Traveling through Manchester, Scotland & Ireland (Northern and Eire)
- Manchester
- Edinburgh
- Aberdeen
- Inverness
- Glasgow
- Belfast
- Galway
- Limerick
- Killarney
- Cork
- Extra (not to be missed!)
In this article (the first of the blog!) I will talk about the summer 2019 trip which gave me the opportunity to see most of Scotland & Ireland starting from the only stage in England (Manchester) and stopping, along the way, also in Northern Ireland.
To start getting an idea of the places and views that I was able to admire, I invite you to watch the video below containing the most significant images of this experience.
Here too, a collage (posted a few days after the end of the trip) with the most significant shots.
Continue reading the article to find out step by step the entire travel itinerary in Scotland & Ireland :)
Manchester: stop before Scotland & Ireland
After leaving Italy, the first stop on the journey was Manchester (find out the article here), England. First and only in England because the next will already be Scotland. In this industrial city in the UK, although the weather was not the best, I had the chance to walk downtown and take some semi-artistic shots :)
Obviously, two of the main attractions of the city could not be missed: a visit to the Old Trafford stadium (home of Manchester United) and the Etihad stadium (home of Manchester City).
Edinburgh
After a journey of about 7 hours by bus, I reached Edinburgh (find out the article here), the capital of Scotland. Here, in addition to the classic walk in the center and surroundings with the inevitable photo stop at the Castle, I decided to face a walk/trekking in the royal estate of Holyrood Park to reach Arthur’s Seat, the maximum point.
Thanks to a guided tour, I went to the discovery of Loch Lomond.
Aberdeen
After more than three hours by bus from Edinburgh, I reached Aberdeen (find out the article here). Called the granite city, I went to see the harbor and beach area and then back to the center.
During this leg of the trip, I also had the opportunity, by joining a guided tour, to see Dunnottar Castle.
Inverness
“Climbing” higher and higher, after more than three hours between bus and train (double transport necessary because, at that time, there was work in progress on the Scottish railway line), I reached Inverness (find out the article here). As soon as I arrived, I went for a walk downtown in the area of the Cathedral and the Castle.
In the following two days I joined some direct excursions to places not to be missed for those who have come this far: the Orkney Islands and the Isle of Skye (Inner Hebrides).
Glasgow
Almost four hours by bus to reach another well-known city in Scotland: Glasgow (find out the article here).
In this stop, in addition to a walking in the center, I participated in a tour that gave the opportunity to see Inveraray, Glencoe and Oban admiring the lakes and castles of the Highlands.
Belfast: intermediate stop between Scotland & Ireland
How did I get to Belfast (find out the article here) from Glasgow? I used the bus + ship option which took me to the capital of Northern Ireland in about 6 hours.
In addition to the city walk, where I was able to see the famous murals as well as the Titanic museum, I had the chance to see one of the most famous and well-known places in all of Northern Ireland: the Giant’s Causeway.
Galway
After less than 6 hours, I reached Galway (find out the article here) from Belfast. You may be wondering why so much time to travel by bus between these two cities. The answer is simple: I couldn’t find a direct connection and so I had to make the first leg to Dublin and then change the bus (luckily, there was an unlimited waiting time since the arrival stop was not the same departure of the next!) towards Galway. As soon as I arrived I discovered that the following year (in 2020 then became 2021 for obvious reasons) it would be the European Capital of Culture (find out the article here) together with Rijeka, in Croatia.
Even during this stop I couldn’t miss two must-see places: the Cliffs of Moher and Connemara National Park.
Limerick
Just over an hour by bus and I reached Limerick (find out the article here).
After a long walk in the city, here I decided to return to the accommodation and rest for the next stops :)
Killarney
An hour and a half by bus and I arrived in Killarney (find out the article here).
In addition to the inevitable walk inside the National Park (of Killarney), in the two days following the arrival, I joined two excursions: Ring of Kerry and, the following day (or the opposite, I don’t remember), the peninsula of Dingle, Slea Cape and Inch Beach.
Cork: last stop of the trip to Scotland & Ireland
After less than an hour and a half by train (yes, I also tried the Irish train!) I arrived in Cork (find out the article here).
To tell the truth, here I took a quick tour of the city and, in the days available before the return flight, I preferred to join some excursions and be able to see as many things as possible: for example, Blarney Castle, Cobh, Kilkenny, Kinsale and so on.
Extras (not to be missed!) from Scotland & Ireland
After this brief overview of the various stops between Scotland & Ireland (as well as Manchester and Northern Ireland), aren’t you curious to go beyond simple images to better understand the travel experience? No problem, here is a preview of the places mentioned above.
Remember that you can find all the videos of this and other trips on the YouTube channel. I invite you to visit it and subscribe (also by activating the bell) by clicking here.
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