West coast of Ireland ....

Spare helmet for the smelly OAP who flags you down, wanting a lift

 

He *had* a Dnepr thingy

 

There's one of those in Helsinki. I got the shits something rotten.

 

You're not Welsh

 

I went last Whitsun
http://www.blakeley.plus.com/Bike/Ireland2004/index.html unless you're
planning on going peak season there's no need to book accommodation
ahead[1]. I wouldn't even bother booking the return ferry, unless a
return's cheaper than two singles. Allow twice the time you normally
would for any lengthy journeys, roads are often shite as is the
weather.

[1] Maybe in the large cities

 

this was on a bike that had only done 2K miles before I left.

--
Adie
(replace spam with nickname to reply)

UKRM FAQ: http://www.ukrm.net/faq/

Triumph 955iSS / GSF1200 bandit / CG125
MRO#11 BOTAFOF#7 BOTAFOT#130 DIAABTCOD#17 MIB#24 YTC#16 BOB#15 ex-UKRMMA#22 BOMB#11

 

they've been fine since. I put it down to them settling.

--
Adie
(replace spam with nickname to reply)

UKRM FAQ: http://www.ukrm.net/faq/

Triumph 955iSS / GSF1200 bandit / CG125
MRO#11 BOTAFOF#7 BOTAFOT#130 DIAABTCOD#17 MIB#24 YTC#16 BOB#15 ex-UKRMMA#22 BOMB#11

 

yeah, that's what I meant.

 

They are indeed....badly

'Hog

 

Hi Steve,

Connemara is my favourite area but other places I like around the west coast
are :-

Ennis, Milltown Malbay (good music), Lahinch (nice beach), Cliffs of Moher
(postcard views), Doolin, Lisdoonvarna, The Burren and Aillwee Cave

Kinvara, Galway City, Salthill, Connemara, Leenaun, Louisburgh, Croagh
Patrick (nice climb), Westport, Achill Island (lovely beaches).

It might be too far north for you but the All-Ireland Fleadh is in
Letterkenny in the last weekend of August. This will be awesome!
http://www.fleadh2005.com/

All the best,

 

A festival of traditional Irish music - that's a must-see event if ever
there was one.

 

LOL. Don't knock it 'til you try it. Many people are only coming round
after last year's event ).

 

I think I'd drink myself unconscious too if I had to listen to that
racket.

 

AOL (sorry Shane!)
Same goes for Scottish folk music "et all" and most especially Caleigh
bands.

'Hog

 

I went touring in Clare and Galway this time last year. These days most
of the major roads (N or M) are in a reasonable state. The R roads can
be fun or scary. I didnt notice too much in the way of potholes or bad
roadworks, but then I'm from Dublin which a combination of neglect
and telecommunications providers have left in a state of extreme
corrugation. Do practice your best observation on bends on any of the
narrow coast or inland R routes - some have poorly highlighted road
works in progress which consist of "loose chippings", or basically an
extended and perplexing length (up to 1 km) of gravel. A lot of the
rural R roads are really only 1.5 cars wide.

I'm no expert on what to do or see out there. Galway City itself is
particularly trendy these days, and is probably worth braving the
avarice of the local B&B industry for a night or two. I think it has
the highest number of pubs per person of any city in Ireland, which is a
good thing in my books.

If you crave twisty roads, then Connemara will have plenty. They provide
them with lots of loose stone walls and sheep, so once again keep your
mind on the job or bring knitting needles to while away the wait for an
AA van and a vet. I visited Clifden, and found it to be balanced finely
on a tripod of quaint, remote and touristy.

I really enjoyed the trip, and didnt find the roads too bad on an R1, so
they cant really be all that bad...

Enjoy,
Brian.

 

Ride a trials bike and not a sprotsbike.

Phil

 

I had a great surf session there once, not bad for beach break.

 

No probs Hog, I realise it's not for everyone and there's not much middle
ground. You either love it or hate it with a passion. The Fleadh, however,
is a completely mental time where lots of people go because it's a big party
and couldn't give a toss about the music ). I quite like that stuff -
even pipe bands!

 

The International Music Eisteddfod at Llangollen in July is pretty much
like that. Hordes descend on the town just for the party. I'd guess only
a fraction actually attend the event itself.

http://www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk/



--
Steve Parry
K100RS SE & F650
and a 520i SE Touring for comfort

(not forgetting the SK90PY)

http://www.gwynfryn.co.uk

 

Limerick has a poor reputation - Stab City being its nick name as you
point out. That said, the city isn't as bad as its reputation. I felt
a lot safer walking around the city centre at 2am on a Saturday than I
would in Dublin or Cork. Most of the really scary stuff happens in
housing estates on the outskirts - a mile or three from the centre.

Brian.