Ireland southwest coast

[Jezrant]

Hi all, planning a leîsurely meander around the southwest coast of Ireland late June with my brother. Getting there by train and ferry to Dublin, then train down to Cork. Would welcome recommendations on routes from Cork to coast and on any particularly bike-friendly accommodation in Dublin, Cork, and the southwest coast.
Cheers!

[johnb]

Dont know about the southwest coast accomodation but friends of mine stayed in this hotel in Dublin and I met them there, its a new hotel very comfortable, centraly located and secure lockable rooms in the basement for bikes. I think they paid 90 euro per night for a Twin room inc breakfast.

http://www.academyplazahotel.ie/

Dont know what your budget is but here is a link to a few irish hostel sites.

http://www.hostels-ireland.com/

http://www.anoige.ie/

As for routes just do an internet search and you should come up with routes others have cycled and posted on the net,

http://www.shortall.info/Touring/GarrLee.htm

http://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/ireland.shtml

http://www.kelloggs.ie/cyclometer/cycle-routes-ireland.aspx

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=22050&p=178971&hilit=+ireland#p178971

You might also do a search of Paul Smiths postings (formerly of bikeplus) who did a tour of the sothwest of Ireland a few years ago.

I hope this helps and enjoy yourself

[Jezrant]

Thanks a lot for posting the links and hotel recommendation.
Would welcome any other personal recommendations of bike-friendly accommodation in Dublin, Cork and the southwest coast. Budget 30 euros per person max.

[jags]

i think the b/b run, if im not mistaken around 37euro per night, full irish breakfast,no idea what hotels charge.
if your camping should be a lot cheaper .you will get more info from camping ireland .

[Jezrant]

Thanks for the tip about camping. We'll be staying at hostels and B&Bs. Can stretch to €35 per person.

[pq]

I did a short tour in SW Ireland a couple of years back at Easter. Even though it was a supposedly busy time I had no trouble at all finding accommodation so I wouldn't worry about it.

Not sure I'd start in Cork. It's a big place which isn't too bike friendly. I started in Kilarney which is a tiny pace easily reached by train from Dublin, and also considered Tralee.

Oh and I expect you'll be riding the Kerry peninsula - everyone does. The official "ring of Kerry" is very traffic infested, particularly with coaches, so I'd recommend riding on the tiny inland roads as much as possible - they're much more scenic, especially the Gap of Dunloe and have no traffic. You can't do that all the way round though, so some main road riding is unavoidable.

[Jezrant]

[quote="pq"]I did a short tour in SW Ireland a couple of years back at Easter. Even though it was a supposedly busy time I had no trouble at all finding accommodation so I wouldn't worry about it.

Not sure I'd start in Cork. It's a big place which isn't too bike friendly. I started in Kilarney which is a tiny pace easily reached by train from Dublin, and also considered Tralee.

Oh and I expect you'll be riding the Kerry peninsula - everyone does. The official "ring of Kerry" is very traffic infested, particularly with coaches, so I'd recommend riding on the tiny inland roads as much as possible - they're much more scenic, especially the Gap of Dunloe and have no traffic. You can't do that all the way round though, so some main road riding is unavoidable.[/quote

Thanks for the advice.
We picked Cork as a starting point because we thought the only train lines from Dublin that took bikes were Cork and Galway. Cork also sounds interesting, but if there's a train that goes from Dublin to Kilarney that takes bikes, maybe we should revise the plan and start from there.
However, we weren't thinking of doing the Ring of Kerry. We've heard about the traffic and it sounds too touristy. We also only have five cycling days, and so we thought the Beara and Mizen peninsulas would be quieter and nicer for cycling at a leisurely pace. Have you been around them?

[pq]

Well my information on trains is 2 years out of date, so you'd need to check, but when I did it, it was a direct train with a guards van - it was an ancient train rather like the inter-city ones we used to have here. If I remember correcty, its final destination was Tralee.

Yes, I've ridden the Bearra Peninsula. I set off along the north coast, leaving the main road as soon as I could to follow a narrow unclassified road which hugs the coast. It was stunning - maybe the best coastal riding I've ever done. I didn't go all the way round - I cut across the Healy Pass which was also superb. The ride back along the south coast was less pleasant, but still worthwhile.

Not ridden the Mizen, but I've heard good things about it - if you don't mind an out and back.

Starting in Killarney, a great route I can really recommend is to head over the Gap of Dunloe, then Moll's gap, drop down to Kenmare and then head round the Bearra Peninsula. You won't be disapppointed.

[Jezrant]

Excellent idea. I like that one. I'll look into the trains again. I got the impression that since last year only the Galway and Cork lines are taking bikes, but hopefully I've got that wrong. If we can get the bikes on a train to Killarney, we could then come back via Cork. I'll look into it. Thanks again.

[pq]

Oh and another thought occurs. If you can no longer get your bike to Kilarney, you could think about starting at Limerick Junction. It is literally in the middle of nowhere (a few miles north of Tipperary) so there's no urban stuff to battle through, but as an important junction has lots of trains passing through. I finished my ride there.

[Jezrant]

Limerick Junction looks a bit of a way to the coast.

[NUKe]

While since I've stayed there but Hartley house a spacious BB opposite the Royal Dublin Showground(RDS) has a locked yard where you can leave bikes is warm clean and freindly and used to be cheap. Providing there is no events at the RDS they usually have space. It is about 8 years since Iused it though.

[pq]

Yes, it's a fair way to the coast. I got there from Kinsale in a day including a rather daft dirt track over the top of a mountain so it's manageable, but maybe further than you want to go.

[Jezrant]

cheers NUKe for the B&B in Dublin. We'll look into it.

[galoka]

I did a couple of 3-4 week tours in south and west Ireland, but about 20 year ago (OMG). So not sure how useful the info is.

I camped or stayed in hostels, there are quite a few independent hostels around. I didn't fidn that many campsites around, except in the more touristy bits such as the ring of Kerry (I did that in Spet, wasn't that busy, but I think it's all reletavie, away from the main routes the roads were very quiet on the whole.

As for camping, I ened up either wild camping by a quiet beach, asking at farms (in the west mostly these are very smal operations) I was hardly ever refused, and if I was I was generally pointed somewhere else. Such as being told to camp ona grassy patch by and old stone packhorse bridge which was an 'Ancient monument ' or some such, or down on the shore by an old ruined abbey. more often it was a problem escaping in the morning as they wanted a long chat.

Berea peninusla would be good ride, personally I wouldn't worry to much about starting in cork, no it may not be the most cycling froiendly place in the world, but it's not that big as a city really - it's a only a few miles west out of the city from the railway station. As for route finding, I just picked quiet roads in the direction I wanted to go, there is plenty of options.