Been trying to plan a trip to include motorcycling along the Wild Atlantic Way in the West of Ireland. Not knowing where I will end up after each days ride makes it hard to plan. Anyone have advice on this? I’ve been in this area several times. A home base in Galway is ideal as my wife will accompany (although not ride) with me. And we both love this area. Thinking of maybe rolling the dice, finding a spot to stay along the route? I know the beauty and unpredictable weather along the way will inevitably draw me into wanderlust distractions!
Any/all suggestions would be most appreciated!
Posted by
Arlington, Virginia
533 posts
The time of year of your trip will partly determine how much competition you'll have for overnight accommodations. Are you going this year or in some future year? Do you plan on staying in B&Bs, hotels, AirBnBs, hostels or at campgrounds?
Whatever your plans, making them far in advance is, unfortunately, today's reality, largely driven by the internet. Booking beds and even dinners six, eight, ten months ahead of time is the standard. And that's not accounting for the 84,000 Ukrainian refugees Ireland is now housing across the country.
Gone are the days of showing up and expecting to get a B&B room in just a few minutes by knocking on a couple of doors, such as we'd easily done for years. Nine of our ten trips all over Ireland (all by bicycle) offered that level of flexibility and serendipity.
That all changed in the fifteen-year gap between trip #9 and trip #10 (in 2022). Granted, although I began planning late (in May for a late July departure), it took an entire month to reserve B&Bs (in the few that still had rooms) for a 30-day trip around Ireland's perimeter. And in towns everywhere, some restaurants were closed or understaffed due to Covid, making tables unavailable. A number of B&Bs also closed during the pandemic and may not have reopened since.