Ireland

In many ways you can compare Ireland to England. The population is friendly and helpful in finding the way. Many pubs host a music evening on Friday evenings with traditional Irish folk songs. That could be someone standing on top of a table and performing his singing talents. This is usually done by a local singer who provides some enthusiasm with his repertoire for an evening. Spontaneously, he receives such support that the mandatory closing time is sometimes forgotten.

Ireland is not part of the Schengen area and have their own visa policy. There are quite some countries that need a visa for entering Ireland.

Visa policy of Ireland

Ireland

Common Travel Area

Freedom of movement (EU/EEA/CH)

Visa-free access to Ireland for 90 days

Visa required to enter Ireland, transit without visa

Visa required to enter Ireland and for transit through Ireland

Source: Wikipedia.

Ireland is a safe country. Battle in Northern Ireland: In Northern Ireland you are regularly confronted with the consequences of 25 years of political battle between Catholics and Protestants: checkpoints, lockable streets in risk cities like Cookstown, graffiti in the big cities on this subject, sometimes separate shops for both parties , etc. Especially around the 12th of July (Protestant holiday) the tension rises and patrols become clearly visible in the street scene.

Cooking fuel

Campinggaz is not easily available, but it is available in larger places in outdoor shops and large supermarkets. Cooking on gasoline can be a good alternative.

Luc: "I cooked on a spirit burner. Finding methylated spirits was also very difficult. I was eventually able to buy it at the pharmacist / chemist for 4 times the price in the Netherlands. However, I had to identify me first and sign a statement !!! otherwise afraid that you apparently drink the poisonous methylated spirits illegally "

Supermarkers

Most small towns currently have a small Centra, Coop or Spar supermarket with a good range of fresh and non-perishable foodstuffs.

Gatha: "In the countryside it is even a matter of looking for bread. As soon as I saw a shop I bought a day's supply."

Restaurants

In large cities such as Dublin and Cork you have a wide choice of good affordable restaurants. There are no restaurants in the countryside, but you can sometimes go to the pub for a hot meal. However, the price / quality ratio of the hot meals is moderate. Most pubs don't serve much more than farmhouse fare like stew and Irish beans with mutton, for a price that is way too high. Moreover, it can take a very long time during the day before your meal is served.

Every self-respecting village has a pub, which you can usually start in the morning. They often serve delicious pastries, such as apple pie and cream or scones with jam and whipped cream. Full Irish Breakfast can also be ordered in the pubs. The price varies from about 6 to 9 euros.

Drinkable water

The tap water is drinkable.

Nice routes

• The Ring of Kerry is not recommended: very touristy with many buses passing by. Sander and Inge (2006): "We do recommend the inland roads on this peninsula and that of Beara. These are very quiet in terms of traffic and they lead you over rugged passes and through a green, hilly landscape with many sheep and goats."
• Since 2011, a separate cycle path has been constructed that runs from Achill Island via Malaranny and Newport to Westport (co Mayo). It is a great cycle path, but with obstacles (fences, posts, bridges, etc.) and it leads the cyclist over private areas. It is known by the name of Great Western Greenway. The most beautiful part of the route is from Achill-Island to Newport, because you have the best view of the beautiful coastline and the islands.
• Along the west coast, the 2500 km Wild Atlantic Way tourist car route is very well signposted. The quiet parts of the route are mainly the regional roads that make a detour to keep following the coastline. This route is very suitable for cycling. If you deviate from the route for a moment, you can quickly reconnect to this tourist car route further on. Many bed and breakfast can be found along this route.
• In the tourist areas, regional cycling routes have been set out, the Loops. The route varies between 20 and 50 km and always brings you back to the starting place. These cycling routes mainly take regional and local roads.
• On the peninsula, the Slea Head Drive tourist car route is very beautiful for cycling. This route is part of the long tourist car route Wild Atlantic Way. Lots of pre-historic sites and stunning views of the islands.
• The highest mountain pass in Ireland is Connor Pass to Dingle. The tough climb is 5 kilometers long and has an average gradient of 7 percent (+100 - 450 h.m). Near the top, the road is narrow and has only one carriageway, which must be shared with oncoming traffic. Reward is a dazzling view.

Best time to cycle

Seasons

June, July and August are the best cycling months. In other months it is colder and it rains more often. Ireland is not very popular with us for cycling tours because of the weather gods. We can be brief about the weather: it is very changeable and strong gusts of wind can be treacherous. Good rain clothing is therefore an absolute necessity.

Frank: "Sorry, I want to contradict the above points: April and May are the dry, sunny months and these are ideally suited for a cycling holiday. June, but especially July and August are the rainy months!"

Tourist high season

Please note: the high season ends at least in mid-October. In the tourist areas, restaurants, cafes (pubs), ferry services (eg to Valentia Island) or hotels may be closed from mid-October to March.

Wind

On the Irish peninsulas Dingle, Iveragh, Baerra the wind direction is mainly southwest to northwest and the wind can blow strong. Best cycling direction on the peninsulas is counterclockwise if you want to keep following the coastline from north to south. Wind gusts of more than 40 km per hour are no exceptions. The danger lies in the open plains and narrow roads.

Average temperature

Due to the warm Gulf Stream, the temperature differences are not very large.