Planning an Ireland tour...
Discussion
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 ). 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!
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.
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
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.
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 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 Cashel.
But one place to avoid at all costs is Knock. A so-called religious shrine, but tackier than Blackpool!
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...
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.
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.
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