2 Trips 2013

Hi all I have had my cat for just over 3 years now from the date of this post and next year (2013) I will be going on my first real road trips.

A week in SCOTLAND

4 days in IRELAND

I will be going with a couple of friends how have only been riding a couple of years where I have been riding for a total of 6 years. So they are looking to me to lead and know where to go etc.

So if anyone can help with what we need to take and place to go, roads to ride etc and what to watch out for that would be great. There is only going to be 3 to 4 of us going and we are all riding sports bikes if that makes any difference.

BREAK DOWN COVER

MONEY

SMILES

As for the roads I am sure one of our eager Scotsman(s) will be along shortly... Have fun

Perhaps the Marker System which is mentioned on this site would be a good idea? Stops anyone getting lost then!

Regards

Mike

Waterproofs (for the Unpredictable weather) keep some dry socks somewhere, you'll be amazed how they feel after riding with damp feet.

Spare gloves again in case yours get wet, failing that pack some of them Thin, disposable surgical gloves to put on as a liner.

Breakdown cover as Paul said, relax, ride safe and most importantly don't get hung up on the trip, enjoy it.

Keep going North and West, follow the coast as close as you can.

Can't go wrong that way

Eddie990 wrote:Keep going North and West, follow the coast as close as you can.

Can't go wrong that way

+1

Whereabouts in Ireland did you have in mind?

Pop by the new members section and say hi, then we can welcome you

Some further suggestions in threads by Dixiethedog and NrNutt [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

West coast is the best.

Maybe over to Skye (ferry there - bridge back)?
Applecross is a must.

You'll pack too many clothes.

You might want to consider 'not losing sight of the man behind you for too long' system if your group is small.

Satnav is good. Maps are good. Consider writing out main road plan and sticking on tank / bag unless you can have satnav on the go.

Enjoy.

If you wanna post up nearer the time some of the locals might be able to meet up with you and show you around.

Cheers
Rosco

SteveCat wrote:Whereabouts in Ireland did you have in mind?

Pop by the new members section and say hi, then we can welcome you

We are looking at southern Ireland if that helps any

I assume you are looking at the southern part of the Irish Republic, but some of this would apply wherever you were to go in ROI. I’m also assuming you have never been before, apologies if you have – you’ll know the info already.

You don’t need a passport, but I take mine anyway, but do take both parts of your driving license. If you haven’t got an EHIC card, good idea to apply for one [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] . Next time you renew your insurance look at international breakdown cover. Your phone will be on roaming, check the charges – look at get a roaming data pack from your mobile provider. An alternate is to get a local SIM card, I headed to Tesco (in Killarney) and got one of theirs, €10 gave me €20 yak time, but you don’t get data included – can get by applying online once you get the SIM though (provided you can get internet access!!).
Check your bank cards for charges they add for international transactions – my credit card for example slaps 2.95% on top of the converted amount. OK so a bit over the top for 4 days maybe, but if you do these well in advance it won’t be a big issue and just make the journey that more pleasant.

Various ways of planning your journey; could use Google maps or use a SatNav application like Tyre (useful even if you don’t have a satnav). The Tyre website has a number of routes which you can use, however a word of caution using (at least) the Irish ones with a Garmin. The guy who uploaded the routes must have an adventure bike and I found I was sometimes being led off road, or down donkey tracks. The other problem is you can’t modify the route once on the device (or at least a Zumo). You can get a chance to see what a road or place is like in street view (find that good for hotels and petrol stations).

Use [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] to get an idea of how much petrol is in various places (you getting the idea I’m a tight git?), phone apps available for this site too.

Ireland doesn’t have brilliant roads, many are single lane and a lot of it is no overtaking.

Given up the will to live yet?

The southern part has some stunning scenery and also along the west coast around Galway. The Ring of Kerry is a tourist trap, but well worth it. The tourist board suggest doing the route anticlockwise, this is because some of the roads are narrow and they are trying to prevent an unscheduled meeting of tour bus and car. I do it the other way around – don’t like the idea of being stuck behind a bus and a few km’s of solid white line.
Base yourself in Killarney, plenty of accommodation options and also a wicked night life (yeah even for an ol’ @rt like me).

Ring of Beara is also supposed to be good, however the roads are narrow and riding more technical. I haven’t done it though, so can’t say for sure – it was hosing it down the day I was to do it. That is easily reached from Killarney.

Also easy reach from Killarney is the Dingle Peninsula, well worth a ride around.

That would about do it in 4 days. Can help you with the route maps if you like, also if you’d like to trawl through my pics to whet your appetite and

Thanks Stevecat all that info will be great for me and my mates alot of things there I did not think about and will have a look at your links and pic thanks a lot