My husband and I are visiting Ireland at the end of September and will be spending most of our time in the west (Kenmare, Dingle, County Clare, Galway). We would like to rent bicycles and go on a ride at some point and were hoping to find a trail or section of trail that is relatively flat. We also considered biking within Killarney National Park if we could find a flat trail, but it looks like we'd have to rent the bikes in the town of Killarney and probably transport them to a different area of the park, and I don't think our rental car will be large enough to fit two bikes in the back seat. Does anyone happen to know of any flat-ish trails or roads in the west that would be good for a one- to two-hour bike ride?
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2962 posts
This company is located directly across from the entrance to the National Park in Killarney and appears to offer several itineraries, all of which are over (mostly) level tracks..
The easiest option for a casual ride would probably be the circuit thru the Park itself, which includes a number of scenic stops along the way.
Another option would be the trip across the lake over to the Gap of Dunloe. The boat docks at Lord Brandon's Cottage which could be an option for lunch, or maybe stop in at Kate Kearney's Cottage at the other end of the glen. As I recall the distance from Lord Brandon's thru the Gap to Kate Kearney's is about 7 miles each way.
In late September you won't have the crowds, and congestion, of mid-summer.
Am sure the representative at the bike rental office could offer suggestions and generally help sort things out for you according to your particular interests.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2220 posts
Have a look at this website that has suggestions for cycle routees from Killarney.
Posted by
OP
11 posts
Thank you both for the suggestions!
Posted by
Chicago
545 posts
In 2010, I hiked 100 miles of the Dingle Way: https://www.dingleway.com/. Though there are sections of it that only hikers could traverse, I noticed a lot of people on bicycle along relatively long sections of it.
In a bed and breakfast in a town called Annascaul, Dingle, I met a group of four bicyclists from England. They were a multi-day bicycle tour of Dingle. The peninsula appears to be a good place for a bicycle trip, though sections of it are mountainous.
I used a company then called SouthWest Walks Ireland, but now called Ireland WalkBikeHike, to book my seven bed and breakfast stays. Maybe they can help you on a bicycle trip: https://irelandwalkhikebike.com/
Finally, I bicycled on Inishmore Island, one of the Aran Islands, in 1999. There are a lot of bicycle rental places in the Kilronan, the main town of Inishmore. Ferries from Rossaveel Harbor near Galway can take you to Inishmore Island. It's wonderful to stay there.
Posted by
1 posts
My wife and I (in our early 60s) in Aug 2023 rented bikes in Dingle at Paddy's Bike Rental and biked around the Dingle Pennisula (32 miles, lots of stops, 6 hours, quite hilly in parts). For a short relatively flat 1-2 hours(with stops) start in Dingle going Southwest onto Slea Head Drive to Ventry, Ventry Beach, Fionn Tra Beach area, then back to Dingle. Paddy has great maintained bikes, but bring your own water bottles. Nice scenic ride along the coast.
Posted by
OP
11 posts
Thank you both! We may end up biking through Killarney National Park and a part of the Dingle peninsula.