If you’re headed to Ireland, there’s no better way to explore the beauty of the Emerald Isle than by exploring Ireland’s world-class cycling trails and touring routes!
Ireland’s best cycling and touring routes:
- The Loop Head Heritage Trail
The Loop Head Heritage Trail is a 4-5 hour long cycle track which starts in the charming, picturesque town of Kilkee and snakes its way around the scenic Loop Head Peninsula, where you’ll be able to spot sheer cliffs, historic castles, awe-inspiring lighthouses, genuine archeological sites and a wide variety of marine life.
Alternatively, if you don’t fancy cycling over 50km in a single day, you can also opt to drive the Loop Head Heritage Trail instead.
- The Wild Atlantic Way
If you’re keen on taking on a cycle challenge which will take you 7-9 days its worth looking into Chill Car Insurance, depending on your level of fitness and how many stops you’d like to make along the way, you may want to plan a trip to Ireland to cycle the Wild Atlantic Way. If you plan on incorporating a lot of sightseeing into your coastal bike trip, you may want to play on the safe side and dedicate two full weeks to your trip.
The Wild Atlantic Way starts in Kinsale and ends in Kenmare and stretches along 470km of stunning coastline. So if you’re keen to take in as much of Ireland’s beautiful coastline as possible, it’s well worth making the effort to complete at least a small section of the Wild Atlantic Way.
Some sites which you see on your trip include Charles Fort, which is a historic fort and Baltimore, which is known as one of Ireland’s top whale watching destinations. If you get tired of cycling, you’ll also be able to stretch your legs on one of the Wild Atlantic Way’s hikes. Examples of which include the Seven Heads Peninsula Trail and the Sheep’s Head Way Walking Track.
- The Kingdom
If you’d prefer to tackle a cycling trail which can be completed in a single day, you may prefer cycling the Kingdom which starts and ends in Killarney and passes through the Black Valley and Moll’s Gap. During your ride, you’ll enjoy picturesque views of the Purple Mountain, Muckross Park, and Mac Gillycuddy Reeks. If you love getting off the beaten tourist track and exploring cycle tracks which allow you to venture into the wilderness, you’ll love cycling the Kingdom.
Just beware that although the Kingdom is only 56km in total as the trail is windy and makes its way up numerous hills, you need to have a reasonable level of fitness if you plan to cycle the entirety of the Kingdom in a single day.
- The Ballymac Loop
The Ballymac Loop is a beautiful cycle trail which offers views of the River Suir as well as the Nire Valley and the Comeragh Mountains. Better yet, although the Ballymac Loop takes the best part of 5 hours to complete and is approx 100km long, it doesn’t feature many hills, so it’s an achievable trail for most individuals.
So if you’re headed to Ireland, it’s well worth exploring at least one of the popular cycling routes listed above!
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