Republic of Ireland

sbell

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Going to plan a trip to the emerald isle this year. Ferry to Dublin then tour the south. Anyone got any tips or recommendations ??
 
Go via Wexford, Kilkenney, and then go west and follow the Wild Atlantic Way.

Go via Wexford, Kilkenney, and then go west and follow the Wild Atlantic Way. You will only do part of it, but it does not matter which part. Suggest you start In Cork and work your way north. Wherever you abandon it, you may return the following year for another bite at the cherry.
 
It's mostly Northbound but you may enjoy my Emerald Isle by Ural ride report.

Next time there I'm targeting the South West areas.

Great place anywhere, and the ferries are now only ten minutes away for me.
 
The west coast is a amazing, any part of the wild Atlantic way will see you in heaven. Personally I found the dingle peninsula the best. Lots of camp sites and b&bs. All are usually biker friendly.
 
Lots of great roads from Wicklow glendalough ect down through Carlow mount Leinster Kilkenny Graignamanagh inistioge through to Wexford Kimora quay hook head ect lots of friendly well priced b&b along the way


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Some of the below pertains to the west if Ireland ...but might be of interest to you. Alternatively, I had a few mates over from the UK last summer and we toured south from Galway down through Co Clare and onto Killarney where we stayed for three nights and did different spins out each day. If you want, I can dig up the info on that trip if you want - things to see/things to miss and some decent routes as well...

If you are in the area the Irish Military War Museum is well worth a visit. It's near a town called Collon on the east side of the country just north of Dublin. It's probably quite small compared to something in the US, but if you can get a tour with the owner it's great - we were able to sit on the German WW2 sidecars and try on some of the uniforms etc - the personal touch makes it memorable. The website is http://imwm.ie/

Southwest of Dublin in county Kilkenny is a little village called Inistioge (Innis-teeg). Not only is the village a lovely spot to stop, but the roads leading to it are lovely on a bike as well. If you do decide to stop there, the R700 is the road you are looking for. Make sure to have a bite in the Circle of Friends café - the grub there is excellent.

If you are anywhere near Sligo in the west of the country, make sure to visit Glencar waterfall, it's only a few miles ride from Sligo town and the views on the way there along the N16 are beautiful. Not to mention the road is a hoot to ride! If the weather's nice, a quick stop for ice cream along the sea front in Strandhill (on the other side of Sligo town) is nice too. Kinda touristy, but that doesn't take away from the place. Mammy Johnson's ice cream parlour is the place to go.

Along the west coast is Achill Island - well worth a visit too. Make sure to ride all the way out to Keem Bay at the western end of the island. Great views of the Atlantic Ocean as you climb up over the hills. More ice cream available at the beach car park too! Ride to the top of Meenaun mountain for a great view of almost all of the island. And ride along the Atlantic Drive for some lovely coastal pussie. I don't know any ice cream stops along here though! For a proper feed go to Masterson's bar and restaurant on the north of the island. It doesn't look like much, but you will be very well fed. Can be a struggle getting the jacket to zip up after a visit here!

From Achill you can take the N59 south and then turn left onto the R336 at Leenaune. Ride the R336 to Maam Cross - great road with stunning views. From Maam Cross you can go west towards Clifden, south towards Costelloe or east towards Galway. All of which are nice spins so its just a case of choosing.

Around county Wicklow just south of Dublin, the R759 from Roundwood to Manor Kilbride via the Sally Gap is a nice scenic spin. The road can be a bit bumpy in spots but with the views being so nice, it's worth taking it at a slow pace anyways. The better known Wicklow Gap on the R756 between Glendalough and Hollywood is also nice but can be busy with tourist traffic and less-than-sensible bikers at times. Glendalough is a big tourist spot but still worth a look, especially on a fine day.

There's more tucked away in the back of my head, but hopefully some of the above will help you along the way...
 
As a very rough guide - how about heading west towards Sligo - tis a great spot to stay at. And I know a savage route between Dublin and there ;)
http://www.thebeachbarsligo.com/

Then make your way south along the Wild Atlantic Way catching the best bits of the west along the way...can't go wrong... :thumb2
 
As a very rough guide - how about heading west towards Sligo - tis a great spot to stay at. And I know a savage route between Dublin and there ;)
http://www.thebeachbarsligo.com/

Then make your way south along the Wild Atlantic Way catching the best bits of the west along the way...can't go wrong... :thumb2

Some great tips there thanks for that. Could you recommend places to stay ? Sounds like a good idea to go west from Dublin to Sligo area ,then south from there .
 
Some great tips there thanks for that. Could you recommend places to stay ? Sounds like a good idea to go west from Dublin to Sligo area ,then south from there .

The Beach Bar I mentioned before is a good spot. Great food and decent Guinness readily available. Another place I have used a as base to tour the west is the Foxford Lodge http://www.thefoxfordlodge.ie/ B&B in a town called Foxford in Connaught. Can't recommend this place enough. We've stayed here four times now and I would go back again. Make sure to tell Harry and Brigid, the owners I said hi. Foxford is a nice small village with some old style tiny pubs.

Western Hotel http://westernhotelgalway.ie/ is where we stayed in Galway. Really central, good secure underground parking and the room are decent too. Make sure to book early as Galway is a popular spot.

We stayed in Castle Lodge guesthouse http://castlelodgekillarney.ie/ in Killarney. Again, off street parking behind a big locked gate for the bikes (just ask for it). Rooms were decent, brekkie was great and its only a few minutes walk into the town centre. Lovely craft brewery spot just down the road is worth a visit (or three :p) - https://www.killarneybrewing.com/. Again, Killarney is very popular so book early if you plan to overnight there...

Riding through Co Clare make sure to take in the burren - its an amazing place with a lunar type landscape of limestone. And there are a few hidden gems along the way like Fr. Ted's house and a chocolate factory/café. I can send on a route to you if you want...

Around Killarney there are several places well worth visiting - make sure to check out Kate Kearney's Cottage and the Gap of Dunloe - breathtaking scenery. That leads onto Molls Gap and the Ring of Kerry. ROK can be a busy road but it's worth riding it if you have time. Check out both the Conor Pass and the Healy Pass - both great roads.
 
I was only half joking......

"A bikers guide to Ireland"

Has a ring to it.

Sent from a U11
 
Really depends how long you have, how long you're happy to spend riding each day, what ya wanna see & what roads you like riding, etc

But if you're interested in the SouthWest this pretty much covers the best, small, roads (most already mentioned by Hatcho :thumb) Throw in the Priests Leap & you'll have done most of my favourites


And then there's the Wild Atlantic Way....

And some extra bits of information here
 
Signposts are in Kilometres, if you think of them as miles you’ll get your timing correct (roads not that good).
Tom
 
I've done different circuits of the Island of Ireland with my son as pillion and subsequently with my wife on her own bike; apart from the first night I've never booked accommodation in advance mainly because it is so plentiful and of consistent quality. Of course, recommendations are fine, but booking ahead will tie you to a schedule you may not want to keep.
 
I've done different circuits of the Island of Ireland with my son as pillion and subsequently with my wife on her own bike; apart from the first night I've never booked accommodation in advance mainly because it is so plentiful and of consistent quality. Of course, recommendations are fine, but booking ahead will tie you to a schedule you may not want to keep.
Well said!
 


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