Ireland recommendations

[Pickled Onion]

Planning a few days in Eire, any recommendations for a good route, what not to miss, where to avoid? Best time of year?

[Ruthie]

Ring of Kerry was good. Actually it’s all good, thinking about it. I would like to do Doneghal.

[Paul]

If my auntie Anne finds out you’ve been to Ireland without popping in for a cup of tea, I’ll never hear the end of it!

[mcshroom]

A base in Killarney gives you the Macgillycuddy Reeks, The Gap of Dunloe and the ring of Kerry. There's also the loops round the Beara peninsula and Dingle Peninsula within an easy drive.

The Wicklow Mountains are good for long climbs and swooping descents, and one ride I liked was a day though the Sperrins just North of the border.

Ruthie and I spent a couple weeks driving/cycling round, and only really scratched the surface. I'd like to go back

[quixoticgeek]

Dingle Peninsula

Dingle Peninsula is rather pretty, took several hundred photos in one evening there...

J

[Phil W]

If you fly into Cork then you could

Head down to Kinsale
Follow the Wild Atlantic Way via Baltimore to Mizen Head (100 miles)
Then come back more directly to Cork

If you have time Healy Pass is a gem.

Much less touristy than the Ring of Kerry. So nice and quiet but County Cork's roads much rougher than County Kerry's

Ring of Kerry is a dark sky region if you like looking at Stars.

If you come into Dublin you can get a train to Clara.  Then it is not too far to the Slieve Bloom mountains which has some lovely riding on quiet roads and some SSSI bog.

Galway you can go south to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher.  North along the coast are hundreds of lakes glinting in the Sun.  Plus the lovely Roundstone and Connermeta plus Leenan on the stores of Ireland's only Fiord.

North from Belfast you have the Glens of Antrim and further north Giants causeway and Bushmills Distillery. To the south you have Newcastle and the Mountains of Mourne.

Fly into Derry and you have Malin head and not so far to the Mamore Gap and to the south the magnificent Donegal Hills with their remote (and steep) roads and valleys. You can also get a direct train from Belfast to Derry.

I could go on, plenty of choice places to ride. 

[Jaded]

Be prepared and take a hard border with you.

[Pickled Onion]

That's brilliant, thanks everyone!

[Crofton]

I am a regular visitor and, while I still have a lot of ground to cover, can offer a few ideas.

Dublin – head south to the Dublin/Wicklow mountains where popular highlights include the Sally and Wicklow Gaps. The climb from Laragh through the Glenmacnass Valley to the Sally Gap is particularly good. This article from Cyclist.co.uk should whet your appetite.

South East – consider the new Waterford Greenway, an off-road route along the line of a disused railway from Waterford to Dungarvan, then add on all or part of the Sean Kelly Heritage Route to explore the Blackwater Valley.

South West – the southern peninsulas of Dingle, Iveragh (Ring of Kerry) and Beara are beautiful and lend themselves very well to touring loops. Killarney is a good base for all three or Kenmare for Iveragh and Beara.

The Ring of Kerry is a popular (and busy) loop. Go clockwise so as not to be overtaken by tour buses which by convention go anti-clockwise. Add on the much quieter “Skellig Ring” and Valentia Island at the western tip. The interior Ballaghbeama Gap is off the main tourist trail but makes a good ride between Waterville and Moll’s Gap (though it would a shame to miss the classic climb of Moll’s Gap from Kenmare).

I love the Beara Peninsula which is quieter and hillier with some good climbs including the Healy Pass. The Dingle Peninsula is still on my to do list and includes the famous Connor Pass (highest in Ireland I think).

West – the Burren is a fabulous area for cycle touring (go in May/June for the wild flowers). Friends and family who have done the “Tour de Burren” sportive said it was a great route. It is not shown on the event web site but should be easy enough to find.

The Great Western Greenway from Westport to Achill Island is another off-road route along a disused railway, it’s only about 40km IIRC but could be included in a tour in that area. Achill is spectacular.

Also, ask the locals:

• Cycling – Boards.ie
• Audax Ireland

[delthebike]

Also, ask the locals:

• Cycling – Boards.ie
• Audax Ireland

Yes! Where's O'Regulator when you want him? 

[Redjeep!]

All depends where you'll be and how far you want to go etc. There's plenty of great routes all around the place and the roads tend to be quieter and the drivers more considerate than in the UK.

There's a really good book available if you're serious called (rather unimaginatively) 'Cycling in Ireland' by David Flanagan or else if you post where you'll be and what you want (short, long, hilly, flat, scenic etc) I'll try and help. I'm fortunate enough to live right in the middle of it all.

I fancy doing some of the wild Atlantic Way later this year. This is a loose collection of pre-existing roads that were all grouped together with a million new road signs recently and labelled as the longest continuous coastal road in the world. Presumably only because nobody else could be bothered to.

The time of year doesn't really matter. You probably won't be able to tell the difference anyway.