Giant Causeway planning (part 2)

Haha 😅 
Sorry for the long delay in publishing part 2. So continuing on...

Method 3)

Public transport

With public transport, there are two stages:
1) Dublin-Belfast,  2) Belfast to Giant Causeway

From Dublin to Belfast, you have a selection of bus and train to take.

Bus:   400  @ Custom Quay House to Belfast, Europa Bus Centre.
          M1X  @ Custom Quay House to Belfast, Europa Bus Centre.
          705X @ Gresham Hotel to Belfast, Glengall Street.
Train: Connolly Station, Dublin to Lanyon Place, Belfast.

The earliest time for the bus to set off is is 5.30 a.m. and for the train is 7.30 a.m. (On Weekdays)
The journey takes approximately 2 hours.

From Belfast to Giant Causeway, you can a few different routes.

1) Bus 221 @ Europa Bus Centre to Aird, Giant Causeway the Nook.

2) Bus 218A @ Europa Bus Centre to Coleraine, then take Bus 402a or 172 to Aird, Giant Causeway the Nook.

3) Train Great Victoria Street to Coleraine, then take Bus 402a or 172 to Aird, Giant Causeway the Nook.

The journey varies from 2 hours to 3 hours, depending on the routes chosen.

By estimation, the earliest one can reach is 10.30 a.m. if one takes the 5.30 a.m. bus. But do expect the journey from Dublin to Belfast to be 4-5 hours.

If you want to return the same day, it is recommended to depart Giant Causeway before 5 p.m. and take the bus to the Coleraine Station to return to Belfast. Then return with any transport in Dublin to Belfast, however, this time going the opposite direction.

So after excluding the long journey to and fro, the maximum time you can spend in a day in Giant Causeway is 6 hours.

The Transportation Price (on July 2019)

Dublin to Belfast or vice versa:
400: ? euro
M1X: 10 euro or 8 sterling per single trip
705X: 11 euro or 9 sterling single trip or 20 euro or 16 sterling return trip (Appendix 1)
Train: 17.99-34.99 euro per single trip

Belfast to Giant Causeway or vice versa:
218A: 11.50 sterling per single trip or 19.50 sterling return trip
221: 13 sterling per single trip or 19.50 sterling return trip
Train: 13 sterling per single trip or 19.50 sterling return trip (Appendix 2)

So by estimation, the total cost is:

     M1X - 10 x 2 = 20 euro
     Belfast Train & bus- 19.50+19.50= 39 sterling

Total= 20 euro + 39 sterling

Method 4)

Tour bus

This is the method I chose. So from personal experience With Paddywagon tour bus, it goes like this:

It cost 65euro per adult.
The total tour time is approximately 13 hours.

Meet at the appointed area, usually in the city center early in the morning, a.k.a 7.30 a.m.
During the journey to the north, there's a 20 mins bus ride break.
The first destination was the Dark Hedge from Game of Throne. Time allocated = 30 mins.
Next stop is Carrick-rede Bridge. The tour includes crossing the bridge. Time allocated = 70mins.
Next is the main attraction, the Giant Causeway. The tour includes a ticket to Visitor center. Time allocated = 90 mins.
The final stop before heading back is Belfast city. Time allocated = 50 mins.
Return to Dublin City center around 8.30 p.m.

Approximately two-thirds of the time is spent on the bus. But in my opinion, the time allocated is just about enough to explore the scenery.

Be warned that every tour bus's time and route may vary.

Appendix 1)

Appendix 2)

Giant Causeway planning (part 1)

Giant Causeway is one of the most popular tourist sites for those who come to Ireland. There are various ways to get there. Most tourists depart from Dublin, others from another county, like Galway, Cork, etc. Well, I'm in Dublin, so the planning will only revolve around that fact.

This part I'll talk about :

Getting there

Method 1)

The most unrealistic way - Walking

I'm not even going to consider this method mainly for the following two reasons:

1) I got no stamina. It's a bloody 48-hour walk. My legs and mind would be too exhausted to enjoy the view.

2) Time-consuming. 48hours to walk there. If including the time to eat, rest, and unforeseen matters, it may be double that time(estimation).

If anyone does walk to there, you have my respect.

Method 2)

By Car

Not a bad choice that is if I have a driving license.
Hertz.ie has a simple guideline for visitors to Ireland, who wants to drive (here). I'm not trying to promote Hertz.ie, was just trying to understand how to rent-a-car online. If I had to recommend a site for car hire, probably be Skyscanner, since I'm a complete newbie to the car rental industry.

Pro

• Very Flexible- can go anywhere you want at any time.
• Not as time-consuming as walking.

Some things to consider

• Petrol
• Need navigation (i.e., Google map)
• Toll
• Parking fee
• Road accidents

Estimation of cost with assumptions

Assumption 1- 1 person travel, therefore a mini was chosen

Assumption 2- pick up and drop back the car the same day

Rental cost =  €14.02 [Appendix 2]

Petrol Cost= €33.77

Journey to and fro: 266km (according to Google map) x 2 =532km

Toyota Aygo tank capacity = 35litres

Toyota Aygo's liter per 100km: 4.6litres/100km

Estimated Unleaded petrol price = €1.38 [Appendix 3]

Calculation= 

532/100=5.32

Petrol needed for whole trip = 5.32 x 4.6 = 24.472 litres
Estimated price for petrol = 24.472 x €1.38 = €33.77136

Toll fee = €10

There are two tolls to be aware of - M50 and M1 [Appendix 4]. 

M50 toll fee = €3.10 [Appendix 5]

M1 toll fee = €1.90 [Appendix 5]

Journey = 2 (to and fro)

Calculation =

1 journey = 3.1+1.9 = 5
2 journey = 5 x 2 = €10

Parking fee = FREE or £11

Can use Causeway's carpark with Visitor center ticket-online price,  [Appendix 6]= £11
Another alternative was the Park and Ride in Bushmills [Appendix 7], which is 9-16mins bus ride away from Giant Causeway [Appendix 8]. = FREE parking, just pay £? bus fare for to and fro.


Total Travelling cost = €57.79 + £11 or €57.79 + bus fares

Calculation = €14.02 + €33.77 + €10 + £11*

*Not going to go through the currency exchange process, as each bank give different rates and fees.

Part 2>>

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Appendix 4

Appendix 5

Appendix 6

Appendix 7

Appendix 8