I'm now planning a trip for next fall (2010) to Ireland & Scotland. I'll have 3 weeks and because I'm looking to do self catering cottages which typically are 1 week rentals, I'm torn. Should I do 2 weeks in Ireland and 1 week Scotland or vice versa?
We're not doing B&Bs because there will be 4 of us and these cottages are so much cheaper. You can get a nice 2 bedroom cottage for $20-$25 per person per night. I also like to settle in to one place and take day trips.
Have any of you been to both Ireland & Scotland? Any input on which country should get the longer stay is appreciated..
I have been to both but on separate trips - each trip was about 10 days. When we went to Scotland we were also in England for another 3 days or so, and took the train from London to Edinboro.
We loved the west coast of Ireland just south of Galway and plan to return to take a housekeeping cottage in Galway when we do. It really isn't hard to do day trips from one place. Scotland is more spread out. We loved it as well, except for the town my ancestors came from, Ayr. It's like the Wildwood of Scotland and we had a B&B room that turned out to be over a karoake bar. You have not lived until you've heard drunk Scots singing karaoke at 2 a.m.
I would probably do two weeks in Ireland and one in Scotland, but I would choose to stay in an area of Ireland other than near Dublin. The Dingle peninsula is gorgeous - we didn't do the ring of Kerry - and Doolin on the west coast has wonderful traditional music. We didn't get out to the Aran Islands but I would want to do that on a return trip.
Same for Scotland - I would choose a spot away from Edinboro and Glasgow just to avoid the city traffic issues for doing your day trips. The Isle of Skye is very pretty. If you can get your hands on the Karen Brown guidebooks, they cover sightseeing drives as well as places to stay. We thought they were very helpful.
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