Would love some help and advice about bike tours in Ireland. My wife and I are about 70 years old, in pretty good shape for our age, but by no means athletes. I have visited Ireland 2-3 times driving to and visiting Dublin, Cork and Galway. I have also done a fair amount of e-bike cruising vacations. Lake Constance in Europe, San Juan islands in US, Netherlands and Belgium. Pedaling is not an issue, but as I get older I like an ebike for the hills.
Have any of you participated in 5-7 day bike tours of Ireland? If so can you comment on where, what time of year, difficulty, quality of the tour company, etc. We have ridden on both guided and self-guided tours in the past and are open to either format. Thanks for the input.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8156 posts
My first Ireland trip, age 61, was by bicycle, self-guided, early June 2011. My husband and I rented from a bike shop in Limerick, pre-arranged from the U.S., and they delivered bikes to our B&B in Salthill, the suburb west of Galway. After a couple of days in Galway, we headed west, in pouring rain, to Rossaveal, and caught a ferry to Inishmore island for a night and two days. Another ferry took us back to the mainland, near Doolin, and we climbed up to Listowel for a few nights, making daytrips to the Burren and other parts of the area.
Leaving Listowel, we did a looooong climb up to the Cliffs of Moher visitor center parking lot (free for bikes!), had time there to view the cliffs and the museum, then descended to Liscannor for a well-deserved pint in a snug, dinner, and a night’s rest. We stayed for a couple of nights at an inn with cooking classes in Spanish Point, and then continued to work our way south, using the Killimer/Tarbert ferry at one point, eventually reaching Tralee. At Tralee, we loaded the bikes into the hold of a Bus Eireann regional bus, and took it to Dingle, Rick Steves’ “back door” destination for several days.
My husband biked all the way from our Dingle rented cottage and back for a trip to Skellig Michael, while I stayed and biked on the Dingle Peninsula. We took the bus back to Tralee, then another bus to Limerick, where we turned the bikes in to the shop we’d never seen before, nor they, us.
Western Ireland is a fabulous place to bike by pedal, although an electric motor would certainly make some of those climbs easier. And be prepared for rain. I don’t remember the name of the bike shop, but that was 14 years ago, and there must now be several. I don’t have personal recommendations for a tour company or outfitter.
Posted by
Missoula, Montana
517 posts
Michael,
I can help in one regard, that of multiple self-planned, self-contained trips all over Ireland and Northern Ireland on a traditional road touring bike. I've never gone with a tour company or by e-bike.
90% of our trips (from July and into October) were along the West, Northwest and Southwest coasts, as well as the Aran Islands, where the best scenery, the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking pockets), the most rugged terrain and trad music opportunities dominate. By comparison, the East, Southeast and North coasts are flatter and less scenically appealing. However, the northeast corner of Northern Ireland is quite hilly. But no matter where you go, except for the interior counties, Ireland is a ruggedly hilly country with several challenging mountain passes to boot.
If you're looking for a gentler touring experience, though, I'd think that hooking up with a tour company would be your optimum option. It may even carry you gear from point to point as well as provide a well-researched route and reserved accommodations.