Have an idea in my head:
- ferry from Stranraer to Larne
- trundle over to Donegal (my dads roots)
- trundle south then east
- get the ferry back to Holyhead or Liverpool
I'd have 5 full days in Ireland. I'd be riding a 250 trail bike; stay in hostels or B&Bs to save on camping gear & have a guaranteed warm bed
Realistically, how far could I expect to travel given that I'd like to "see" stuff along the way?
Any nice trails?
If you have 5 days then I would say you could do an awful lot. To give you an example, me and a few mates went from Belfast - Newry - Dundalk - Drogheda - Kells - Longford - Roscommon - Boyle - Sligo - Letterkenny - Derry (and then me back to Belfast) in 3 days....plus we stopped off at interesting sites (Knowth, Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetary, Drumcliff etc). So I think you will have loads of time. I think the total route was about 420 miles.
Here was our route....and I would add I was home tucked up in bed before the end of the third day!!
Moorso has plotted you a fantastic route to follow.
Day 1, Antrim Coast Road, outstanding biking road, when you get to close to Ballycastle take the detour over Tor Head very scenic if you get a clear dry day, just be careful as a few bends can catch you out :blink:
Day 2, Don't know where in Donegal you are heading for, but nearly any road on the west coast will put a big grin on your face. The roads through Glenveagh Forest Park are tremendous.
Day3, if time is on your side, after Westport, I would pencil in Achille Island Sound, worth a visit, just for the views from the carpark at the radio mast.
If historic sites are your thing, Moorso is the man in the know (thumbs)
Enjoy whatever you decide B)
PS There aren't that many trails in Northern Ireland that I know of, but when you cross the border into Donegal, there are loads of tracks (sorry roads) known locally as 'Boreens'. These will fit your needs, I hope (thumbs)
that's fantastic
I had a go today making a route but by the time I'd finished it was a 2 week trip!
Yes, I like historic stuff - the older the better
Looking at late September / early October so have plenty of time to think about what I'm going to do with my annual leave.
I would suggest if you are doing the N Antrim coast road that you should pop into Ballymoney. Only 10 miles from Portrush and home town to the late great Joey and Robert Dunlop. You can make the visit to their memorial statues and Joeys bar for a pint. Their graves are 5mins at Garryduff church if that's your sort of thing. May even get a free cuppa if iam at home lol.
I can understand why you want to do the Stranraer -Larne crossing and come back via Liverpool or Hollyhead.
But that road to Stranraer in Scotland is bloody awful, especially on a 250. Loads of trucks and vans. The A55 through to Hollyhead is another road I don't like.
It's a few years since I did it, but I used to go to Ireland regularly. The Liverpool crossing I think is over night, if you've got enough time that's the most civilised, especially on a smaller bike.
If you like the older stuff, there is a plethora of prehistoric sites along the north coast as well as in Donegal and the west of Ireland - these will usually me megalithic tombs, court tombs and dolmens (all small scale stone type monuments), but I would, then, highly recommend stopping off at the Hill of Tara (seat of the ancient Kings of Ireland) and the Newgrange complex (both near Drogheda which would be towards the end of your trip).
I would give Newgrange itself a miss though (ohhh controversial!) Knowth is more readily accessible, more spectacular and less busy!!
I'll compile a list for you Elle: I'll include preshistoric monuments, with a few Castles and Abbey/Friary sites thrown in Will you have a sat nav? As I can get the lat/Long or Grid Reference for each site.
why not travel around the whole coast of Ireland while your at it, I done it a few times myself in the past, when you get to Donegal just keep on going down along the west coast and back up the east coast
keeping along the coast roads by the sea as much as you can,
loads of time in 5 days
theres loads of places to see on the way, I just cant think of them right now
