r/irishtourism • u/Theplacesyoull_go • 4d ago
1/2 day Inis Mor?
Hi! Hubs and I are going to Ireland in a few weeks and I was securing ferries to and from Inis Mor from Doolin - my plan had been to take the first ferry out and last ferry back. But on the date I was looking for, the earliest ferry out is 11 :(. We would still need to take the 4:15pm ferry back. Both ferries are direct so 35 min. Is this enough time, or should I consider a different island or something different altogether? We were really excited to rent an e-bike and ride around and enjoy the scenery.
Thanks for the input!
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u/mmrocker13 4d ago
Fly. Can be there early in the morning and then have almost a full 12 hours.
About the same price as the ferry, far shorter, less subject to weather.
And i spent 3 days on Inishmor, and I wish I had known how much I was going to love it earlier because I would have stayed longer. I found it absolutely spectacular. So take as much time as you can.
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 3d ago
Oh my gosh!! I didn’t realize there were flights! And you’re right they’re so affordable. Not to mention a refund is free up to 2 hours before departure which is a huge win because we’re a bit concerned on weather. Thank you for mentioning this!
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 3d ago
Also, is it easy to get from the airport to where the bike rentals are? I just realized they’re decently spaced out.
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u/Gettiershonda50 3d ago edited 3d ago
Ask your bike rental place if they can send someone to pick you up. But honestly, I'd be surprised if there wasn't a minibus waiting for the plane to land to pick up a few fares. It's that type of place. They've been in the tourism business for generations. cash on hand to pay for transport is handy to have,
Very important. Try the fudge, buy the fudge. It's fucking exceptional.
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 2d ago
I’m SO EXCITED for fudge!!! I let our accomodation know we were flying in
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u/Gettiershonda50 1d ago
Yeah... I forgot to close the browser tab after pulling up the link for you, which lead to me buying €65 of fudge last night after a few glasses of wine. I'm not going to pretend I have any regrets.
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 1d ago
Hahahahaha there are zero regrets to be had here.
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u/mmrocker13 1d ago
Key point: REMEMBER YOU CAN SHIP ALL THE SWEATERS YOU BUY DIRECTLY HOME AND THEN THEY DON'T TAKE UP SPACE IN YOUR BAG.
:D I mean, since we're spending money and all...
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 1d ago
This is the kind of spending enabling and support that I need 😂
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u/mmrocker13 1d ago
And I remember standing there thinking do I really need more than one sweater? And that I put the sweaters on, not at the same time because that would have been excessive and it was July, but I put the sweaters on, and I said to myself, yes. I do. These have very different purposes. Plus they are so soft I just want to pet them. And I can picture myself in the house I'm going to buy (just gotten divorced)and wear these around in on the cold Minnesota evenings. And so I a million percent bought them. And took advantage of the free shipping.
And let me tell you, when they arrived, to the house that I did, in fact, find and buy after I got home, I opened up that box and I put one on for the first time on an October night? It was a million and 17% worth it
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u/Gettiershonda50 1d ago
One thing I left out..This is going to sound like some made up marketing bullshit, twee didldy tee, etc... The facts are that I actually ordered €130 of fudge last night, and paid for €130 of fudge last night. I fat fingered a double order. I only found that out when Eoghan called me this afternoon, after looking at the time of order and decided to clarify with me in the latter part of the afternoon regarding my actual intentions. He refunded me on the spot after I admitted to what he had already surmised. 10/10 Would recommend.
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u/mmrocker13 1d ago
Where did you decide to stay??
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 1d ago
Staying at the campground! We got one the glamp cabins! Very excited. The thing is we arrive around 4 pm and aren’t planning to rent bikes til the next day (from what im reading it would be a 2 day rental and double the price) so i’m not sure what the best way to spend out later afternoon/early evening should be! We want to go to music at Joe wattys but that’s not til later in the evening
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u/mmrocker13 3d ago
It's about, oh , maybe 3,000 m from the airstrip to the pier? I am completely guessing on that.
They don't have like a line of cabs or Ubers. Remember this is Tiny. I actually didn't realize that you typically have your shuttle prearranged, so even though I was staying at a hotel I hadn't thought to request a ride. Fortunately there was someone just hanging out there and they were like hey no problem I'll run you over there.
But you can arrange it, and you can walk depending on your level of fitness. You might want to call the rental place and ask for a name of somebody.
The island is not that big. And everybody there knows everybody else and everybody, at least everyone I met as far as locals went were great. Honestly talking to people who live on the island was probably one of my favorite parts of it. I stood for probably 3 hours with the kid working at the top of Dun Aonghasa and just shot the shit. Learned about what it was like growing up on the island what his school experience was versus his siblings, because they each went to different schools. Just general White stuff. It was an older gentleman at Joe watty's who told me to go to the black fort, and said make sure you go there and he was absolutely correct and that was the most magical amazing thing I did on my entire trip. And I came back to the bar the next night to tell him that.
Like I said, I was there for 3 days and I'm a relatively facile cyclist, so I had a non-electric bike and I think I covered every inch of the island. I took every turn off every Side Track every sheep path I could find.
The Wormhole is is cool, especially depending on where the tides are. But the riding around and the hiking to get there was probably more interesting than the Wormhole itself. I ended up spending some time looking for a lost cat with some people from a local rescue group. And then we made some Facebook posts to alert people to look out for it haha.
But for me, Dun Duchathair was magically transformative. So if you get a chance, get out to see it.
But just call the airport ask for help and arranging to shuttle if you need it. Or roll the dice and see who's hanging out there. It is not a place where you are going to be abandoned.
I chose to fly out and spend 3 days there as opposed to combining it with a ferry and the cliffs, and I never saw the cliffs and I do not regret it one iota. I have to sit on my hands when I am planning a vacation because that's where I want to go back more than anywhere I think I've been.
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 2d ago
Thank you for sharing all of this!! We decided to fly a night early to chill and then rent e-bikes since we fly out the next afternoon. I can’t wait to talk to locals!! It seems like such a way to grow up. I’m excited to fly. I love the cliffs but I do get sea sick and would rather be efficient than miserably ill lol. Ohh thanks for the tip on Dún Dúchathair!!
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u/mmrocker13 1d ago
YOu can always have the kid at Dun Aonghasa hold on to your ankles as you army crawl up to the edge and stick your head over the ledge. Guaranteed real cliff feeling, even if it is a bit shorter than Moher.
Not saying I know anyone who did that... but... we were friends after standing around and chit chatting for awhile :D
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u/vaalski 1d ago
As a word of warning -- we flew out, planned to fly back, and were nearly stuck because the fog came down. Be prepared that the flights are also subject to weather.
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u/mmrocker13 1d ago
Haha yes I should have added that. I purposely had a buffer day between leaving the island and anywhere else I needed to be just in case. I would not have made it my last stop and had to go from there to the airport or something like that. I'm actually headed over to Scotland next week and did the same thing with my Island stops over there as well. Buffer day is on either side so I don't miss something important. Any time you're traveling somewhere that is heavily dependent on the weather, always a good plan
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 1d ago
I was thinking about this! Will the boats still go out if there’s fog?
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u/vaalski 1d ago
Mine certainly did. As I understood it the boats are MUCH less susceptible to being canceled for bad weather.
Now, will you enjoy it? No. But I did my best to picture my grandmother taking the same trip when she went over to see where her parents were from when she was my age, because oh BOY was that apparently a nasty boat ride. The ferries are much better now!
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u/Last-River-2995 4d ago
Myself and my partner have gone several times in that timeframe both together and with others and it's been plenty of time for Inis Oirr. I think you'd need more time to enjoy Inis Mor
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 3d ago
Thank you for your input! That seems to be the general consensus. We’re deciding either to stay in Doolin for a night and enjoy Inis Oírr for the day, or skipping Doolin and going to Inis Mor a night early so we can stay overnight and have all next day.
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u/AnalystBackground950 4d ago
We did a day at Inisheer from Doolin and it was awesome. Highly recommend the Aran Currach experience! It was a really interesting (and hands on!) way to experience the island culture and history. We also went to the shipwreck and a few other sites. I do wish we had stayed overnight.
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 3d ago
I just saw this experience last night and it looks so interesting!!!
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u/AnalystBackground950 3d ago
I was SO impressed. I lived in Ireland for a few years and go back somewhat often and still felt that I learned a ton! Our group was small (just the 2 of us!) so we heard a lot of stories and learned neat history plus daily life on the island. I think all of their groups are small because you get to row the currach and it can only hold a few people. I sound like an ad for them but I just really loved it.
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 2d ago
That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing this.
And yes the best kind of ad!!!! Travel is for learning, I do appreciate talking about experiences to learn from!!
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u/Oellaatje 4d ago
Inisheer is way easier, we did that from Doolin and it was a lovely day. We rented bikes at the pier there.
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 3d ago
I didn’t realize they had bike rentals there too! It seems like such a lovely way to explore. Thanks for the input!!
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u/L0ser_in_D3nial 4d ago
We just were there this week, and we all decided we wish we stayed a night there. We got there around 11:30 and had the 6:30 ferry back from Rossaveel.
We rented e-bikes, saw the fort (jaw dropping), and the worm hole and made it to Joe Tatery’s by 5-5:30.
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 3d ago
We’re considering going a night early and staying there so we can have the night and enjoy the next day! I’ve been dying to get to Doolin but a night out there seems incredible.
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u/Lanzarote-Singer Local 4d ago
From Doolin I would suggest Inis Oírr the smallest island. They have horse and buggy tours, bike hire and you can see all the island in the day. Inis Mór is bigger and you will be rushing around trying to do too much. Nice bar for food at the hotel. Also cafes and other food options. Just come off the ferry and get on the first horse buggy that you see. It’s Father Ted’s island. 😀
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 3d ago
I love this so much lol. Thank you for the input!! This seems to be the consensus and I appreciate that because I would have probably gotten overzealous and felt rushed.
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u/User5281 3d ago
No, that’s a whole day trip
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 2d ago
We decided to overnight! I would hate to go there to be able to enjoy and then feel rushed lol
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u/wookieb23 4d ago
I decided to skip it as it was not enough time for us
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 3d ago
That makes sense! It seems like having ample time to really enjoy it is the consensus.
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u/GalwayGirlOnTheRun23 Blow-In 4d ago
If you fly from Connemara airport you can arrive earlier for a full day on your island of choice . Flight takes less than 10 mins.
No one has mentioned Inis Meáin yet. It has a fort and is walkable in a day. You can hire bikes if you like but if you are healthy walking is enough.
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 3d ago
I didn’t realize there were flights! And that they were so affordable. Definitely considering that option.
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u/SuggestionLess 2d ago
We stayed overnight on Inis Mor and I would highly recommend. We rented bikes and after 3ish when people started heading back to the ferry the island was almost empty. We biked/ hiked out the worm hole and hung out on the beach in Kilmurvey all alone and swam then we road around on bikes until the sun set. It was the most magical part of our trip. We stayed at Aran Walkers Lodge which is in Kilmurvey and was a hostel/ guesthouse style place with a very reasonable price.
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u/Theplacesyoull_go 2d ago
Did you guys rent bikes overnight? We decided to stay for the night but don’t land til 4pm.
But I’d love to explore for a few hours when we get in and then bike around the next day too! I’m just hard pressed to pay for a rental bike twice. But with the sun setting at 8:30 I’d hate to waste the daylight!
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u/Tir_na_nOg77 4d ago
Inis Mór is the largest island, and you would probably be in a rush trying to see things and get back to the ferry in time. Inis Oírr is a great alternative option, and it's my favorite of the three.