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The 2022 Bucket List Road Trip: 4 Weeks Exploring Ireland (Full Route + Itinerary)

The 2022 Bucket List Road Trip: 4 Weeks Exploring Ireland (Full Route + Itinerary)

Day 5 – (Wexford and Waterford) Famine ships, haunted houses and ancient lighthouses

Day 5 of our Ireland road trip takes us back to the coast to County Wexford.

We’ve a busy day ahead, so make sure you’re not out too late the evening before.

1 – The Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience

// Kilkenny to The Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience in New Ross – 50-minute drive (arrive for 09:00) //

Dunbrody Famine Ship wexford

Photo by Tourism Ireland

The Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience is an authentic reproduction of an 1840s emigrant vessel located in the town of New Ross.

Visitors to the ship will follow in the footsteps of the those who left during Ireland’s Great Famine, via an interactive tour that takes you through the journey made by so many Irish people.

For those of you following this Ireland road trip that are interested in learning more about Irish history, then this stop will be right up your alley.

The tour provides an insight into a significant period in Irish history that shaped our culture forever.

2 – A coffee and a stroll at Tintern Abbey

// New Ross to Tintern Abbey – 25-minute drive (arrive to Tintern at 10:40) //

You’ll find Tintern Abbey on the west shore of Bannow Bay in Wexford.

Once one of the most powerful Cistercian foundations in the South East, the Abbey is now a big (and incredibly well maintained) crumbly ruin.

Tintern Abbey Wexford

Photo by Brian Morrison

Although the Abbey is the big attraction for visitors, the majority of the people that I chat to that have visited mention the walled garden as being the highlight of the trip.

tintern abbey walled gardens wexford

Photo by Brian Morrison

If you fancy taking a guided tour and learning about the history, it’ll cost you €5 (Adult price) and lasts around 45 minutes.

Tip: if you nip into the coffee shop, grab a bowl of fresh strawberries and cream! They’ll make your mouth happy!

3 – Loftus Hall (one of the most haunted houses in Ireland)

// Tintern Abbey to Loftus Hall – 20-minute drive (arrive for 12:00) //

You’ll find the intimidating structure known as Loftus Hall on the wild and windy Hook Peninsula, close to Hook Lighthouse.

loftus hall old

Photo via Loftus Hall

It’s an enormous, old mansion house that was built in the mid-1300s during the time of the black death.

According to legend, the mansion is haunted by both the devil and by the ghost of a young woman.

inside loftus hall ireland

If you fancy a bit of a scare, you can take a guided interactive tour of the ground floor of Loftus Hall (lasts around 45 mins).

The ice cream here is also gorgeous!

4 – One of the oldest operational lighthouses on earth

// Loftus Hall to Hook Lighthouse – 10-minute drive (arrive for 13:30) //

Hook Lighthouse was once voted the number one lighthouse in the world.

The current structure has been marking the entrance to Wexford Harbour for at least 800 years, yet its history goes back a whole lot further.

Monks kept a warning beacon to warn sailors of the dangers of shipwreck on the rocky headland during the period 500-1000 AD.

Grab a cup of coffee in the café after your drive before climbing the 115 steps to the top of the lighthouse to enjoy the mighty view of the Wexford coastline.

5 – A ramble along the walls of Waterford City

// Hook to Waterford City – 1 hour and 10-minute drive (arrive for 16:00) //

Our first day in Waterford is going to be spent wandering around Waterford City – Ireland’s oldest, as it happens.

One of the most impressive features of Waterford City is its historic walls and towers.

waterford city walls

Photo via Google Maps

The city, which was founded by the Vikings way back between 856 and 914, is over 1,000 years old and boasts the largest collection of medieval defensive towers and walls on our island.

Head off in the direction of Reginald’s Tower.

waterford city attractions

Photo via Tourism Ireland

Reginald’s Tower is the most impressive of the six towers that are still standing and can be found at the highest point of Waterford City’s Viking Triangle.

reginalds tower

Photo via Failte Ireland

Inside the tower, you’ll find an exhibition on Viking Waterford that houses 9th-century swords and weapons from a Viking warrior’s grave and a magnificent Waterford Kite Brooch.

Take a bit of time to have a float around the tower and soak up some of the city’s rich past.

6 – The Medieval Museum

Take the short stroll to the Medieval Museum. Here, you’ll be able to soak up the story of what life was like in the historic City of Waterford many years ago.

Waterford City centre was excavated between 1986 and 1992 and the many unique discoveries that were found during this time are housed in the Museum.

Take a look inside by hitting play on the video below.

Spend some time wandering around the museum, and head off on the guided tour if you fancy.

Related read: Here are looooooads of things to do in Waterford if you fancy visiting.

7 – Rest the legs and get ready for the evening ahead

When you finish up in the museum, head to your accommodation for the night.

For this trip we’re going to recommend that you stay in Dooley’s Hotel, as it’s nice and central and the reviews are amazing.

Check in, rest the body for a bit and then get out for food and a drink.

8 – Food and a pint

// It’s been a busy aul day. We’re going to round it off with food and a few pints //

gingerman bar waterford city

Photo by @luciedomert on Instagram

We’re going to recommend that you grab a bite to eat in Bodega!, followed up by a drink in the Gingerman.

We’ll be doing a lot of active exploring tomorrow, so do your best to avoid lashing in too many pints and giving yourself a thunderous hangover.

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Lorraine

Monday 13th of March 2023

Keith, this is an extraordinary itinerary and so detailed. Thank you

jean

Thursday 9th of March 2023

the link to the mailing list sign up isnt working...can I have you send me the document by email? it sounds amazing through quick page hopping! thought this morning that we might go this late Sept/early October for 3ish weeks.

Denise

Monday 6th of March 2023

Hi Keith, we’re looking at visiting Ireland September 2023, for four weeks, coming from Canada. Thankfully I found your guide, it is fantastic, you put in a great deal of work organizing this. Thank you. I have a couple tours books to cipher through as well, but it is painstaking slow. I need to get an itinerary put together fast, I see accommodations are filling up quickly for September. One question I have is, is it possible or wise to do your road trip in reverse? We’re not used to driving on the left side, haha, will it be safer doing the trip in reverse?

Suzanne Sullivan

Saturday 18th of February 2023

Do you have a PDF of the whole list that we could buy/download with links? We were planning to do the reverse of this in October 2023 (34 days)---but, rethinking after seeing yours!

David Ward

Wednesday 18th of January 2023

This itinerary will be the basis of our upcoming trip this year. We prefer to base ourselves in a place for maybe a week and explore the surrounding areas. We will be picking up a car in Belfast on 26 May and have it for almost 6 weeks. We are unsure of our direction of travel, but leaning towards anti-clockwise. Excluding Dublin, can you suggest 5 or 6 "bases" for exploration. Small towns with a bit of character ideally.

Keep up the good work.

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