Cycling the Wild Atantic way

RustyGears

Thinking of cycling the waw in june in 10 days starting from Mallin Head down along the coast. Anyone do it in a similar time frame and what stages did you break it up into? Thanks

lissard

There was a pretty good thread on this a few years ago:

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057467889

North to South is a lot harder than the other way around given the prevailing wind in Ireland is southwesterly.

Plastik

Planning on doing half the WAW in September with a pal. Currently looking at a couple of different options.

Option A: Bray-Dublin, train to Cork, join the WAW at Kinsale and follow it around to Kinvara, at which point we'll bail back across the country for Bray. About 1,150km/11,500m ascent.
Option B: Bray-Dublin, train to Westport, joining the WAW there and follow it around the north coast to Greencastle at which point we'll head for Belfast instead of Derry, train home from Belfast. About 1,000km/10,000m ascent.

Looking at doing either over 5 days packing ultra light with one of these and staying in B&B's. i'm very familiar with the south west coast, so maybe going to head for the north west, though it's very appealing to get the train to Cork and make it all the way back on the bike.

ford2600

Plastik wrote: »

Planning on doing half the WAW in September with a pal. Currently looking at a couple of different options.

Option A: Bray-Dublin, train to Cork, join the WAW at Kinsale and follow it around to Kinvara, at which point we'll bail back across the country for Bray. About 1,150km/11,500m ascent.
Option B: Bray-Dublin, train to Westport, joining the WAW there and follow it around the north coast to Greencastle at which point we'll head for Belfast instead of Derry, train home from Belfast. About 1,000km/10,000m ascent.

Looking at doing either over 5 days packing ultra light with one of these and staying in B&B's. i'm very familiar with the south west coast, so maybe going to head for the north west, though it's very appealing to get the train to Cork and make it all the way back on the bike.

Both would be great options, most of Cork/Kerry is savage but Kilrush to Spiddal isn't very enjoyable if busy with traffic.

I'd go with option B just for Achill; be sure to ride the cul de sac to whaling beach at Keem. North Mayo is savage in general and I must have at look at Donegal sometime 😀

Plastik

I'll have a look at that section, but I think at the moment we'll be following a bit of a consolidated WAW route, cutting out many of the dead end sections, and getting off the main N-routes for any sort of parallel alternative as much as possible. A lot of the dead end bits don't substantially add 'enough' to the overall trip to make it worth your while covering the distance to do them IMO.

devonp

@plastik
where did you pick up that Newboler saddle bag? whats the capacity?
any restrictions for a carbon seat post etc?

good luck with the WAW cycle
cheers

Plastik

devonp wrote: »

@plastik
where did you pick up that Newboler saddle bag? whats the capacity?
any restrictions for a carbon seat post etc?

good luck with the WAW cycle
cheers

Picked it up from Aliexpress a while back, don't have the exact link but there's plenty on there. No idea if there are restrictions for a carbon seat post, but seeing as the bag itself is only rated for 8kg then I would hazard that it's unlikely it will cause an issue.

10L is fairly small, I think there were other 12L ones available too, the extra 2L would come in handy. For reference, the one I have will take socks (3), jocks (2), t-shirts (2), long pants/shorts combo, knee warmers, bib shorts, jersey, plimsole type runners, wind jacket - and it's absolutely rammed at that.

Just about right for 3-5 days. Don't think it would be suitable for off-road trips either, I'd say it would move around a lot on rough terrain.

Ryath

Did Galway to Ballina a couple of years ago with train up and back. Over 3 days/2nights stayed in B&Bs in Clifden and Achill. Travelled very light just carried one ortlieb front roller pannier.

Hoping to do a bigger section this year. Most likely train to Cork and see how far I can get from there in a week. Probably Limerick but I'd like to get to Galway or at least Kinavara and cycle home from there. Cork to Limerick is around 700km Going to camp this time so will have to carry a lot more gear. Will keep costs down though.

Would like to do up to Donegal too but getting back from there is trickier. Would need a someone to come collect me or take the extra two days to cycle back.

Sam Quentin

Little off topic here sorry..
But can any of you recommend a fairly cheap(good value)bike for doing the likes of the WAW..
I'm not a time/speed junkie,, just a nice easy comfortable ride, tho fast when in the mood!?
I got a track and trail bike a few years ago and it was grand, but at times it seemed hard to 'push'.

Tigerandahalf

@Ryath

You would need a good bit of gear for the camping I guess. Only problem with the Irish weather is that the camping could turn into a slog if the weather goes against you. A lot to be said for a warm comfortable bed and a shower, especially after a long day in the saddle.

If you knew the forecast was going to be good it would be handy. There is an app in the playstore called Camping Ireland that lists campsites for the different counties. It might be a handy option. Also nice to meet a few folks too. Camping on your own would be pretty lonesome.

Sesame

This is starting on April 20. I passed it last summer and was very tempted by doing a stage. They returned bikes and people back to start of stages and looked to be well organised for managing the logistics of it.
https://wildatlanticwaycyclesportif.ie

Harrybelafonte

Greencastle to Belfast. Do you intend on climbing the Sperrins on the way?

cdaly_

Ryath wrote: »

Would like to do up to Donegal too but getting back from there is trickier. Would need a someone to come collect me or take the extra two days to cycle back.

There's a decent enough bus and train service from Derry south.

Harrybelafonte

Ryath wrote: »

Would like to do up to Donegal too but getting back from there is trickier. Would need a someone to come collect me or take the extra two days to cycle back.

Huge amount of bus services around Donegal that would get you back.

CramCycle

Sam Quentin wrote: »

Little off topic here sorry..
But can any of you recommend a fairly cheap(good value)bike for doing the likes of the WAW..
I'm not a time/speed junkie,, just a nice easy comfortable ride, tho fast when in the mood!?
I got a track and trail bike a few years ago and it was grand, but at times it seemed hard to 'push'.

Pretty much any bike you would be comfy sitting on all day long, that will vary person to person. I would recommend something steel and leaves you sitting up a bit more than a racing bike.

What is your definition of good value, ie how much are you willing to spend on the bike?

Plastik

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Greencastle to Belfast. Do you intend on climbing the Sperrins on the way?

No, we will follow the Causeway Coastal Route. You might call that a missed opportunity, but it's in keeping with the rest of the trip. Considering pushing out the distance to about 225km now per day, adding an extra day in, and making it all the way back to Wicklow again.

Ryath

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

@Ryath

You would need a good bit of gear for the camping I guess. Only problem with the Irish weather is that the camping could turn into a slog if the weather goes against you. A lot to be said for a warm comfortable bed and a shower, especially after a long day in the saddle.

If you knew the forecast was going to be good it would be handy. There is an app in the playstore called Camping Ireland that lists campsites for the different counties. It might be a handy option. Also nice to meet a few folks too. Camping on your own would be pretty lonesome.

Have nearly everything I need for camping. Did a week in France 8 years ago with very basic gear. Hadn't camped in nearly 20 years since the scouts and had only started back cycling and still managed 100k a day. Have much better gear now, a lot more miles in the legs and am far more used to sleeping outdoors as we've gone camping as a family a good bit the last few years.

Did a mini one night trial run last summer with my daughter. With out carrying her sleeping bag, mat and clothes I should have enough room for everything for a week. Still need a handlebar bag though and maybe a slightly bigger drybag for on top of the panniers for my tent. Have just got a primus gas stove so bit more to carry with it and food. Going to save a nice bit of money though being able to cook for my self even just being able to make a coffee in the morning will be great.

That app would be handy alright but it's missing a lot of campsite. Will be aiming to stay in campsites as you said having a warm shower at the end of a long day cycling makes it a lot more comfortable. I'd have a bit flexibility about when I go so can wait for a good spell of weather to head off

Sesame wrote: »

This is starting on April 20. I passed it last summer and was very tempted by doing a stage. They returned bikes and people back to start of stages and looked to be well organised for managing the logistics of it.
https://wildatlanticwaycyclesportif.ie

Had looked at it before. It's not bad value for all you get but still adds up to a tidy sum of money if you do the lot. Handy site though for getting an idea of distances between towns. Wild atlantics ways own site doesn't do it as clearly.

cdaly_ wrote: »

There's a decent enough bus and train service from Derry south.

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Huge amount of bus services around Donegal that would get you back.

Not back the midlands! Have to get to Dublin first. 6/7 hours travel time. I'd have cycled 3/4s of the way back in that time. Actually looking at google maps cycling back from Muff is 220K so actually doable in one day or two at a leisurely pace. Train to Ballina looks like a good option then about 750km total cycling then. Probably would start from Westport as when I did it last I went straight from Ballycroy to Ballina instead of Belmullet and sticking to the cost as I had to make the train. Would make it around 950km total which wouldn't be a bad weeks cycling.

Harrybelafonte

Where in the midlands would you need to go? There are buses to athlone from letterkenny I think?

cdaly_

Ryath wrote: »

Have nearly everything I need for camping. Did a week in France 8 years ago with very basic gear.

I did this last summer and used a hammock and tarp rather than a tent. No hard/wet ground issues with a hammock. Didn't end up saving that much weight as the tarp had poles but I probably could have left them home and just used the hammock anchor points to hold the tarp up. You save the space of a mat but you do need a heavier sleeping bag though as the air circulates under the hammock and does a bit of cooling.

Harrybelafonte

Plastik wrote: »

No, we will follow the Causeway Coastal Route. You might call that a missed opportunity, but it's in keeping with the rest of the trip. Considering pushing out the distance to about 225km now per day, adding an extra day in, and making it all the way back to Wicklow again.

Not all, Causeway route a much better option imho.

Ryath

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Where in the midlands would you need to go? There are buses to athlone from letterkenny I think?

Athlone would be close enough but there are no direct buses anymore. Bus eirean officially don't take bikes though? Some drivers will let you or used to any way but don't want to be relying the whims of a bus driver or in this case 2 or 3 drivers depending on the route. Cycle back down is grand good chance to see more of the country. Just need to pick route. Any one familiar with the road between Enniskillen and Longford? It's been a while since I drove it so can't remember what it's like for cycling.

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Camping on your own would be pretty lonesome.

Forgot to add I'm quite happy in my own company and this would be a chance for some peace and quite.

cdaly_ wrote: »

I did this last summer and used a hammock and tarp rather than a tent. No hard/wet ground issues with a hammock. Didn't end up saving that much weight as the tarp had poles but I probably could have left them home and just used the hammock anchor points to hold the tarp up. You save the space of a mat but you do need a heavier sleeping bag though as the air circulates under the hammock and does a bit of cooling.

Were you wild camping? Would be curious to try one but not sure, would miss the space in a tent to chill out. Guess you have the space under the tarp though. Can see the use of them in a forested area and wild camping but not in a campsite where getting two trees to set it might be tricky.

Harrybelafonte

Ryath wrote: »

Athlone would be close enough but there are no direct buses anymore. Bus eirean officially don't take bikes though? Some drivers will let you or used to any way but don't want to be relying the whims of a bus driver or in this case 2 or 3 drivers depending on the route. Cycle back down is grand good chance to see more of the country. Just need to pick route. Any one familiar with the road between Enniskillen and Longford? It's been a while since I drove it so can't remember what it's like for cycling.

Things have changed. I'm older than I thought so. Feda's would get you into Mayo and you could go across from there? They're ok with bikes. That's memory though, so may not be true any more.

cdaly_

Ryath wrote: »

Were you wild camping? Would be curious to try one but not sure, would miss the space in a tent to chill out. Guess you have the space under the tarp though. Can see the use of them in a forested area and wild camping but not in a campsite where getting two trees to set it might be tricky.

Campsites all the way. French campsites don't get busy until July (I was there in June) so it was a matter of "go have a look around and pick yourself a pitch". Most of them have shade trees all over the place.

OTOH, an irish campsite in a field might be a bit of an issue...

ford2600

Plastik wrote: »

No, we will follow the Causeway Coastal Route. You might call that a missed opportunity, but it's in keeping with the rest of the trip. Considering pushing out the distance to about 225km now per day, adding an extra day in, and making it all the way back to Wicklow again.

No matter how strong ye might be ye are pushing the limit on enjoyment once you go over 200km for day.

If doing B&B's you'll struggle to get breakfast before 8 and lucky to get moving before 8.30. With that start time and 225km a day, eating, maintenance, etc the day will disappear quickly. Leave time for that beer every evening would be my advice!

Plastik

Pushing the limit is the aim. Enjoyment is retrospective :pac:

Plastik

It's time. 5.45am departure from Bray to catch the 7.30 train to Westport. Six days later, Sunday afternoon, with 1,250km and 11,500m in the legs, we'll be rolling back into Bray again. B&B's booked, CC primed, weather looking typical north coast mixed bag. She'll probably have a job lined up for the decking when I get back.

benneca1

Plastik wrote: »

It's time. 5.45am departure from Bray to catch the 7.30 train to Westport. Six days later, Sunday afternoon, with 1,250km and 11,500m in the legs, we'll be rolling back into Bray again. B&B's booked, CC primed, weather looking typical north coast mixed bag. She'll probably have a job lined up for the decking when I get back.

Don't forget your water bottles if you rely on pints in pubs 200 KM is a big ask