nights free)

Admission fees to attractions: £56