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GETTING AROUND |
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Travel between major centres in the Republic is generally
straightforward, with reliable - albeit infrequent and slow - public
transport operated by the state-supported train and bus companies
Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) and Bus Éireann. There are, however,
glaring anomalies, and you should never assume that two major, local
towns are necessarily going to be connected. It pays to think and plan
ahead. Once off the main routes this becomes particularly important
since it's quite usual for small towns and villages to be served by a
couple of buses a week and no more. Transport in the North is similarly
infrequent in rural areas. Ulsterbus is generally regular and dependable,
as is the (limited) train network. Ireland's relatively quiet rural
roads make car rental an attractive and increasingly popular option,
allowing you to visit the more remote areas of the country; most towns
throughout Ireland will have rental outlets, though the best value is
usually found in Dublin. Parts of the country, especially in the west,
are ideal for cycling and bikes are available for rent in even the
smallest villages
Trains
In the Republic , Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann tel 01/836 6222) operates
trains to many major cities and towns en route; on direct lines it's by
far the fastest way of covering long distances, but the network is by no
means comprehensive - Donegal, for instance, has no service at all. In
general, train lines fan out from Dublin, with few routes running north-south
across the country. So although you can get to the west easily by train,
you can't sensibly use the train network to explore the west coast.
Train travel is not particularly cheap, either. If possible avoid
travelling on Friday or Sunday when the prices are steepest and buy a
return ticket as singles cost nearly as much. As a general example, an
off-peak Dublin to Galway single ticket costs £16/¬20.32, rising to
£22/¬27.94 on either a Friday or Sunday, a monthly return, excluding
Friday and Sunday costs £22/¬27.94. It's always worth asking about any
special fares that may be on offer; or if you're doing a fair amount of
travelling, it may be worth buying a train pass . Irish Rail's Irish
Rover ticket, valid in the Republic and the North, costs £83.50/¬106.04
for five days out of fifteen. A further option open to 16-26 year olds
is the Faircard which gives a fifty percent discount on tickets.
Available from any Iarnród Éireann office, it costs £8/¬10.16 and is
valid for a year.
Given the limited reach of the rail system, one of the most useful
options is the Irish Explorer Ticket, a combined rail and bus pass ,
covering all intercity state and private rail and bus lines in the
Republic (but no city transportation except DART ) and costing
£67/¬85.09 for any five days' travel out of fifteen consecutive days,
and £90/¬114.30 for eight out of fifteen days. For unlimited train and
bus travel in the Republic and the North, an Emerald Card costs
£115/¬146.05 for eight days out of fifteen, £200/¬254 for fifteen days
out of thirty (same prices in Northern Ireland). Bear in mind, though,
that the nature of travel in Ireland is such that you very rarely stick
to your carefully drawn itinerary, and you may not get the value from
your pass that you hope for. A Freedom of Northern Ireland Ticket, for
daily (£10) or weekly (£37) unlimited travel on trains and all scheduled
Ulsterbus services, is available at main bus and railway stations. The
only service between the Republic and the North is the Dublin to Belfast
express (6 each way daily, 2hr; £19/¬24.13 single, £29/¬36.83 return);
this is quite an expensive option but is by far the most comfortable
train in the country. Once in the North , you'll find only three short
train routes, but these are efficient and reasonably cheap: a Belfast to
Derry ticket will cost you £7.10 single, £12.60 return. If you are
looking for a train pass a Runaround ticket is valid on all Northern
Irish trains for one week and costs around £37.
Students in possession of an ISIC card can buy a Travelsave stamp
(£8/¬10.16 from any USIT office in the Republic - Dublin, Cork, Galway,
Limerick, Maynooth and Waterford), while in the North it's a Translink
stamp (£7 from offices in Belfast, Coleraine, Derry and Jordanstown),
which entitles you to discounts of fifty percent off standard train
fares and thirty percent off bus fares.
The cost of taking bikes on trains varies between £4/¬5.08 and £6/¬7.62
per single journey in the Republic. In Northern Ireland it costs a
quarter of the single fare.
North American travellers also taking in Great Britain might benefit
from the BritRail and Ireland Pass , which entitles the holder to five
days' unlimited travel within a month (US$528 first class, US$396
standard) or ten days within a month (US$752 first class, US$566
standard). The pass, which must be purchased before departure from North
America, is available from Rail Europe ( www.raileurope.com ) and some
travel agents .
Buses
Bus Éireann (tel 836 6111) operates throughout the Republic , and its
services are reliable, if infrequent. It's possible to travel by bus
between all major towns, but routings can be complex, involving several
connections, and hence very slow. Having said that buses are generally
twenty to fifty percent cheaper than trains, with the best value given
by private local companies which operate in most Irish counties.
Bus Éireann offers a number of passes ideal if you want to explore the
country at your own pace. Rambler tickets (around £30/¬38.10 for any
three days out of eight; £70/¬88.90 for any eight days out of fifteen;
£100/¬127 for fifteen days out of thirty) all give unlimited bus travel
throughout the Republic; students can get reductions on standard fares
if they have a Travelsave stamp . It makes sense to pick up the relevant
information for the area you intend to explore before you leave; remote
villages may only have a couple of buses a week, so knowing when they
are is essential.
Carrying a bike on a bus will cost you £5/¬6.35 single regardless of
length of journey, though be warned that the driver is under no
obligation to take them and in any case usually only has room for one
bike.
Private buses , which operate on many major routes, are often cheaper
than Bus Éireann, and sometimes faster. They're very busy at weekends,
so it makes sense to book ahead if you can; during the week you can
usually pay on the bus. Prices for parts of the journeys are often
negotiable, and bikes can be carried if booked with your seat.
You might want to consider one of the hop-on-hop-off bus services which
allow you to travel around the country getting off at any given stop for
as long as you like and then jumping back onto the bus again for a
further section of the route. The more established firms offering this
are Tír na nóg (tel 01/836 4684, www.tirnanog.com ), the well-run and
informed Shamrocker (tel 01/672 7651, www.radicaltravel.com ) and the
new - slightly rowdy - kid on the block, PaddyWagon Tours (tel 01/672
6007, www.paddywagon.iol.ie ). Each company offers either a full trip
which lasts one week or a hop-on-hop-off service which must be completed
within a year and costs from £150/¬190.50. All of these companies run
northern trips which take from four days to one week and cost from
£70/¬88.90 to £100/¬127.
In the North , Ulsterbus runs regular and reliable services throughout
the six counties, particularly to those towns not served by the train
network. Students can get a fifteen percent discount on certain services
with an ISIC card.
Driving
In order to drive in Ireland you must have a current driving licence; a
licence from any EU country is equivalent to an Irish one. Licences from
non-EU countries are valid for one year after entry into the country,
providing it has been held for at least two years previous (it is also
advisable to obtain an international driving permit from your home
automobile association before leaving as some car rental companies
require both). If you're bringing your own car into the country you
should also carry your vehicle registration or ownership document at all
times. Furthermore, you must be adequately insured , so be sure to check
your existing policy.
Out of the main cities the Republic's roads remain relatively
uncongested, making driving a very relaxing option. It also remains
(along with Britain) one of the few countries in the world where you
drive on the left, a situation that can lead to a few tense days of
acclimatization for many overseas drivers. Unleaded petrol is about
75p/¬0.95 per litre; the national speed limit is 55mph/88kph, except
where posted otherwise. All passengers must wear seat belts , and
motorbikers and their passengers must wear helmets. In remote areas,
wandering cattle, unmarked junctions, and appallingly potholed minor
roads are all potential dangers, particularly for motorbikes. Other
hazards to watch out for include drunk drivers late at night, a
continuing problem in spite of high accident rates and a concerted
police crackdown. A cause of some confusion are "passing lanes" or "slow
lanes", indicated by a broken yellow line, where you can pull over to
the left for the car behind to overtake. However, they should be used
with care as many have poor surfaces and can suddenly end with little or
no warning. Be careful if you take a car to Dublin - congestion is
chronic, theft and vandalism rates are high, and you're best advised to
leave your car in a supervised car park.
Although nominally converted to metric measures, with kilometres
indicated by green signs on all the main roads, Irish people still tend
to think and talk in miles, while rural areas still retain the old
black-and-white fingerpost signs in miles. There is also such a thing as
an "Irish mile" - longer than the standard imperial measure - though
this is rare and found only on very old signposts. Unleaded petrol is
available almost everywhere. In all large towns a disc parking system is
in operation: discs can be bought in newsagents and have to be displayed
on the vehicle when parked in a designated area; failure to display a
disc will result in clamping or towing, especially in Dublin and Galway.
Roads in the North are, in general, notably superior to those in the
Republic. Driving is on the left and the rules of the road are as in
Britain: speed limits are 30-40mph/50-60kph in built-up areas,
70mph/110kph on motorways (freeways) and dual carriageways and
60mph/100kph on most other roads. Car seat-belt and motorbike-helmet
rules are the same as in the Republic . Cars bearing large red "R"
(Restricted) plates identify drivers who have passed their driving test
within the past twelve months and are meant to keep to low speeds.
Although security is not as rigorous as it was during the IRA's
campaign, controlled parking is still in effect in some towns; a parked
car in a control zone is considered a security risk and may result in a
security alert. Petrol prices in the North are about 87p a litre.
In the Republic, the Irish Automobile Association (IAA) operates 24-hour
emergency breakdown services. They also provide many other motoring
services, including a reciprocal arrangement for free assistance through
many overseas motoring organizations - check the situation with yours
before setting out. You can ring the emergency numbers even if you are
not a member of the respective organization, although a substantial fee
will be charged. In the North, the Automobile Association (AA) and the
Royal Automobile Club (RAC) both offer the same services as the IAA.
Hitching
In the Republic hitching is commonplace; for locals it's almost as much
a normal part of getting around as using the bus and train networks, and
for the visitor the human contact makes it one of the best ways to get
to know the country. Knowing the shortcomings of public transport, many
drivers readily give lifts, and it's not unusual to see single women
with babies and the shopping or whole families waiting for a ride. It
has to be borne in mind, however, that local people experience no real
problems in getting lifts since they usually know just about everybody
on the road; visitors can have a less easy time of it.
The chief problem if you plan to hitch extensively is lack of traffic,
especially off the main roads, and if you are travelling around one of
the tourist-swamped areas of the west, you may find there's a reluctance
to pick up foreigners. That said, without transport of your own you are
probably going to have to hitch if you want to see the best of Ireland's
wild, remote places. Just be sure to leave yourself plenty of time.
Although it's probably safer than just about anywhere else in Europe, it
goes without saying that hitching is never entirely risk-free, and on
the whole it's best for women to avoid hitching alone.
Hitching a lift in the North is rather less straightforward and probably
easiest for pairs of women who are obviously tourists. Men travelling
alone or in pairs can still be viewed with suspicion and may find it
impossible to get a lift. Men and women travelling together are at least
in with a chance.
Cycling
If you are lucky enough to get decent weather, cycling is one of the
most enjoyable ways to see Ireland, ensuring you're continually in touch
with the landscape. Roads are generally empty, though very poor surfaces
may well slow you down.
Most airlines carry bicycles for free as long as you don't exceed your
weight allowance; but be sure to check the regulations in advance
(charters may be less obliging) and let them know when you book your
ticket that you plan to carry a bike. Always deflate the tyres to avoid
explosions in the unpressurized hold.
If you don't want to cycle long distances, it's easy and relatively
cheap to rent a bike in most towns in the Republic and at a limited
number of places in the North (most outlets are listed in the text); you
can't take a rented bike across the border. Raleigh, who operate a
national rental scheme and a choice of drop-off options, are the biggest
distributors (£8-10/¬10.16-12.70 per day, £35-40/¬44.45-50.80 per week
plus around £50/¬63.50 deposit; collection and delivery service
£10-15/¬12.70-19.05). You can call their main office at Raleigh House,
Kylemore Rd, Dublin 10 (tel 01/626 1333, raleigh@iol.ie ) to find out
details of their agents throughout Ireland. Local dealers (including
some hostels) are often less expensive. Wherever you rent your bike, it
makes sense to check the tyres and brakes immediately and demand a pump
and repair kit before you set off. You should also consider the terrain:
if you plan on mountain biking, make sure your machine has enough gears
to cope. Cycle helmets are available for rent at some shops, but if you
want to be certain of wearing one, bring your own along.
In tourist spots at high season it's best to collect a bike early in the
day (or book it the day before) as supplies frequently run out. If you
arrive with your own bike, it's easy enough to carry it across long
distances by train, less so by bus . Local tourist offices will supply
information on organized cycling tours, or contact ICS .
Finally, a problem you may encounter - for some reason particularly in
the west - is that of farmers' dogs chasing and snarling at your wheels.
Should you be fortunate enough to be heading downhill at the time,
freewheeling silently past cottages and farm entrances is perhaps the
only humane way of minimizing the risk of savaged wheels and ankles
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