where to stay for Connemarathon

tantipie

just wondering where the best place to stay on the 22 march for the marathon,,want somewhere that will be close to bus pick up but also want somewhere where there is going to be a fantastic atmosphere the night of the marathon,,lol

Krusty_Clown

Which distance are you doing? For the half-marathon, I stayed in the Leenane Hotel for the last two years. It's very good value, but after my last dining experience, I'd recommend eating elsewhere. It's a short walk to the start of the half, so no 8am queues for the bus, and 90 waits in the cold. You just have your breakfast, got back to bed for a couple of hours, then 30 mins before the start, wander down.

RoyMcC

I believe the Station House Hotel in Clifden is popular with many runners and Clifden has a bus pick up. Though prefer to stay in Galway myself.

baza1976

Connemara Gateway Hotel is ideal. esp if you are coming from the midwest region.this is where the buses pick people up the morning of the race and drop them back. there is also a great pasta feast (free) afterwards when the bus drops you back.;)

aburke

For the Ultra people, the best place is Peacocke's.
That's where the briefing will be held in the morning.

For anybody else,
Galway [ideally close to the Catherdral for bus pick up],
Oughterard [anywhere, really, bus will pick up at the GAA pitches in the middle of town].
Clifden[Station house is best - that's where bus pickup is].

baza1976 wrote: »

Connemara Gateway Hotel is ideal. esp if you are coming from the midwest region.this is where the buses pick people up the morning of the race and drop them back. there is also a great pasta feast (free) afterwards when the bus drops you back.;)

This has changed for 2009.
Pasta will be at the finish line area [runners only! Hang on to your wristband.].

asimonov

For the half we've always stayed in louisburg and driven over on the morning - you'll need to have someone drop you off - but you can get right to the start line. I'm doing the full this year, so was thinking of lough ina lodge...anyone ever stay there?

Krusty_Clown

Where's the start for the full?

ClashCityRocker

Have confirmations of entry been posted/emailed out for this yet?

I have received a confirmation of payment, but not marathon entry. I'm wary of booking accomodation til I get this!

aburke

asimonov wrote: »

For the half we've always stayed in louisburg and driven over on the morning - you'll need to have someone drop you off - but you can get right to the start line.

Not a bad option - but get to Leeane very early [10 ish] to avoid hassle. No parking in Leenane, so get dropped on the Mayo side a bit out, and jog in, would be the way to go.

I'm doing the full this year, so was thinking of lough ina lodge...anyone ever stay there?

Lovely place, only down the road from the marathon start.

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Where's the start for the full?

Lough Inagh.
See full map http://www.connemarathon.com/interactive_map

ClashCityRocker wrote: »

Have confirmations of entry been posted/emailed out for this yet?

I have received a confirmation of payment, but not marathon entry. I'm wary of booking accomodation til I get this!

If you have entered and paid - you're in.
You can check at
http://www.connemarathon.com/search-facility
Race numbers will be determined in the new year.
Nothing gets posted out - chip pick details here
http://www.connemarathon.com/registration-venue-and-timings
but there's a few items to be confirmed yet.

More accommodation details at
http://www.connemarathon.com/accommodation
that will be updated as we go along.

Alan

asimonov

i'm pretty sure the start is at lough ina - between the lodge and the clifden road i think. its on the website.

asimonov

alan, i stand corrected on my woeful spelling of inagh.

aburke

asimonov wrote: »

For the half we've always stayed in louisburg and driven over on the morning - you'll need to have someone drop you off - but you can get right to the start line.

One small thing on this. - No pickup at Maam Cross. Period.
Be aware that we don't cater for buses to Lennaun per se.
Basically, when we have enough people for a bus to Leenaun, we will send a bus there.
So depending on when you are ready to go, you might have a wait, especially if you are fast, and finish early, or a bit unlucky and just miss a bus.

Buses leave for Galway[Via Oughterard], and for Clifden all afternoon.

Alan

tantipie

im doing the half marathon, and leenane hotel looks good,,but hubby doing the full marathon,,so is it any good for him,,many thanks for the replies people,,:)

911sc

baza1976 wrote: »

Connemara Gateway Hotel is ideal.

Agree for location, but that's it...
Stayed there this year, and i don't think i will do so again. Paid €390 for 2 nights, bedroom was a kip, swimming pool was filthy.
Must say food was good, but that was on top of above price bare one meal.
I think I'll try the Peacocke in 2010 (as I am doing Paris in 2009) or will stay in Galway for more choice.

baza1976

911sc wrote: »

Agree for location, but that's it...
Stayed there this year, and i don't think i will do so again. Paid €390 for 2 nights, bedroom was a kip, swimming pool was filthy.
Must say food was good, but that was on top of above price bare one meal.
I think I'll try the Peacocke in 2010 (as I am doing Paris in 2009) or will stay in Galway for more choice.

sounds pricey... was that just for you on your own?? Thanks for the advice. Last year I drove to galway on the friday coleected my number and chip and came back home same evening. On the morning of the marathon I left home bout 5.30 or so drove to that hotel and parked dwon the road. straight on to the bus, ran, bus and home. So this year hopefully I'll stay night before

barkar

There are a couple of other options in Oughterard

the boat Inn also have a number of rooms and its in the centre of the village (think they advertise at 39 per room)
Across from the boat Inn is a new Hotel that is opening before Christmas

(As regards both of these for noise i am not sure its the centre of the village and usually there will be music or a disco in one of the surrounding Pubs)

There is Sweeneys hotel which is large Guest House style hotel on the clifden road outside the village

There are a good lot of B and B s in the surrounding area as well

shergar76

I was hoping to camp, but the camp site that I normally use in Connemara doesn't open until April 14 according to their web site. Probably for the best it'll be nice to have a comfy bed!!

http://www.camping-ireland.ie/caravan-parks/camping.php?id=47

I've stayed in a great B&B in Clifden called Dun Ri a couple of times, I guess I'll stay there.

http://www.connemara.net/dun-ri/

ClashCityRocker

I'm staying the Spanish Arch hotel.Is this anywhere near the cathedral, where the bus pick-up is?

I don't know Galway at all, to my shame!

hunnymonster

5-10 min walk from what I remember. You can go along the path at the river/canal I think.

RacoonQueen

I have people coming down with me for a mini-break(while I over exert myself and they sit back and enjoy) so I figure somewhere near the finish line would be best for me so the can come watch me finish? It would need to be near a bus pick up I guess? I really should have done this sooner.

Edit: I assume there'll be a lot more information on buses etc in the race pack. I couldn't get the friday off work so I'm going down on the friday evening straight after work(thank god I work 5 mins away from Heuston station). Don't want to spend all of the saturday going on a big trek to get my race number then going back to the hotel again.

aburke

mp1972 wrote: »

... so I figure somewhere near the finish line would be best for me so the can come watch me finish? It would need to be near a bus pick up I guess? I really should have done this sooner.

Basically, the race finishes in Maam Cross [which is in the the middle of nowhere :-)].
There is only one Hotel there - Peacockes, and a few B& Bs.

If you're friends are coming from elsewhere to watch, they'll need to get a specator bus from Oughterard or Clifden .
No parking at Maam Cross at all. Gardai will be enforcing that this year [supposedly with tow trucks!]
http://www.connemarathon.com/spectators

Edit: I assume there'll be a lot more information on buses etc in the race pack.

No. No race pack is posted. Its all on the website.
http://www.connemarathon.com/bus-times-connemarathon
is pretty much up-to-date, but we'll add or update it as time goes by.
We do send out an email with race number and further details closer to race date, but nothing that won't be on the website anyway.

Don't want to spend all of the saturday going on a big trek to get my race number then going back to the hotel again.

Eh, Last year's chip pick up point, the Marriot is only a 10 minute walk, maybe 15 if you take it easy, from town.
This hasn't been 100% confirmed as the chip pick up venue yet though.
As ever, keep an eye on the website.

Alan

RacoonQueen

aburke wrote: »

Its all on the website.
http://www.connemarathon.com/bus-times-connemarathon
is pretty much up-to-date, but we'll add or update it as time goes by.
We do send out an email with race number and further details closer to race date, but nothing that won't be on the website anyway.

Aye, saw that after I posted.

aburke wrote: »

Eh, Last year's chip pick up point, the Marriot is only a 10 minute walk, maybe 15 if you take it easy, from town.
This hasn't been 100% confirmed as the chip pick up venue yet though.
As ever, keep an eye on the website.

Pfft 10 minutes is a trek. :P

Thanks for the info.

TFBubendorfer

The last 2 years we stayed in Clifden, once in the Station House and once in a self-catering house we booked for the weekend. I can recommend that, and would do so again, but unfortunately I've got different plans this year.

The bus transfer to the start was perfect each time, and they do a separate briefing for the ultra runners the day before.

aburke

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

and they do a separate briefing for the ultra runners the day before.

Not this year, Thomas.
The Ultra Briefing will be for everybody in Peacockes, so the Ultra buses will have to run a little earlier from Clifden.

aidan kelly

I'm travelling to Connemarathon on my own from Dublin, and have decided to stay in Clifden, as it's close to the registration, and seems to be well served by the bus routes to and from Maam Cross. I'm staying in a hostel called "Brookside Hostel" in Clifden (see: http://www.brooksidehostel.com/ for details), for the recession-busting price of €16 a night! It was just working out too expensive for a single-person stay in a hotel, and I've no objection to hostels, not least as it's not strictly a holiday trip, so it should be fun hopefully. The race is completely sold out now, I can't wait, it's only my second marathon but it looks like an amazing course.

RacoonQueen

I've booked the station house hotel. I just hope we can get there easily when our train gets into Galway at 8pm on the friday. Whoops.

aburke

mp1972 wrote: »

I've booked the station house hotel. I just hope we can get there easily when our train gets into Galway at 8pm on the friday. Whoops.

Hmmm. Do some research.
I think the last Bus Eireann bus is gone by then.
Make check with tourist office or hotel who could advise better.
I wouldn't fancy showing up expecting a bus that wasn't there :-)

RacoonQueen

Aye, I realised this morning as I pottered around in work.

I think the others want to get a coach down, am I fuff sitting on a stuffy coach two days before the marathon..train and taxi from me.

Roddy23

A relative has offered to put myself and my brother up the night before the Half Marathon. The only thing is she lives in Salthill. I've checked on the maps, that its about 70km to the start of the Half. So what would be the best way to get to and from the Half, as parking could be a disaster, what with the tow trucks and everything.

Best bet, park up in Galway near the cathedral, and get the bus to and from the Half from there?

Thanks in advance.

Roddy

RoyMcC

Roddy23 wrote: »

A relative has offered to put myself and my brother up the night before the Half Marathon. The only thing is she lives in Salthill. I've checked on the maps, that its about 70km to the start of the Half. So what would be the best way to get to and from the Half, as parking could be a disaster, what with the tow trucks and everything.

Best bet, park up in Galway near the cathedral, and get the bus to and from the Half from there?

Thanks in advance.

Roddy

Read the Connemarathon website mate. No parking at all near the race. Get the (free) race buses from the Cathedral car park. (Nice walk in from Salthill )

aburke

RoyMcC wrote: »

Read the Connemarathon website mate. No parking at all near the race. Get the (free) race buses from the Cathedral car park. (Nice walk in from Salthill )

Spot on.
Plenty of parking at the Cathedral car park.

Oisin11178

Where is everybody staying this year. Particulary those doing the ultra?

menoscemo

Oisin11178 wrote: »

Where is everybody staying this year. Particulary those doing the ultra?

I'll be staying in Galway. Haven't booked anything yet though.

tHE vAGGABOND

Im doing the half, and booked the Courtyard Marriot - as when I looked for a room for a couple of nights a while ago some of the places were either full or asking for mad money!

So while it may be a bit of a trek to the race itself, its dead handy for Galway that night

Oisin11178

Still have not booked anywhere to stay. Most of the places on the site are looking for stupid money. Anyone got any ideas?

RoyMcC

Oisin11178 wrote: »

Still have not booked anywhere to stay. Most of the places on the site are looking for stupid money. Anyone got any ideas?

One year I stayed in Salthill - I'm guessing you'd get a good deal in one of those hotels on the front out of season. Bit of a walk in to the Cathedral on race morning but if you don't mind that you'll be sorted.

RacoonQueen

Oisin11178 wrote: »

Still have not booked anywhere to stay. Most of the places on the site are looking for stupid money. Anyone got any ideas?

I stayed in the Best Western last year, cheap and cheerful and a short jog to the cathedral for the bus. There are hotels closer to the cathedral/city though...I'll probably stay there again if I'm going down for the half/full...

menoscemo

I heard that all the cool kids are staying in the victoria hotel on Eyre Square...

RacoonQueen

menoscemo wrote: »

I heard that all the cool kids are staying in the victoria hotel on Eyre Square...

I heard the exact opposite about the occupants of said hotel.

menoscemo

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I heard the exact opposite about the occupants of said hotel.

Thumbs down

Oisin11178 agrees with me.
We will be regailing the Victoria bar afterwards with stories of our ultra adventures. You will not be allowed to join us as you may get us all kicked out again with your rude and loud behaviour :pac:

Blueskye

Just booked the Victoria for Sat and Sun night. Happy days!

liamo123

menoscemo wrote: »

Thumbs down

Oisin11178 agrees with me.
We will be regailing the Victoria bar afterwards with stories of our ultra adventures. :pac:

With a G and T in one hand and a hamlet in the other surrounded by Wag's

tHE vAGGABOND

Im not too far away from there, so if I can blag my way past the several layers of security, and sneak into the VIP area I may join you

Oisin11178

menoscemo wrote: »

I heard that all the cool kids are staying in the victoria hotel on Eyre Square...

Yes and they have a no leeds fans policy:D