Planes, Trains and .... Campervans.

June 26, 2019 7:18 PM

I'm traveling to Ireland, for the first time, in a few weeks to spend a week with my daughter at the end of her summer study program. It's late in the game, but I'm considering renting a campervan and hitting the (left side of the) road! Advice appreciated.

I've researched as I can, but I can use advice...

Good idea? Not so good idea?
Will we find campground spots?
Will we meet a lot of people, or would we meet more renting a car and staying at B&Bs etc? (I.e. Do people keep to themselves when camping, or is it social?)
Anything else I ought to know?

Thank you!!

posted by ecorrocio to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

Irish rural roads are quite narrow; if you are unused to driving on the left side of the road, driving a camper van, or driving stick, you could find this very difficult.

Additionally if you are used to renting cars without getting insurance because you have a credit card through an American bank that usually provides you car insurance, be aware that Ireland is an exception country for almost every credit-card based car rental insurance.

I can’t speak to the camping experience in specific, but I will say I did meet quite a pile of people on various rural buses; this was some years ago though and the network might have changed.
posted by nat at 8:51 PM on June 26, 2019

I have friends in Ireland who did it for years with 2 kids and they loved it so much they've never gotten rid of the van. They live close to the border and found that tourist traffic and stopping options got way worse once they found themselves in prime tourist areas south of the Shannon. And it is most definitely true the drivers on small Irish roads are insane--plus there are laws against cutting hedges in the summer, so roadsides can be very overgrown, hampering visibility.

If you're going to do it (and I can't really see the advantage, TBH) stay away from Cork and Kerry. Plan a coastal-inland loop around Connaught, or even Connaught and Ulster. It should be manageable in terms of driving. Weather is a different matter...
posted by Morpeth at 4:42 AM on June 27, 2019

If you are using google maps to navigate, be prepared for it to be completely wrong about various small roads. Last time I tried to navigate Ireland, there were several t-junctions that weren't on the map at all. Maybe pay extra for an updated sat nav when you're hiring, it might be better. And yes, rural roads are narrow and sometimes basically only for one vehicle. I personally would find a car and B&Bs a more pleasant experience
posted by stillnocturnal at 5:30 AM on June 27, 2019

Please don't rent a camper van: they're too wide for the roads and you'll cause a tailback of folks calling you rude names. Some of the rural roads can have very prominent ditches (or very soft verges) at the side which will swallow a wheel. It's been a while since I drove in Ireland, but the general local driving style was far faster than I was comfortable doing on narrow roads. I'm just back from Scotland where we drove the Wester Ross Coastal route, and being stuck behind campers on that gloriously tiny (single track with passing places, yeah!) road would have been crap.
posted by scruss at 5:51 AM on June 27, 2019

I live in Ireland and would not rent a camper van. The roads are narrow, as mentioned, but petrol is expensive and also you will be roasted alive in a tin can. Just rent a car.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:48 AM on June 27, 2019

As an American who has driven all over the Emerald Isle from the Antrim Coast to the Ring of Kerry, let me add my voice to the chorus of DON'T.
posted by whuppy at 12:22 PM on June 27, 2019