My driving history means I can’t rent a car in Ireland. What can I do?

I am hoping to visit Ireland in October. I was going to rent a car for a week, but my driving history virtually precludes this. Any alternatives?
M. Hayden, Kiama NSW

Car rental companies in Ireland have stricter requirements than most other European countries.Credit: iStock

Ireland has more stringent requirements for car hire than most other parts of Europe. For example, an at-fault accident in the past three to five years, more than one insurance claim within that period and a suspended license or a penalty for DUI or dangerous driving can rule you out. Also, some operators will not hire to anyone aged over 75. However, these conditions vary between operators, and you’ll find out whether you qualify by going through the booking process at several different operators.

Conditions in the UK are slightly less restrictive. It might be possible to hire from the UK and take the car ferry to Ireland. You can do this from several places including the Fishguard in Wales to Rosslare route, Liverpool Birkenhead to Belfast and Holyhead in Wales to Dublin.

My husband and I are planning a three to four-week trip to Scotland, planning to hire a car but we’d also love to do some scenic rail trips. We prefer a more relaxed pace, and we’re interested in history, wildlife, beautiful scenery and whisky tasting. Would love to go to Skye and Mull. Any suggestions?
C. Crozier, Perth, WA

Glenfinnan Viaduct on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Inverness-shire.Credit: iStock

One of the world’s classic rail journeys, the West Highland Line travels through a brooding landscape of mountains and steep-sided lochs, with chance views of red deer among the heather moors. From Glasgow the train travels via Garelochead and Loch Long towards either Oban or Mallaig. From Mallaig the Glenfinnan Viaduct was made famous by its starring role as the backdrop for the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films. The line splits at Crianlarich to take you either past Loch Awe to Oban, or high up to Rannoch Moor, through remote wilderness and on to Fort William and Mallaig.

Short and sweet, the Borders Railway Line only runs for about 48 kilometres from Edinburgh to Tweedbank but there’s plenty to like about this journey through Midlothian towards the English border. Among the highlights, the National Mining Museum Scotland is built on the restored site of the original Lady Victoria Colliery, with fascinating tours led by former miners and underground working conditions are recreated. The museum is just an easy stroll from Newtongrange. Other great rail journeys include Edinburgh to Inverness, The Far North Line from Inverness to Thurso or Wick, the Strathspey Steam Railway and The Kyle Line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh.

For your drive, the North Coast 500 is tailor-made. Rugged and romantic in equal parts, travelling in a loop from Inverness Castle, the North Coast 500 girdles the top third of Scotland, preferring the minor roads that snake along the coast. The concept of a 500-miler here defies belief yet Scotland’s sea and ice-sculpted coastline is the answer. The route weaves out and around the long fingers that reach into the sea and thus becomes a looping, swooping 830-kilometre adventure. It’s heart-stoppingly beautiful, lavishly endowed with castles, sea stacks, sea-fretted beaches, lochs and Pictish trails, wandering through a landscape that might have sprung from the pen of J.R.R. Tolkien. It’s easy to incorporate Skye and the Isle of Mull into this circuit.

We’re a family of four, children are five and 10 years old, and we’d like to spend a few weeks in Europe over November and December. Current plan is to start at Rovaniemi, Finland, followed by the Nordics to Germany and Austria for the Christmas Markets, across to England, then home from Scotland. We’re trying to keep it affordable. A. Brock, Lilydale VIC

The Nordic countries are expensive even by European standards. Germany and Austria are less so, and you might plan to stay longer in those countries. Unless you’re planning to visit the Baltic countries I’d be inclined to fly from wherever you leave Scandinavia to Germany.

What you could do is hire a car and take a self-drive tour along Germany’s Romantic Road from Wurzburg to Fussen. Although the distance is less than 500 kilometres, you could easily spend four to five days, taking in a clutch of medieval walled towns, the spectacular Neuschwanstein Castle, the vineyards along the Tauber Valley and the villages and churches of the Pfaffenwinkel. At the southern end of the Romantic Road, Fussen is just a short drive from Lindau, from where the Alpine Road threads east to end at the famous mountain resort of Berchtesgaden, close to the Austrian border. The towns in Austria that will stretch your holiday budget include Bad Ischl, Gmunden and Steyr in Upper Austria, Lienz in East Tyrol and Eisenstadt in the eastern state of Burgenland.

Although London is expensive, it does have several world-class museums with free entry and which will keep those young minds entertained for hours. The list includes the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, all close to one another in South Kensington. There’s also lots to take in on the streets, such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

The London version of Time Out is the essential guide to what’s happening in the capital. You might also plan another self-drive trip to take in Oxford and the Cotswolds, Cambridge, Liverpool, York, Glasgow and Edinburgh. You’ll make it affordable if you stay in self-contained accommodation with two bedrooms rather than hotels, staying for three nights minimum.

Together with my husband, I’m planning to stay a few days at Tulum as part of a wider trip to Mexico. We’ll be hiring a car, what are the main sites worth seeing? B. Werth, Orange NSW

The big drawcard in the Yucatan Peninsula is the Mayan city of Chichen Itza, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It gets crowded soon after opening time, so an early morning tour is best, and the site is about a 2½ hour drive from Tulum. Another worthwhile experience of Mayan culture is Coba, largest of all the region’s Mayan cities and a 45-minute drive from Tulum, which sees far fewer visitors than Chichen Itza.

With your hire car you could also visit some of the region’s cenotes, limestone sinkholes you can swim in. Of the thousands of cenotes in the Yucatan region, Suytun Cenotes Tulum, Ik Kil Cenotes Tulum and Cenote Oxman are among the most popular. Just south of Tulum the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve is 2000 square kilometres of lush tropical forest, savannas, mangroves, lagoons and coral reefs that provide a home to hundreds of species of birds and animals. The best way to explore this ecological labyrinth is on an escorted boat tour offered by Friends of Sian Ka’an.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances

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