Ireland Bicycle Tour 2006

Kalamazoo Bicycle Club riders Dale Krueger, Charlie DeVries and Terry O'Connor toured Ireland by bicycle and van May 9-23,2006. An Allegan, Michigan Irish Connections Tour Consultant, Jeffrey McElwee provided personalized sag support and specialized 'behind the scenes' tour guidance for the three KBC riders. During the loop around this Emerald Isle we cycled1000km of a total 1700km covered. The following remarks summarize our experience.

Trip Prep.

A Tardis bicycle carry-on bag made in New Zealand allowed us to carry our bikes over our shoulder and avoid the $85-$100 airline charge normally associated with transport. A helmet mirror is also a necessity. In Ireland they drive on the "wrong side" thereby making your handlebar mount useless. An O2 rain jacket recommended in a recent Bicycle Magazine for $30 was a most important investment because of the harsh Irish May rain, gales and cold weather. Plus, the bright yellow jacket makes you highly visible and packs in a small wade. Use a guide like Jeff. His in depth Irish history and knowledge of the tourist spots saved us money and time maximizing our Ireland experience.

Day One/Two.

A Continental flight through Newark got us into a Dublin in time to stop at a local bicycle shop where we assembled our steeds, experienced our first Irish pub lunch and started to pedal. The mountains with yellow scrubs, green grass and wooly sheep provided a panoramic view. We ended our stay at a local Bray B&B.

Day Three.

Greeted with a beautiful cool sunny day we finished the Wicklow Mountains then south through Waterford to Tramore. Charlie hit a sharp stone, which punctured tire and tube. Numerous ewes with lambs, horses and cattle laying down enjoying the sunshine. Got 100k in.

Day Four.

Through Tipperary and eventually Cashel. Visited Jerpoint Abbey, Jerpoint Glass Makers and eventually to St. Patrick's Rock. Needed rain jackets before we stopped at a Holstein Farm B&B, which really was like the Chicago Drake Hotel on a dairy farm. The less than welcoming innkeeper insisted we remove our shoes before entering her marble floor home/business. There was a lesson learned at this Carron House B&B as what innkeepers are not to do!

Day Five.

Off to kiss the Blarney Stone through the cold and rainy weather. At the Blarney Castle Jeff provided an efficient and complete tour of both the castle and beautiful Rock Close Garden. A brief stop at the Woolen Mills for shopping and an Irish coffee and we were off to the Killarney House B&B where a refined card game of euchre continued.

Day Six.

Departing westward thru the Lee Valley, we headed to the Beara Peninsula. Along the way we experienced "road bowling", which is a source of entertainment and gambling the Irish enjoy, soccer game, and sheep on the road way. Dale added to his collection of "Irish Faces" while Terry had a happy 61st birthday celebration at The Inches House B&B. Innkeeper Maree raises her own chicks for laying hens and the eggs are part of our Irish Breakfast- two eggs, bacon, bangers, black and white pudding (sausage), baked tomato, brown bread and coffee.

Day Seven.

Visited the ancient stone circle in the middle of cow pasture. Jeff is writing a fictional novel using each of the stones and nearby Hawthorne tree as characters in his book. Guess he will have the next Da Vinci Code best seller based in Ireland. Finally got to use the Internet café again to contact loved ones. Good day of cycling.

Day Eight.

Mountainous climb north to Kenmare and Killarney with stop at Muckross in the National Park of Killarney, a magnificent Victorian Mansion with giant size flower gardens and Ross Castle. Rode in the rain and toured in the sunshine.

Day Nine.

Killarney through Limerick to Bunratty. Cycled in rain and gale force wind. Freezing cold and shaking we stopped for lunch. Our eldest traveler disappeared into the toilet never to reappear for 30 minutes. Seems he had found an air dryer in the handicapped stall and dried his shorts, while his buddies impatiently waited. At acclaimed 15th century Bunratty Castle and 19th century Folk Park we toured the medieval fortress, ducked our heads and entered old cottages burning peat for heat and strolled around the charming village. Enjoyed the best evening meal at Gallagher's next door restaurant.

Day Ten.

Completed 124k today. Started with cycling to Cliffs of Mohr and onto Connemara Mountains.

Day Eleven.

Jeff took us out to Sky Road then to Kylemore Abbey and gardens, which was a spectacular fully restoration mansion with literally a colony of rare Hatter bats in the roof. You will see many photos of this place.

Day Twelve.

A reported tuna and corn sandwich had not agreed with Terry and he spent most of the day in the van backseat. Later, dinner at The Fort, an old British fort built to guard against the French invasion and stayed in Athone.

Day Thirteen.

Worst weather day. We visited the Newgrange tomb chamber where only on at the winter solstice the sunlight penetrates and illuminates the innermost 5000-year-old passage. At the end of the day, the "pastor", "printer" and "professor" each packed their bikes for the return trip home.

Day Fourteen.

Toured Dublin by bus, taxi and train. At Trinity College we saw the Book of Kells, a 9th century manuscripts of the four gospels. Each page was lavishly and colorfully decorated and written in Latin. Who could visit Dublin without a quick tour of Guinness? Seven floors of an old brewery are used to explain each step in the beer making process. Videos of hop harvesting and hand-making barrels were only topped by the spectacular view of Dublin on the seventh floor glass-walled "Gravity Room" where we enjoyed a pint of the creamy, black brew!

Final Remarks.

Our goal of cycling 100k per day was more than aggressive because of road, terrain, weather, traffic and physical effort. Suggest you use hours per day on your ride. Also, all three of us were extremely pleased that we used Jeff McElwee as tour consultant. He maximized our road safety, gave us flexibility and customized tourism to fit our needs. Suggest you contact him at http://jeffmcelwee.com and us if we can help you with helpful travel tips.

Terry, Dale, and Charlie