From the States

An Iowan

I'm coming from the states to to tour Ireland in June. I plan to ride around the coast of Ireland. I am looking for advice on safe routes as I do this; getting good information on good roads to ride a bike on has proven to be difficult. Two of my brothers have been to Ireland before and they think I am bonkers to try this and they fear for my safety. I will have some family members riding along in a vehicle to provide support.

I have a gps unit that I will program my routes into. My tentative itinerary goes like this: Dublin to Wexford, Wexford to Dungarven, Dungarven to Killarney, a day on the Ring of Kerry either on a bike or a bus, Killarney to Kilkee, Kilkee to Galway, a day off the bike to tour Streete near Athlone where my ancestors are buried, Galway to Westport, Westport to Sligo, Sligo to Londonderry, Londonderry to BallyCastle, BallyCastle to Belfast, Belfast to Dublin.

Any helpful suggestions as far as good routes and things to see would be greatly appreciated.

blorg

That sounds like some trip, I would love to do similar myself one day. Ireland is not that dangerous for cycling but try to stick to back roads as far as possible. The main roads can be very bad. Are you doing all this unloaded on a road bike? Your daily mileages sound quite large. What GPS are you using? I use Mapsource with a Garmin 705 myself and find it very good for plotting routes avoiding main roads. Make sure you have the detailed maps for Ireland that include all the smaller roads.

An Iowan

blorg wrote: »

That sounds like some trip, I would love to do similar myself one day. Ireland is not that dangerous for cycling but try to stick to back roads as far as possible. The main roads can be very bad. Are you doing all this unloaded on a road bike? Your daily mileages sound quite large. What GPS are you using? I use Mapsource with a Garmin 705 myself and find it very good for plotting routes avoiding main roads. Make sure you have the detailed maps for Ireland that include all the smaller roads.

Yes, I am doing it unloaded with a road bike and I do have a Garmin 705 that I plan to load with MapSource City Navigator UK & Ireland. I've read some reviews of those maps that have said they are really quite good. That's why I was asking, from what I've read, the roads can be quite difficult to navigate.
The amounts do seem quite large, but I have participated in an annual event in my home state of Iowa called RAGBRAI, (http://www.ragbrai.org/) for the last five years. It is a week long bike ride across the state of Iowa that is similar in size to Ireland. It attracts over 10,000 riders each year and people come from all over the world to ride in it. The daily amounts of RAGBRAI are a little less then what I have planned for a two week tour but I have spent a very cold and snowy winter attending a daily spin class and will soon be able to get out on my bike here to put some time in the saddle.
I'm also trying to decide whether to bring my bike with or rent, I'm leaning towards renting.

Raam

What kind of bike are you hoping to rent? For longer distances I would be happier on my own bike. I'm not sure what the rental market is like here, but I would expect that the bikes aren't high end.

jlang

Don't know how feasible this would be but you might be able to arrange/negotiate with a Dublin bike shop to buy/borrow a bike and sell it back to them at the end of the week. They get the "rental" money and can sell it off at good discount, you get a good road bike for your trip.

Ghost Rider

It sounds like a great trip. Couple of things you might want to be aware of: I don't know what the surfaces of minor roads are like in Iowa but if my experience elsewhere in the US is anything to go by, they're probably significantly better than their Irish counterparts. While our roads have improved over the last 10/15 years, you really do need to keep an eye out for filling-loosening potholes.

Also: in some rural areas here, there is a strong "boy racer" culture - basically, a tendency for bored teenagers to put spoilers on their cars and tear down country roads. That, coupled with the fact that drivers in many places will not be expecting to encounter any cyclists, might just mean an extra level of vigilance is required. Don't want to scare you off - you probably won't see much of that sort of thing - but it does well to be aware of it.

Finally, on your first day do keep in mind that all-important detail that Americans never tired of reminding me of when I lived there:

"You guys drive on the wrong side, right?"

Ryaner

For your Garmin, use Mapsource to plot the routes. Google Maps is off slightly on country roads by as much as 100m in places. Can cause you to miss turns in you aren't careful.

kincsem

I do not know why you would be worried about your safety.

These distances are taken from the Route Planner of the aaroadwatch.ie website. They are the direct motorway distances, not the coast road distances. You can try that site, putting in your start and finish points, and then as many “via” intermediate points as you want. The times e.g. Dublin to Wexford are car (automobile) drive times. I would multiply by 3.0 to 3.5 for a bicycle (no luggage).

Dublin to Wexford 92.9 (149.52) 2h8m
Wexford to Dungarvan 65.8 (105.8) 1h41m
Dungarvan to Killarney 92.9 (149.52) 2h16m
Ring of Kerry 106.6 (171.5)
Killarney to Kilkee 65.2 (104.93) 1h53m
Kilkee to Galway 79.3 (127.63) 1h54m
Galway to Westport 50.3 (80.95) 1h23m
Westport to Sligo 64.4 (103.65) 1h34m
Sligo to Derry 84.8 (136.48) 2h7m
Derry to BallyCastle 49.8 (80.15) 1h28m
BallyCastle to Belfast 55.4 (89.16) 1h20m
Belfast to Dublin 104.5 (168.18) 2h2m

Strangely stage 1 and stage 3 are exactly the same distance.


I hope you are not using a flat bar bike. I would recommend a road bike with drop handlebars, not for the low hand position, but for the ability to reposition your hands to relieve pressure on hands and shoulders.

Dublin to Wexford is achievable in a day. I have cycled as far as Arklow (and back from Dublin). I would use the main road as you can cycle on the hard shoulder. But if you are accompanied by a vehicle they could not drive on the road at cycling speed, nor would they be allowed use the hard shoulder.

Killarney: I am planning to play poker in Killarney for a few days around 24th April and am thinking of cycling the Ring Of Kerry. I think it might take me about eight hours. It rains a lot in Kerry. I drove around it when I was there playing poker in October. I would suggest you take a coach trip, and also a boat trip on the lakes of Killarney (I haven’t so I’m not sure if its worthwhile).

Kilkee to Galway: You should see the Cliffs Of Moher on the coast.

Galway to Westport: The coast road through Connemara is a bit wild and desolate. I would only go that way if the weather is calm and sunny. Traffic would be very light once you get about twenty miles west of Galway. If you go through Louisburg in Co Mayo you should visit Old Head which is about two miles past it on the road to Westport. Its just a nice little cove and beach.

Westport to Sligo: Once again the coast road north from Westport is desolate. The area can be very windy. You might prefer to go through Castlebar, through Pontoon (nice lakes) and on to Ballina. I think you should pass through Enniscrone. Nice beach.

Sligo to Derry: The coast road would extend the cycle considerably beyond 84.8 miles. I drove it on a motorbike once and it was not very interesting.

I might be wrong but I think you might not be able to rent a suitable bike. Most of the rentals are for city use.

You might ask local cyclists (either here on boards.ie) or anyone you see on the road about local roads / suggestions.

ROK ON

Hi, Welcome to Ireland, and I hope that you have a nice trip.

The Ring of Kerry is a must on a bike - on a bus you will simply not be able to stop when and where you like to delight in all it has to offer. Stay in Kenmare (great restaurants, B&B's pubs and hotels), Killarney is not that nice a town and overly touristy.
Also, dont stop for food in Molls Gap, an overpriced tourist trap, 1 mile down the road to Sneem is a lovely pancake place called Strawberry Fields (great coffee).
PM me for details if you like. On the Ring of Kerry, Caherdaniel/Derrynane is well worth a visit (great beach and 2 great pubs (Bridies and the blind piper (good pub food).

While in Kerry/Cork the Ring of Beara is stunning and much quieter than Ring of Kerry in terms of traffic - also has 2 fantatsic climbs (Healy pass and Caha Pass). Glengariff is on this route and is lovely.

Go from the Kerry to Kilkee leg via tha Tarbert Killimer car ferry (20mins). The detour into Limerick is not really worth it (I'm from Limerick, but it is not really a tourist type venue).

Kilkee to Galway - take the coast road all the way Miltown Malbay, Lahinch, Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, Fanore, Ballyvaughan, Kinvara - absolutely stunning. Some reat places to stop for refreshments (a lot in Lahinch and Doolin), also O'Donoghues in Fanore and Monks in Ballyvaughan.

Esroh

Sounds like a great trip so I'm sure we can all use local knowledge to keep you safe.:D
Galway -Westport
Sorry misread the OP nd not see the coast route
But doing Coast around Connemara to Westport in a day will be a very hard day.This shortened version might help
N59 to Moycullen,Oughterard,Maamcross( a tourist route so although alot of traffic also plenty of cyclists)R336 to Maam turn left for Leenane.Rejoin N59 and A few miles out you turn for Louisburgh on R335 and then on to Westport
Ill check the distance later on.
Westport Sligo main road is safe enough but very exposed at times.I can check out a few alternatives but distance and undulating roads might come into it again

Big Bob

From wexford to Dungarvin you could try taking the ballyhack ferry, it's a lot nicer countryside than the main road, if you had time you could take in Hook lighthouse. You can map it on map my ride from wexford just follow the new line road to wellington bridge and from there you can decide to go to the Hook or straight to Ballyhack.
just one piece of advice, the new line road starts of narrow and is used by heavy trucks
but it does get wider and most of the heavy traffic only goes as far as wellington bridge..
you could also go to New Ross and have a look at john F. Kennedys homestead. This link below is a big park but opposite it there is a mountain (to us) large hill(to you) that once you get to the top you can see for 20 or 30 miles
http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/South-East/TheJohnFKennedyArboretum/

blorg

@An Iowan- I have heard of RAGBRAI, quite a cycle, only thing I would consider is that I imagine you can tend to get into groups in that which makes a big difference- Ireland is quite a windy country.

The City Navigator maps are very good for Ireland and will flag turns down to the metre. I have done a few cross-country cycles with the 705 where I didn't have a clue what I was doing and it successfully directed me down back roads for the whole route. You are better though plotting it on Mapsource in advance and sanity-checking/tweaking the route as the 705 can sometimes have funny ideas with it's own routing. The only thing that might trip you up is in places where new roads are being built which there is quite a lot of, although you should generally be able to figure it out.

As others have said the roads are somewhat in disrepair and this is even more true when you are trying to avoid the main roads. At the same time I am perfectly happy cycling the worst of them on my road bike with 700x23c tyres, the trick is to imagine you are taking part in Paris-Roubaix.

Personally though despite the road surfaces etc. I would avoid the main roads religiously. When cycling from Dublin to Waterford (160km) we did 158km on back roads and 2km on the N9. During those 2km the guy I was with (Raam) was almost killed by a truck. Even in scenarios where they have a decent hard shoulder they just are not pleasant (in my opinion.) If it was a choice between curtailing the distance or using main roads I would curtail the distance and do the interesting roads, it will be far more rewarding.

I would bring your own bike- you will be comfortable with that and you might not get anything decent renting. I fly with my bikes often enough and it's not too much hassle. As you are flying in and out of Dublin, presuming you are bringing a bike box I would look to see if you could leave it somewhere until you return.

Civilian_Target

Yeah, avoid main roads, agreed.

If you're in it for the beauty, my recommendation would be to take the coast road up the west coast of Donegal to Gweedore, and than the mountain road (which is quite good) from Gweedore to Letterkenny. This would break up Sligo -> Derry into Sligo -> Gweedore -> Derry.

I'm from Donegal, and Sligo -> Derry in a day is a long cycle, particularly if you'll be going the day before and the day after. While there's no huge climbs on it, it's not at all flat either. Avoid the N15 if you can, it's a horrible road. But it's the only road through Barnesmore Gap, so at some points you will have to take it.

Anyway, here's Letterkenny -> Donegal town which covers about half of your proposed route: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/ie/donegal/475772417702

Raam

blorg wrote: »

During those 2km the guy I was with (Raam) was almost killed by a truck.

I sometimes think that you were more affected by it than me cos you got to see it *almost* happen.

I would second the advice about using the minor roads. They are much more rewarding to cycle on. I don't like biking on main roads, and that was before the incident.

I think that if you are a safe and experienced cyclist, you will be just fine.

On your Dublin - Wexford stretch, it would be nice to get some of the scenic spots in Wicklow in. A lot of us from this forum cycle up and down the Wicklow hills all weekend. We love it there. Sally Gap, Wicklow Gap... there are loads of great routes through it.

Most of all, enjoy your trip here, it will be great

TinyExplosions

Also, when you are making the trip, stick it on here, and you may get some company for parts of the journey -which is always good!

blorg

Raam wrote: »

On your Dublin - Wexford stretch, it would be nice to get some of the scenic spots in Wicklow in. A lot of us from this forum cycling up and down the Wicklow hills all weekend. We love it there. Sally Gap, Wicklow Gap... there are loads of great routes through it.

I was thinking of saying this myself, Wicklow is probably one of the best cycling regions in the country- quiet roads, great climbs and spectacular scenery. However you might very well kill yourself trying to take in the Wicklow mountains on the way to Wexford. They are worth it though. Maybe consider taking in some of the climbs but doing a shorter stage that day, stopping in south Wicklow or north Wexford? Even possibly cut over and go straight to Waterford. The view from Lugalla is possibly the highlight of Wicklow cycling from a view point of view and it doesn't require extreme craziness (480m altiude although you have to go over a couple of 500m bumps before you get there.) If you are starting on a weekend I am sure this board would be happy to escort you out of Dublin

Raam

blorg wrote: »

If you are starting on a weekend I am sure this board would be happy to escort you out of Dublin

Have we just invited ourselves on someone else's holiday?

Húrin

An Iowan wrote: »

I'm coming from the states to to tour Ireland in June. I plan to ride around the coast of Ireland. I am looking for advice on safe routes as I do this; getting good information on good roads to ride a bike on has proven to be difficult. Two of my brothers have been to Ireland before and they think I am bonkers to try this and they fear for my safety. I will have some family members riding along in a vehicle to provide support.

People who don't cycle always think that cycling is dangerous.

I advise bringing your bike here... I'm afraid that mountain bikes are 'big' here, so choice of good road bikes would likely be limited.

Many people, especially North Americans it seems, ride around the coast of Ireland every year. I doubt you'll find it hard to get good information and opinions on routes.

cantalach

Given that you'll have a support vehicle I'm thinking you should consider a more discontinuous itinerary, i.e. with a car transfer at the end of a 'stage' to get to wherever you're going to be starting the following morning. This would allow you to do the same cycling mileage but avoid a lot of boring bits and busy roads in favour of the more interesting bits. My feeling is that the itinerary you propose will cause you to meet a lot of traffic while missing out on a lot of great cycling and scenery.

I only really know the south-western quarter of the country (the province of Munster) so here are my specific suggestions on that...

Day 3: Riding Dungarvan-Killarney straight wouldn't get interesting until the last 20 miles into Killarney, and most of it would be along a very busy main road that can be 75 mph freeway in some places and then narrow and shoulderless in others. So I would consider these two alternatives for day 3. Overnight in Cork City and then take a very indirect route to Killarney via Coachford, Ballingeary, Glengariff and Kenmare (100 miles). Or, better yet, start day 3 in Macroom which is 25 miles west of Cork City. From here you could take an even more indirect route to Killarney via Ballingeary, Glengariff, Adrigole, Lauragh and Kenmare (90 miles). Nice passes, relatively quiet roads, breathtaking scenery, and you get to put a partial tick in the Beara box.

Day 4-5: Though it might sound nice, I think Killarney-Kilkee would actually be pretty dull to be blunt. The Dingle peninsula on the other hand (that your proposed itinerary would miss) is a bit of a must-see. So I would suggest that on day 4 you do the Ring of Kerry clockwise from Killarney but don't actually complete the ring and finish for the night in Killorglin. This shortens your day by over 10 miles and positions you better. On day 5, ride from Killorglin to Tralee via Dingle Town and the Connor Pass (not Anascaul). This will take you only 65 miles but it is great cycling country. After that you'll have plenty of time to drive from Tralee to Kilkee via the ferry and still be there in time for tea.

Day 6: I just want to +1 the other poster who said you should be sure to take the coast road north of Kilkee.

Day 12: I can't see any attraction at all in cycling from Belfast to Dublin.

Btw, referring to Derry as Londonderry can get you some funny looks south of the border. As a visitor you'll almost certainly get away with it but if you're the sort of person who would rather not rub people up the wrong way it would be better to avoid the longer version. (For the record, I couldn't care less whether they call it Baile Benedict or Williamstown or anything in between.)

Húrin

cantalach wrote: »

Day 12: I can't see any attraction at all in cycling from Belfast to Dublin.

Mourne Mountains?

Raam

cantalach wrote: »

Day 12: I can't see any attraction at all in cycling from Belfast to Dublin.

H&#250 wrote: »

Mourne Mountains?

There's also tonnes of great backroads south of the border which bring you all the way into Dublin.

ROK ON

cantalach wrote: »

Day 3: Or, better yet, start day 3 in Macroom which is 25 miles west of Cork City. From here you could take an even more indirect route to Killarney via Ballingeary, Glengariff, Adrigole, Lauragh and Kenmare (90 miles). Nice passes, relatively quiet roads, breathtaking scenery, and you get to put a partial tick in the Beara box.

Would be a stunning cycle.

rflynnr

One thing to bear in mind as you go around the north coast is the possibility of using ferries to cut into distances a bit (and avoid going through cities like Derry). You can find information online about ferries across Lough Swilly, Lough Foyle and there was even one small ferry running from Warrenpoint to Omeath (i.e. across Carlingford Lough) until a few years ago although I'm not sure it's still up and running.

cantalach

Húrin wrote: »

Mourne Mountains?

I dunno. I drove Dublin-Belfast-Dublin several times a week for a spell back in 96-97. My memory was that the road skirts well to the west of the Mournes. I guess I'd suggest a proper cycle around and through the Mournes rather than just past them and then drive from Dundalk to Dublin.

Raam

cantalach wrote: »

I dunno. I drove Dublin-Belfast-Dublin several times a week for a spell back in 96-97. My memory was that the road skirts well to the west of the Mournes. I guess I'd suggest a proper cycle around and through the Mournes rather than just past them and then drive from Dundalk to Dublin.

Yes, there are a few that go through them. One goes up by Spelga Dam. There is also the coastal route.

ridertothesea

Cead Mile Failte

Not sure if you've obtained a copy yet but Lonely Plant:Cycling Ireland guide is very useful.

I would suggest that if you cycle in a contiuous 'ring' then you might end up missing out on the nicer parts. Also it's important to bear in mind that the GPS and navigation websites, like google maps say, tend to give you the shortest route as opposed to the most interesting. The shortest routes will inevitably be boring dual carriageway.

Ideally I would see West Cork, Connemara, Donegal. The Ring of Kerry is very impressive but very touristy and heavily trafficed. You'll probably meet as many fellow Americans as Irish there. (Which could well be your preference). ALternatively I would suggest the Ring of Beara - the peninsula to the south of RoG). Landscape as impressive if not more so. It's also a more genuine experience.

I would take a couple of days in Connemara even if it means having to take a lift afterwards to Sligo Donegal.

The standard of car driving in Ireland is poor. I cycled across the States (Seattle to Boston) in 07 and can confirm that the standard of driving is much better on your side. Beware of 'boyracers' and the roads after dark. The standards of the roads varies.

Not sure about bike rental here. But I brought my own bike to the states and back and didnt have any problems.


Enjoy !

david

Can I suggest for the first leg of your trip that you avoid the coast? The Wicklow Mts. are beautiful with a lot of tough climbs/spectacular views.

Rathfarnham - Stocking Lane [Superb viewing point of the entire city] - Kilakee Rd. - Sallygap [Approx 35-40 miles through the mountains/bog with barely any sign of civilation. Lough Tay & Glenmacnass waterfall are on the way] - Laragh [Glendalough valley down the road (2 miles) to take in the lakes/round tower/rest stop if you wish]

Laragh - Rathdrum [fantastic tree-lined road through the mountain, used to love it as a kid ] - Vale of Avoca [road from rathdrum is nothing special really, but Avoca is a gorgeous village] - Woodenbridge [also a nice little village set on the river] - Aughrim - Carnew - Ferns - Enniscorthy - Wexford Town. [Not much special about this route apart from a VERY tough climb (2nd gear all the way in a car!) over Sliabh Bhuí (The Yellow Mountain) between Carnew and Ferns, you'll be glad of a flat road after the mornings climbs though!]

This route is pretty direct (as the crow flies) but it'll be very very demanding as opposed to the N11 straight from Dublin to Wex. You will need an extremely high level of fitness to complete this all in one day. Best of luck with your challenge OP.

petethedrummer

rflynnr wrote: »

there was even one small ferry running from Warrenpoint to Omeath (i.e. across Carlingford Lough) until a few years ago although I'm not sure it's still up and running.

Not anymore. But there's plenty to see in Louth on a bike.

Mournes on the left, Carlingford Lough in the middle, Cooley Mountains on right.


Flagstaff, where the picture was taken.

An Iowan

jlang wrote: »

Don't know how feasible this would be but you might be able to arrange/negotiate with a Dublin bike shop to buy/borrow a bike and sell it back to them at the end of the week. They get the "rental" money and can sell it off at good discount, you get a good road bike for your trip.

I might try this route, I went to Chicago last year and was able to rent very nice road bike for a very enjoyable day of riding along Lake Michigan but I have noticed the rentals I've seen online seem to be hybreds.

I checked into flying my bike with and the fee was $175 each way. I guess you used to be able to check them for no fee.

An Iowan

Ryaner wrote: »

For your Garmin, use Mapsource to plot the routes. Google Maps is off slightly on country roads by as much as 100m in places. Can cause you to miss turns in you aren't careful.

I'm experimenting with my Garmin as it is a relatively new toy for me and at this point using it for training. I've read that to plot the routes, that you should get the DVD version of the maps because those that come preloaded on a card are at best difficult to work with and cannot be uploaded to your PC. So far I've only found MapSource City Navigator UK & Ireland on a preloaded disk. I'll continue to investigate.

kincsem

I would look here for a second-hand bike. There will probably be more used bikes at this time of the year as people upgrade at the start of the spring/summer season.

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/shbikes.asp

E-mail them with your size and tell them what you want.

An Iowan

kincsem wrote: »

I hope you are not using a flat bar bike. I would recommend a road bike with drop handlebars, not for the low hand position, but for the ability to reposition your hands to relieve pressure on hands and shoulders.
I would use the main road as you can cycle on the hard shoulder. But if you are accompanied by a vehicle they could not drive on the road at cycling speed, nor would they be allowed use the hard shoulder.

I defintiely agree with drop handlebars for the reasons you cited. My family will just meet me in towns for lunch and at the end of the day. We also will have to find an economical way to use cell phones, how is the coverage there? It is still spotty here in places.

kincsem

Cell phone coverage is very good. Best to go and buy cheap phones here and prepay for calls imo.

An Iowan

cantalach wrote: »

Given that you'll have a support vehicle I'm thinking you should consider a more discontinuous itinerary, i.e. with a car transfer at the end of a 'stage' to get to wherever you're going to be starting the following morning. This would allow you to do the same cycling mileage but avoid a lot of boring bits and busy roads in favour of the more interesting bits. My feeling is that the itinerary you propose will cause you to meet a lot of traffic while missing out on a lot of great cycling and scenery.

I only really know the south-western quarter of the country (the province of Munster) so here are my specific suggestions on that...

Day 3: Riding Dungarvan-Killarney straight wouldn't get interesting until the last 20 miles into Killarney, and most of it would be along a very busy main road that can be 75 mph freeway in some places and then narrow and shoulderless in others. So I would consider these two alternatives for day 3. Overnight in Cork City and then take a very indirect route to Killarney via Coachford, Ballingeary, Glengariff and Kenmare (100 miles). Or, better yet, start day 3 in Macroom which is 25 miles west of Cork City. From here you could take an even more indirect route to Killarney via Ballingeary, Glengariff, Adrigole, Lauragh and Kenmare (90 miles). Nice passes, relatively quiet roads, breathtaking scenery, and you get to put a partial tick in the Beara box.

Day 4-5: Though it might sound nice, I think Killarney-Kilkee would actually be pretty dull to be blunt. The Dingle peninsula on the other hand (that your proposed itinerary would miss) is a bit of a must-see. So I would suggest that on day 4 you do the Ring of Kerry clockwise from Killarney but don't actually complete the ring and finish for the night in Killorglin. This shortens your day by over 10 miles and positions you better. On day 5, ride from Killorglin to Tralee via Dingle Town and the Connor Pass (not Anascaul). This will take you only 65 miles but it is great cycling country. After that you'll have plenty of time to drive from Tralee to Kilkee via the ferry and still be there in time for tea.

Day 6: I just want to +1 the other poster who said you should be sure to take the coast road north of Kilkee.

Day 12: I can't see any attraction at all in cycling from Belfast to Dublin.

Btw, referring to Derry as Londonderry can get you some funny looks south of the border. As a visitor you'll almost certainly get away with it but if you're the sort of person who would rather not rub people up the wrong way it would be better to avoid the longer version. (For the record, I couldn't care less whether they call it Baile Benedict or Williamstown or anything in between.)

Thank you for the tips and Derry it is. I was kind of locked into the rather romantic idea of being able to say I did a lap around Ireland but as I read your post and others, I think I might be cheating myself and family members out of seeing some pretty beautiful sights. I've been getting some pretty awesome feedback. My family loves it.

An Iowan

kincsem wrote: »

I would look here for a second-hand bike. There will probably be more used bikes at this time of the year as people upgrade at the start of the spring/summer season.

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/shbikes.asp

E-mail them with your size and tell them what you want.

Thank you for the link, it's just what I was looking for.

kincsem

This is right beside the road on the Ring Of Kerry, about 2 km south of Waterville. I drove past it a few months ago and didn't see it.

I was Googling Eightercua, who was a fast horse about ten years ago.

http://www.anima.demon.co.uk/sites/v512696.html

kincsem

Stop for a seaweed bath in Enniscrone.

http://www.kilcullenseaweedbaths.com/

kincsem

I like to call into the Foxford Woolen Mills in Foxford, Co Mayo.

http://www.museumsofmayo.com/foxford.htm

cantalach

An Iowan wrote: »

I was kind of locked into the rather romantic idea of being able to say I did a lap around Ireland but as I read your post and others, I think I might be cheating myself and family members out of seeing some pretty beautiful sights.

Yes, you would. Despite the impression that might be created by our tourism authority, Ireland is not all hills, pretty villages and ocean views, and there's nothing at all romantic about sharing road space with articulated trucks.

Please feel free to PM me if you want more input on the Cork & Kerry portion of your itinerary.

blorg

An Iowan wrote: »

I'm experimenting with my Garmin as it is a relatively new toy for me and at this point using it for training. I've read that to plot the routes, that you should get the DVD version of the maps because those that come preloaded on a card are at best difficult to work with and cannot be uploaded to your PC. So far I've only found MapSource City Navigator UK & Ireland on a preloaded disk. I'll continue to investigate.

Yes, get the DVD version, it comes with Mapsource to plot the routes on the PC and you can download the maps to 1 Garmin device. The SD card can be moved between an unlimited number of Garmin devices (1 at a time) but can't be used on the PC. The routing can be OK on the 705 but you don't have as much control as you do on the PC, and it is difficult to see the big picture.

Regarding the flights, Aer Lingus carry bikes free as part of your checked baggage allowance (2 bags, 36kg.) They fly direct to Dublin from Chicago, may be too far for you though. To be honest bikes are so much cheaper in the US, I would only buy something here if you had a concrete buy-back agreement so it effectively worked like a rental. You could find it very difficult to shift a second-hand road bike quickly at the end of your holiday otherwise.