Hey there, I'm from Portugal and have been dreaming about a trip to Ireland that will come true next year. I will be spending 3 weeks in Ireland end of May- Beginning of June and wanted to know what are the top-spots and can't miss sites. I will be arriving by ferry at Cork and will be leaving from the same spot. I ride an Africa Twin just for reference and will be 2-up so mostly on-road trip. Thank you in advance for your tips =) PS: Is this a good way to start planning? https://lemonrockbiketours.com/tour/round-ireland-motorcycle-tour/
IMHO the west and north coasts are by far the best. There are other bits of interest, but not so much in the centre.Each of the many rocky peninsula or Rings, has its own merits and history. As a first timer, you will likely want to ride the Ring of Kerry. This is fine, except every visitor to Ireland goes there, usually on a tour bus. So many that they now have a one way system for the buses. Make sure you are going the other way. There are also many passes (although all mountains are pretty small) called Gaps. Connor and Dunloe, Wicklow and Sally are just two on each side of the country.Lots of different towns, Galway is officially a city, it has a university and therefore lots of young people. The nightlife reflects this. I like it.To the North is Connamara/Connacht, and the smaller town of Clifden, which has quite a reputation for good food. The surrounding countryside is stunning and my favourite of the whole of Ireland.Use the coastal road, it has a fancy name now, but just stick with the water to your left from Galway and you will find it. Any time of year, the weather can be wet wet wet. Make sure you have good waterproofs/gloves/boots - extras like over boots and hand guards help out.I go mostly late autumn and although I remember days of rain, I remember lots of warm and sunny days too. Well not raining anyway.I mostly have 5 days which allows most of the west coast to be covered. But read the RR below, it depends on how small the roads will be, to how long it will take.Using main roads will mean you get round the whole lot very quickly and not see much. 这里是一个链接到犯人的Rhodetrip throu旅程gh the Celtic fringe (includes Scotland)https://advrider.com/f/threads/when...cotland-afore-ye.1238672/page-4#post-32903754
Ireland is a wonderful country to ride. If you land in Cork, just cruise counter clockwise following Wild Atlantic Way. You might need more time to finish but you can modify to fit your schedule. I heard northern part of the Wild Atlantic Way is very dramatic and ends near Belfast. You can ride down to Dublin 3 oclock position. It's a network of roads connecting small towns and historic points of interests. Great view, great ride, great food, the bestest people. Enjoy and be safe. When the weather permits camping is the great option for lodging in Ireland along with hundreds of well run Hostels.
I've done it in 2 much shorter trips (4-5 days each) - Ireland isn't that big. South last year and the north this year. Easy to do, we stayed in hotels. Have good wet weather gear ! South - wexford, kinsale, cork, bantry, ring to Tralee, Tarbert, Limerick, Galway, Dublin, Wicklow (glendalough) the back to Wexford. North - Dublin, Cavan, Eniskillen, Derry, Malin, Mussenden, Castlerock, Portstweart, Giants Causeway, Ballycastle, Cushendun, Carnlough, Belfast. Want to go back and do the bit west of Derry which we seem to have missed out. have fun
you're gonna have fun.....30 minutes from the port is Motofeirme, motorcycle camp, dorm rooms and shop. just north of Kinsale, which is the start of the wild atlantic way. check em out on google maps. no need for tours, once on the coast just follow the small roads and find the out of the way hostels or bnb.
every sunday, at 10am members of the crossbarry riding club meet at the village of crossbarry and do a ride to Kerry and back.All welcome. I'm not a member but often join in.Also, if you camp at motofeirme, there are always a bunch of folks doing rides daily and offering plenty of advice.eg, motofeirme-dingle is a nice days riding via coast or mountains, dingle - galway another day or 2 even. the list goes on.
Hello guys, I have been wondering A LOT about this travel. What I came up was with this: It seems doable in the time period I have (18/19 days), though I am not quite sure how ambicious it is: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LpLB7yhI21UJpldXgKCGCNKRMPoLLmnz&usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xbKKUQzoMVutcyDWYyVCqH9B2FfgK8D2&usp=sharing Any suggestions? any "don't do THAT you stupid morron"? All welcome
Very doable but I'd skip central Ireland. Fishguard to Rosslare is a better option and do the southeast coast of Ireland.
First of all, you chose the right time to go in Ireland. It's the beginning of the tourist season so everything's up and running but not as crowdy as it is in mid-July. Ireland has so much to show, it's hard to choose just some places/things to see. The west is nice for the landscapes while the east part is full of history. You can't skip the Connemara. Nor can you skip the cliffs of Moher. And you absolutely need to ride the ring of Kerry. While there, do yourself a favor, and do the last stretch at the tip of the peninsula, the Skellig's ring or whatever it is called. As long as you leave the N70 toward Portmagee. I never had the chance to ride it but did it by car (yeah, imagine that!) and this loop alone, too many times skipped by tourists, is worth the whole Kerry thing. Anther tip; from Moll's Gap, go to Sneem (or the opposite) via the R568 instead of staying on the N70 all the time. Then, there are the castle/friary/cathedral/priory/name-it-ruins that are all around. Kissing the Blarney stone is cool, the Rock of Cashel is magnificient up that hill, overlooking the village. Then you have Glendalough with all its mysticism. Newgrange (Brú na Bóinne) is damn cool to visit, I think that it's the only neolithic site where visitors can go inside. Kylemore Castle, while not that "old" is pretty nice to see. Then, Muckross House near Killarney maybe? Since I'm working in a university myself, Trinity College was special to me. My GF said "I feel like I'm in a Harry Potter story" while visiting it. What else? Ireland is packed FULL of little, curvy, regional roads (marked Rxx). They are everywhere. Skip the national roads (Nxx) as much as possible and you'll see, and feel, what the real Ireland is all about. They look like this (posted limit on this one is 100 km/h but they usually are posted at 80 km/h max...still!) Being on a bike, watch for these... And don't forget the pubs (or the Guinness Storehouse if you're going to Dublin. We spent 4 hours there! And the GF don't even like/drink beer) The Tig Coili @ Galway (Galway is such a nice city!) or the Temple Bar @ Dublin are classics among the classics but there are a lot of good and nice pubs everywhere. And it's where we liked to eat the most, especially for lunch. Spot where the locals are gathering. Chowder and soda bread, yeah baby! Anyway, you can't be disapointed visiting Ireland. We loved this country. It's one of the most easy going place I've ever visited. Everybody is polite and nice. You just have to make eyes contact with a perfect stranger that you cross on the sidewalk for him to say "Hi! How you doin'?" Have fun as much as we did and you'll have a damn nice trip for sure! We too stayed 18 full days there, from mid-May to the end of the first of June like you planned to do. Feel free to ask questions, I can answer in private if you want. I think that I've spoiled your thread enough already! P.S. Visit the English Market while in Cork.
Hey@wheatwhacker, you'll surely be involved in my next trip in your country, stay close! OP, if your going to Tralee, try theCroírestaurant.
I so loooved this country that it's easy for me to pass the passion I guess. About the pictures...thanks but you saw nothing! I've got a lot more. 奥林巴斯OM-D E-M10耦合到一个徕美20毫米F1.7公关ime lens was all I had. The best compromise between compactness/image quality/price I found around. The best pictures are the one you are moving yourself to compose. Just to make sure you won't change your mind... Enjoy your trip!
Ditto to all information shared. If you enjoy Irish traditional music, Ennis is a great small city to visit. Doolin is often on lists but I find it to be quite touristy and has fewer options. Connemara was my favorite for riding. More open roads. I spent about 5 weeks there in May 2018, circled the island a few times and criss criss crossed it a couple as well. I guess anytime can be wet, but I've been three times in May over the past 10 years and all were quite warm and sunny, with a couple days of rain as an exception.
If you're anywhere near Drogheda, stop by and we'll make you welcome. Nick @ Pettefar.com - we do Couchsurfing and AirBnB too.
We slept our last night in Ireland @ Drogheda on our way to the airport, coming from Newgrange. Is your place north or south of the Boyne?
Our AirBnB was right on the south bank, between the river and Rathmullan road, near the Ramparts park.
