Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Get used to shifting with your left hand. Find reverse...before you need it. (I love
the smell of burnt clutch in the morning.)
• The most common mistake is getting a late start, which causes you to rush, which
makes you miss turns, which causes you stress, which decreases your enjoyment,
which makes your trip feel less like a vacation.
• Car travel in Ireland isn't fast (although more motorways are being built). Plan
your itinerary estimating an average speed of 40 mph (1 km per minute). Give
your itinerary a reality check by finding distances and driving times between
towns on the driving map (see the chart in this chapter) or online
(
www.viamichelin.com
)
.
• The shortest distance between any two points is usually the motorway (highway).
Miss a motorway exit and you can lose 30 minutes.
• Avoid driving in big cities if possible; use ring roads to skirt the congestion. Dub-
lin is clogged with traffic—you'll find sightseeing easier on foot, by bus (partic-
ularly the hop-on, hop-off tours), or by taxi. Spare yourself the traffic stress and
parking expense (€3/hour) of trying to drive in Dublin.
• When it comes to narrow rural roads, adjust your perceptions of personal space.
It's not “my side of the road” or “your side of the road.” It's just “the road”—and
it's shared as a cooperative adventure. Locals are usually courteous, pulling over
against a hedgerow and blinking their headlights for you to pass while they wait.
Return the favor when you are closer to a wide spot in the road than they are. Pull
over frequently—to let faster drivers pass and to check the map.
• Watch the road ahead and expect a slow tractor, a flock of sheep, a one-lane
bridge, and a baby stroller to lurk around the next turn. Honk when approaching
blind corners to alert approaching drivers.
• On narrow rural roads, buses always have the right of way, so you'll need to back
up to give way.
• Tune in to RTE One, the national radio station (89 FM), for long drives. Its inter-
views and music are an education in Irish culture. The same goes for BBC Ulster
(94.5 FM) in Northern Ireland.
• Make your road trip fun. Establish a cardboard-box pantry of munchies. Keep a
rack of liter boxes of juice in the trunk. Buy some Windex and a roll of paper
towels for cleaner sightseeing. A bottle of sparkling mineral water makes a dandy
windshield cleaner in a pinch.
• Don't drink and drive. The Gardí (police) set up random checkpoints. If you've
had more than one pint, you're legally drunk in Ireland.
• If you're driving between the Republic and Northern Ireland, keep these basic
differences in mind: In the Republic, the speed limit is in kilometers per hour, un-
leaded costs about €1.55 per liter ($7.54 per gallon), and the roads can be bumpy,
narrow, and winding. In Northern Ireland, the speed limit is in miles per hour,
unleaded costs about £1.35 per liter ($7.61 per gallon), and roads are better main-
tained.
