Hi All,
We recently spent ten days touring in an anticlockwise direction; roughly Dublin, Athlone, Galway, Clare, Kerry, Cork then blast to Rosslare; hopefully some of the info below wil help others; sorry about not getting exact coordinates but it took me 6 days to work out how to work the new satnav!
Athlone - undisturbed sleep with glorious views of Lough Ree - take the N55 north from Athlone - ignore sign to a caravan site (L) at a sharp right hand bend and carry on up the hill for a mile. Large tarmac area with grass surround & picnic tables on your left as you approach top of hill.
Furbogh We ignored Spiddle as the roadside parking seemed a bit tight and carried on to Furbogh - deep layby next to great beach - we used the pub at the west end and found it good food at sensible prices.
Salthill - whilst at Furbogh we were joined by a family from Kerry who told us that 'No Motorhomes' signs had gone up at Salthill - not personal knowledge but thought I'd mention it as this seems an oft-recommended stopover.
Tarbert we drove through Clare and got the ferry across the Shannon to Tarbert - I asked the guy who took our fare where I could park up and he said it was fine to use the car park immediately on left as you drive off the ferry. We did and it was very pleasant with palm trees, grass for the dogs and public toilets up near the quay. Also a pub 100 yards away which was very welcoming but being well away from the nearest town was no way rowdy.
Dingle Peninsula Don't miss the gob-smackingly beautiful drive around Slea Head (signposted from Dingle & best done clockwise) We parked here https://maps.google.co.uk/maps…eland&z=18 and had the place to ourselves from 2100 - 1100 with a lovely sandy beach and views of Inishtookert. level tarmac. Approach is a left turn on a 90deg RH bend on the R559
Valentia Island Driving the Ring of Kerry we just took the ferry to Valentia on a whim - 6 euros, the same as a car and pitched up in the middle of their King Scallop festival - lunch turned into an overnight stop after a good few Guinnesses and scallops......turn left as you get off the ferry and there are no end of places to park overnight. Glorious views back towards the Ring of Kerry.
Bantry Driving south through Bantry; as you come out of town you turn right by a hillside graveyard. We parked overnight at the end of the quay - enough room to get 25' off the yellow box. Locals very happy see see us; in fact one moved her car to let us park up. Drinking water tap on the quay. Coordinates (I think) are N51 40 692 W009 28 377.
Ross Carberry Driving the N71 through Skibbereen, then through Ross Carberry you appear to be driving on a causeway; look seawards and turn R at the end of the causeway and keep to the right down the tarmac road - shown as Burgatia Road. You come to the end where you are greeted by a sign warning of soft sand - there is room to do a 5 point turn and then reverse back into the dead end. Gorgeous estuary with seals coming in on the flood - quietest and best night's sleep of the trip. Great dog walks over the dunes. https://maps.google.co.uk/maps…eland&z=16 Or, if satnav is to be believed N51 34 080 W009 01 255
We only used one campsite - Roundstone at Gurteen Bay on the coast of Connemara - 25 euros plus 5 for hook up if you want it......we just wanted to use the laundry after a dog vomit incident! Very welcoming and the local beaches are just out of this world.
My personal highlight was driving the Healy Pass on the Beara peninsula - alpine style windy road up and over proper mountains.
I hope all this helps someone else; we certainly gleaned alot of useful info from the site so seems only right & fair to share what we found.
We loved Ireland so much that we have just sorted out next year's 2 weeks exploring clockwise from Galway and all points north.
Feel free to contact me if you need further info.
All the best,
Dick
We recently spent ten days touring in an anticlockwise direction; roughly Dublin, Athlone, Galway, Clare, Kerry, Cork then blast to Rosslare; hopefully some of the info below wil help others; sorry about not getting exact coordinates but it took me 6 days to work out how to work the new satnav!
Athlone - undisturbed sleep with glorious views of Lough Ree - take the N55 north from Athlone - ignore sign to a caravan site (L) at a sharp right hand bend and carry on up the hill for a mile. Large tarmac area with grass surround & picnic tables on your left as you approach top of hill.
Furbogh We ignored Spiddle as the roadside parking seemed a bit tight and carried on to Furbogh - deep layby next to great beach - we used the pub at the west end and found it good food at sensible prices.
Salthill - whilst at Furbogh we were joined by a family from Kerry who told us that 'No Motorhomes' signs had gone up at Salthill - not personal knowledge but thought I'd mention it as this seems an oft-recommended stopover.
Tarbert we drove through Clare and got the ferry across the Shannon to Tarbert - I asked the guy who took our fare where I could park up and he said it was fine to use the car park immediately on left as you drive off the ferry. We did and it was very pleasant with palm trees, grass for the dogs and public toilets up near the quay. Also a pub 100 yards away which was very welcoming but being well away from the nearest town was no way rowdy.
Dingle Peninsula Don't miss the gob-smackingly beautiful drive around Slea Head (signposted from Dingle & best done clockwise) We parked here https://maps.google.co.uk/maps…eland&z=18 and had the place to ourselves from 2100 - 1100 with a lovely sandy beach and views of Inishtookert. level tarmac. Approach is a left turn on a 90deg RH bend on the R559
Valentia Island Driving the Ring of Kerry we just took the ferry to Valentia on a whim - 6 euros, the same as a car and pitched up in the middle of their King Scallop festival - lunch turned into an overnight stop after a good few Guinnesses and scallops......turn left as you get off the ferry and there are no end of places to park overnight. Glorious views back towards the Ring of Kerry.
Bantry Driving south through Bantry; as you come out of town you turn right by a hillside graveyard. We parked overnight at the end of the quay - enough room to get 25' off the yellow box. Locals very happy see see us; in fact one moved her car to let us park up. Drinking water tap on the quay. Coordinates (I think) are N51 40 692 W009 28 377.
Ross Carberry Driving the N71 through Skibbereen, then through Ross Carberry you appear to be driving on a causeway; look seawards and turn R at the end of the causeway and keep to the right down the tarmac road - shown as Burgatia Road. You come to the end where you are greeted by a sign warning of soft sand - there is room to do a 5 point turn and then reverse back into the dead end. Gorgeous estuary with seals coming in on the flood - quietest and best night's sleep of the trip. Great dog walks over the dunes. https://maps.google.co.uk/maps…eland&z=16 Or, if satnav is to be believed N51 34 080 W009 01 255
We only used one campsite - Roundstone at Gurteen Bay on the coast of Connemara - 25 euros plus 5 for hook up if you want it......we just wanted to use the laundry after a dog vomit incident! Very welcoming and the local beaches are just out of this world.
My personal highlight was driving the Healy Pass on the Beara peninsula - alpine style windy road up and over proper mountains.
I hope all this helps someone else; we certainly gleaned alot of useful info from the site so seems only right & fair to share what we found.
We loved Ireland so much that we have just sorted out next year's 2 weeks exploring clockwise from Galway and all points north.
Feel free to contact me if you need further info.
All the best,
Dick
