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Ireland
Hi folks
I posted a couple of weeks ago asking for advice on touring in the Channel islands in a couple of weeks - well, I've decided to put that off for a couple of months since all the campsites and many of the guesthouses and hotels are closed then, and the ferry to Alderney doesn't start up until April (I wanted to go and visit the little blonde hedgehogs Anyway, I just discovered you can get cheap train/ferry combo tickets to Ireland and am now thinking about a few days over there instead. Can anybody recommend a good cycling area in Ireland? I'm not afraid of a few hills, in fact would prefer scenic hilly stuff to flats. I'm looking at 4-5 days. Cheers all Hel |
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#2
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Ireland
If you can get there the Ring of Kerry, South West coast, is great. Helen Wrote: Hi folks I posted a couple of weeks ago asking for advice on touring in the Channel islands in a couple of weeks - well, I've decided to put that off for a couple of months since all the campsites and many of the guesthouses and hotels are closed then, and the ferry to Alderney doesn't start up until April (I wanted to go and visit the little blonde hedgehogs Anyway, I just discovered you can get cheap train/ferry combo tickets to Ireland and am now thinking about a few days over there instead. Can anybody recommend a good cycling area in Ireland? I'm not afraid of a few hills, in fact would prefer scenic hilly stuff to flats. I'm looking at 4-5 days. Cheers all Hel -- permajeo |
#3
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On Feb 21, 2:54 pm, "Helen" wrote:
Hi folks I posted a couple of weeks ago asking for advice on touring in the Channel islands in a couple of weeks - well, I've decided to put that off for a couple of months since all the campsites and many of the guesthouses and hotels are closed then, and the ferry to Alderney doesn't start up until April (I wanted to go and visit the little blonde hedgehogs Anyway, I just discovered you can get cheap train/ferry combo tickets to Ireland and am now thinking about a few days over there instead. Can anybody recommend a good cycling area in Ireland? I'm not afraid of a few hills, in fact would prefer scenic hilly stuff to flats. I'm looking at 4-5 days. Cheers all Hel Hi Helen, You can get the ferries to Dublin Port (Dublin city centre), Dun Laoghaire (6 miles south of Dublin city centre), Rosslare (SE tip), and Larne and Belfast in Northern Ireland. The east coast is generally a bit drier than the west, though most of the country is "dampish" at this time of year. County Wicklow (immediately south of Dublin) has excellent cycling, and is reachable from Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire in an hour's cycle . See http://www.wicklow200.ie for an idea of terrain. Hilly and scenic in equal measure, and my own back yard. Carlow/Kilkenny is another nice area, readily reachable from Rosslare, and with plenty of good cycling roads. If you want to head further West, you could kick off from Galway and head out from there. It's a traditional tourism area (not too "touristy" in the bad sense). Galway/Clare/Mayo is very scenic, with plenty of good cycling roads, but you'd want to have your nightly stops planned in advance, as it's a bit less populated than some other areas. Probably a half day's travel from Dublin, a little longer from Rosslare. Transport on trains with a bicycle here is patchy at best. I've never had a problem getting my bike onto the inter-city coach services though, and they are far cheaper than the train, and at least as reliable. The main hub for these buses in Dublin is "Busaras" (bus station), which is about 2km from Dublin Port. There are similarly good bus connections from Rosslare Port, timed to coincide with the Ferry arrivals/departures. Roads are generally reasonably well surfaced. Most National roads have a substantial, well paved, hard shoulder, though nearly all some have stretches where this is not the case. As in the UK, bicycles aren't allowed on the motorways, but the "old road" is normaly still in place running roughly in parallel, so you shouldn't be stuck. You should get an up-to-date map - there's been a lot of road building, and several National Road - Motorway upgrades in the last few years. Hotels are pretty expensive here, but B&Bs are plentiful in most areas, and competition keeps the prices down, though the Republic of Ireland is no longer cheap by UK standards. €30 per person per night is really the minimum you'll get away with - normally more like €50 p.p.p.n., more again in the really touristy areas like Killarney. Given the choice, I'd come in to Rosslare, head north through Wexford/ Carlow/Kilkenny/Wicklow, and leave again from Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire. It's only about 160km by direct route from Rosslare to Dublin via the coast road, but you can stretch that out to whatever you want by going inland. Almost everywhere will take Credit Cards, and Maestro/Cirrus (called Laser over here) is also accepted. Some B&B's won't though - it's worth checking when ringing to book. I work in Northern Ireland quite a bit - it's a nice place, the people are friendly (regardless of what the media would have you believe, it's a lovely place with a very small number of areas that are best avoided), and you won't have to change your Sterling to Euros and back again. I haven't cycled there myself though, so I can't advise you beyond the above. In and around Dublin, we have plentiful stupid, dangerous bike lanes, ill though-out junctions, lethal steel tramlines/grooves sunk into the road, and the "tac-tiles" are arranged just like in the UK, to cause maximum inconvenience to all users. Home away from home ;-) hth, bookieb. |
#4
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Ireland
bookieb wrote:
You can get the ferries to Dublin Port (Dublin city centre), Dun Laoghaire (6 miles south of Dublin city centre), Rosslare (SE tip), and Larne and Belfast in Northern Ireland. When I went there in 2004 the ferries from Holyhead to Dublin were for motor vehicles only, no foot passengers or bicycles. The Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire route does take foot passengers and cyclists, and is a much more pleasant place than Dublin Port, IMO. It's also that much closer to good cycling in the Wicklow Hills. I cycled south out of Dublin to Rosslare, passing through Glendalough on the way, then caught the ferry to Fishguard. Very pleasant trip, but if time is short than a round trip between Holyhead and Dun Laoghaire and a loop ride in the Wicklow Hills going as far south as Glendalough would be a great way to spend a few days. mark |
#5
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Helen wrote on 21/02/2007 14:54 +0100:
Anyway, I just discovered you can get cheap train/ferry combo tickets to Ireland and am now thinking about a few days over there instead. Are you sure they are real? I tried to get them last year and found it impossible. I spoke with the Man in Seat61 who has access to all the ticketing information and found them very elusive. Can anybody recommend a good cycling area in Ireland? I'm not afraid of a few hills, in fact would prefer scenic hilly stuff to flats. I'm looking at 4-5 days. The Antrim Coast is highly recommended and there is a cycle route that runs along it. Plenty of hills to keep you occupied and you can take inland excursions along the glens for more hills and moorland scenery. -- Tony "...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate..." Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy |
#6
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Helen wrote:
Hi folks I posted a couple of weeks ago asking for advice on touring in the Channel islands in a couple of weeks - well, I've decided to put that off for a couple of months since all the campsites and many of the guesthouses and hotels are closed then, and the ferry to Alderney doesn't start up until April (I wanted to go and visit the little blonde hedgehogs Anyway, I just discovered you can get cheap train/ferry combo tickets to Ireland and am now thinking about a few days over there instead. Can anybody recommend a good cycling area in Ireland? I'm not afraid of a few hills, in fact would prefer scenic hilly stuff to flats. I'm looking at 4-5 days. You could give this a go ... http://www.ebaumsworld.com/tags/high-rider/ .... apparently taken here ... http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/TheCliffs.aspx .... by this lot ... http://www.hansrey.com/past%20adventures/ireland.htm -- Don Whybrow Sequi Bonum Non Time Sense is not cognition but sensation. (Douglas Robinson) |
#7
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On Feb 21, 8:41 pm, Tony Raven wrote:
Helen wrote on 21/02/2007 14:54 +0100: Anyway, I just discovered you can get cheap train/ferry combo tickets to Ireland and am now thinking about a few days over there instead. Are you sure they are real? I tried to get them last year and found it impossible. I spoke with the Man in Seat61 who has access to all the ticketing information and found them very elusive. I haven't called them yet but found the info on www.sailrail.co.uk via seat61.com - I hope it's real otherwise I don't think I can afford the separate fares... Thanks to everybody who offered advice anyway - I'm not well up on my Irish geography so don't know where most of the places are and I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time poring over the map Helen |
#8
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On Feb 21, 9:00 pm, Don Whybrow wrote:
You could give this a go ... http://www.ebaumsworld.com/tags/high-rider/ ... apparently taken here ... http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/TheCliffs.aspx ... by this lot ... http://www.hansrey.com/past%20adventures/ireland.htm Insane... I'm getting dizzy just looking at the pictures. Helen |
#9
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in message , Don Whybrow
') wrote: Helen wrote: Hi folks I posted a couple of weeks ago asking for advice on touring in the Channel islands in a couple of weeks - well, I've decided to put that off for a couple of months since all the campsites and many of the guesthouses and hotels are closed then, and the ferry to Alderney doesn't start up until April (I wanted to go and visit the little blonde hedgehogs Anyway, I just discovered you can get cheap train/ferry combo tickets to Ireland and am now thinking about a few days over there instead. Can anybody recommend a good cycling area in Ireland? I'm not afraid of a few hills, in fact would prefer scenic hilly stuff to flats. I'm looking at 4-5 days. You could give this a go ... http://www.ebaumsworld.com/tags/high-rider/ ... apparently taken here ... http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/TheCliffs.aspx ... by this lot ... http://www.hansrey.com/past%20adventures/ireland.htm I've cycled there. It's good, and the Burren (which is nearby) is wonderful. Recommended. Take waterproofs! -- (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ ;; lovely alternative to rice. |
#10
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Ireland
Helen wrote on 21/02/2007 21:28 +0100:
I haven't called them yet but found the info on www.sailrail.co.uk via seat61.com - I hope it's real otherwise I don't think I can afford the separate fares... Try it but when I did in the summer they were nominally available but not in practice. Things might have changed though. -- Tony "...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate..." Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy |
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