Wales Trip / Ireland Trip

[steverjuk]

I'm looking for an recommendations for a long weekend in wales, places to go and places to stay. Managed to get some time off work and hoping to make a quick trip beginning of August.
Never explored wales and thought it was time to give it a shot, seen as the weather we are having.

 

[chapel gate]

We stayed in a "log cabin" in the
berwyn mountains llanwddyn last year, it was a lovely location and had a great time.
Awesome use of cut and past hu?.

 

[stumog]

https://www.holidaycambriancoast.co.uk/llechwedd-mawr/

This one was recommended recently.

 

[nick_the_fish]

Where about are you based and how much driving do you want to do? I can recommend anywhere from The Brecon Beacons over to Pembrokeshire and up to Snowdonia. A road trip covering all 3 would be a good way to see all of wales but a lot of driving - Wales isn't a fast place to drive! If you want mountains head to Snowdonia. If you want beautiful beaches head to Pembrokeshire. Happy to recommend places to visit and campsites if you let me know your thoughts on location.

 

[steverjuk]

So after much talking me and the wife have decided on the following route, any recommendations on things to do / places to stop on the router would be helpful. We have 8 days to do the route and using IrishFerries for the ferries.

 

[Rob Cowell]

Small detour from Haverfordwest would be to St Davids to see the cathedral and Britain's smallest city. From the coast road between St Davids and Aberporth there are quite a few secluded little bays you can have to yourself if you don't mind walking for 20 minutes, need to zoom in on a map with footpaths and work them out.

From Aberystwyth you could scoot north a few miles to Devil's Bridge (3 bridges built on top of each other and some waterfalls), and Machynlleth / Centre of Alternative Technology as long as you're not a hippy murderer, in which case you'll be busy.

 

[stumog]

Devils bridge is a good shout depending on mobility

Newgale is a great beach with a campsite and pub the other side of the road

 

[GeekOKent]

Achill island is nice, I see you are not going that far?

The n59 to clifden is a nice drive, there are some really nice tracks that go south from it, they are worth it. Some go down to Islands in the area.

I guess this is just a destination by destination map you posted and you will be exploring around them... I would also recommend staying off the big roads, thr country side and the drive is far more fun off then.

 

[Bob]

Plenty to see on the Irish leg of the route, most of which you'll find just by going there. May I suggest a slight detour south of New Ross to Hook lighthouse.. oldest operating in the world, then you can take the Passage East ferry (€9) from Ballyhack to get back on track towards Waterford.

The beaches near Castlegregory will be less busy than Inch and very beautiful

Also highly recommend seafood lunch in Vaughan's in Liscannor Co.Clare, which you'll pass close to on your way to the cliffs of Moher.

When are you off?

 

[GeekOKent]

Also there are no real camp sites in Ireland, just the caravan sites ( or well, The campsites are all really setup for the caravan sorts ) but we found that speaking to land owners is the way to go, most will have no problem letting you stay over night, the rest will recommend a better spot!

 

[steverjuk]

Thanks for all the input:

@Rob Cowell
It would be stupid to miss out on St Davids, so that's on the map, we can't believe that we are going to be so close and didn't think about stopping in. After that we are going to take the coast road from St Davids to Aberporth and stop for a spot of lunch along the way, hopefully, we can find a new bay to park up in.

@Rob Cowell and @stumog
Devils bridge has been added looks an amazing place didn't know about it till you two mentioned it. We are going to drop by Machynlleth more of an omg look at the crystal I can't believe people believe this kind of stuff.

@GeekOKent
Thanks for the list of places those are a little out of our semi-planned route but they have been added to the list of places to visit when we do more north/west run in Ireland. That map is more of points to hit on the map, the route we take will be on the back roads as much as possible. As the wife is going to be pregnant we may do a mixture of B&Bs and hotels depends on if she will let me get away with camping .

@Bob
We have added Hook lighthouse as on the way back to the port as we hadn't got much to see and do around that area so worth a detour just to break up the drive. I've added the Vaughan's but the wife is going to kill me as she loves seafood and can't have it as she's pregnant. The plan is to head out at the end of this month or beginning of the next depends on hospital appointments.

New routes:
Ireland
Wales

 

[flint]

After that we are going to take the coast road from St Davids to Aberporth and stop for a spot of lunch along the way, hopefully, we can find a new bay to park up in.

The Sloop at Porthgain might do you for lunch (http://sloop.co.uk) or here: https://www.theoldsailors.co.uk/about-the-old-sailors-pwllgwaelod/ or near Cardigan the Cliff at Gwbert has nice views over the mouth of the Teifi from the restaurant: https://www.cliffhotel.com
Never tried it, but near St Davids is a restaurant that serves up insects if you're feeling so inclined:
http://www.grubkitchen.co.uk

 

[nick_the_fish]

The Sloop at Porthgain might do you for lunch

If your looking for a good beach in Pembrokeshire park at Aberiddy and walk around to Traeth Llyfn. Its an easy 20 minute walk but there are steep steps to get down onto the beach, so depending on how pregnant your wife is take a view on that. It's a lovely beach but the walk puts off the crowds. Even on a summers day you can have the beach to yourselves if you get there early, and it never gets that busy.

Looks like a good route.

 

[Bob]

Don't worry, Vaughan's do plenty of other options too! (We have the same dietary needs for the same reason here.. 3 weeks touring in France with no seafood, Brie, or wine was different!)

Goes without saying that if you get into any bother along the way then drop us a line. If I'm not nearby, I'll know someone who is.

 

[Bob]

Also a reccomend Fureys of Moyvalley for food on your way across to Galway. Depends on times of course, but a few miles on the old road off the motorway is worth it.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/1tER61n68onwJDmS7

 

[steverjuk]

@nick_the_fish
The beach has been added, hopefully, the weather is kind and we can make it down to the beach.

@Bob
The fact she can't eat some soft cheese and eat raw seafood is killing her, hopefully, everything is fine and we don't need to annoy you, just waiting to hear back from the insurance company and recovery company to make sure I'm covered. I've also added Fureys of Moyvalley as a midpoint stop between Dublin and Galway, we are thinking of maybe moving to Ireland as well, so this is kind of a recon trip to find out where we may want to live.

 

[Bob]

Being that you're in a cruiser, I'm sure there'll be no issues. You know where to find me just in case!

 

[steverjuk]

Hopefully, the old 80 will be fine I'm sure, the drive isn't that far. @Bob hopefully, we can visit a few smallholdings we have our eye on around Killarney as well.

Thanks again everyone for the advice we have a few places added that I'm sure we would have missed.

 

[Bob]

Hope the search goes well for you. That's a lovely area. Heading down there next weekend with the in-laws, and further south to Valentia Island (nerd alert... which has the oldest preserved fossil footprint of any land land animal on Earth) and the Skelligs.

 

[steverjuk]

Both those places, look amazing alas, I've only got so long in Ireland. We love that area also and are toying with the idea of buying a smallholding as I can work 100% remote and so can Emily. So we don't need to be in England and with the current political climate that's also a factor.