Originally Posted by Gagravarr

Money or points? And which bit of London?

If she'll be paying cash, and isn't in a huge rush, then sail+rail is only €46 one way from Dublin to London. There's some very nice scenery along the way, and that price will be to basically any UK rail station (so will get her to exactly where her friend is, not just the airport / main terminus station). Just depends on how pressed for time (it's about 8 hours)

Originally Posted by Mwenenzi

Ireland is right hand drive. And many cars are manual - standard transmission. Has she driven RHD before ?

Originally Posted by DJ Bitterbarn

Well they could have picked a more remote location. Maybe.?

Originally Posted by DJ Bitterbarn;20578591So in some ways, she's going to be lucky with public transit to a point, then very unlucky. But if you absolutely don't want to rent a car, then my advice (and somebody correct me if I'm off here) is:
1. Get the bus from Dublin Airport to Galway, either BusEireann or CityLink. Probably [URL="http://www.citylink.ie/"

Citylink[/URL], though, because this seems to set you up for the next step
2. Get the citylink bus from Galway to Cliffden, get off at Letterfrack. I think BusEireann probably goes here as well, but didn't find a schedule.
3. Get a cab from Letterfrack. Get a taxi number in advance or call the hotel and ask if they can pick her up. Before you rent a car, see if they'll do it. They may. Or, alternatively, if she's feeling adventurous, just start talking to people and somebody will maybe give her a lift. I've heard of a third option of just getting into cars stopped at lights, but that's only ever happened to a friend of mine... and he gave them a lift anyway.

To get back, do the reverse.

.?

Originally Posted by DJ Bitterbarn;20578591 If I can answer your question with a picure...
[IMG

http://blog.aaireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ballykeeran-wmeath-070212-14252.jpg[/IMG].?

Originally Posted by DJ Bitterbarn;20578591 The guidebooks shouldn't list anything in Ireland as "reliable" ;)
This is, of course, only because the North American definition of reliable usually implies a simple progression of needs to fulfillment of those needs. Instead I would say: You will get where you are going. You will eventually get what you are looking for. It may not come in the way you expected or be what you thought, but it'll happen and it'll all be grand. Have I waited hours for a bus that never came? Absolutely. And not rural either. City centre. But I got there in the end. The unreliability is backed up by the reliability that even if you think something didn't work, something will probably work in the end.


Driving in Ireland is not like driving in Europe, but that's not said to scare you. It's just different. Drivers are (especially in rural areas) extremely courteous. But especially up in Connemara you will find roads that are nothing more than a paved sheep track through a peat bog. Speed limits are (as I hope you realize from my image above) completely a suggestion. You can do it, though. People do it all the time. If she's driven in Europe she's got a big advantage, although all my coworkers in Poland who have been there have commented on the driving conditions in Ireland. Not necessarily bad, just ... different. Sometimes surprisingly so. What it comes down to is if she wants to experience some very new driving or if she wants to relax on the bus with friends (assuming they're going together) and probably meet some new people.


Depends what you want to pay and what you want to see in London. But if she doesn't have a car and doesn't [i

need[/i] to be back in Dublin, then go from Shannon (or Knock). Both of them are closer and saves on a long trip across the midlands. Plus, you can avoid Dublin.