# Rip off Ireland



## Compaq5315

Well we have just returned from Ireland with mixed views. The pricing structure in Ireland is a complete RIP OFF, before the Irish guys make comment this was confirmed by a man on RTE1 who said "The Irish charge what they want and get away with it, its about time we re thought about our pricing structure". 
We mainly had to wild camp (which is perfectly acceptable over there) due to camp site prices which costed as follows for 2 adults & motorhome, 
27 Euro for pitch, 4 Euro for EHP, 4 Euro for 2 shower tokens, total 37 Euro, working on current exchange rates £1.11 that works out a £33.00 per night and these are basic sites nothing fancy. Guinness in the pubs is 4 Euro £3.60 per pint. God help you if you want to eat out ie pub grub expect to pay for 2 adults 65 - 70 Euro £58.00. The gap of dunloe tour is 50.00 Euro each £45.00 x 2 £90.00. Ireland is very very expensive. The good bit is the people are friendly and want to talk with you. I met a Irish motorhome owner in Donegal, who kindly got his map out and told us of all the good wild camp are sites which we then marked on our map and these were excellent. Fuel prices were good Tesco were 97.9 Euro for Derv £0.88. although up around Letterkenny we did see 89.9 Euro £80.9 per litre. As mentioned in previous posts the Irish driving leaves a lot to be desired dreadful. a lot of them wont slow down and just skim past your MH This is only a snap shot of what i found. We will not return to Ireland any time soon purely because of the prices. Those of you going make sure you have lots of money.


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## Zebedee

Have to agree with you Compaq - and it's such a pity when in every other way it's a delightful holiday.

I don't mind the charging extra for leccy, showers etc., so long as the basic charge for the pitch is pretty reasonable. In fact it's arguably a better system since you pay only for what you need. :? 

With pitch prices as high as they are though, someone is taking the Mickey! 8O 

Dave


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## DTPCHEMICALS

We had the same in Italy

poor euro rate does not help

DAve P


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## Autoquest

The Irish are going through a brutal time at the moment. They are effectively broke and are putting some draconian fiscal policy into practice - We are pretty insulated at the moment because the Brown terror is borrowing and spending as though boom and bust was a figment of the Daily Mail's imagination - What costs twenty pound here really aught to be thirty, the fact that we aren't paying it is down to smoke and mirrors, come next year though......


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## philbre

*35euru per head for an evening meal, where??????????????????*

I agree modest sites over here in Ireland, are in my opinion, seriously overpriced but for the life of me, I have yet to meet the pub that charges 70euro for two adult meals. Any pub I've been to charges 10-13 euro per head for lunch.For 70euro, I imagine there must have been loads of wine as well

I presume that you agreed, in advance, to pay 50euro for the gap of Dunloe tour & suspect that, in hindsight, you felt it wasn't particularly good value for your money

I suspect I would've suggested you avoid that particular tour for that very reason had I seen a query on this forum, but then again, one man's food etc


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## teemyob

*Cheap*

Makes Norway sound like a Bargain!


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## Rapide561

*Ireland*

Hi

The cost of the ferries has put me off. £400 return, irrespective of route or operator.

Russell


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## CaGreg

I have to agree that living in Ireland is expensive, we make no secret of the fact, we live here all the time after all. I do think that your costs for eating out sounded very expensive, set menus seem to have become much cheaper this year, pub lunches around €10 and evening meals can be got for €15.

Whilst wildcamping is not everybody's cup of tea, the fact that it is easy to do makes it possible to cut down on expenses, I think Irish sites are expensive and some of them are not that high a standard, but we stay away from them and use God's own given places.

Anybody holidaying in any country and eating out a lot will find money just disappearing, but everybody's idea of holiday is different.
Did you enjoy the scenery, the people, the fun?? I sure hope you did and maybe you would like to share with others some of the places you visited.
I know that Norway will be a very expensive place to go to but it is high on my list of 'must see' places.
Thanks for the post anyway

Ca


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## Zebedee

Hi Ca

Ireland makes the rest of Europe look dirt cheap, but it won't stop us coming again!

We had a great holiday and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. We ate out at lunchtime rather than in the evening, and had the same excellent food for half the price.

The Murphy's was expensive, but what the heck - you don't go on holiday hoping to come back better off!!

We did have a bit of a problem in that everybody wanted to stroke our dog and have a look over the motorhome, but both experiences were enjoyable and added to the fun.

The dog was only about 8 months old at the time, but caught some bad habits. She loves beer, and had already left a groove in the "head" of my pint with her tongue. She had a drop of her own in an ashtray, much to the amusement of the locals.










Dave (and Gracie)


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## IrishHomer

Welcome to our world!! 8O 

Most of the above is true, which is one reason we Irish are such intrepid travellers. Off to Europe this Friday and can't wait. You guys in UK have it good, cars are cheaper, food & drink cheaper etc. Just fuel is very dear. Our campsites are rubbish mostly. 

However, with Aldi & Lidl and now Tescos making an effort to lower prices, inflation is now at or near zero. The downside is higher taxes, income levies etc reducing our pay packets. The country is in dire straits. We need tourists so please come on over and spend some of your money here while I'm in France!  

Failte go leir in Eirinn.

Irishhomer


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## kbheal

We go to Ireland on Thursday and have been looking forward to it, we where aware of it being expensive because lots of people have told us so.

Lets hope we can manage to experience the Irish welcome and get a feel of the country without letting money and bad driving get in the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We shall see    

Karen


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## DTPCHEMICALS

Its not long ago that Irelad was the wonder economy of the eu.
Is this proof that a single currecy , interest rate is not good for all in the eu

Dave p


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## sallytrafic

The value of a single currency is you can judge what is expensive country by country just because you have a shared currency with others doesn't mean you share prices. 

What is more interesting is the range of possibilities that the country has to alter its economy within the Euro zone. I don't think we would have been able to save the banks as we did if we were in the eurozone and many on here have said that would have been a good thing.

If people don't go to Ireland then selfishly its more room for me


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## DTPCHEMICALS

I agree Frank, I used to buy my company vehicles from Ireland and save quite a few pounds. Last two vans have been far cheaper in the uk than the last from Ireland.

Dave P


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## Jean-Luc

I have to agree that the prices of sites here is expensive for what you get, try bargaining and it's possible to get a reduction. If in West Cork try The Meadows in Glandore, three nights for €50 inc. ehu (a special price for MH's).
Eating out is best done at lunch time from about €8 for basic to €15 for posh nosh. If you are spending your hard earned in a pub with a car park don't be shy about asking permission to stay overnight, it's usually ok, particularly in the more rural areas.
Dogs don't need passports, neither do humans.
Driving, well since we built your motorways you have a 50 year head start on us when it comes to drivings behaviour and skills on densely trafficked roads. :lol:. We are however killing less of ourselves in recent years as we slowly catch up, which is about the only thing slow in connection with our driving.
Don't bother with the east coast, I have never done, the south west, west, north west and the Shannon basin is where it's at.
To find the best info about what's on ask at the local pub or call to the local tourist office but remember those in the smaller towns will be closed in the low season.
So come on over, outside of heigh season ferries should be in the region of £200, traffic will be lighter, stuff will be cheaper and weather wise the only difference will be longer nights  and remember there is an enthusiastic community of us Irish here on MHF only too willing to share our collective local knowledge with you.

Colin


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## DTPCHEMICALS

A couple of months ago my next door neighbours Jim ad son Terry went to Ireland to deliver some furniture for another neighbour who had "gone over" to open a fishing rod manufacturing base , liked the place and stayed.

First night Jim and Terry decided to look for a pub for an evenings entertainment and a meal. Driving up to the first set of cross roads, he asked an old man, sitting by the road, how far was it to the nearest pub. The old man answered
I do not know. Before we had these kilometer things it used to be four miles.

Makes me want to get on a ferry now.

dave P


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## Zebedee

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> Before we had these kilometer things it used to be four miles.
> 
> Makes me want to get on a ferry now.
> 
> dave P


Love it Dave - I can believe it too.

They really are a great people, but I wonder how long it will last with all the effects of globalisation??

Get over there and enjoy it before it's spoiled. (Not meaning to be downbeat, but you know what I mean.  )

Dave


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## parkmoy

If it gets too expensive for you in the south, come north :lol: 

We have the same great scenery, friendly people and UK prices and you can do what I do - go to the south for your diesel


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## CaGreg

Zebedee said:


> They really are a great people, but I wonder how long it will last with all the effects of globalisation??
> 
> Get over there and enjoy it before it's spoiled. (Not meaning to be downbeat, but you know what I mean.  )
> 
> Dave


Hey! we will always be great people. we are globalised as it is, but we are also Irish, so modern and outward looking, not stuck in the 'ould days', but as nice as you can imagine.

Ca


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## aido

*post subject*



Jean-Luc said:


> I have to agree that the prices of sites here is expensive for what you get, try bargaining and it's possible to get a reduction. If in West Cork try The Meadows in Glandore, three nights for €50 inc. ehu (a special price for MH's).
> Eating out is best done at lunch time from about €8 for basic to €15 for posh nosh. If you are spending your hard earned in a pub with a car park don't be shy about asking permission to stay overnight, it's usually ok, particularly in the more rural areas.
> Dogs don't need passports, neither do humans.
> Driving, well since we built your motorways you have a 50 year head start on us when it comes to drivings behaviour and skills on densely trafficked roads. :lol:. We are however killing less of ourselves in recent years as we slowly catch up, which is about the only thing slow in connection with our driving.
> Don't bother with the east coast, I have never done, the south west, west, north west and the Shannon basin is where it's at.
> To find the best info about what's on ask at the local pub or call to the local tourist office but remember those in the smaller towns will be closed in the low season.
> So come on over, outside of heigh season ferries should be in the region of £200, traffic will be lighter, stuff will be cheaper and weather wise the only difference will be longer nights  and remember there is an enthusiastic community of us Irish here on MHF only too willing to share our collective local knowledge with you.
> 
> Colin


Colin great post do you work for Board Failte  :lol:


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## Jean-Luc

Dia is Muire dhuit Aido, I am not working for Board Failte, if I was they would know that it's not all about bums in hotel beds and that there are in the region of 10,000 vehicles registered as MH's in the ROI , which could be a fair amount of home tourism, IF we had appropriate facilities which enabled us to make better use of our investments.

Colin


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## erneboy

As advised the east coast is pretty but fairly built up so the south and west are the nicest. We love to go south but please remember as has already been said there are some very lovely areas in Northern Ireland, the north coast and the lakeland in Co. Fermanagh in particular and of course all of that is at uk prices. 

From Fermanagh you can do short trips into Donegal, Sligo, Mayo etc. all lovely, fill with fuel when there. 

As for where to overnight, we have never been on a site in Ireland, there are thousands of places to wild camp. Again, as already stated pub car parks are excellent. 

So it need not be an expensive trip, unless you choose to make it so by staying on camp sites and eating in expensive restaurants, Alan.


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## 115021

I live in Nortern Ireland and do a few trip in the South with my motorhome.but finding the campsites real expensive and mostly empty,found most of the site around 27.00 euros then 5.00 for electric plus 2.00 euros for showers,then washing machine and tumble dryer 5.00 euros each.my local campsite in Castlewellan Country park is on 14.50 high season and that includes electric and free showers.
I also found Killarney campsites a rip off they seem to charge what ever they want,you would think they would notice their empty sites and wonder why, but the people and the country greattttttttttttttttttttttttt
Garry


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## Jean-Luc

Perhaps the camp site operators in Killarney and the other €30 plus sites are aiming for a clients who will pay any price for solitude :? :? . Maybe their aim is to replicate the hermit monks settlements of old :wink:


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## pippin

Wildcamping is OK, but what do you do about vidange in a country where there are no €U-like facilities?

Presumably one is forced to go on a (expensive) campsite every few days to empty/fill.


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## Jean-Luc

Pippin, just ensure that your vidange ends up where it would end up if there were MH specific facilities AND be very discreet about it if not using on site facilities :wink: :wink:


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## leana

I'm finding Ireland a pretty depressing place to live in at the moment..probably because the rain is pelting down outside. We're dying to get away in the mh but with three kids in tow we need a campsite with good facilities for them...what a laugh, some of these €30-€40 a night places don't even have playgrounds, never mind rainy day activities. We'll probably go north and stock up on 3 for £10 wines from asda on the way home


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## androidGB

Rather than start a new thread regarding what may seem a trifling matter, but deadly serious to me bearing in mind we're off to Kenmare on Friday.

What is the average price for a pint of Guinness in an ordinary pub/bar?


Andrew


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## kbheal

Hi

In July we paid just over 6 euros for a pint of Guinness and a pear cider in one bar. That said we loved it.
Oh and Ireland!!!! :lol: :lol: 

Karen


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## havingfun

*rip off ireland*

must join in,been to ireland twice,for six weeks each time,wild camped the full trips,in the most wonderful places,locals ask if you need water,telephone if the signal is bad,all sorts,you dont get that when you go in a shop in an english village.

the prices are high,but so much is for free,beautiful scenary,great entertainment in the pubs,till 2 or 3 am,never stopped out so late for years.free showers,hot water,toilets at most of the marinas,if you pay its so cheap,just buy a card at the tourist office,a couple of points for showers etc.

if you like fish,buy direct from the boats,so fresh and good,and of course cheap,and veg from the roadside stalls,and fuel is cheaper,but the normal things are more expensive,but i had read on here,so i took loads of toothpaste etc,all the things you buy every week without thinking can cost you mega. so load the van with wine or beer as well.

but the most wonderful place to be....
mags


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## Broom

Hi All

Done two weeks in Ireland every year since 1974, think we like it, not sure though, will have to try again next year and hopefully the year after.

Best Regards
Broom


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## CaGreg

Broom said:


> Hi All
> 
> Done two weeks in Ireland every year since 1974, think we like it, not sure though, will have to try again next year and hopefully the year after.
> 
> Best Regards
> Broom


      

Ca


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## MeFeinMcCabe

Ireland and in particular Donegal is a great spot. It is expensive but that doesn't detract from the great warmth of welcome from the people and the spectacular environment.

If you want to save a few quid visit the West Coast of Scotland, very similar terrain to the Old Country


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## aido

The west coast of Scotland is not Ireland. 
The good sites in Ireland are worth what they charge. the bad sites dont deserve to be supported.
We can't be compared to the UK. there is 4 million of population in Ireland compared to 60million or whatever in the UK.
Everyone has a choice either come to Ireland or dont no point moaning. :evil:


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## asprn

aido said:


> The west coast of Scotland is not Ireland.....Everyone has a choice either come to Ireland or dont no point moaning. :evil:


So "A Warm Welcome Awaits Ye" doesn't stretch across to the east coast of Ireland then? :lol:

Dougie.


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## erneboy

A warm welcome awaits everybody in Ireland, as can be seen in this thread but as with every where else there are some risks, just take care as you would elsewhere. 

Some things in Ireland are expensive but as Aido says there is no point moaning about that, Alan.


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## CaGreg

I live on the East side and I extend the warmest of warm welcomes to all and everyone who comes here! 

Calling Ireland a rip-off country sounds as though we are all waiting at the ports, ready to fleece poor unsuspecting souls. We feel the pinch of the expensive lifestyle too, but we hope that the warmth of the welcome and the unique experience more than makes up for the expensive prices. 

Wildcamping, cooking in the van and haggling for discounts can go someway to offsetting the prices. 

Has anybody managed to get a discount in a campsite in Ireland? I wonder if the site owners are ameanable to being asked? We don't use sites here so have no experience of it.

Ca


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## RedSonja

I am going to chip in here. My Mother who lives in DOnegal was 80 in January 2008. I wanted to take the van as there were 6 os u and my Mum didnt have enough room and we couldnt get the van down her lane to plug in. 

I rang the campsite on Lough Foyle (I think its called foyleside) and asked if they were open in January. The reply was no they didnt open until April. When I explained what I wanted the reply was "Oh dont worry youself we will open up the site for you - As we live on site and have a few people stay over.

Not only did they let us stay - They charged us a reduced rate and looked after us in the worst weather they have had there in years. 

There is always a warm welcome. I would wild camp in Donegal without a second thought - beautiful place (Just didnt want to that January as I had my two grandaughters with me)

Go and enjoy you will never look back. ( I am a bit biased I Suppose)

Sonja

Sonja


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## teifiprt

Just spent my third new years eve in Dingle Kerry. The Irish certainly know how to enjoy themselves, wonderful welcome and scenery, pity about prices 10.30 euros for a pint of Guinness and a whisky and dry ginger (no ice)  . They are having a hard time, imagine what the UK would be like if we had 5% wage cuts  
Any way wild camping helps with the bills and tesco with the crossing  

Peter.


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## DTPCHEMICALS

No point in moaning.


If we do not come to visit the Emerald Isle we wouldn`t know whether to moan or not

I`ll bring me own Guiness.

Dave p


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## erneboy

Dave, it may cost you a little more to buy your Guiness in Ireland but it is worth it, it is better there than anywhere else. I have no idea why that should be but it is, Alan.


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## teifiprt

Same reason as only the french can make champagne, the scots haggis, the English bitter, the Welsh lamb and the germans sausages. :lol: :lol: 
Peter.


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## wobby

Compaq5315 said:


> Well we have just returned from Ireland with mixed views. The pricing structure in Ireland is a complete RIP OFF, before the Irish guys make comment this was confirmed by a man on RTE1 who said "The Irish charge what they want and get away with it, its about time we re thought about our pricing structure".
> We mainly had to wild camp (which is perfectly acceptable over there) due to camp site prices which costed as follows for 2 adults & motorhome,
> 27 Euro for pitch, 4 Euro for EHP, 4 Euro for 2 shower tokens, total 37 Euro, working on current exchange rates £1.11 that works out a £33.00 per night and these are basic sites nothing fancy. Guinness in the pubs is 4 Euro £3.60 per pint. God help you if you want to eat out ie pub grub expect to pay for 2 adults 65 - 70 Euro £58.00. The gap of dunloe tour is 50.00 Euro each £45.00 x 2 £90.00. Ireland is very very expensive. The good bit is the people are friendly and want to talk with you. I met a Irish motorhome owner in Donegal, who kindly got his map out and told us of all the good wild camp are sites which we then marked on our map and these were excellent. Fuel prices were good Tesco were 97.9 Euro for Derv £0.88. although up around Letterkenny we did see 89.9 Euro £80.9 per litre. As mentioned in previous posts the Irish driving leaves a lot to be desired dreadful. a lot of them wont slow down and just skim past your MH This is only a snap shot of what i found. We will not return to Ireland any time soon purely because of the prices. Those of you going make sure you have lots of money.


I live i and still have a business in Ireland, on the west coast on the edge of lough GIll in Sligo.

I have to agree with you a lot of the campsite are of a very poor standard and expensive. But there are a few good ones which I could name as worthwhile, as for eating out Dinner at restaurants €60 is about right. Its the rubbish value of the pound that makes it seem so expensive €60 was £40 and you know who to blame for that!
The best time to eat out is Lunch, at a hotel and there are lots of them, two people €26 as for the gap all the Irish in the know enter the gap from the far end and wave on the way through, I have, its a public highway. Supermarket food is a bit more expensive but as you say diesel is cheaper. Wild camping is OK most of us did, just kept away from big towns. I often stopped overnight in the middle of a small village or near houses on the edge of a lake, no one minds. If you frequent a local rural pub they would often let you stay in the car park and fill up with water in the morning, its not all bad.

Wobby


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## teifiprt

Same reason as only the french can make champagne, the scots haggis, the English bitter, the Welsh lamb and the germans sausages. :lol: :lol: 
Peter.

Sorry for the repeat post, Bratwurst for fingers!!! :roll:


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## blacksville

*CAMPING IRELAND*

I HAVE TO AGREE THE SOUTH OF IRELAND IS A COMPLETE RIP OFF. BUT PLEASE TRY THE NORTH OF IRELAND.YOU WILL FIND IT A LOT CHEAPER AND NO HIDDEN EXTRAS REGARDS BLACKIE


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## Tezmcd

Would rather spend a thousand pounds and have a great holiday, great people, great scenery, great waether (ok that last bit is a blatant lie) ............. than spend 500 pounds and have a standard run of the mill time

Ireland is about the experience - it costs a little more, but so does London, Paris, New york etc

If you do a little research you realise how much things cost in different locations - and then you make a choice

I'm not Irish so I have no corner to fight here - sorry to hear it spoiled your stay


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## Jean-Luc

wobby said:


> as for the gap all the Irish in the know enter the gap from the far end and wave on the way through, I have, its a public highway.
> 
> Wobby


What 'gap' do you mean Wobby :?


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## sallytrafic

Jean-Luc said:


> wobby said:
> 
> 
> 
> as for the gap all the Irish in the know enter the gap from the far end and wave on the way through, I have, its a public highway.
> 
> Wobby
> 
> 
> 
> What 'gap' do you mean Wobby :?
Click to expand...

At a guess Dunloe and this Brit does the same or in the evening travel both ways


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## Jean-Luc

*Re: CAMPING IRELAND*



blacksville said:


> I HAVE TO AGREE THE SOUTH OF IRELAND IS A COMPLETE RIP OFF. BUT PLEASE TRY THE NORTH OF IRELAND.YOU WILL FIND IT A LOT CHEAPER AND NO HIDDEN EXTRAS REGARDS BLACKIE


Blackie, it's certainly still a PARTIAL rip off but getting less so. You can get very good value if you shop around eg. Gunness €3.20, lunch €7, Diesel €1.10 Heinz Spaghetti €0.42 etc. etc.


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## Jean-Luc

sallytrafic said:


> Jean-Luc said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> wobby said:
> 
> 
> 
> as for the gap all the Irish in the know enter the gap from the far end and wave on the way through, I have, its a public highway.
> 
> Wobby
> 
> 
> 
> What 'gap' do you mean Wobby :?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> At a guess Dunloe and this Brit does the same or in the evening travel both ways
Click to expand...

Frank, perhaps a word of caution that a van conversion should be the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM size of vehicle in which to attempt to traverse the Gap of Dunloe, in either direction, would be appropriate.
BTW the Ring of Kerry is best done ANTI-CLOCKWISE to avoid meeting oncoming touring coaches between two rock faces or a rock face and a sheer drop into the North Atlantic . :lol:


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## aido

BTW the Ring of Kerry is best done ANTI-CLOCKWISE to avoid meeting oncoming touring coaches between two rock faces or a rock face and a sheer drop into the North Atlantic . 

Its a must to travel anti clockwise especially on the road from Molls Gap to Killarney .(Around the lakes)


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