Suggested routes for 2 week cycling journey

seanpatrick

Hi from Toronto, Canada!

I'm planning a trip late august for two weeks to Ireland and will do all my traveling by bicycle. I'm a fairly avid cyclist - not a speed freak - but regularly go for 100k rides in Toronto (170k is my longest). I realize Ireland is very hilly, and do want time to check out some sites and not be exhausted every day, so am thinking 60k per day is a reasonable amount. I've got my waterproof panniers, rain-gear, and will be bringing my bike ( as opposed to renting one while there ). I've been trying to plan out a route, but am quite frankly overwhelmed with all there is to see and do.

My understanding is it's best to travel south to north to take advantage of tail-winds, but exactly where I start and where I end up is up in the air. I could land in Dublin or Shannon - or land and take a connecting flight to Kerry ( or cork than head north along one of the coasts?)

I'm totally open to suggestions! - I would like to see Dublin ( tourist trap I know ), and would like to travel through Carlow at one point -(As that's where my Great Grandmother was from ) and think I'd like to visit the Aran Islands, beyond that I just have to start and end a city center with an airport.

I know the major highways are a no-no, so will be looking to take safer routes even if it means a circuitous route to get from a to b.

Any suggestions?

Cheers! and thanks in advance everyone!

Sean.

mcgratheoin

seanpatrick wrote: »

I'm totally open to suggestions! - I would like to see Dublin ( tourist trap I know ), and would like to travel through Carlow at one point -(As that's where my Great Grandmother was from ) and think I'd like to visit the Aran Islands, beyond that I just have to start and end a city center with an airport.

How set in stone is that list of places you'd like to see? If you were amenable to skipping the Aran Islands then you could fly into Shannon, cycle around Kerry/Cork, make your way to Dublin via Carlow and fly out of Dublin

seanpatrick wrote: »

I know the major highways are a no-no, so will be looking to take safer routes even if it means a circuitous route to get from a to b.
Sean.

The only real roads that are a complete no-no are the motorways and you can't cycle on those at all. Anything marked on the map as an 'N' road (national primary route) is usally pretty fine to cycle on and roads with this designation can vary from 4 lane segregated highway like this to narrow twisty country road like this.
Once you have a rough route in your head, people on here will flesh it out for you in as much detail as you could wish for.

seanpatrick

mcgratheoin wrote: »

How set in stone is that list of places you'd like to see? If you were amenable to skipping the Aran Islands then you could fly into Shannon, cycle around Kerry/Cork, make your way to Dublin via Carlow and fly out of Dublin



The only real roads that are a complete no-no are the motorways and you can't cycle on those at all. Anything marked on the map as an 'N' road (national primary route) is usally pretty fine to cycle on and roads with this designation can vary from 4 lane segregated highway like this to narrow twisty country road like this.
Once you have a rough route in your head, people on here will flesh it out for you in as much detail as you could wish for.

It's not set in stone at all - I have a feeling this won't be my last trip to Ireland. Unless of course I get run over by a car - in which case it will .. I can always take a different route next time incorporating Gallway and the Aran Islands. Again, I'll have two weeks to explore. I'll want to stay two days in the city I land in ( to get my bearings, catch up on sleep, and put my bike together ) and two days in my departure city ( to take my bike apart, get a new bike box, pack and not have to rush ) .. so that leaves me 10 - 11 days depending on how the flights work out to go anywhere really. Cork would of course be a great destination as well. If I cover an average of 60k ( totally do-able even with hills ) that gives me an area of 650ish kilometers to bike. Of course if I do "loops" around a certain area to take it all in, my distance as the crow flies will be less - but that will be fine also!

nak

Ireland might have lots of hills, but they are pretty small compared other European countries. Think the highest paved road here is around 700m.

ford2600

IMHO the west coast is where you want to cycle, if you want to see what's unique about Ireland.

Start in Cork, cycle to Galway/Mayo via coast taking in Mizen, Sheep's Head, Beara, Iveragh, Tralee,(Ferry) Clare(in particular the Burren), Galway(Connemara) Mayo. From Doolin you could ferry to Aran Island and Ferry back to Galway coast from Aran Islands.

60km a day is very conversvative, even with panniers on a hybrid I did 100km a day in that country 4/5 years ago.

Some lovely cycling throughout Ireland but for quite roads along rugged coastline west coast is magical.

Where the Burren meets the Atlantic

mcgratheoin

seanpatrick wrote: »

It's not set in stone at all - I have a feeling this won't be my last trip to Ireland. Unless of course I get run over by a car - in which case it will .. I can always take a different route next time incorporating Gallway and the Aran Islands. Again, I'll have two weeks to explore. I'll want to stay two days in the city I land in ( to get my bearings, catch up on sleep, and put my bike together ) and two days in my departure city ( to take my bike apart, get a new bike box, pack and not have to rush ) .. so that leaves me 10 - 11 days depending on how the flights work out to go anywhere really. Cork would of course be a great destination as well. If I cover an average of 60k ( totally do-able even with hills ) that gives me an area of 650ish kilometers to bike. Of course if I do "loops" around a certain area to take it all in, my distance as the crow flies will be less - but that will be fine also!

Sounds good. You could always fly in and out of Dublin and use the train or bus network to do a one way cycle trip from east to west or S to N. In terms of nice places to cycle, Carlow wouldn't perhaps be as scenic as the coastal areas, but if you want to visit there for family reasons, then there's no reason why you couldn't (is it Carlow town or somewhere else in the county?). Have a look at the map to familiarise yourself with places as well, but maybe something like;

1. Arrive in Dublin
2. Day in Dublin exploring and prepping bike
3. Train from Dublin to Cork,
4. Cork to Kinsale and back - 60K round trip via the scenic roads, you could either base yourself in Cork for 2 nights and cycle without your gear for the first day or bring everything and finish in Cobh via the ferry.
5. Cobh/Cork to Youghal via Ballycotton & the coast road - about 60K
6. Youghal to Dungarvan coast road via Ardmore - about 60K
7. Dungarvan to Dunmore East via the coast road - about 55K
8. Dunmore East to Graiguenamanagh via the Passage East car ferry & New Ross - about 60K
9. Graiguenamanagh to Carlow - 40K as you'll probably want more time to explore Carlow
10. Carlow to Glendalough - about 70K and you can go over a decent climb if you like - very scenic route though.
11. Glendalough to Dublin - about 60K with the option of going over the mountains
12. Stay another day in Dublin
13. Fly home

Working off a 14 day timespan, that also gives you the option of spending an extra day somewhere on route. Most of the routes there see a good number of cyclists on them as well, and the towns mentioned should give you plenty of food 7 accommodation options.

seanpatrick

ford2600 wrote: »

IMHO the west coast is where you want to cycle, if you want to see what's unique about Ireland.

Start in Cork, cycle to Galway/Mayo via coast taking in Mizen, Sheep's Head, Beara, Iveragh, Tralee,(Ferry) Clare(in particular the Burren), Galway(Connemara) Mayo. From Doolin you could ferry to Aran Island and Ferry back to Galway coast from Aran Islands.

60km a day is very conversvative, even with panniers on a hybrid I did 100km a day in that country 4/5 years ago.

Some lovely cycling throughout Ireland but for quite roads along rugged coastline west coast is magical.
Where the Burren meets the Atlantic

Hmm - it certainly sounds nice! I'll do some investigations into your route. 100k per day is ambitions to be sure, and if I were in Canada trying to get form point a to point b it would be do-able ( though I've never done 100k per day for 12 days in a row ) . but I really want to be able to take my time and savor the country. For instance if one of the local's says " you must check out X " and it's 40k out of my way, I'll be able to fit it in easily. And if I want to set up my tripod and take a bunch of shots I won't feel rushed. Perhaps on my next journey I'll ride a little faster. For that matter, depending on how I book in advance, I could up the pace while on this trip. The only problem with that is if I've pre-booked I won't be able to detour from the itinerary too much as I've paid for accomidations (at BnB's mostly). Aug 15 - 30th ( or near abouts ) is still fairly peak season is it not? I wonder what the likelihood of getting accomidation last minute is if I only book the main destinations?

mcgratheoin wrote: »

Sounds good. You could always fly in and out of Dublin and use the train or bus network to do a one way cycle trip from east to west or S to N. In terms of nice places to cycle, Carlow wouldn't perhaps be as scenic as the coastal areas, but if you want to visit there for family reasons, then there's no reason why you couldn't (is it Carlow town or somewhere else in the county?). Have a look at the map to familiarise yourself with places as well, but maybe something like;

1. Arrive in Dublin
2. Day in Dublin exploring and prepping bike
3. Train from Dublin to Cork,
4. Cork to Kinsale and back - 60K round trip via the scenic roads, you could either base yourself in Cork for 2 nights and cycle without your gear for the first day or bring everything and finish in Cobh via the ferry.
5. Cobh/Cork to Youghal via Ballycotton & the coast road - about 60K
6. Youghal to Dungarvan coast road via Ardmore - about 60K
7. Dungarvan to Dunmore East via the coast road - about 55K
8. Dunmore East to Graiguenamanagh via the Passage East car ferry & New Ross - about 60K
9. Graiguenamanagh to Carlow - 40K as you'll probably want more time to explore Carlow
10. Carlow to Glendalough - about 70K and you can go over a decent climb if you like - very scenic route though.
11. Glendalough to Dublin - about 60K with the option of going over the mountains
12. Stay another day in Dublin
13. Fly home

Working off a 14 day timespan, that also gives you the option of spending an extra day somewhere on route. Most of the routes there see a good number of cyclists on them as well, and the towns mentioned should give you plenty of food 7 accommodation options.

I like it. Is Carlow really that boring?.. I wanted to go last year but ended up breaking a tooth and it costing me 5000.00 to replace. There was a big festival in Carlow celebrating a milestone inviting it's descendants back - too bad I missed it. In any case I like your plan - very thorough. I do have a couple touristy books here ( one from Frommer's and one random one ) that has pictures of many of the "don't miss" spots. This is actually the vague plan I had in mind last year as far as itinerary goes, but much more thorough - Thank you!. I like how you've included Glendalough in the trip, certainly one of the highlights I'd like to see. Is there a way to alter the route to go a little further south and check out Skellig Island? For instance, what if I took a connecting flight (would have to investigate the feasibility of the airline transferring my bike / luggage to the smaller airline and whether there would be extra costs incurred ) or I could land in dublin but take the train to Kerry instead of Cork - then work my way to cork and onwards through your trip itinerary. I could add an extra day to the trip to accommodate this, and or up my mileage per day to 70k. What do you think?

PS. All the information I have is she was born and lived in "Carlow, Ireland" before marrying a brit from Exeter - moving to England for 1 year (and birthing my Grandmother ) then to Canada. I've tried searching her maiden name online in Carlow to no Avail ( nee Birmingham ).

Ole Rodrigo

You could ride part of the Wild Atlantic Way* from Kinsale ? You would have the prevailing wind with you. All the places ford2600 mentions.

* Its being launched this month.

iano.p

"Is carlow that boring" no it isnt carlow has some great spots for cycling with some great views. It might not have a coast bit who needs that when you have places like st mullins that road from there to borris has great spots. Also carlow town isnt to bad on sites to visit. Plus if you want to find out bout your family the library has lots of records.

cdaly_

seanpatrick wrote: »

Is there a way to alter the route to go a little further south and check out Skellig Island? For instance, what if I took a connecting flight (would have to investigate the feasibility of the airline transferring my bike / luggage to the smaller airline and whether there would be extra costs incurred ) or I could land in dublin but take the train to Kerry instead of Cork - then work my way to cork and onwards through your trip itinerary.

You could take the train to Killarney in Co. Kerry. That still leaves you about 80km to Valentia Island (where you can get a ferry to the Skellig islands) but probably another 180km back to Cork. That said, you're in lovely, if hilly, cycling country around there.

seanpatrick

ror_74 wrote: »

You could ride part of the Wild Atlantic Way* from Kinsale ? You would have the prevailing wind with you. All the places ford2600 mentions.

* Its being launched this month.

Thanks for the heads up!

iano.p wrote: »

"Is carlow that boring" no it isnt carlow has some great spots for cycling with some great views. It might not have a coast bit who needs that when you have places like st mullins that road from there to borris has great spots. Also carlow town isnt to bad on sites to visit. Plus if you want to find out bout your family the library has lots of records.

Ok that makes me feel a little better about it. I DO feel like I should visit there, as my ancestors once walked the same ground there. It sure would be great to find her name in the Library there. It's been kind of needle in a haystack thus far. On my Mom's side of the family it's the opposite problem, like looking for a specific piece of hay in a haystack with "Donnelly" - I'll make some further inquiries with my aunts to see if they know of any distant cousins in and around cork ( I think it's been too diffused over the years though ).

cdaly_ wrote: »

You could take the train to Killarney in Co. Kerry. That still leaves you about 80km to Valentia Island (where you can get a ferry to the Skellig islands) but probably another 180km back to Cork. That said, you're in lovely, if hilly, cycling country around there.

Hmm... that sounds like a pretty major detour. Assuming I land in Dublin, (day 1) spend the next day setting up (day 2) and leave via train on day three - I'd have to get off the train on day three and then high tail it to Velentia island, where I'd find a BnB for the night. Day 4 would be all about going to the islands, at which point i'd have to spend another night around Valentia island, and wouldn't get underway to cork untill day 5. Assuming I rode at 80k per day, that would get me to cork on day 7. From there I would continue on with the itinerary:

1. Cork to Kinsale and back - 60K round trip via the scenic roads, you could either base yourself in Cork for 2 nights and cycle without your gear for the first day or bring everything and finish in Cobh via the ferry.
2. Cobh/Cork to Youghal via Ballycotton & the coast road - about 60K
3. Youghal to Dungarvan coast road via Ardmore - about 60K
4. Dungarvan to Dunmore East via the coast road - about 55K
5. Dunmore East to Graiguenamanagh via the Passage East car ferry & New Ross - about 60K
6. Graiguenamanagh to Carlow - 40K as you'll probably want more time to explore Carlow
7. Carlow to Glendalough - about 70K and you can go over a decent climb if you like - very scenic route though.
8. Glendalough to Dublin - about 60K with the option of going over the mountains
9. Stay another day in Dublin
10. Fly home

This would put me at 17 - 18 days - which is a little too much, I'm pushing it with finances as it is. SOOO... the initial itinerary is looking more promising. I looked at prices to Kerry uing Air lingus ( I'd have to take a connecting flight via AER ARANN) but the logistics with the bike become a bit more complicated, not to mention the price shoots up substantially.

mcgratheoin

As iano.p mentions, Carlow and surrounding areas can be very beautiful, and if you wanted to base yourself there the whole time, you could have some lovely routes around the south east of Ireland.

My general advice would be to avoid trying to cram in too much. IMO the most rewarding experiences when travelling as you are will occur when you slow down and spend a little more time in places. The last thing you want is to be rolling into a town at 7pm each night and have no time to explore. So pick an area or a route, and fully explore the backroads and smaller villages rather than hitting up the greatest hits. The advantages are that you'll have time to uncover some hidden gems and you'll experience a bit more of the real ireland, as distinct from the tourist hot spots.

In terms of where you could go - you could start the first itinerary I suggested in Waterford rather than Cork and explore Carlow & Wicklow a bit more. If I were you, the only option where I would cycle back to Dublin would be via Carlow/Wicklow - coming from anywhere else is either too long or not as scenic as I'd like.
You could get the train to and from Kerry, spending all your time in the south-west. Similarly you could base yourself in the west and do the Burren, the Aran Islands & Connemara and get the train in and out of Galway. Or the northwest is another option, with the train to Mayo and return from Sligo or vice-versa.

PM sent regarding family matter

Colonialboy

Fly into Shannon.
You arrive early in the morning , no need to hang around, get you bike setup and on the road in a couple of hours.
Head for Clare and the Burren spend a coupel of days there working your way along the coast via...Lahinch,Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, BallyVaughan, Kinvarra... take coastal roads. Upto Galway.

Plan to spend a couple of days in Galway, great city, good hostels and you can do a day trip with your bike to the Arran islands. Also you can do cycle day trips from Galway out to connemara, or Id take a bus to Clifden and spend a couple of days cycling out of clifden, Letterfrack, Cleggan , Killary.

Next item is to hit Carlow and Dublin , Bus is your best bet , buses ar very cheap in ireland . Might be good to bus to Kilkenny and cycle to Carlow.
Do your family stuff there and then head for Dublin from Carlow.
Fly out of Dublin.

Alternatively do all of this in reverse .
Theres no major hills on what Ive listed, be sure and take coastal routes where ever you go. dont overthink it, be a bit flexible, who knows you might meet someone and decide todo a leg with them

brownian

Fly into Shannon. Hit the W coast. Go North, hugging the coast. It's all good. After 10 days, get a bus to Dublin, and spin down to Carlow on the bike (or bus/train part of it). Connemara from Spiddal to Leenane is unmissable.

outfox

Coastal roads on the peninsulas (peninsulae?) of Cork and Kerry are spectacular. But if you want to stick to around 60 km per day, you will probably use up a lot of your time budget travelling out each peninsula and then back. Also, some of the roads are poorly finished, so you might need beefier wheels/tyres if you're carrying a heavy load.

bambergbike

You could fly into Shannon. Cycle through the Burren, Connemara, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal. Get the train from Sligo to Dublin or from Derry (via Belfast) to Dublin and then head down to Carlow for a while before flying out of Dublin. The landscapes in the Northwest may not be quite so jaw-droppingly impressive as in the Southwest (at least not unless you go all the way up to Donegal), but they are nice and varied and you would be sharing them with a smaller number of tourists.

You could also cycle through the midlands from the West Coast to Carlow (or the other way around) and cut out the trains - mostly the midlands aren't the most exciting parts of the country, but sometimes it's nice to get an authentic impression of a country by seeing ordinary places that nobody except you has travelled especially to see as well as seeing the things that get highlighted in glossy brochures. I remember doing a nice tour (not all the way to Carlow, but from Galway well into the midlands) that took me to Thoor Ballylee and then over the Slieve Aughty mountains to the shores of Lough Derg - that could be extended into the Slieve Bloom mountains and towards Carlow, or you could stop and have a look around Kilkenny on the way to Carlow.

I don't think there's a wrong way to do what you're planning, from that point of view it doesn't really matter whether you have a plan at all or whether you just explore at your own pace until it's time for you to go home. Stuff a cheap car atlas in your panniers for basic orientation and then go where your fancy takes you.

seanpatrick

mcgratheoin wrote: »

As iano.p mentions, Carlow and surrounding areas can be very beautiful, and if you wanted to base yourself there the whole time, you could have some lovely routes around the south east of Ireland.

My general advice would be to avoid trying to cram in too much. IMO the most rewarding experiences when travelling as you are will occur when you slow down and spend a little more time in places. The last thing you want is to be rolling into a town at 7pm each night and have no time to explore. So pick an area or a route, and fully explore the backroads and smaller villages rather than hitting up the greatest hits. The advantages are that you'll have time to uncover some hidden gems and you'll experience a bit more of the real ireland, as distinct from the tourist hot spots.

In terms of where you could go - you could start the first itinerary I suggested in Waterford rather than Cork and explore Carlow & Wicklow a bit more. If I were you, the only option where I would cycle back to Dublin would be via Carlow/Wicklow - coming from anywhere else is either too long or not as scenic as I'd like.
You could get the train to and from Kerry, spending all your time in the south-west. Similarly you could base yourself in the west and do the Burren, the Aran Islands & Connemara and get the train in and out of Galway. Or the northwest is another option, with the train to Mayo and return from Sligo or vice-versa.

PM sent regarding family matter

I think you're absolutely right about the not trying to cram in too much. This will absolutely not be my last trip to Ireland (health permitting) and I don't want to just see as much as possible in the time I have so I can say "Oh I saw a.b.c.d and e" to my peers. I am however trying to get a feeling for the place for myself alone as it's a big part of my ancestry. I also realize that this is near impossible to do in two short weeks, with a country as rich in history and culture as is Ireland. So I'll take my time - enjoy myself, and plan a return trip whatever route I decide. That being said this is a bike trip, so I'd like to spend most of my time on the bike, not on a bus - so the original itinerary is looking best.

Colonialboy wrote: »

Fly into Shannon.
You arrive early in the morning , no need to hang around, get you bike setup and on the road in a couple of hours.
Head for Clare and the Burren spend a coupel of days there working your way along the coast via...Lahinch,Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, BallyVaughan, Kinvarra... take coastal roads. Upto Galway.

Plan to spend a couple of days in Galway, great city, good hostels and you can do a day trip with your bike to the Arran islands. Also you can do cycle day trips from Galway out to connemara, or Id take a bus to Clifden and spend a couple of days cycling out of clifden, Letterfrack, Cleggan , Killary.

Next item is to hit Carlow and Dublin , Bus is your best bet , buses ar very cheap in ireland . Might be good to bus to Kilkenny and cycle to Carlow.
Do your family stuff there and then head for Dublin from Carlow.
Fly out of Dublin.

Alternatively do all of this in reverse .
Theres no major hills on what Ive listed, be sure and take coastal routes where ever you go. dont overthink it, be a bit flexible, who knows you might meet someone and decide todo a leg with them

brownian wrote: »

Fly into Shannon. Hit the W coast. Go North, hugging the coast. It's all good. After 10 days, get a bus to Dublin, and spin down to Carlow on the bike (or bus/train part of it). Connemara from Spiddal to Leenane is unmissable.

outfox wrote: »

Coastal roads on the peninsulas (peninsulae?) of Cork and Kerry are spectacular. But if you want to stick to around 60 km per day, you will probably use up a lot of your time budget travelling out each peninsula and then back. Also, some of the roads are poorly finished, so you might need beefier wheels/tyres if you're carrying a heavy load.

bambergbike wrote: »

You could fly into Shannon. Cycle through the Burren, Connemara, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal. Get the train from Sligo to Dublin or from Derry (via Belfast) to Dublin and then head down to Carlow for a while before flying out of Dublin. The landscapes in the Northwest may not be quite so jaw-droppingly impressive as in the Southwest (at least not unless you go all the way up to Donegal), but they are nice and varied and you would be sharing them with a smaller number of tourists.

You could also cycle through the midlands from the West Coast to Carlow (or the other way around) and cut out the trains - mostly the midlands aren't the most exciting parts of the country, but sometimes it's nice to get an authentic impression of a country by seeing ordinary places that nobody except you has travelled especially to see as well as seeing the things that get highlighted in glossy brochures. I remember doing a nice tour (not all the way to Carlow, but from Galway well into the midlands) that took me to Thoor Ballylee and then over the Slieve Aughty mountains to the shores of Lough Derg - that could be extended into the Slieve Bloom mountains and towards Carlow, or you could stop and have a look around Kilkenny on the way to Carlow.

I don't think there's a wrong way to do what you're planning, from that point of view it doesn't really matter whether you have a plan at all or whether you just explore at your own pace until it's time for you to go home. Stuff a cheap car atlas in your panniers for basic orientation and then go where your fancy takes you.

These are all FANTASTIC ideas. I'm overwhelmed with the enthusiastic response I'm getting from everyone and couldn't be more appreciative you've taken the time to give me input. You've all given me clear outlines of what is possible for me to do to build my plan around - and they're all equally wonderful! ( that's good and bad )

I will be putting my 32mm treaded tires on my Specialized Tri-cross. It's a good bike for the journey as it has a triple chain-ring for attacking hills, and lots of braze on points for attachments (panniers). I'll of course pack spare tubes and a repair kit - but I'm sure it can handle dirt / gravel with that set up without a problem.

As far as being able to deviate from the plan on route, my only concern would be accommodations. It seems to be fairly reasonable booking b'n'b's in advance ( I am on a budget ) - but if I have to find somewhere to stay last minute I imagine as it's summer it will be 1. much harder and 2. much more expensive. Although the thought of taking a detour for 60k on a whim does sound adventurous - I'd be stuck if I rolled into town and couldn't find a place to stay - or one that cost a ton of money per night. I could of course handle the cost one or two nights, but certainly wouldn't be able to pay top dollar for 2 weeks - thus the itinerary. I thought I'd book about half of the trip - and the major points in my itinerary well in advance, and leave a few days of wiggle room if I feel the need to deviate from the plan. Make sense?

EDIT: The bonus about starting and ending in Dublin is I can book a room at Trinity College for a for a couple of nights on the cheap. I just need to find out if they'll let me keep my bike in the room with me as I don't think leaving it locked up outside is a great idea.

iano.p

If you want and i have time you can pm me your details of your grand parents and i can see if i can find any info about them next time i am in the library

Darkglasses

seanpatrick wrote: »

EDIT: The bonus about starting and ending in Dublin is I can book a room at Trinity College for a for a couple of nights on the cheap. I just need to find out if they'll let me keep my bike in the room with me as I don't think leaving it locked up outside is a great idea.

That's great, I've never seen it but I've heard the visitor's accommodation in TCD is beautiful! If they don't let you keep the bike in your room then don't worry too much if you have to lock it outside. There's always 100s of bikes locked up in the college so if you have good locks it should be fine for a night or two. In Fellow's Square near the library or around Front Square are probably the safest spots.

slideshow bob

Like Colonnial boy says, but head for Doolin via Loop Head if you like wild landscapes and lovely cycling.

Ferry Doolin -> Aran Islands (Inis Oir and stay overnight). Day of photos & biking Inis Mor then ferry to Rosaveal and onwards through Connemara to Roundstone/Clifden/Letterfrack/Leenane. Dont miss Inagh valley in the early morning (runs north of Recess). Westport, Mayo Greenway to Achill (perfect on TriCross with 32mm tyres). Onwards through North Mayo to Sligo and train to Dublin, and from there do your Carlow trip.

Or return Achill to Westport and train to Portarlington. Carlow is 45-50km from there. Or get off in Athlone and cycle via Clonmacnoise (~20km & well worth visit), stay in Shannonbridge and about 100km of grand cycling to Carlow the following day. Then Dublin if you insist.

seanpatrick

oops mispost

seanpatrick

iano.p wrote: »

If you want and i have time you can pm me your details of your grand parents and i can see if i can find any info about them next time i am in the library

PM'd

Darkglasses wrote: »

That's great, I've never seen it but I've heard the visitor's accommodation in TCD is beautiful! If they don't let you keep the bike in your room then don't worry too much if you have to lock it outside. There's always 100s of bikes locked up in the college so if you have good locks it should be fine for a night or two. In Fellow's Square near the library or around Front Square are probably the safest spots.

Hmm - well I'm only bringing one lock with me for weight purposes. It's a kryptonite heavy duty lock, BUT - I'd be absolutely SCREWED if my bike gets pilfered. It's only a year old, is in perfect condition, and just screams "steal me" so I'm not sure I'd feel very comfortable with it outside. I'll find out from Trinity shortly.

slideshow bob wrote: »

Like Colonnial boy says, but head for Doolin via Loop Head if you like wild landscapes and lovely cycling.

Ferry Doolin -> Aran Islands (Inis Oir and stay overnight). Day of photos & biking Inis Mor then ferry to Rosaveal and onwards through Connemara to Roundstone/Clifden/Letterfrack/Leenane. Dont miss Inagh valley in the early morning (runs north of Recess). Westport, Mayo Greenway to Achill (perfect on TriCross with 32mm tyres). Onwards through North Mayo to Sligo and train to Dublin, and from there do your Carlow trip.

Or return Achill to Westport and train to Portarlington. Carlow is 45-50km from there. Or get off in Athlone and cycle via Clonmacnoise (~20km & well worth visit), stay in Shannonbridge and about 100km of grand cycling to Carlow the following day. Then Dublin if you insist.

seanpatrick wrote: »

oops mispost

Well in his plan, Colonnial boy has me land, get the bike set up, and on the road the same day. That's not going to happen - I definitely want to spend the night wherever I land to get my bearings - look around - and set the bike up. As it will be my first day in Ireland I'd like not to rush . So that plan would entail landing in Shannon, staying the night and the next day, then leaving for Doolin via Loop head and onwards with that plan. I'll have to sit down when I have the chance and try to map this out to try to get a better idea of times involved. Like Mcgratheoin has suggested, I don't want to rush this trip just to see as many places as possible. I'd much rather take my time, enjoy myself and explore - so will have to take that into account. Getting to Carlow and spending a full day there ( not ride in and half a day before riding out) is priority number one. I suppose I could land in Shannon, try to achieve some or most of Collonial boys itinerary, then loop back / train back to Carlow, than on to Dublin via Carlow/Wicklow, and stay my last two nights at Trinity College in Dublin before flying out.

ford2600

DO NOT SPEND 1.5DAYS OF A TWO WEEK HOLIDAY IN SHANNON!

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

feck sake lads

ford2600 wrote: »

DO NOT SPEND 1.5DAYS OF A TWO WEEK HOLIDAY IN SHANNON!

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

:D:D class post.

slideshow bob

+1 on ford2600

Get yourself as far as Ennis on day 1 anyway. Bike set-up and 20km. It wouldn't be a rush. Or go to Bunratty if you can't face 12km. And if you haven't yet read John McCarthy's "McCarthy's Bar" (great piece on Bunratty) you should do so.

seanpatrick

ford2600 wrote: »

DO NOT SPEND 1.5DAYS OF A TWO WEEK HOLIDAY IN SHANNON!

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

:eek: Haha.. ok I'll take that under advisement!

outfox

Cyclocross with 32 mm tyres is perfect.

seanpatrick

Ok, here's a rough outline of the suggested Western route. I'll map out the southern route by Mcgratheoin tomorrow night.

1, Land in Shannon - Get out of Shannon AS FAST AS POSSIBLE - ride to Ennis, spend night 1. (25k)
2. Ennis to the Cliffs of Moher via Doolin, then double back to Doolin to spend night 2. (55k)
3. Doolin to Inishmore via ferry, spend day riding around islands, spend night 3 on Inishmore.
4. Inishmore ferry to Rossaveal, then on to Clifden and spend night 4.
5. Clifden to Westport via Letterfrack and Leenane (70k). Spend night 5 in Westport.
6. Westport to Achill (spend night 6 ) 55k
7. Achil to Castlebar ( spend night 7 ) 60k
8. Castlebar to Enniscrone (spend night 8 ) 50k
9. Enniscrone to Sligo (spend night 9 ) 55 k.
10. Take train from Sligo to Carlow, spend night 10 & 11
11. Ride from Carlow to Dublin, Spend night 12 & night 13 (80 k)
12. Fly out of Dublin on day 14.

Here's a map, I tried to stay off the N roads and opt for R roads, but couldn't always manage it. Of course it could well be that google maps doesn't have all the Irish Roads and I could still avoid them.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Shannon+Airport,+Ireland&daddr=52.7199909,-8.8927331+to:Ennis,+Ireland+to:52.9293316,-9.2275792+to:52.9609857,-9.2932408+to:doolin+to:cliffs+of+moher+to:Fisher+Street%2FR459+to:Inishmore,+Galway,+Ireland+to:Rossaveal+harbour,+Ireland+to:53.4348951,-9.8663992+to:53.4503811,-9.94326+to:Clifden,+Ireland+to:Letterfrack,+Galway,+Ireland+to:Leenane,+Aasleagh,+Ireland+to:Westport,+Mayo,+Ireland+to:Achill+to:Castlebar,+Mayo,+Ireland+to:Enniscrone,+Ireland+to:Sligo,+Ireland+to:Carlow,+Ireland+to:53.1336113,-6.6064892+to:53.2236743,-6.4241023+to:Dublin,+Ireland&hl=en&ll=52.904761,-6.619263&spn=0.370246,1.056747&sll=53.203771,-6.497726&sspn=0.183843,0.528374&geocode=FTkJJAMd-ON3_yHc-CSwBcPzaykLtPjQ2kFbSDHc-CSwBcPzaw%3BFXZxJAMdw054_ykdXy2-hmpbSDEUf8cpOCNPjA%3BFUJjJgMdvtd2_ykp1TPfzRJbSDEgczGXqccACg%3BFTOjJwMdxTJz_ylD0uueQw9bSDHd8vo7WLb6mw%3BFdkeKAMdSDJy_ynbgyOKaQZbSDGMdPAj7Nivsg%3BFWT7KAMdiPpw_ylL9fPjWQdbSDGw_jGXqccACg%3BFWhJKAMdsilw_yHsl_3-d_FquynRD9FY4wBbSDHsl_3-d_Fquw%3BFUnzKAMdLH5w_w%3BFaeuKgMdkLBr_yn5CVsi_1BaSDGcRo8sqYI_cQ%3BFQvMLAMdcB1u_ykrCrD8nbRbSDGdhBiv0t52kw%3BFQ9aLwMdYXNp_ykzQs7hwzBaSDG-WIOWJ52Zaw%3BFY2WLwMdJEdo_ykHu8z_VDpaSDGNiPACMKlzXQ%3BFVotMAMdeyNn_ynpYu9KsyRaSDFwljGXqccACg%3BFcMpMQMduDNo_yn1xnjajiVaSDFwDjKXqccACg%3BFczNMQMdNBhs_ykrFpBXWtNbSDEQDjKXqccACg%3BFZP0NAMdldJu_ymvCf0_VmNZSDGA6jGXqccACg%3BFYRsNwMdqV1n_ynpDg6S2JlZSDG6NL8LkFQy7A%3BFRnDNQMdCkdy_ykN7NuddF1ZSDGH874JvWrrWw%3BFfA4OwMdyj91_ynXAKZ_fDFZSDGABzKXqccACg%3BFQIyPAMdR6p-_ynprnxnteleSDGAczGXqccACg%3BFZs4JgMdiDGW_ykRYRVgUV1dSDEGme6cDEfCAw%3BFSvBKgMdZzGb_yn3QksNd4NnSDF3qhJ_iQmGDg%3BFfogLAMd2vmd_ynrOnXLiHVnSDHH07pkVJrgjg%3BFa0NLgMdqnmg_ykvrCfqgA5nSDGgcTGXqccACg&oq=dublin&gl=us&dirflg=w&mra=dpe&mrsp=22&sz=12&via=1,3,4,10,11,21,22&t=m&z=11

I'll map out the Southern option next and get everyone's feedback. The bonus with that one is Mcgratheoin knows what he's talking about, and I have no idea if my route is completely ridiculous or not

bambergbike

That looks like a pretty good plan to me, although I'm sure it can be tweaked to perfection by boardsies who know the local roads in the different places.

Suggested route from Rossaveal to Leenane:
https://goo.gl/maps/6OKvk

It's a bit hilly. It leaves out Clifden and Letterfrack, but you could loop back to Letterfrack from Leenane before going on, and leaving out Clifden keeps you mostly off the N59 and brings you around by Lough Finney and Lough NaFooey on some really pleasant little roads. My chain snapped once up on the Galway-Mayo border on the shores of Lough Finney - I was half-way around Lough Corrib, so Galway was equally far away whether I turned back or pressed on, so it was time for me to learn to use my chain tool. A farmer on a little red tractor with a black and white border collie riding on the back appeared and gave me a hand and I got going again. Other than that, the evidence of any kind of human presence in the area was limited enough, I was rather lucky to encounter a knight in shining armour within three minutes of coming to a standstill by the side of the road.

seanpatrick

bambergbike wrote: »

That looks like a pretty good plan to me, although I'm sure it can be tweaked to perfection by boardsies who know the local roads in the different places.

Suggested route from Rossaveal to Leenane:
https://goo.gl/maps/6OKvk

It's a bit hilly. It leaves out Clifden and Letterfrack, but you could loop back to Letterfrack from Leenane before going on, and leaving out Clifden keeps you mostly off the N59 and brings you around by Lough Finney and Lough NaFooey on some really pleasant little roads. My chain snapped once up on the Galway-Mayo border on the shores of Lough Finney - I was half-way around Lough Corrib, so Galway was equally far away whether I turned back or pressed on, so it was time for me to learn to use my chain tool. A farmer on a little red tractor with a black and white border collie riding on the back appeared and gave me a hand and I got going again. Other than that, the evidence of any kind of human presence in the area was limited enough, I was rather lucky to encounter a knight in shining armour within three minutes of coming to a standstill by the side of the road.

Ok, I've taken your suggestion, and combined it with some earlier ones, and more input from Mcgratheoin ( who is very graciously helping me track down my Great Grandmother's early life in Carlow ) - and devised an updated plan. I've had to up the stay to 15 nights and 16 days, but I can pull it off ( I'll just have to be frugal ). I'll write out the new plan tomorrow, as it's near 6am here, but it's looking pretty good - it's even got a stay at lakehouse B&B for a night inbetween Rossaveal and Westport on the shores of Lough Nafooey. In any case I'll have the actual route up tomorrow!

outfox

Don't know if you've cycled here before, but bear in mind that it could conceivably rain for your entire trip. Also, the dampness in the air means it often feels several degrees colder than the thermometer indicates, even in summer.