Connemara

Overview

This bike tour in Ireland, the Emerald Island, explores the beautiful region of Connemara famous for its rugged granite landscape as well as its beautiful lakes and rivers. You will enjoy an incredible variety of scenery each day. In the morning, bike along the beautiful coastline, while in the afternoon, find yourself on a quiet bog road with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. This tour begins and ends in Galway city, Ireland’s liveliest city, with cobbled streets of entertainers and pubs spilling over with merriment with the wonderful backdrop of Galway Bay. The cycling starts in the village of Clonbur, and the route leads through some of the best villages and towns Ireland has to offer. For many, it is the lesser-known sections of this route that are the real highlights as you cycle Connemara across spectacular open boglands, past deserted beaches, and charming seaside villages. You will be staying in guesthouses, B&B’s, or occasionally small hotels. The majority of the time, these small establishments do not have elevators so please pack accordingly. All hotel bookings are based on availability. If the preferred accommodation is not possible, a suitable alternative of an equal standard will be booked. You can take a look at the day-to-day itinerary for the preferred accommodation used. This is a moderate self-guided hotel tour. Daily cycling distances average 30 to 40 miles (48 to 64 km) per day. On several days, you can choose between different routes to make it easier or harder for you. The tour is suitable for adults of all ages but please make sure that you are prepared for the distance and difficulty level of this tour. The roads are all paved and the route is designed to ensure that you spend most of the week on quiet back roads, away from heavy traffic. To experience the majestic scenery of this area the route does have some climbs, so please train for your bike tour in Ireland. Because it is an island located near the gulf stream Ireland has a very mild climate making it ideal for cycling. The temperature range during the summer is between 15 and 22 degrees centigrade (60 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit). If you wish to use toe clips please bring your own pedals with toe clips (and spanner) which you can attach to your bikes, as they come with flat pedals. You can also bring your own saddle which should be possible to attach. The rental bikes don’t have lights. This is no problem on the long summer evenings, but if you are traveling in May or September, please bring your own light or high-visibility vest. There are a limited number of electric bikes available for this tour. Please request at the time of booking. It is each traveler's responsibility to ensure that you are in compliance with the country or countries you plan to visit. This includes and is not limited to passport validity, visa requirements and acquisition, blank passport pages required for your destination (s), etc. US citizens: A good website to research the requirements of the Schengen Agreement and entry into other countries is travel.state.gov. Non-EU and EU residents: Please research the requirements of your country of residence for international travel and your destination country or countries. Important note: Please check on the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) status as once implemented, this will be required to visit any of the 26 Schengen-member countries for tourism, business, medical, or transit. This is an additional check on security rather than a visa. If you are planning to spend a few days in Dublin at the end of the tour, we recommend that you book accommodation well in advance as the capital is very busy on weekends. We suggest that you use Booking.com. You can read a detailed description of the hotels offered including a clear listing of amenities and view customer reviews and ratings. This tour is run by Irish Cycling Safaris. We value the strong relationship we have with our local partners and the services we provide. We are not a broker. We do not inflate tour prices. We are simply travelers helping travelers.

Daily Ride Schedule

Accommodation & Services

Accommodation

Hotel

What's Included