Although it's a long way off, we're looking to plan a trip for early September, 2010 and could use a lot of help in narrowing down our options. We were in England this past October for our first trip to Europe and loved it. We stayed 5 nights in Bath followed by 5 nights in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds and are looking for a similar, type trip in either Scotland or Ireland for next September. Ideally we would be flying into either cork, Ireland or edinburgh Scotland and would like to split our trip with 4 nights in a city followed by 7 nights in a more rustic/countryside setting. We aren't big city people, but we loved Bath and from what we've seen either Edinburgh or Cork city would be a suitable starting point for our next trip. From this point we're pretty much clueless and need some help and suggestions! We LOVED the Cotswolds, with their quaint, quiet historical charm and would love to find a setting that is similar in Scottish or Irish standards. We aren't big on activities, but we enjoy exploring at our own pace, experiencing the local culture and viewing historical sites. We are VERY interested in visiting castles and would love to pick an area where we can see many of them. We will have a rental car and would like to stay in a small self-catering cottage in a nice area not more than and hour and a half to a two hour drive from either Edinburgh or Cork. With these factors in mind, could you guys PLEASE start throwing out some suggestions as to where you think would be an ideal location for us? I am a research junkie when it comes to travel, so I will spend plenty of time investigating and we will appreciate any and all suggestions! Thanks!
Cork and Edinburgh are both beautiful places, but if I had to choose then I think I would go for Cork as I really love Ireland as a whole. Good choices you have made though!
If money and time aren't a problem, then try and do both. Ryanair will get you to from Edinburgh to Shannon and back for under £25 return including all the fees etc. The driving time from Shannon to Cork is just a couple of hours or so and the scenery en-route is jawdropping. There is long stay parking at Edinburgh airport for around £7 a day and the flight is just an hour. Shannon has excellent car-hire companies on site that'll rent you a little Fiat 500 or something similar for around €20-€25 a day. Much cheaper than taking your own car over and back by boat unless you get a special deal and so much quicker.
Both cities are only a very short drive away from the rustic countryside settings, have numerous castles and ruins nearby, and the weather would be pretty much the same. However, the city of Edinburgh is a bit ahead of Cork in terms of things to see and do, and if the current foreign exchange rate remains, it may be just that little bit cheaper in Edinburgh than in Cork.
Still, I'm with BedouinLeo - go for both if you can
[quote=lil_lil]
Still, I'm with BedouinLeo - go for both if you can
So gotta be done. For the price of a few beers, you can do the trip between the two cities in the time it takes to eat lunch, I'd do both and with a little budget homework too. Cork is a scary expensive city, but there are some great little shops to buy Irish meats and cheese (and a can of Porter or 2, that's manditory ! !) for a fraction of what the pubs charge. Oh and there are some great hostels in Cork too. Both cities are about the same size, although Cork has a smaller population. They're both so much fun and in their own special way, incredibly different.
Wow, thanks so much for the helpful replies so far. This is making our choice even harder. We would love to do both Scotland and Ireland in the same trip, but it would be much too hectic. We'll probably have about 11 nights. We have decided that if we do Scotland we'll most likely stay in Edinburgh for the first few nights and then move to a more "country-esque" area for the remainder. For Ireland it will be somewhere near Cork City for the beginning followed by County Kerry for the second half. The bed and breakfast suggestions are great, but we really want a self catering cottage and possibly a night or two in a castle accommodation. Can you guys please recommend some nice quaint towns or villages in either of these areas for us to look into? Keep the info coming and thanks again!
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