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| Connemara where my friend went wild swimming
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Rosslare is a good place to start a bike ride in Ireland. There are ferries from both Pembroke and Fishguard. I travelled with Irish Ferries as the cycle connection at Pembroke is easy using Sustrans cycle route NCN4 and avoids all the traffic. Both Fishguard and Pembroke have train connections to Cardiff and beyond.
Rosslare too is excellent for cyclists and has a very straightforward connection onto Eurovelo cycle route EV1. It is also a pleasant place to start a tour with lots of B+B's and a good Irish pub for dinner.
The Irish Government plans that Eurovelo 1 will be a long distance cycle route through the south, west and north of Ireland. Some sections are in place and I found that the first part through Co Wexford is well signed and easy to follow. Eurovelo 1 contributed to my inspiration as it is the cyclists' equivalent to the Wild Atlantic Way. On my first day, I reached Hook Lighthouse and Co Waterford was a short ferry ride away on the following morning. This was where my first decision was needed. Should I travel on the new Waterford Greenway or the Copper Coast route, much more hilly but very beautiful? I chose the Copper Coast Route and was delighted with my choice. I was now to experience Ireland's great hospitality and wild weather at the same time. Having seen great coastal views and a redundant copper mine, I arrived at my B+B at Stradbally completely soaked but was given a warm welcome and, after a shower, driven a distance of 10km for dinner in Dungarvan.
I discovered that Cork is a fascinating city but suggest avoiding it on the bike as it is very busy with no suitable bike infrastructure. It is far better to cycle into Cobh instead. You should have a day off, stay two nights in Cobh and go in to Cork by train. There is a ferry leaving Cobh and the next place is Kinsale, a bustling place worthy of a another rest day as there is plenty to do. It is also the start of the Wild Atlantic Way.
You don't meet Eurovelo 1 again until Westport in Co Mayo. I used a Collins road map to plan my journey as it shows both main roads and lots of tiny lanes. The Wild Atlantic Way is well signed on the ground. It is a mixture of main highways and quiet side roads. I soon discovered that it is important to plan each day carefully, partly to try and keep off busier roads but the Way misses out some very scenic places on the coast. In April, I found that the main roads outside cities are quiet and many rural Irish motorists are immensely respectful to cyclists. There was many an occasion that I was on a quiet lane and unknowingly I had a motorist waiting patiently behind me to overtake, neither tooting the horn nor revving the engine.
The five peninsulas of Mizen, Sheeps Head, Beara, Kerry and Dingle come next. The distance cycling around the coast is enormous but the scenery and hospitality are outstanding. Famed for their jaw dropping coastlines and mountains looking down over crystal clear waters, you feel that you are cycling into the unknown. Understanding the perils of the weather is fundamental to having an enjoyable bike ride in Ireland. Do be prepared to hunker down occasionally. I have cycled in many types of weather before but Mizen and Sheeps Head were to test me in a way I have rarely experienced. I left Goleen with gales and heavy rain forecast. I was cycling north east and, with the wind behind me, I reached Durrus in no time. My next stop was Sheeps Head itself but this required to turn due west straight into the wind. It was ferocious and thankfully I found a B+B part way. Imagine cycling downhill at 6kph in bottom gear and finding it hard work? This was the end of Sheeps Head when the wind rose to 160kph later that evening. This was an adventure in itself that extended into the next day. I had to abandon the far west of Beara because of high winds but serenity returned when I arrived on the Ring of Kerry. The sun shone and out came the sun cream. I expected the main road to be fairly busy and had prepared to ride a side road but there was virtually no traffic so kept to the main road. The weather was now angelic and Kerry was gorgeous. So was the Dingle peninsula that followed and I especially enjoyed Slea Head. This was four days that I savoured.
I thoroughly enjoyed the five peninsulas. After leaving Tralee, the coast was more gentle as I headed up to Tarbert where I crossed the River Shannon. I spent two nights at Kilkee and had an enjoyable day storm watching the waves exploding over a reef and seeing tiny turnstones scrambling to get food from the beach. I stopped on the Burren to admire its limestone pavements and patchwork of tiny fields grazed by cattle
Galway was half way on my tour. My journey had been full of drama but I decided to split it into a second visit and come back the following year.
"How are you?" were the first words I heard on my return trip, this time in June 2019. These easy words are spoken as a greeting by everyone in Ireland and give a reassuring friendly feel. Many people speak Irish on the west coast.
I thought that I was entering dreamtime that only got better and better as I cycled through Connemara and Mayo. Rarely have I enjoyed myself so much. I left the traffic of Galway city and cycled into a soft Irish mist as I followed the coast road. I watched gannets diving into the sea and the sun came out to serenade me for many of the days that followed. This is an area of contrasts. Little sandy bays sit within a craggy coastline and behind there is another inland watery landscape with little lochans and bogs everywhere. The backdrop is mountainous. I found the most interesting town is Westport which I have visited often. If you are lucky, you can see Riverdance being performed in its little theatre. On route, Leenane is at the head of a fjiord. It is a good place to stay and you have to pass through here when leaving Connemara into Mayo. It is not possible to follow the coast because there is both the fjiord and a mountain in the way.
Mayo's coastline is huge. After cycling around Clew Bay, Achill's coast must be seen and it is two days ride to reach Blacksod, just a few km north by boat. Mayo has possibly the least populated wilderness area in Ireland and lays claim to be its adventure capital for outdoor sports. I detected an aura of regional pride in Mayo
Sligo was busy and I could not find anywhere to stay so I did not see much of it. The traffic was very heavy too but I knew about the North West Trail Cycle Route from a previous ride. You should take this to Donegal. It is a good route around the edge of the Dartry Mountains then rejoins the coast to Donegal town. Eurovelo 1 starts again in Co Donegal and takes you to Belfast. For a while both cycle routes are on the same lanes. I followed much of EV1 in Co Donegal and except at Loughanure, it was well signed. but it misses some of the north. Donegal's west coast was more built up than I expected but the north and east were well worth the journey. I heard a corncrake at Dunfanaghy, a bird of exceptional rarity.
I rejoined EV1 and followed it across the border into Northern Ireland all the way to Portadown where I left it for my journey's end at Newry. EV1 leaves the Wild Atlantic Way midway between Letterkenny and Derry (where I had been on a previous ride). Expecting the unexpected, I had no idea what Northern Ireland would be like. EV1 had been chosen to take you through the Sperrins, a remote inland mountainous area and I found myself again feeling as if I was cycling into the unknown. It is an AONB and many cycle routes are signed to criss cross it. My favourite town was Cookstown on its SE edge. The route touches Lough Neagh and my final section was along a former canal path into Newry.
I entered Ireland on my second visit through Dublin Port. I want to come back to Dublin for another visit but not with a bike. Like many cities, its infrastructure needs substantial improvement and before I came I was told to be ultra careful. It is 5km from the port into the city centre much of it shared with HGV's and there is no choice with this. However both trains and some long distances coaches take bicycles. My outward trip from Dublin to Galway was with GoBus who gave a good service and the return from Newry was equally good on the train.
Would I go back to Ireland again with my bike? Of course. What was my favourite place? I am not telling. Any dramas with weather? A few. Below is the route for Eurovelo 1 which I based my journey on
This is the website for Eurovelo 1. My daily maps and lots of photos can be found on Twitter
Enjoy a great adventure
