Planning an Ireland tour...

Planning an Ireland tour...

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srob

11,563 posts

237 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
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hwajones said:
I'd recommend Galway/Connemara/Sligo having done it a few times on the bikes...
Stick to the coast roads on the way up (through westport & ballycroy national park) and then go through Cong on your way back south! (where john wayne filmed the quiet man)

Donegal Town also a lovely place but probably a bit far north for you

The Atlantic way should show you plenty of the sights!

Have a great time!
We usually head even further North to Mayo as that's where my family are from. It's pretty spectacular up around Achill Island, plus not too many tourists venture that far north so it's more like the old Ireland (where you can't understand them. Laugh when they do were my instructions when I was a kid hehe).

hwajones

775 posts

180 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
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If you want real scenery get to Donegal then turn inland to Fermanagh...
I'll go all out and say its the most beautiful place in Ireland when the un shines!

Great rides around the loughshore

Lucky enough to call it home smile


hwajones

775 posts

180 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
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srob

11,563 posts

237 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
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I can't see the photos at work, but Keel (or Keem, can't remember which is which!) beach on Achill is one of the most beautiful places I've seen anywhere in the world!

Hooli

32,278 posts

199 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
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hwajones said:
and then go through Cong on your way back south! (where john wayne filmed the quiet man)
Been there, lovely quiet pretty little town.



Oh one thing to note, it's a long way to Tipperary (it even says so on the sign) but it's not worth the trip. The place is a st hole.

matchmaker

8,462 posts

199 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
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Another fantastic trip is south from Galway City on the N67 coast road through The Burren and West Clare. Stunning coastal scenery and The Burren is incredible.

Get the ferry across the Shannon to Kerry, thereby avoiding the sthole that is Limerick!

Meant to add (might have changed since I was there though), in the far west (Gaeltacht) a lot of the road signs are only in Gaelic.

Edited by matchmaker on Thursday 26th February 17:29

srob

11,563 posts

237 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
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Here's the beach at the end of the road on Achill:



And any excuse to post one of my favourite photos from our Irish adventures over the years:



They ^ were our Friday bikes, the rest of the week that year we were on these:



which are pictured at the top of Priest's Leap, mentioned earlier smile

jargle

Original Poster:

66 posts

210 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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Thanks everyone, these are great tips and the photos are beautiful. Lots to incorporate and Cong is now on the list.

I like the idea of 'old' Ireland!

cheers

J

kicks

144 posts

186 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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When you go through Sligo visit

http://www.thebeachbarsligo.com/

Great music and food.

Also if you have any interest in history visit
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrowkeel_Megalith...

Older than the pyramids! A view of all of Sligo from the top.

matchmaker

8,462 posts

199 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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First time I saw this place I couldn't believe it:




Cashel.

But one place to avoid at all costs is Knock. A so-called religious shrine, but tackier than Blackpool!

srob

11,563 posts

237 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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matchmaker said:
But one place to avoid at all costs is Knock. A so-called religious shrine, but tackier than Blackpool!
Handy for the airport though! We have a place near Belmullet and it used to be a nightmare to get to until they opened Knock airport!

Hooli

32,278 posts

199 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
matchmaker said:
First time I saw this place I couldn't believe it:




Cashel.

But one place to avoid at all costs is Knock. A so-called religious shrine, but tackier than Blackpool!
Stunning place yes

Loads of random towers & stuff around too. We found one on the way back to the campsite one night in the middle of nowhere, must have taken 30mins to walk around & the abandoned church a few hundred yards away has a coffin on a table in the back room...

Odhran

579 posts

182 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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Head west, particularly the North west and Donegal. Some of the best driving roads in Ireland (Wild Atlantic Way) also N56 is a fab road.

patmahe

5,744 posts

203 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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Agree with a lot of what has been posted, Healy pass in Kerry is a must,

On your way from Limerick to Sligo, take the N59 and then branch onto the R335.

Looks like this in that part of the country, on a bad day.


Andy XRV

3,837 posts

179 months

Saturday 28th February 2015
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srob said:
Here's the beach at the end of the road on Achill:



Typical Irish weather

jargle

Original Poster:

66 posts

210 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Well, we made it - 1500 miles later. Overnight stops were;

Kilkenny - party mayhem, Dubliners travel down to party apparently
Clonmel - for a music festival, rode through Tipp ( yes a dump) but Vale of Glenhow south of there is lovely. saw Cashel, v impressive.
Waterford - for another music festival
Kinsale - lovely fishing village S of Cork
Dingle - and did Brea peninsula and ring of kerry en route, Healy Pass was fantastic
Lehinch - rode around the Burren
took ferry to avoid Limerick, EVERYONE said it was a dump!
Clifden in the Connemara - gorgeous ride to get there but town is - er - a dump. Rode around Achill Island, ace but tipping it down.
Westport - fab, loved it, cool place
Donegal - pretty town, albeit lots of hard looking bullet headed types with a faraway look in their eyes. And as for the men..

Then a run through NI to Dublin, skirted Loch Erne and I thought that run was stunning.

We ran into (literally) the biggest Orange parade in the Republic, held just south of Donegal on the Wild Atlantic Way. Perfectly friendly as we paddled our bikes along with them but pretty freaky when you grew up watching all the aggro on the TV in the 70s. Road surfaces were harsh - new back tyre last week - but lots of A and B road blasting. My bike is v torquey. Saw virtually no Garda. Everyone was unremittingly friendly, every night was live music of some form and consistently excellent.

Highlights? The Burren, Connemara, Brea peninsula and Ring of Kerry - and the locals. Best quote? In the pub - "Do you have wifi?" "Ah, I think we've got sum of dat...let me check with the boss".

Weather was a bit of a let down - intermittent drizzle - but we had the craic!

Many thanks for the advice.


Hooli

32,278 posts

199 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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Sounds like it was a good trip thumbup

FartKong

897 posts

182 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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Glad you enjoyed it. Im from Ireland and still havent done the full west coast yet. Will have to do it soon.

matchmaker

8,462 posts

199 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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Glad you enjoyed it!

srob

11,563 posts

237 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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We're concocting our plan to do the full lap within a couple of years.

How long do people reckon you'd need to do that? Based on being on a modern/reliable bike and a fairly gentle pace. I reckon a couple of weeks, allowing for stops and hangovers?

Glad you enjoyed it OP smile