Adventure Bike Rider Forum

I'm planning a trip over to Ireland in August, already staying in Monaghan & want to meet up with a couple of ABRers who will be arriving in Dublin. We've got a three day window before heading home.
Any advise on places/roads or must do's would be greatly appreciated.
Looking to stay in B&B's, no camping.
Don't know whether to stay in the North or head down South, either way we'll need to end up in Dublin for the ferry home.

I like Galway town. Connemara north of there is wild.

Remember signs are in kilometres if you think of them as miles you will get your journey times right (roads are not good).

Tom

+ 1 for Galway and Connemara, the road between Louisburgh and Leenane is a must (thumbs)

Jammin wrote:I'm planning a trip over to Ireland in August, already staying in Monaghan & want to meet up with a couple of ABRers who will be arriving in Dublin. We've got a three day window before heading home.
Any advise on places/roads or must do's would be greatly appreciated.
Looking to stay in B&B's, no camping.
Don't know whether to stay in the North or head down South, either way we'll need to end up in Dublin for the ferry home.

Don't make your decision until you see weather. Go where the better weather is and you wont regret it. Do a bit of desk research on each but weather makes a very big difference.

North and Antrim, fantastic.
North west, Donegal and the coast, fantastic.
West, Connemara, Burren, fantastic.
South west, Dingle peninsula. Ring of Kerry, Beara peninsula and back to Dublin via the scenic route, fantastic.
South coast, Wicklow, Leinster, also fantastic.

Take your pick on whatever is the best weather. None will disappoint you and each of those 'little' runs would do a nice 3 day trip. All can end you back in Dublin as there is motorway to each if you need it.

B&B you can find even on the day. Apart from the official B&Bs most places will find you somewhere if one you pick is full.

I had friends over from UK last year for 10 days camping. Part 1 of the trip was to be south west but weather was chucking rain down there. So we hit Wicklow instead and enjoyed sunny ride through Wicklow, took in Hook Head, Sally Gap and a lot more and they were very very pleased. South West has to wait to another time because Part 2 was Clare and Connemara and weather came right for that. Ended up they only saw one wet day and we camped the lot.

You have a great choice from where you are so again, go for the weather and don't make final decision until you see what's out there.

Staying in Monaghan with a three day window. Here's a suggested route

From Monaghan head to Armagh
Armagh to Keady
Keady to Newtownhamilton
Newtownhamilton to Newry
Newry to Warrenpoint then follow the well signposted Mourne Coastal route up to Belfast (including the Strangford/Portaferry ferry)
From Belfast take the M2 and then follow the Causeway Coastal route that will follow the coast up to Londonderry
From Londonderry head to Dungiven, then just outside Dungiven take a right for Draperstown. From Draperstown head to Cookstown, then Dungannon. From Dungannon you can head back to Monaghan via Aughnacloy, then back to Dublin.

Three days should be plenty of time to do this route

But as mentoned before whereever the best weather is, go there

I'd head for the very south of Ireland, Co Cork is lovely, from there head about 30 miles south to Kinsale, a beautiful spot, then ride around the (awesome) pinensula along the West coast to around Single Bay etc, splendid scenery.

Flintlocks suggestion, if weather is good is an awesome route. I have spent a whole day just meandering around the Mournes just because the weather was good, that was the day after we have done the Mourne Coast and Portaferry, North Antrim coast drive and Torr Head, Ballycastle for ice cream and Joey's pub and lots more.

We got sunny weather that weekend and I left for home after 6pm on Sunday evening. A previous year I left Ballycastle at 5pm for home and that was north coast right down to south west coast.

In fact if you get a chance try and meet Flintlock!

Newcastle on Sunday morning is a place to be too!!!

Always happy to share a coffee with a fellow ABR.
Might also add re the route i gave you. Newry would be a good location to meet up, your mates could just head north from Dublin up the M1.
That said-there is now a good selection of routes on this thread to choose from-so if it was me i would pick the area that has the best weather during your three days.
Whatever you choose to do-enjoy.

I usually tell friends arriving in Dublin to take the port tunnel up to the M50. It saves them a lot of hassle trying to navigate out of Dublin in unfamiliar traffic systems and also keeps them out of city traffic. For someone who knows the routes it may be slightly longer but for someone who doesn't it means no navigation hassles. Bikes have to pay a toll for the tunnel but its worth it. Unless its peak time its only €3 and Newry from the ferry is only 90 minutes.

At M50 you have a choice of all the motorways. M1 North to Newry is a doddle.

If you aren't taking the M1 then you go found the M50 to whatever one you want depending on where eventually you decide to hit.

But definitely make your decision based on weather. Anywhere that's nice and green is that way for a reason- it sometimes gets rain!

Thanks for the replies guys, lots to think about & yes, will go where the weather's good.