To the page for Ireland of the
Trento Bike Pages
Ireland by Bike
1,000 Miles around Republic of Ireland
June 1995
By Roberta Grapperhaus (
grapbike@aol.com), Wed, 17 Apr 1996 20:28:35 -0400
Bikes we used & quality of roads
This is an outline of a 1,000 trip around perimeter of the Republic of
Ireland that my boyfriend and I took. We flew our bikes from Los
Angeles, CA to Dublin, where there is a bicycle assembly area right in
the airport. We each own inexpensive Trek hybrids - mine’s the Trek
700 and Bill bought the 730, which is basically the same bike but $150
more and quite a bit lighter. We found out American Airlines luggage
dimension requirements, had the bikes boxed at a local LA bike store,
and checked them as regular luggage at no extra charge. ALWAYS check
with the airline about their luggage dimension requirements - if you
stay within these, there is no extra charge. But if you don’t know
that, they’ll charge you anywhere from $40 to $70 US (based on our
experiences) per bike each way. These bikes proved to be perfect for
touring Ireland. Most of the roads are quite good...we noticed there
were more potholes and some stretches of gravel on the west side of
the country, in areas like the Dingle Peninsula and the Connemara, but
even those roads weren’t too bad.
Maps
We bought the North (which we didn’t use), South, East and West
Ordnance Survey Maps of Ireland 1:250,000. These are quite
detailed. Last summer (1995) Ireland was in the midst of changing road
numbers, as well as changing over from miles to kms, so some signs
were confusing. But the great thing about Ireland is that there always
seems to be someone around the corner who is more than willing to help
out if you are at all confused or lost. We had also joined Cyclists
Touring Club (based in London, England) and they sent us a detailed
description of cycling around the perimeter of the island. We
contacted the Irish Tourist Board in New York City, and they sent us a
cycling map, which included some bike shops, which was very
helpful. They also sent detailed bed & breakfast and hostel
information. Once we were in Ireland, there were Information kiosks
throughout the country, but they were much less informative than local
Irish folk.
Lodging
We were more than pleasantly surprised by the number and quality of
bed & breakfasts throughout the entire country. We had sleeping bags,
a tent and other camping equipment and never once used it, because we
never seemed to be more than a few miles away from a b & b, no matter
what part of the country we were in. Most b & b’s we stayed at cost
between 13 - 16 Irish pounds per person, which includes a wonderful,
huge homecooked breakfast consisting of orange juice, homemade brown
bread, a choice of cereals, white bread and toast, pot of tea or
coffee, eggs, bacon, sausage, and sometimes black and white pudding,
and a fried tomato. Some B & B’s we stayed at were simply bedrooms
in people’s houses, but the great part was that for that night we
were treated like long-lost friends and felt like part of the
family. We never stayed at a hostel, but heard good things about them
from other cyclists, and the Tourist Board will send you a list of
them. Since we traveled in June, we usually found a nice room with
very little trouble, but I understand B & B’s can get pretty
crowded in July and August.
Weather
Based on everything we heard, we were prepared for rain, rain and more
rain. In thirty days, we only had two full days of rain, and a few
other light showers. By the last week of June, the weather was in the
70s -80s (F), which I guess is rather unusual for Ireland, and the
Irish were ecstatic.
Miscellaneous Observations
Had always heard about “poor” Irish - to me this country seems
to be doing fine economically...most of the homes we stayed in were
extremely nice and comparable to your solid middle class American
homes. We were surprised by the amount of litter in some towns, but
the Irish do have a campaign called “Tidy Towns” to reduce
litter.
Our intent was to circle the Republic of Ireland and ride 1,000
miles. This was our route:
Dublin south to the Wicklow Mountain range
there are a couple different routes - the hardest (R 115) going
directly through the mts. R117 to R755 is easier and still very
pretty. We only made it as far as Eniskerry, a quaint village near the
tourist site of Powerscourt estate and Gardens and Ireland’s
highest waterfall.
From Eniskerry we continued south to Glendalaugh, which is a popular
tourist site (almost too popular!)...it is the remains of a church and
Round Tower from the 6th century situated by a beautiful lake. After
visiting, we continued south through Rathdrum and spent the night at
the tiny mill town of Avoca, famous for its wool products.
Avoca to Wexford
The route became much flatter as we left the Wicklows. We were back on
main highway - N11, a lot of traffic, but we had our own lane most the
time. All the B & B’s were packed because it was a 3-day holiday
weekend, but we found a wonderful couple on the outskirts of Wexford
who we stayed with.
Next day, we were tired of riding on main highway, so after riding to
Rossalare Harbour, we took small Irish lanes and ended up, not exactly
on purpose, at Kilmore Quay, a picturesque little village on the
Southeastern tip of the country.
Kilmore Quay to Waterford
a pastoral, somewhat hilly ride that
includes a ferry crossing through Waterford Harbour. We stayed at a
beautiful home on outskirts of Waterford (famous for its crystal.)
Waterford to Ardmore
We were recommended to visit this tiny, tiny
village on the south coast by a bicycle store owner in Dungarvin. It
was one of the highlights of our trip. Ardmore is known for its Round
Tower, which we explored as night fell, completely alone. If you’re
in Ardmore, try to stay at Mr. Colbert’s B & B. He was a very
charming, older gentleman who had that “old world” dignity that
is so rapidly disappearing.
Ardmore - (Ballycotton) - Cork
fairly uneventful ride, but quite
pretty along coast and through farmland. We took a side trip to
Ballycotton because they were going to begin filming a movie with
Marlon Brando there and we wanted to check it out. (The production
ended abruptly a month later.) We pedaled to the outskirts of Cork and
stayed at a b & b that caters to golfers (There are about five
regulation courses in Cork, which is also a major Irish harbor.
Cork - Clonakilty
After getting slightly lost in Cork and deciding
to stay on our mission of circling the island rather than taking side
trip to see the Blarney Castle (about 5 -10 miles north of Cork), we
rode on to Clonakilty, a very colorful town with some very nice B &
Bs. We bypassed Kinsale but heard later that that town is a lot of
fun. We enjoyed Clonakilty for its uniqueness and friendly people and
again recommend the b&b we stayed at called Bay View on Old Timoleague
Rd.
Clonakilty - Ballydehob
From Clonakilty we followed the N71 about 40
miles to Ballydehob, my least favorite stopover of the trip. Again, we
rode through gently rolling hills and farmland to get there...it
wasn’t difficult, but I was looking forward to heading north and
enjoying the West Coast.
Ballydehob - Bantry - Kenmare
One of the most beautiful rides of the
trip was between Bantry and Kenmare on N 71 - absolutely spectacular
pass where you’re literally riding with the mountain goats and
sheep up a craggy landscape with beautiful views and a wonderfully
long descent into the town of Kenmare. About a 40-mile day over 2
passes, but it was exhilarating. (We had considered going from
Ballydehob to Mizen Head at very SouthWest tip of Ireland before
heading north and are kind of sorry we didn’t - other cyclists
recommended it very highly).
Kenmare - “The Forge” (the tip of Ring of Kerry)
One Irishman
told us, “you can’t go to Ireland without seeing the Ring of
Kerry.” Though Bill was unimpressed at first part of Ring of Kerry,
be both agreed by end it was definitely worth the ride. It gets quite
desolate out on end, where we spent the night at “The Forge” (an
oceanfront b&b near a campground) which I recommend for its ocean
views and homemade dinner (no other restaurants around here).
“The Forge” - Glenbeigh
The first few miles from The Forge
were spectacular, the incredible green Irish cliffs where the movie
Ryan’s Daughter was filmed were beautiful. From there we curved
around the ring, with our next major destination in mind being the
Dingle Peninsula. After a full day of riding, we came across a nice
village named Glenbeigh. The town pub had excellent dinners at a low
price, and music til the wee hours. We ended up staying in Glenbeigh
an extra day...there’s a beautiful beach there that reminded me of
California beaches, we liked the “pub grub” and we liked our B &
B.
Glenbeigh - Dingle
This was a good, exerting 35 mile ride. Our
route: N70 to Castlemain then east on R561 - first time we noticed the
road, with its potholes and less smooth surface, was starting to slow
us down a little. Some nice hills before dropping down into the
beautiful harbor town of Dingle. We were told by other bicyclists not
to miss the Connor Pass, so we stayed an extra day in Dingle, and did
a “day ride” (without our panniers and camping stuff) around the
end of the peninsula, which again had the great cliffs and crashing
water. There are a lot of great little restaurants and shopping in
Dingle - really a good place to spend several days if you have the
time.
Dingle - Ballybunnion
This was our longest ride yet, about 51 miles,
and most of it was done in pouring rain - our first full day of rain
the entire trip. We took the Connor Pass, which I understand to be the
highest pass in Ireland, a little grueling, but once on top there
should be incredible views. It was very cloudy and getting ready to
rain, so we missed much of the views, but really enjoyed sailing down
other side. From there we continued north through Tralee, then got off
the main highway and on a smaller road (R556) which many miles further
connected with R551 and Ballybunnion. We were soaked by the time we
arrived, but still spent over an hour turning down unsuitable b &
b’s in this odd little beach town that we understand to be in the
midst of a renovation...it’s famous for its golf courses, and if
you go up into hills, that’s where the good b& b’s
are. Unfortunately most of them were full, but we finally found a nice
home called “The Links” where the proprietess gave us a ride
back to town that evening for dinner, and she washed & dried all of
our soaking wet clothes, which we very much appreciated. Very modern
homes on the hill, as compared to very small, old and dreary homes
down by the “Castle” which dates back to early 1100s.
Ballybunnion - Doonbeg
Our next main goal was to see the cliffs of
Moher and then catch a ferry to the Aran Islands. From Ballybunnion we
headed Northeast on R551 towards Talbert, where we caught a small
ferry across the Shannon River. At that point, we got back on main
highway, N67 through Kilrush and Kilkee. Not a particularly memorable
ride, but not difficult either. We were getting tired by the time we
went through the very small village of Doonbeg, at which point we
decided to stay at Paddy and Maise’s b & b, a very nice older
couple who sent us down the road to a pub whose owner whipped up two
beautiful meals for us even though the kitchen had closed. We stayed
several hours and joined in a sing-along with the Irish locals, a
wonderful experience to say the least. The next day as rode further
north, we were glad we had stayed in Doonbeg because for us it was a
very “real” Irish experience, and because there really was no
other villages for miles.
Doonbeg - Doolin
We stayed on N67 north until we reached R478 (about
20 miles), which took us to the famous Cliffs of Moher, which were as
strikingly beautiful as we had heard. Right at the cliffs, you climb a
very steep hill. We chose to go past the official tourist center,
parked our bikes climbed through a wire fence and walked through a
field just north of the tourist center. It was quite spectacular as we
had the whole area virtually to ourselves while the tourist center was
swarming with people. After a few hours of walking around and taking
pictures, we continued about another 5 miles north to Doolin, where
the ferry leaves for the Aran Islands (ferries also leave from Galway
and Rossaveal Harbor both further north). The pubs in this village are
bustling; we enjoyed another good pub meal and a good night’s sleep
at the “Atlantic View” b & b, just a few blocks from the ferry
landing, and very inexpensive.
Doolin - Kilmurvey (Aran Islands)
In the morning we awoke to high
winds, choppy seas and very cloudy skies. By the time our ferry,
entitled “the Happy Hooker,” arrived, it was pouring rain and
absolutely miserable. Plus, we had a flat tire. I barely made the hour
and-a-half ride to the big island of Inishmore in one piece, and when
we got there it was raining even harder. After spending a few hours
changing the tire and looking for a suitable b & b, we decided we
didn’t like the little port town, and since we were drenched
anyway, decided to ride about 10 miles toward Dun Angues, the ancient
Irish Fort built on cliffs as beautiful as Moher. We lucked out - just
down the road from the fort is a wonderful, very old bed & breakfast
called the Kilmurvey House - probably our favorite b & b the entire
trip. The proprietress made a beautiful dinner, and we spent the
evening in the “library” reading books about the island and
talking to new friends we had made over dinner. We spent the whole
next day as well - which was sunny and about 70 degrees F, exploring
the small island and Dun Aengus. This was one of the most enjoyable
days of the entire trip.
Aran Islands - Doolin - Ballyvaughan
After two nights on the island,
we took the 4:00 p.m. ferry back to Doolin, had dinner at the pub, and
began our ride around 6:00 p.m. It was now June 21, the longest day of
the year, and this was for me the most beautiful ride of the trip. We
took R479 to R477, along the coast through the famous Irish Burren,
miles of pale gray limestone rock punctuated by wildflowers in County
Clare. It seemed as if the sun was setting forever, and we rode
effortlessly until dark (about 11:00 p.m.) when we arrived in
Ballyvaughan, where we stayed at the first b & b we spotted,
“Oceanville.” We lucked out and got the whole front cottage to
ourselves for the price of a single room. I was sorry we had to leave
the next morning, but we had less than a week left of our trip and
still about 300 miles to go to reach our goal of 1,000 miles.
Ballyvaughan - Rossaveal Harbor
From Ballyvaughan we headed east and
north on the N67 to the N18 north which took us into the large port
town of Galway. There we caught the R336, which goes west along the
north side of Galway Bay, not nearly as pretty as our ride the day
before. After more than 60 miles, we finally called it a day, stopping
at a b & b in the odd little area of Rossaveal Harbor, our last stop
before the Connemara.
Rossaveal - Clifden
We were now in the Connemara,, distinguished by
its many lakes and the mountains called the Twelve Pins. It’s a
very desolate area and very popular for bicyclists. We could have
taken R339 straight north to the main highway of N59, but chose
instead to stay on R340 which winds around the coast. By now the
temperature was in the high 80s (F), very unusual for Ireland, and by
the time we finally reached N59 we were very hot and tired, but the
scenery was, as they say, “haunting” and quite different than
anything I had seen. This area is not lush and green like most of
Ireland, but this is where you see the Irish peat bogs. On N59, we
went west to Clifden, a very popular town filled with pubs, music and
b&b’s.
Clifden - Westport
We continued on N59, now seeing the other side of
the Twelve Pins, and heading towards Killary Harbor. The more scenic
ride at that point would be to continue north on R335 where you
eventually come to Croagh Patrick, the Irish “holy mountain.”
But we were running out of time and energy, so we stayed on N59 north
to Westport (about 50 miles), where we stayed on the outskirts of
town. It was in Westport on Sunday, June 25 we had to make our final
decision - continue heading north to County Sligo, then take the train
back to Dublin to catch our flight at 6:00 a.m. on Weds, June 28, or
skip the scenery (which was by now all starting to blur together
anyway), and do the entire trip via bicycle, and head 150 miles
straight for Dublin. We opted to finish our circle and stay off the
trains.
Westport - Termonberry
We call the next two days “the run.” We
took N 60 out of Westport to Castlebar, where we picked up the N5
which cuts across the country toward Dublin. Traffic on this road was
quite heavy due to a Sunday Gaelic Football game. The road was good,
though, and not very hilly, and we rode hard with very stops all day,
about 80 miles until we reached a rowdy fishing village called
Termonberry (about ten miles before Longford), where we spent the
night in a horrible little room above a saloon. We were sunburn and
sore, and were not looking forward to the next day, where we had at
least 70 more miles to cover in order to get within a reasonable
distance of the airport by Monday night.
Termonberry - Maynooth
At Longford, the N5 turns into the N4 - still
the same type of road - a main highway running through farmland and
the occasional town. Just before the next main town of Mullingar, we
hit 1,000 miles for the trip, with at least 70 to 80 miles to go to
reach the Dublin Airport, which we knew was doable by Tuesday night,
but not easy. But throughout the trip, we kept meeting people we would
call our “guardian angels” who would either direct us to a good
b & b, or a nice town, or the best route, and just when I thought our
luck had run out, this happened again. My mother’s friend’s
daughter and her husband Kevin lived just east of Dublin near
Maynooth, a small, upscale university town. I had never spoken to
them, but had left one message for them when we first arrived in
Ireland. About 10 miles before Maynooth, I called them up and said
I’d phone again from Maynooth. When Kevin heard we were on
bicycles, he jumped in his car, and found us just as we arrived in
Maynooth. He piled our bikes on his car, took us to his house, where
we stayed and relaxed for the whole next day, then took us to the
airport first thing Wednesday morning! We had gone 1,050 miles in
total, and we had circled much of the Republic of Ireland, just as we
had set out to do, and our trip couldn’t have had a happier ending!