Pondering Ireland and Scotland tour

[Woodtourer]

Aer Lingus will start fly direct from our city to Dublin next year. So my I start thinking.....!
Ireland has never crossed my mind before so I thought would start exploring it along with Scotland. Length of tour 5-6 weeks.
So any resources or advice would be great.
Thamks!

[Jdsk]

"Touring in Ireland":
viewtopic.php?t=151752

Jonathan

[Noreen]

I cycled the complete coast of Ireland in 10 weeks this summer May to July cycling 40-50 miles a day and having a day off a week. Coast is best bit of Ireland. You could get to Cork in 6 days from Dublin along the Coast. Or you could take train to Cork as that bit of coast not the best, if time an issue. Then Killarney in 8 days around all the peninsulas. It was then another 5 weeks to Donegal. From Kinsale, in Cork to Malin Head in the North there is the Wild Atlantic Way which is amazing scenery and of course the people are wonderful. Useful book The Wild Atlantic Way & W Ireland Tom Cooper. Hope helpful. Best thing I have done and I’m 60

[in4time]

I did a north south tour down Eire’s west coast. Terrible weather so I bailed at Cork. That said thoroughly enjoyable and in parts spectacular riding.
I did Ferry to Belfast then train to Derry. Very easy.
I found best riding south of Donegal. My favourite was from Achill Island to Westport and from Westport to Galway. Brilliant stuff.
DM for details etc.

[MrsHJ]

Like a lot of others here I’ve cycled a chunk of the west coast of Ireland and it was spectacular with truly welcoming pubs and b and bs. We just got on and did it using road maps but you may want to try the Irish section of eurovelo 1 for some ideas or the wild Atlantic way. We did it around 10 years ago.

Also my highest rated touring country for breakfasts! (Actually best breakfasts ever full stop).

Have linked photos and vague outline from memory of route in the other thread but here they are again (only one photo of me- black jacket).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7745330@N ... 542048528/

https://cycle.travel/map/journey/332291

[Woodtourer]

Now you are getting my interest level up!

[Traction_man]

I'd recommend this book for Ireland if thinking of the Wild Atlantic Way:

https://www.cicerone.co.uk/the-wild-atl ... and-second

And from Ballycastle consider using this service to get to Campbeltown or Port Ellen to get over to Scotland:

https://aquaholics.co.uk/products/bally ... ferry-trip

https://aquaholics.co.uk/collections/bo ... 7055150159

They do carry bicycles.

cheers,

Keith

[eileithyia]

My 1st tour; ferry to Dunlaoghe (spelling) and basically rode south, across the bottom, visited Cape Clear Is, up the west coast as far as Limerick and cut back across to Dublin, using YHAs though think many of them are closed now.... brilliant holiday.... If you are going to do all the peninsulas (I didn't) be warned they are longer and further than you think....
2nd, We drove across to Sligo and left the car at the yha, going west and north up the coast to Malin Head taking in the Arran islands as well.
3rd Ferry from Stranrar and up the Antrim coast.. couple of nights in Ballycastle so we could visit the causeway, but in those days there was an excellent ferry to Campeltown where we continued our holiday with trips to a variety of islands.

[Norman H]

Ireland's network of quiet rural back roads, together with stunning scenery and the generous hospitality of the Irish people, make it a near perfect cycling destination. I can't add much to the recommendations that others have made other than to say that your main problem will be deciding what to leave out. 5-6 weeks may seem like a generous timescale but don't be tempted to include all the highlights in a single trip, especially if you are planning to visit Scotland as well.

One recommendation for covering more ground is to use public transport for onward travel from Dublin, and to travel between destinations. Both bus and rail services will carry bicycles in Ireland but its best to check conditions with individual operators before booking.

As others have indicated the mountains and coastline in the west are an obvious attraction but be aware that the west of Ireland sees significantly more rain than the eastern side of the country. Also the west coast enjoys the full force of any winds off the Atlantic.

Ireland is a popular tourist destination and the success of recent initiatives like the Wild Atlantic Way have seen a significant increase in motorised traffic and pressure on accommodation at peak times, the best time to visit Ireland in my view is May/June. September can also be good but with a higher risk of poor weather and fewer daylight hours.

For route planning the Irish Ordnance Survey 1:200K road atlas is fine but for more detail the IOS Discovery 1:50K paper maps can't be beaten. The IOS 1:50K maps are also available in raster form (only viewable on PC) from Mapyx, a bit expensive but cheaper than buying the paper maps and can also be obtained as individual 20km X 20km tiles.

[SA_SA_SA]

Nb the OS / OSI1/200k Atlas mentioned above, leaves out small roads even though that scale has plenty of room to show them , which I find irritating and limits navigation.

I dont know why maps do this, it woukd make more sense to show only A and B / N and R class roads then at least you wouldn't be misdirected....

[Norman H]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but here seems as good a place as any. Today I received email notification from Memory Map of their winter sale offers and it seems that they are now selling Ordnance Survey Ireland raster mapping.

https://memory-map.com/maps/

Previous to this OSi digital mapping was only available from Mapyx (see previous post). The maps were relatively expensive when compared to the equivalent UK maps and frustratingly were not compatible with Mapyx's own Android App. The MM OSi maps appear more reasonably priced, albeit somewhat strangely in $US, and will work fine with MM's Android and iPhone / iPad Apps. If you want Irish mapping on your phone then MM is the way to go. Both the 1:50k Discovery and 1:210k road atlas maps are available. The various software options and the 1:600k base map are free to download if you just want to have a play.

https://memory-map.com/software/
https://memory-map.com/maps/ireland/

[Traction_man]

the Kintyre Express ferry from Ballycastle to Campbeltown and Port Ellen is now due to restart in Spring 2023:

https://kintyreexpress.com/

"The Kintyre Express is back!

We are delighted to now be taking charter enquiries for autumn/winter 2022 and for 2023. Please email us at info@kintyreexpress.com or use the contact sheet at the bottom of the page.

We will also shortly confirm a late season ferry timetable for our popular service linking Campbeltown, Ballycastle and Port Ellen on the Isle of Islay.

Kintyre Express Passenger Ferry

Kintyre Express is a fast passenger ferry service which opens up Scotland and Northern Ireland for you explore.

The Kintyre Express is back! We are delighted to now be taking charter enquiries for autumn/winter 2022 and 2023. Please email us at info@kintyreexpress.com or use the contact sheet at the bottom of the page. We will also shortly confirm a late-season ferry timetable for our popular service linking Campbeltown, Ballycastle, and Port Ellen on the Isle of Islay.

Our service links Campbeltown in Kintyre, Ballycastle on the Antrim Coast and Port Ellen on the Isle of Islay. Our 13.25 metre passenger ferry features a fully enclosed, centrally heated cabin with 12 airline style seats so you can travel in comfort while enjoying a fast journey to your destination. For golfers, cyclists and those with lots of luggage, we’ve got ample room to carry golf clubs, bikes and luggage free of charge."



which is excellent news for us here in norn iron.

cheers,

Keith

[Woodtourer]

I have ,without success, tried contacting Aer Lingus to inquire further about bikes as luggage. Trying to find information about box size and weight. The people I contact have no idea. A bit frustrating.

[mxg01]

Great news about the Kintyre Express. I was hoping to to use that a couple of months ago. Had to go to Brittany instead.

I'm not sure about the Aer Lingus packed bike maximum size. Ryanair don't seem to tell you that either. I suppose it has to fit through the extra large baggage x-ray machine at the airport. I've flown Ryanair with a bike in a Chain Reaction bag and that was very easy. Maybe avoid Aer Lingus. Maybe avoid the regional services even more.