Author Topic: Riding my way around The Emerald Isle (50 Shades of Green Tour) (Read 5544 times)

R Doug · « **on:** July 19, 2018, 06:13:53 AM »

I am about a month away from an Ireland Fly and Ride. My goals for this trip are to meander a majority of the Wild Atlantic Way leaving plenty of time to stop and smell the roses and to hang out at a local pub talking with locals and sipping local whiskey. If I’m lucky, I’ll listen to local live music each night at the local pub.

The moment I arrive after the overnight direct flight, I’ll schlep my tired butt and my luggage to Celtic Rider to pick up a 1200GS to begin the journey. The plan is to head southwest and start at The Haven Coast (home of Redbrest and Middleton Very Rare) then meander along the Southern Peninsulas and the Cliff Coast until I settle down in Galway for a few nights. With Galway as my base, I’ll do a few day trips and enjoy my favorite town/city in Ireland for three nights listening to music and consuming whiskey at Irish whiskey bars. My day trips will cover the Bay Coast and some of the Surf Coast. I will not be making it to UK’s Northern Ireland during this trip. This trip will only be within the country of Ireland. So, unfortunately, no Real Road Racing spectating will be in the cards. But, I may come across a game of road bowling. 

I’ll end the trip riding back to drop off my bike near Dublin followed by spending a day and a half on foot around Dublin before flying home.

Here are some motivational videos for me to enjoy for now:


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In case the links above aren't working for you, copy and paste these links in your browser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE_ZKuWba_A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhbFuNUNnpc

I’ll use this thread to provide updates during the trip (assuming I’ll have wifi in the evenings).

viffergyrl · « **Reply #1 on:** July 19, 2018, 07:41:06 AM »

Sounds like a fantastic trip! Although the probability of you drunk-posting just increased.

Could be interesting.

R Doug · « **Reply #2 on:** July 19, 2018, 11:21:49 AM »

Quote from: viffergyrl on July 19, 2018, 07:41:06 AM

Although the probability of you drunk-posting just increased.

That should not be ruled out.

Papa Lazarou · « **Reply #3 on:** July 19, 2018, 01:19:10 PM »

it'll be brilliant.

tankhead · « **Reply #4 on:** July 25, 2018, 06:50:09 PM »

Have a great time Doug... Ride safe

Skee · « **Reply #5 on:** July 26, 2018, 05:02:34 AM »

Eagerly anticipating an extended multi-day stream of drunk posts. Who says staying home is no fun?

[Edit] Meant to say multi-day photo-stream! What was I thinking?

Have a great time

R Doug · « **Reply #6 on:** August 27, 2018, 01:51:35 PM »

This trip is nearly here. I have two days left of work (after today) and then I catch a flight this Thursday to arrive in Ireland on Friday morning.

I thought of a question I need to ask those with experience:

Through training, I have a habit of placing my left foot down at stops as I can keep my right foot on the brake for control. Given I'll be riding on the left lane now with my left foot venerable to edge of the road, ditch, or overall downward slope, what's a best advice when I need to stop on a very narrow road like the ones depicted below?

I suspect I'll meet another oncoming vehicle (God forbid a lorry) and will need to stop as close to the edge as possible.

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Papa Lazarou · « **Reply #7 on:** August 27, 2018, 02:34:58 PM »

Most of the roads are much wider than that with excellent surfaces. Try outing both feet down?

Picture one looks like the Gap of Dunloe-I'd avoid that one. Horse shit all over the road, silly traffic.

Vulcanbill · « **Reply #8 on:** August 27, 2018, 04:01:52 PM »

Don't overthink it. You've been riding a long time. Do what works and adapt it to the new location. If you start getting stuff like that in your head, it could do more harm than good or make you miss some good scenery.

Ride. Then Stop. Then ride some more. Then stop again.

R Doug · « **Reply #9 on:** August 27, 2018, 04:27:52 PM »

Quote from: Papa Lazarou on August 27, 2018, 02:34:58 PM

Most of the roads are much wider than that with excellent surfaces. Try outing both feet down?

Picture one looks like the Gap of Dunloe-I'd avoid that one. Horse shit all over the road, silly traffic.

Do you think I can put two feet down on a GS? Not with my inseam.

$:-\$ that is the Gap of Dunloe and it's on my route because I want to see it. I'll take heed of the horse shit warning.

I also plan on riding roads like Ballaghbeama Gap.

DNA · « **Reply #10 on:** August 27, 2018, 07:44:04 PM »

Listen to bill and stop Thinking...

R Doug · « **Reply #11 on:** August 28, 2018, 06:06:57 AM »

I admit, I was trolling a bit because I 100% expected Papa to answer something like, "the shifter and brake are switched over here" or "so what if you end up rolling around in a field, that's where the sheep are."

In all seriousness, of all my years of dirt bike riding, I suspect my ability to choose a side to put a foot down will kick in pretty quickly. When you're riding single track, you form the tripod on the side that works. I'll be fine.

oilhed · « **Reply #12 on:** August 28, 2018, 07:55:29 AM »

Quote from: R Doug on August 27, 2018, 04:27:52 PM

Quote from: Papa Lazarou on August 27, 2018, 02:34:58 PM
Most of the roads are much wider than that with excellent surfaces. Try outing both feet down?

Picture one looks like the Gap of Dunloe-I'd avoid that one. Horse shit all over the road, silly traffic.

Do you think I can put two feet down on a GS? Not with my inseam.

$:-\$ that is the Gap of Dunloe and it's on my route because I want to see it. I'll take heed of the horse shit warning.

I also plan on riding roads like Ballaghbeama Gap.

Just Ride to Kate Kearney's cottage and park there. You can take an enjoyable walk up the gap and when you get back have a Irish Coffee & a Muffin! If it's later in the day there will be music, food & tourists. I stayed a couple of nights just a few hundred feet before Kate Kearney's cottage.

vfrmike · « **Reply #13 on:** August 28, 2018, 09:03:10 AM »

Love Ireland, best place in the world to have a Guinness.

Papa Lazarou · « **Reply #14 on:** August 28, 2018, 10:20:10 AM »

Gap of Dunloe. The schools go back soon, so some tourist traffic reduced. But there will still be hordes of Dutch, German, Belgian and Mericun tourists. Approach it from the North side. There will be horses and traps and pedestrians, with slow moving cars that stop without warning-keep well back from any car/ coach/ trap. Some coaches too. Pretty much all traffic goes North to South. Few passing places-mostly narrow and single track. Dutch tourists can be selfish. The horses and traps generally don't go all the way up it. Go slowly.

Or just go as far as Kate Kearney's Cottage, which is at the beginning.

Much less traffic on Ballaghbeama Gap. A lot easier.

tankhead · « **Reply #15 on:** August 28, 2018, 10:22:07 AM »

Can't wait to read and see the pics of this report.

R Doug · « **Reply #16 on:** August 28, 2018, 10:41:00 AM »

Quote from: oilhed on August 28, 2018, 07:55:29 AM

Just Ride to Kate Kearney's cottage and park there. You can take an enjoyable walk up the gap and when you get back have a Irish Coffee & a Muffin! If it's later in the day there will be music, food & tourists. I stayed a couple of nights just a few hundred feet before Kate Kearney's cottage.

I plan on stopping there and wishing bridge on the Gap before moving on. I'll be traveling north to south that day and will be staying in downtown

Quote from: vfrmike on August 28, 2018, 09:03:10 AM

Love Ireland, best place in the world to have a Guinness.

+1 I love the art of the long pour. Be prepared to wait 3-4 minutes for your Guinness because of it.

Quote from: Papa Lazarou on August 28, 2018, 10:20:10 AM

Go slowly.

Roger that. Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately for me, I'll be hitting the Gap of Dunloe on a Saturday.

Other areas I'll need to take heed will be on the Ring of Kerry (damn buses!) and these very tight roads:
(a google street view should be available for each of these locations if you’re curious)

Ballaghbeama Gap

https://goo.gl/maps/ehviB1cdL4r

I'll be traveling on the cliff side here:

https://goo.gl/maps/hzta2jKSutt

Traversing the Burrens

https://goo.gl/maps/UFjbrYfArpu

I’ll need to travel out this goat path to see Father Ted’s home (I loved that show).

https://goo.gl/maps/zGcvnmydmXw

Sections of Conamara

https://goo.gl/maps/dzitg3T1ZQG2

https://goo.gl/maps/7woJ5afcgMC2

While the road is plenty wide here, I’ll need to take heed of tourist traffic around Kylemore Abbey

https://goo.gl/maps/Ro5B7ywvMUP2

Papa Lazarou · « **Reply #17 on:** August 28, 2018, 10:45:45 AM »

Buses travel either way on the Ring of Kerry. Coaches-more of a hazard-travel anti clockwise-or they are meant to. Foreign coaches may not. Having said that, most of the Ring is pretty easy. Nice tarmac surfaces courtesy of the EU.

Don't miss the Ring of Beare-much less traffic.

kendenton · « **Reply #18 on:** August 28, 2018, 12:11:49 PM »

Can't wait to see this ride report!

st2sam · « **Reply #19 on:** August 28, 2018, 03:58:12 PM »

Quote from: kendenton on August 28, 2018, 12:11:49 PM

Can't wait to see this ride report!

And Doug, don't forget to include some pics of all the pretty Irish Ladies you'll be meeting.

Virginian · « **Reply #20 on:** August 28, 2018, 08:53:53 PM »

Quote from: st2sam on August 28, 2018, 03:58:12 PM

Quote from: kendenton on August 28, 2018, 12:11:49 PM
Can't wait to see this ride report!

And Doug, don't forget to include some pics of all the pretty Irish Ladies you'll be meeting.

Agreed or Sam and I will ride down and smack you with a shillelagh!

R Doug · « **Reply #21 on:** August 30, 2018, 01:47:52 PM »

This trip starts now. I’m kicked back at the Club enjoying a snack and a good book. My flight to Ireland leaves in a few hours.

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Papa Lazarou · « **Reply #22 on:** August 30, 2018, 01:53:38 PM »

Quote from: R Doug on August 30, 2018, 01:47:52 PM

This trip starts now. I’m kicked back at the Club enjoying a snack and a good book. My flight to Ireland leaves in a few hours.

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I have inserted a camera into your frontal lobes.

Virginian · « **Reply #23 on:** August 30, 2018, 02:05:19 PM »

Enjoy, looking forward towards your shared adventure!

Black Hills · « **Reply #24 on:** August 30, 2018, 02:35:14 PM »

looking forward to it....... and jealous....

oilhed · « **Reply #25 on:** August 30, 2018, 02:50:13 PM »

Quote from: Black Hills on August 30, 2018, 02:35:14 PM

looking forward to it....... and jealous....

Me, too. Don't forget the pubs!

kendenton · « **Reply #26 on:** August 31, 2018, 12:32:27 PM »

Great read!

Papa Lazarou · « **Reply #27 on:** August 31, 2018, 03:03:37 PM »

Wetting whistles.; Gap of Dunloe earlier this year. From the Black Valley end.

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P1110576 (1) by James Lloyd-Williams, on Flickr

R Doug · « **Reply #28 on:** August 31, 2018, 04:12:22 PM »

Nice shot, Papa. I'll see that tomorrow.

R Doug · « **Reply #29 on:** August 31, 2018, 04:15:08 PM »

Today was a long day. I flew out of Charlotte at 6:45 PM and arrived in Dublin at 7:30 AM (7 hour flight). I was only able to sneak in around 4 hours of sleep on the way over.

After grabbing a taxi for the 30 minute ride to the motorcycle hire company (Celtic Rider), I loaded up the bike and hit the road by 11 AM.

My plan for the day was to make a scenic / meandering way to Cork.

Picking up my rental

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Cashel

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Cork

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R Doug · « **Reply #30 on:** August 31, 2018, 04:50:07 PM »

Ha, the motorcycle hire company put up an image of me on their Facebook page. What a handsome devil.

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Papa Lazarou · « **Reply #31 on:** August 31, 2018, 05:05:40 PM »

It begins.

Virginian · « **Reply #32 on:** August 31, 2018, 06:07:23 PM »

Love it! Be safe!

tankhead · « **Reply #33 on:** August 31, 2018, 07:03:27 PM »

You are looking quite fit my man. Good for you. Best of luck on the trip, enjoy.
Chris

R Doug · « **Reply #34 on:** September 01, 2018, 01:53:45 AM »

Quote from: tankhead on August 31, 2018, 07:03:27 PM

You are looking quite fit my man. Good for you. Best of luck on the trip, enjoy.
Chris

That's 100% the jacket making me look that way.

When I saw the picture, I thought, "wow, I look more fit then normal."

R Doug · « **Reply #35 on:** September 01, 2018, 01:58:16 AM »

This morning started with a nice breakfast (including a proper coffee) followed by a stroll of nearby ~~Hogwarts~~ (I mean) Cork University.

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Mrs. DantesDame · « **Reply #36 on:** September 01, 2018, 02:41:57 AM »

Looking good!

Skee · « **Reply #37 on:** September 01, 2018, 09:13:46 AM »

coho · « **Reply #38 on:** September 01, 2018, 09:46:11 AM »

Carry on.

sleazy rider · « **Reply #39 on:** September 01, 2018, 10:06:14 AM »

The correct way to vacation.

Food, lodging, liquor and motorcycles, not necessarily in that order.

R Doug · « **Reply #40 on:** September 01, 2018, 11:44:01 AM »

Today’s weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. The highs were 70 (21C) and the sky was sunny. I’ll take it as it’s supposed to be a rainy day tomorrow.

While I’ll take on the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula loop roads tomorrow (in the rain, apparently), today I made it to the western shores and explored some of the mountainous inner parts of the Ring of Kerry including Ballaghbeama Gap and the Gap of Dunloe.

I was able to easily take on today’s entire 6+ hour route on one tank of fuel. The speeds are pretty low on the gap roads as these are two way roads which require major coordination with your oncoming dance partner.

Keep in mind, the roads you’re going to see in the following pictures have a 100 KPH (62 MPH) speed limit. If you want to feel like you’re running the IOM TT, try doing the speed limit on these roads. Better yet, don’t, you’ll live longer.

Morning mist rising

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You can't be sheepish in morning rush hour traffic (or, maybe you can).

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Ballaghbeama Gap

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Gap of Dunlop

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On my way to Kenmare, I passed by Killarney National Park heading south. This is a wonderful section of road filled by postcard views. Unfortunately for you, the readers, I was too busy passing cars, lorries, cyclists, etc... to stop and take many photos. It's not like this trip is about you anyhow.

I loved doing my best Joey Dunlop impersonation on this section. It's not for the faint of heart. While the road was much wider than anything I'd been on for most of the day, oncoming tour coaches and sheep can get you.

Here's the section of twisty motorcycle heaven.

28.1 glorious km (17 miles)

https://goo.gl/maps/sxx26C4SaxT2

Don't worry, I did manage to sneak in a few shots. Trust me, the missed opportunities would have made for far better shots.

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When I arrived in Kenmare, I took a quick shower and headed out for well deserved...

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R Doug · « **Reply #41 on:** September 01, 2018, 11:50:50 AM »

I'm getting ready to head out to dinner now. A local told me where to find Writer's Tears Irish Whiskey

After dinner, I'm going to find a pub with live music.

Slan.

R Doug · « **Reply #42 on:** September 01, 2018, 11:55:18 AM »

After a day in the the Sun, I've updated the title of this ride report to include, "50 Shades of Green Tour."

jimmy · « **Reply #43 on:** September 01, 2018, 01:37:29 PM »

I'm following intently your journey. When I was there this past July things were not nearly as green due to the drought.

Consider a pint of Murphys at lunch time.

Mrs. DantesDame · « **Reply #44 on:** September 01, 2018, 02:03:20 PM »

Fantastic photos, Doug!!!

Quote from: R Doug on September 01, 2018, 11:44:01 AM

This is a wonderful section of road filled by postcard views. Unfortunately for you, the readers, I was too busy passing cars, lorries, cyclists, etc... to stop and take many photos.

There is a solution for that, you know....

Quote from: R Doug on September 01, 2018, 11:44:01 AM

It's not like this trip is about you anyhow.

Whaaaaat?

Virginian · « **Reply #45 on:** September 01, 2018, 02:08:48 PM »

Absolutely great stuff Doug, enjoy the ride of your life!

Eric

kendenton · « **Reply #46 on:** September 01, 2018, 02:47:24 PM »

So glad you had great weather - my biggest fear of an Ireland/Scotland tour not getting any nice days. Can't wait to see more.

Skee · « **Reply #47 on:** September 01, 2018, 02:53:49 PM »

Quote from: R Doug on September 01, 2018, 11:50:50 AM

I'm getting ready to head out to dinner now. A local told me where to find Writer's Tears Irish Whiskey

After dinner, I'm going to find a pub with live music.

Slan.

I'm heading down to the liquor cabinet now to pour myself 2 fingers to drink with you, albeit vicariously.

And remember to drop some breadcrumbs on the way to the pub.

You may need them later, or rather, may you need them later!

ENJOY

R Doug · « **Reply #48 on:** September 01, 2018, 04:09:52 PM »

Quote from: Mrs. DantesDame on September 01, 2018, 02:03:20 PM

There is a solution for that, you know....

That is brilliant. Even if I had that today, the road is too busy for anything other than looking through the next corner. Seriously, I've not ridden a more demanding road (at pace) in my entire life.

CLAY · « **Reply #49 on:** September 01, 2018, 08:59:15 PM »

This is absolutely amazing. I'm all jealous 'n stuff.

The history and the geography are amazing- plus nearly every name reminds of some obscure anatomical detail.