Ireland Road Trip

Route	Drive	Crossing	Total	Price (return)	Notes
Dunkirk → Rosslare (DFDS)	3.5h	24h	~27.5h	€250-350	Meals incl. 5-7x/week Sep. Direct SE Ireland arrival.
Hook of Holland → Harwich (Stena)	1.5h	6.5-9.5h	+ UK drive + Irish ferry	€200-300	More complex, UK leg adds time.

DFDS Book Ferry Stena Line Den Bosch → Dunkirk (Google Maps) Den Bosch → Hook of Holland

Date		Activities	Drive	Cost	Notes
Sep 2	1	Arrive Rosslare → Reginald's Tower → Copper Coast scenic drive	2h	€5	Grocery shop Wexford. Vegan: The Green Door, Waterford
Sep 3	2	Waterford → Killarney via scenic inland route	2.5h	—	Food shop Killarney (stock up for Carrauntoohil). Book whale watching.

Reginald's Tower (Google Maps) Reginald's Tower Website Rosslare → Waterford (Directions) Waterford → Killarney (Directions) Copper Coast Info

Date		Activities	Drive	Cost	Notes
Sep 4	3	Torc Waterfall → Muckross → Innisfallen Island kayak	0.5h	€35	Dinner: Muckross area. Dark sky: Killarney NP edges
Sep 5	4	Carrauntoohil 9am, Devil's Ladder, summit 1,038m	0.5h	—	Pack lunch + water. Hike 4-7h. Dark sky after.
Sep 6	5	Ring of Kerry scenic drive + Kenmare Bay kayak	4h	€39	Kenmare: The Blue Bull (vegan-friendly pub)
Sep 7	6	Beara Peninsula: Glengarriff → Garnish Island → Allihies	3h	€10	Quieter than Ring. Dark sky: Sneem area

Torc Waterfall Muckross House Innisfallen Kayak Tour (Book) Carrauntoohil (Google Maps) Kenmare Bay Kayak (Emerald Outdoors) Ring of Kerry (Directions) Beara Peninsula

Day 3 (Sep 4): Meet at Ross Castle for kayak. Innisfallen Island has 6th century abbey ruins + wild Sika deer. Torc Waterfall is a 5-min walk from car park. Muckross House has formal gardens.
Day 4 (Sep 5): Carrauntoohil is Ireland's highest peak (1,038m). Start at Cronin's Yard car park. Devil's Ladder is a steep scramble — not for vertigo. Bring waterproofs.
Day 6 (Sep 7): Beara Peninsula is less touristy than Ring of Kerry. Take the Garnish Island ferry (€10pp, ~15min). Gardens + seals.

Date		Activities	Drive	Cost	Notes
Sep 8	7	Baltimore whale watching → Cape Clear/Mizen Head	1.5h	€70 pp	BOOK NOW. Sep fills fast. Vegan: Divil & Deep Blue, Skibbereen
Sep 9	8	Day trip Dingle? → Lough Hyne night kayak	1h	€35	BOOK night kayak. Bioluminescence. Near new moon = best

Baltimore Sea Safari (Book) Atlantic Whale Tours (Book) Baltimore Harbour Lough Hyne Night Kayak (Atlantic Sea Kayaking) Lough Hyne (Google Maps) Mizen Head

Day 7 (Sep 8): Whale watching departs from Baltimore Harbour. 2.5-3h trip. Sep = peak for humpback + fin whales. Minke whales common. Arrive 30min early. Bring warm layers, waterproofs.
Day 8 (Sep 9): Night kayak at Lough Hyne — one of Ireland's few bioluminescent lakes. Meet ~9:30pm. Calm saltwater lake, safe for beginners. Paddle strokes create blue glow. Best on dark nights (near new moon Sep 11). Book with Atlantic Sea Kayaking — they're the original operator. Phone: +353 28 21058.

Date		Activities	Drive	Cost	Notes
Sep 10	9	Drive to Kerry Dark Sky Reserve, Ballinskelligs Beach	1.5h	—	Scout locations for tomorrow. ★★★★★
Sep 11	10	NEW MOON Full day astrophotography. Valentia Island	0.5h	—	Peak night. Ballinskelligs + Portmagee Bridge. ★★★★★
Sep 12	11	Skellig Ring drive + evening dark sky	3h	—	Coomanaspig (most westerly road). Last dark sky night here

Ballinskelligs Beach Valentia Island Portmagee Kerry Dark Sky Reserve Kerry Dark Sky Tourism Skellig Ring Drive

Day 10 (Sep 11) — THE BIG NIGHT: New moon = zero moonlight. Ballinskelligs Beach faces west over open Atlantic — perfect for Milky Way shots. Portmagee Bridge gives reflective water foreground. Kerry Dark Sky Reserve is one of only 3 Gold-tier reserves in the world. Darkness: ~21:15 to ~04:45 (7.5h true dark).

Date		Activities	Drive	Cost	Notes
Sep 13	12	Bunratty Castle + Folk Park → drive to Galway, evening walk	3.5h	€28	Leave Portmagee ~8am, arrive Bunratty ~10am. Castle+park 3-4h. Lunch at Corn Barn. Food shop Connemara if early. Vegan: Kaizen, Galway

Bunratty Castle Bunratty Castle Website (Book Entry) Portmagee → Bunratty (Directions) Bunratty → Galway (Directions) Galway City

Day 12 (Sep 13): Bunratty Castle is a 15th-century castle + 26-acre folk park recreating historic Irish life. Entry ~€14pp. Castle has 4 floors of medieval exhibitions. Folk park has recreated village street with artisan shops. Lunch at Corn Barn Restaurant inside the park. Drive to Galway via Limerick (~1.5h). Evening: walk Salthill Promenade for sunset.

Date		Activities	Drive	Cost	Notes
Sep 14	13	Diamond Hill → Kylemore Abbey → Aerfort Chonamara scenic flight (opt.)	1.5h	€75 (opt)	Dark sky: Connemara edges

Diamond Hill Kylemore Abbey Website Kylemore Abbey (Maps) Aerfort Chonamara (Scenic Flight) Connemara Region

Day 13 (Sep 14): Diamond Hill loop walk ~3h, well-maintained paths, stunning views. Kylemore Abbey — Victorian walled garden + gothic church. Optional: Scenic flight over Connemara boglands (~€75pp, 30min). Book ahead.

Date		Activities	Drive	Cost	Notes
Sep 15	14	Mayo Dark Sky Park: Brogan Carroll Bothy + Claggan Boardwalk + Aasleagh Falls	2h	—	★★★★
Sep 16	15	Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery → Céide Fields → Glencar Waterfall	3h	€7	Last good dark sky night

Claggan Boardwalk Aasleagh Falls Carrowmore Céide Fields (Heritage Ireland) Glencar Waterfall Mayo Dark Sky Park

Date		Activities	Drive	Cost	Notes
Sep 17	16	Slieve League (One Man's Pass!) → drive to Dublin	4h	€5	Epic hike. Pack lunch. 3.5h drive to Dublin evening

Slieve League Cliffs Donegal → Slieve League Slieve League → Dublin (Directions)

Day 16 (Sep 17): Slieve League are among Europe's highest sea cliffs (600m). One Man's Pass is a narrow ridge between two cliff faces — exposed but unforgettable. Start from Upper Car Park (€5). Allow 3-4h for the full loop. Not for those afraid of heights. Pack lunch — no facilities on the cliffs.

Date		Activities	Drive	Cost	Notes
Sep 18	17	Newgrange + Knowth → Trim Castle → Hill of Tara	2h	€35	Vegan: Cornucopia, Dublin. Food shop for ferry
Sep 19	18	National Museum of Ireland (Viking exhibit) → Drive to Rosslare → Ferry	2.5h	—	Ferry ~evening. Check-in 2h before. Home Sep 20

Newgrange + Knowth (Book) Newgrange (Google Maps) Trim Castle (Heritage Ireland) Hill of Tara National Museum - Viking Exhibition Dublin → Rosslare (Directions)

Day 17 (Sep 18): Brú na Bóinne — Newgrange is a 5,200-year-old passage tomb older than the pyramids. Must book in advance — guided tours only. Knowth has more intricate passage art. Trim Castle — largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland (filming location for Braveheart). Hill of Tara — seat of High Kings of Ireland.
Day 19 (Sep 19): National Museum of Ireland — free entry. Viking exhibition has actual longship fragments + treasures. Allow 1-2h. Then drive to Rosslare (~2.5h). Ferry check-in closes 2h before departure.

Location	Nights	Dates	Maps
Waterford	2	Sep 2, 3	Open
Killarney	4	Sep 4, 5, 6, 7	Open
Skibbereen	2	Sep 8, 9	Open
Portmagee	3	Sep 10, 11, 12	Open
Galway	1	Sep 13	Open
Connemara	1	Sep 14	Open
Newport/Ballycroy	2	Sep 15, 16	Open
Donegal	1	Sep 17	Open
Dublin	2	Sep 18, 19	Open
Total	18

Category	Est. Cost (2 ppl)
Ferry return (Dunkirk↔Rosslare, car+2)	€300
Fuel (~2,600km @ €1.35/L)	€350
Airbnb (18 nights × €90 avg)	€1,620
Food (18 days × €65)	€1,170
Activities (entries, kayak, whale watching)	€478
TOTAL	€3,918

Night	Location	Moon	Rating
Sep 4	Killarney	Last Quarter	★★
Sep 5	Killarney	Waning crescent	★★★
Sep 6	Killarney	6-day crescent	★★★
Sep 7	Sneem	Thin crescent	★★★★
Sep 8	Skibbereen	Very thin	★★★★
Sep 9	Skibbereen	Near new	★★★★★
Sep 11	Kerry Reserve	NEW MOON	★★★★★
Sep 12	Kerry Reserve	1-day waxing	★★★★★
Sep 13	Galway	2-day waxing	★★★★
Sep 14	Connemara	3-day waxing	★★★★
Sep 15	Mayo	4-day waxing	★★★★

Sep 2: Grocery shop Wexford (ferry dinner + breakfast)

Sep 3: Big food shop Killarney (stock for Carrauntoohil + 4 nights)

Sep 13: Quick shop Galway (Connemara day)

Sep 18: Food shop Dublin (pack for ferry)

Sep 19: Check ferry check-in time (2h before departure)

Travel insurance for the trip

Green Card / insurance docs for driving in Ireland with NL car

International driving permit (NL license accepted but IDP recommended)

Euro vignette for Belgian motorways (if driving through Belgium to Dunkirk)

Carry cash — some rural Irish spots cash-only

Petrol in rural Kerry/Donegal — fill up when you can, stations sparse

Offline maps — download for Kerry/Donegal/Connemara (spotty signal)

City	Restaurant	Type	Link
Waterford	The Green Door	Vegan café	Maps
Killarney	Muckross Craft Centre	Café with veg options	Maps
Kenmare	The Blue Bull	Vegan-friendly pub	Maps
Skibbereen	Divil & the Deep Blue	Vegan-friendly	Maps
Bunratty	Corn Barn (in folk park)	Lunch, veg options	Menu
Galway	Kaizen	Vegetarian/vegan	Maps
Dublin	Cornucopia	Vegetarian/vegan	Maps

In Itinerary

Reginald's Tower Copper Coast Poulnabrone Doolin Cave Aillwee Torc Waterfall Killarney NP Bunratty Castle Newgrange Brú na Bóinne Innisfallen Island Carrauntoohil Slieve League Beara Peninsula Glencar Waterfall Baltimore whale watching Lough Hyne bioluminescence Connemara scenic flight Trim Castle Hill of Tara Carrowmore Céide Fields

Dropped

Cork city Cloughoughter Castle Medieval Banquet Bunratty

Ferry Options

Full Itinerary

Waterford — 2 nights (Sep 2-3)

Killarney — 4 nights (Sep 4-7)

Skibbereen — 2 nights (Sep 8-9)

Portmagee — 3 nights (Sep 10-12)

Galway — 1 night (Sep 13)

Connemara — 1 night (Sep 14)

Newport / Ballycroy — 2 nights (Sep 15-16)

Donegal — 1 night (Sep 17)

Dublin — 2 nights (Sep 18-19)

Stay Summary

Cost Summary

Dark Sky Photography Schedule

Bookings

On The Road (Shopping & Tasks)

Don't Forget

Vegan / Veg-Friendly Restaurants

Wish List Status

In Itinerary

Dropped