Thoughts /
April 4, 2024
Andy and I have known each other for several years through the Umbraco community; we're both regular attendees at the Umbraco London meetup as well as a variety of other events. We also share a keen interest in motorcycles (hence "Umbikers"!) and both attended the ABR Festival last year (and will be there again this year!). Earlier this year, we decided to take the bikes on a week-long tour of Ireland.
We didn't do a huge amount of planning - we chose the dates, booked the ferries and booked accommodation for the first two nights, as well as the last night on the way home. We decided to book the rest as we went along, to give ourselves a bit of flexibility. The idea was to stay in Wales the first night, and then get the ferry from Fishguard to Rosslare, make our way along the southern part of Ireland, then halfway up the west coast to Galway before heading back across Ireland for the return ferry from Dublin to Holyhead and then home.
As the big day approached, we got the bikes ready and loaded with gear for the trip (complete with Umbraco stickers!) before heading off.
The first day's ride was a four-and-a-half hour motorway slog from Suffolk to Wales, where we had arranged to meet. I'm not a huge fan of long motorway rides, but the 'thrilling' option on the sat nav added another 2 hours to the journey, so motorways it was. Weather was overcast with light rain most of the way, but not enough to scramble into waterproofs. I stopped at services on the way for mandatory McDonald's for lunch.
Some complicated roadworks on the approach to the AirBnB made it a little tricky to find the place. Andy and I actually met in the roadworks, and eventually we found our way to some rather unusual accommodation - a 2-bedroom converted double-decker bus called "Dolly Double D". It was charmingly done, but freezing (!) so we switched on multiple fan heaters while Andy coaxed the log burner into action. We didn't fancy going back out on the bikes, and fortunately JustEat were able to deliver to the bus!
Mobile internet was a bit patchy, but we managed to book a hotel in Killarney for nights 3 and 4. We played a bit of cards before retiring to the top deck - I've never been so glad of an electric blanket!
We woke to rain, but waited for a gap in the weather before loading the bikes and heading out, leaving "Dolly Double D" behind. Another quick breakfast stop before riding all the way on to Fishguard ferry port - main roads again to make sure we made the ferry in good time. The weather cleared as we got to the ferry and we arrived in sunshine. Some minimal security checks (no passport needed!) and then a little waiting around before being called to load onto the ferry.
We were first on, and the bikes were soon strapped down for the crossing. We made our way up to the Stena Plus lounge, where we ordered lunch and took advantage of the relaxed atmosphere and complimentary drinks and snacks - I highly recommend it! The crossing is three-and-a-half hours, so did a bit of wandering about the ferry. The crossing was calm and I got up to the top deck for a look at the Irish Sea sliding by.
As we docked at Rosslare, we headed down to the car deck and hopped back onto the bikes once they'd been unstrapped. We'd checked the weather forecast for our onward ride to our accommodation, and we decided that we weren't going to need full waterproofs. We were wrong.
The ride from Rosslare to Big Mick's Cottage was very wet, and we were completely soaked as we arrived with darkness falling. We were met by Jackie who was lovely. After sorting all our gear out to dry, the thought of going back out in the rain was too much, so JustEat saved the day again - not sure the trip was the healthiest so far! The accommodation was perfect; they even had an Umbraco-style cushion on one of the chairs!
More rain first thing (argh!), but it eased off long enough for us to load the bikes up and head off. This time, we had opted for full waterproofs! The plan was to do a fairly long (4-ish hour) ride via Cork all the way to down to Mizen Head, the most south-westerly point of Ireland, and then head north to Killarney for the next couple of nights.
The weather was fairly pleasant, and we stopped for fuel after an hour or so. However, we soon hit grey skies and rain, which got steadily worse. As we approached Cork, we were riding through full-on snow so we decided to rethink our plan and head north straight from Cork to Killarney. It was so wet that visibility was a challenge, and the phone sat nav kept quitting, so we stopped at a covered petrol station to wipe phones and visors down.
As we sorted ourselves out, we were approached by a guy who had just come from the direction we were headed. He warned us that the high pass he'd just come through had 2 inches of snow on the ground - not great for road tyres and heavy motorbikes! We had no real option though, other than to tentatively point the bikes in that direction and keep going. Luckily, by the time we reached the high part the roads were clear, although there was snow all around us on the hills.
We made it to the Castle Lodge hotel in Killarney, checked in, unloaded the bikes and headed across the road for lunch before wandering into the town centre. We stopped at The Laurels pub for a compulsory Guinness or two and then headed back to the hotel to relax for the afternoon. We headed back into town later on and found our way to the Celtic Whiskey Bar & Larder for some excellent food before another quick Guinness and back to the hotel for a bit of planning for day 4 (more promising weather forecast!) and an early night.
Luck was on our side weather-wise (finally!), and just in time. After breakfast, we took the panniers off the bikes and, after a brief stop for a refuel, we headed out onto the clockwise route around the Ring of Kerry. Past Killarney National Park, we found ourselves on some tight winding roads heading up over the hills; some amazing riding and wild rugged scenery backed by snow-capped mountains.
After one brief wrong turn (sat nav's fault!), we were back on track heading south towards Kenmare, and then swinging west onto some amazing coastal vistas; we had to remember to keep looking at the road! A couple of stops for photos and some leg stretching, and on we rode, heading north and then west again towards Ballinskelligs and some amazing views of the Skelligs rising out of the sea in the distance.
We continued north up the coast to Portmagee where we took an unscheduled left over the bridge to explore Valentia Island before backtracking and continuing the eastbound leg. A bit faster and less winding, we were starting to flag a little, so we were grateful when Golden's of Kells appeared on our right. We stopped for a much-needed coffee and cake.
Back on the road, we headed back around the final section to Killorglin and then back to Killarney and the hotel. An absolutely fantastic day of riding some amazing roads in a totally awe-inspiring location - and perfect riding weather!
After freshening up, we took a 30-minute stroll to Ross Castle in Killarney, on the bank of the lake. Ross Castle is a tower house, built in the 1400s and restored from ruins. Impressive, and nice to spend a bit of time off the bikes doing something cultural. We wandered back into town and had dinner and drinks at The Tan Yard - very much needed after a long day - and then headed back to the hotel for another early night.
Greyer skies again this morning, and after breakfast we left Killarney behind us and headed north. The plan was to ride around the coastal Wild Atlantic Way to Oranmore, near Galway, where we had booked another two nights of accommodation at a hotel.
The rain returned as we wound our way to Tralee and round the coast via Ballyheigue towards Tarbert to get a short ferry across the River Shannon. As we approached the ferry port, we saw a ferry just leaving so we parked up and waited for the next one; they go hourly. Luckily, the rain had mostly eased off while we waited. The ferry arrived and we rode on, parked our bikes at the front, and headed up some steps to a narrow walkway for a better view of the short crossing.
We hopped back onto the bikes as we docked the other side and, first off the ferry, we headed west to Kilkee and then flirted with the coast as we headed north past Trump's golf course at Doonbeg. With the weather improving all the time, we had a brief unscheduled stop in Quilty a little further north when Andy's bike picked up a rear puncture. We pulled over and Andy did a quick repair. We reinflated the tyre with a portable inflator and were on our way again in no time. (Important to have the right gear!)
The rest of the ride to Galway was less eventful, but still enjoyable, with some excellent tight twisties including switchbacks on Corkscrew Hill on the road to Ballyvaughan. We finally arrived at our hotel in Oranmore near Galway mid-afternoon, both pretty exhausted, so we checked in and retired to our respective rooms for the afternoon.
The hotel, the Coach House Hotel, was a lucky find - not only is there a petrol station next door, it's also surrounded by restaurants. We found the Armorica and had some good food and more Guinness, and then headed back to the hotel.
After breakfast, we took the panniers off again (better in the wind!) before heading out at around 9am. The weather forecast was dry but windy, and that turned out to be spot on. We headed west through Galway and out along the coast road with some imposing views across Galway Bay. We followed the road north at Ballynahown and then took a detour west to explore the three islands of Lettermore Island, Dog Island and Lettermullan, all joined by stone bridges and winding bends.
When we reached the farthest point, we turned around and backtracked to Costelloe, where we turned left and followed the twisting and winding roads, hugging the coast all the way round to Roundstone, where we stopped for an opportunistic lunch at O'Dowd's Café before heading on for a brief stop at Gurteen Bay. In the car park, we were sat on the bikes sorting out the sat nav when I dropped a glove, and a passing man kindly picked it up for me and we got chatting. Turns out he's a fellow biker, and lives about 20 minutes from me in Suffolk! Funny how that happens!
The return leg was a bit of backtrack, and then a blast down the N59 all the way back to Galway - great to get a bit of faster riding in after a morning of tight and winding bends. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable (and dry!) day on the bike.
We got back to the hotel around 3pm and got the panniers back on the bikes ready for the next day's trip over to Dublin to get the ferry. After another chilled afternoon we wandered up the main street to find a place for dinner, but ended up at Basilico right next to the hotel, which was packed and very nice! An opportunity for a last couple of "proper" pints of Guinness.
We loaded the bikes and set off after breakfast. Weather forecast was a little uncertain so full waterproofs again, just in case. The ride over to Dublin was about two hours of motorways - grey and blustery with patchy rain. A few toll booths helped break up the monotony a bit. We arrived at the ferry port as the weather cleared, and got chatting to some fellow bikers in the queue before (eventually) boarding for the return crossing. Another calm and comfortable crossing in the Stena Plus lounge - I even managed to persuade them to put the Liverpool game on the TV!
Just a short ride off the ferry to a nearby Premier Inn in Holyhead before the final slog home in the morning.
It was grey but dry when we woke, so we headed off around 8am to try to make some progress on the motorway ride home. Dry didn't last long - we hit rain around Bangor and it rained constantly until we stopped 2 hours later at Birmingham. Motorways in the rain and wind are not fun on a motorbike! We had a spot of lunch at the services, and when we emerged the rain had just about stopped.
We decided to go our separate ways at that point, as our journeys split just after Birmingham. The rest of the ride back was dry and sunny - still motorways, and still a bit blustery, but a vast improvement on the fairly miserable morning. I decided to leave the dual carriageways about half an hour from home and take a slower and calmer route back to the house, where I was very pleased and relieved to arrive!
What a fantastic week and amazing experience - some great riding in every conceivable weather.
Now to plan the next one.... who's in?
Here's a short 5-minute highlight reel from the dashcam on my bike.
April 4, 2024
© Mike Taylor 2024
