Vacation in Ireland

[daker13]

I'm going to be in Ireland, at a farmhouse in Dingle, in a couple of weeks. Any advice for bike rentals? If the only options are rusted out 60 lb beaters (typical tourist bikes), I probably won't bother, I'll just hike instead.

Any advice appreciated. I'm going to be in that area for about 10 days.

[Spaghetti Legs]

I don’t have any specific advice other than, based on my somewhat dated experience, it will be worth it to rent a bike. My wife and I rode the Dingle Peninisula for our honeymoon 20 years ago. Killarney, Inch, Dingle, Tralee. Roads were narrow and often rough but very few cars. Auto traffic, like most places in Europe, I’m sure is heavier now but I would bet SW Ireland has seen much less traffic growth than the rest of Europe.

We had decent touring bikes and rode from one B+B to the next, while our guide drove our bags for us. Conor Pass was a beautiful climb and the coast along Slea Head is best experienced from a bike. If you can’t find a bike in Dingle, Killarney and Tralee are bigger towns and not too far away.

[metalheart]

There are a couple of shops in Dingle that rent bikes, a Google search will find them relatively easily. You can also contact the Dingle Cycling Club for information and advice. They have some regular rides this time of year and it might be fun to ride with the local folks.

Where is the farm house you are renting?

I lived on the Peninsula in a small Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) village (Ballycurrane) for about 14 months in the late seventies. I rode a beater bike everywhere and at that time it was great riding. Although the roads and traffic have changed, it remains some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen in my travels in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Central America. It is a special place with special people. And, a Guiness pulled from a local pub tap is a treasure.

Some of the best traditional Irish musicians in the world are in this area. Look up Seamus and Brendan Begley and make sure you attend one of the weekend Ceilis (Irish dances). Great music, Guiness, and biking: you can't go wrong.