First cycling and camping round Ireland

Rex_hk815

Hi,

I'm planning a cycling tour of Ireland myself from mid of June and would like a little help as where to go..

I'm Starting from Waterford then getting to Cork for first station, it's about 130 km for the first day ride. And keep up north, but have no ideal for the route plan yet.

I plan to cycle for 15 -20 days then back to Waterford.

I will have my tent with me but will probably stay in a Hostel and couch surfing at some point. I Plan to ride 80-150 km per day, depends road condition and weather.

Is wild Camping allowed in Ireland and?
Is the bike allowed to access the toll road?
Any bike equipment must be bring with the trip? (I.e: spare tyres, inner tube or something I missing...)

I would be very grateful if someone could help me start my planning and give me advice on what places and roads I should use /avoid..

I will be riding my specialized Sirrus bike for this trip..

If anyone interested to join for some route will be welcome...

Many thanks for any advice

mrbike

You might want to pick up a copy of this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cycle-Touring-Ireland-Cicerone-Guides/dp/1852845627

It will give you some good ideas for routes. Unless you're really fit, 150km a day is a lot to take on. It can get really windy and you'll want to head over some of the mountains as they are really scenic.

I find the Michelin maps really helpful for finding nice routes in any country.

http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Maps/Map-Ireland

The scenic routes are marked in green (zoom midway). I usually find it's worth going out of my way to follow some of these routes.

Wild camping is illegal in most places in Ireland. Most land is in private ownership. Having said that, I've never been refused permission to camp on someone's land. Always ask first.
It's usually pretty easy to find camping spots on beaches if you're near the coast. Just make sure you're in a remote area and you should be fine.

mrbike

Also bikes are not allowed across the toll bridge in Waterford.

Rex_hk815

Thanks Mr bike advise.... Very useful information....

ImThatGuy

Be prepared for all kinds of weather, it should be warm enough but pack waterproofs etc, have some kind of dry bag in your pack back if it's not waterproof (you definitely want a spare pair of dry clothes to change into after a possible wet day.)

Bring as many spare innertubes are you can, puncture repair kits etc, you could easily get a few punctures on a 20/30km stretch of road with no bike shops nearby.

Always have some cash in case you need to get a taxi to a local shop when you need something repaired.

I'm not sure about camping, I had a friend that cycled from Dublin to Cork via Galway and he camped with no problems but it's best to find designated places if possible.

As mrbike said, 150km a day could be optimistic, if you have a 150km cycle planned with a strong headwind all the way you could be very tired after 50km.

a148pro

There was a thread on here last year where a guy sought advice on a route to take through Ireland and it included lots of advice from Irish cyclists on routes that they liked - I can't find it but maybe someone else could?

Rex_hk815

Thanks for all you guys answer and reply... Start date getting closer, bit exciting....