Ireland trip inspiration!

[x.carol]

Hello my lovelies!

I've got a few days off next week so decided to go over for a couple of nights to Ireland on the bikes with the family.

I've never been to Ireland, never mind on my bike, so I was wondering if anyone could recommend anywhere to stay and interesting things to do, or any nice roads or landmarks to go visit? Anything like that! Dad is making me do all the boring researchy stuff..
Hoping to stop somewhere in/on the edge of Dublin.

Thankyouuu! xxx
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Yammy Viragoo 535 ♥

[barrkel]

I'm Irish, born in Dublin but grew up in Galway on the west coast (almost directly opposite Dublin), while parents are from Kerry, also on west coast, but in the south.

I can't tell you about attractions specifically - I was never a tourist in my own country, there's lots of ruins of monasteries, castles, etc. - but in terms of scenery, the coast is where the good stuff is to be found, the west coast in particular. Ireland has a flat marshy centre; it's not terribly interesting (I went to college in Athlone, which is in the middle, we'd joke that it's the dead centre of Ireland). Dingle in Kerry is particularly beautiful; the Burren in Clare is a karst landscape - fields and mountains of bare, hollowed away limestone. The coastal trip from Galway to Sligo is quite good; but I've never gone further north than that yet - I've been meaning to do a proper tour back home myself. I plan on tracing pretty much the whole west coast from top to bottom.

Watch out for the roads though. The roads have always been bad in Ireland; they've improved in the past 20 years or so, but they're still not great, because Ireland isn't very densely populated and there are an awful lot of roads (allegedly the most densely populated country in Europe in 1845, before the famine). The new motorways are good quality, but many are tolled, and motorbikes aren't free. I had to fish out my Irish credit card when neither my UK debit nor credit cards would work, and the guy in the toll booth wouldn't take my 50 euro note either.

My one and only high-side was in Ireland, turning out of a junction, I gave slightly too much throttle, then chopped it as the rear came sliding round. I was turning into the slide, but the slide had gone too far, and I flopped over and nearly knocked myself out cold with the helmet chin impact on the ground. Aside from too much throttle for the conditions, the conditions specifically were worn road surface exposing slick tar combined with a little diesel on a wet day. Thankfully I was only going about 10mph at the time.

Oh, and it rains. A lot.
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Bikes: S1000R, SH350; Exes: Vity 125, PS125, YBR125, ER6f, VFR800, Brutale 920, CB600F, SH300x4
Best road ever ridden: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MhNxUEYtQ

[GeenGeen]

Hi Carol,
Just booked mine and so very excited!
I have a few reccomendations but it's really up to you,depending on what you want to do and what to see.
Forstly getting there,I checked on the ferry companies website which didnt have any motorbike deals but then found this motorbike deal on a comparison website https://www.aferry.co.uk/specialoffers/IrishFerries.htm . We will be staying at The River Bank House hotel and we have planned a lot of fishing - off the local beaches. Deepsea fishing from nearby Kilmore Quay yes please!We will do some bird watching as me dad has a bit manic with bird life nearby Saltee Islands.
Ifnyou visit it,make sure you have a mean at The Lobster Pot, Ballyfane, Carne Beach - amazing food!
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Always have a plan B in life!