MY HUSBAND AND I ARE VISITING IRELAND AND WALES FOR A MONTH AROUND SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. WE PLAN TO HIRE A CAR IN IRELAND AND TRAVEL AROUND, POSSIBLY STARTING AND ENDING IN DUBLIN. IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO TAKE A FERRY FROM IRELAND TO WALES? IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR LINE YOU RECOMMEND AND DO WE NEED TO BOOK NOW? WHAT REGIONS IN IRELAND AND WALES ARE ON YOUR MUST-VISIT LIST?
A. FALLON, KELLYVILLE
Your trip around Wales would also benefit from a hire car but I'm assuming you're not planning to take your hired vehicle on the ferry from Ireland to Wales and back again. Many car-hire operators do not allow you to take a vehicle from Ireland to the UK. My advice would be to travel around Ireland with one vehicle, take a ferry to Wales and hire another. This would be a cheaper option and it would also avoid the need to retrace your steps to Ireland. Irish Ferries operate a ferry service between Dublin and Holyhead and another between Rosslare and Pembroke. No need to book more than a couple of weeks in advance.
My own list of must-sees in Ireland would have to include the west coast, Connemara, the Aran Islands, the Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry, Kilkenny, Waterford and Dublin and surrounds. In Wales, Portmeirion, Snowdonia National Park, Caernarfon Castle, Brecon Beacons, the Pembrokeshire Coast, Conwy and St David's Cathedral are some of the standouts.
