Irish Cycling Tour to Kerry

Connor Pass

The Dingle Peninsula from Connor Pass

The past few days, I have been on tour in the South West of Ireland. Fortunately, the weather was kind, and we had two good days of dry, even sunny weather. It is said that the South West of Ireland is often drier than the rest of Ireland. I would definitely recommend this as a destination for a cycling holiday. There are some great roads, low levels of traffic and stunning scenery.

Connor Bike

At the top of Connor Pass

On the first day we cycled from Dingle  to Cahersiveen via Connor pass on the second day we cycled through Molls Gap to Black Valley I was constantly amazed at the lack of traffic. There was something fascinating about cycling on a road where you are the only person for miles around.

Dingle Peninsula

The Dingle Peninsula. Near Mount Brandon, Ireland’s second highest mountain at 950m.

The climbs of were really enjoyable, they weren’t too steep; the average gradient was between 5% and 10%. Some like the Connor pass went on for 6km, but the lack of steepness meant our party could all climb up.



11 Responses to Irish Cycling Tour to Kerry

  1. john walshe October 25, 2010 at 9:48 am #

    Re. my website http://www.travellogireland.com

    Does anyone want an independent assessment of Ireland’s Official Cycling Routes? If they do read on. My name is John Walshe and I have decided to cycle them all. According to the Failte Ireland website we have about 79 cycling routes in the Republic of Ireland which came as news to me when I happened upon that claim earlier on this year (2010). Since then I have been cycling them one by one and I have uploaded my report on each route onto my web page. Some of them are o.k. but most of them are dreadful. I intend to assess each and every one of them. I am cycling them solely from the viewpoint of a touring cyclist i.e. the kind of person who uses his holidays to cycle bringing with him all his luggage, tent etc. on the bike. As I cycle these routes I also bring along with me a theoretical nine years old daughter and an equally theoretical 10 years old son. This is the standard test that is used internationally. Would you let your two kids cycle this route? If the answer is ‘yes’ then the route qualifies all things considered. If the answer is ‘no it’s too dangerous’ then the route does not qualify. It’s as simple as that. Of course scenery has to be factored in and the degree of difficulty.

    So that is what I am doing and I want people to know about it because it’s important. Why should people either natives or foreigners have to cycle some incredibly dangerous or incredibly ugly cycle route? These routes are being heavily promoted by various authorities all over the country and I am not happy about that because most of the routes as I have already said are dreadful from the perspective of a normal touring cyclist who values his life and the lives of his loved ones and is not happy been hoodwinked into cycling some route which is extremely dangerous, obscenely ugly (ribbon development ad nauseum) or impossible to follow as half the signs have been twisted and most of the other half have been stolen. I do not know how long it will take but whatever length it takes it will take.

    In addition I have uploaded onto my site accounts of various adventures I have had abroad cycle touring and of course I am also trying to sell a book on cycling or walking ‘The Kerry Way’ but for most people the assessment of Ireland’s cycling routes is the most relevant part of the site. So check it out!

    John Walshe

  2. Rose August 4, 2010 at 12:47 am #

    Your trip sounds great. How good of shape was your group in. Went to Ireland this last April. Would loove to return to ride over Connor Pass. But just started to ride. Did as a kid like everyone else. Am I crazy??? Thanks for your time in answering. rose

  3. Andrew July 16, 2008 at 11:14 am #

    I was going to write that it looks like your in another country, but then i thought about it and realised you are.
    What a nice looking place.Did anything weird happen in ireland?

  4. Nick July 15, 2008 at 7:15 am #

    Look at all that open space with no people on! Fantastic! Living in crowded NL as I do, I could do with a slice of that. Food fior thought – maybe I’ll plan a few days there (if I can figure how to get my bike over there withou having to ride it all the way).

  5. Groover July 14, 2008 at 9:34 pm #

    I’ve ridden once in Ireland in the Galway area. It wasn’t planned. I went for a hike and sprained my ankle jumping a fence. Since I couldn’t walk I hired a bike and rode instead. Loved it. The photographs remind me of my holiday in Ireland. It’s a beautiful place.

    P.S. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Cycling Around the Coast | Cycling UK - September 14, 2010

    [...] Seems a great way to spend a summer. On his blog, Nick documents the highs and lows of cycle touring. But, it seems the highs such as unexpected hospitality and generosity by strangers far outweigh the downs of speeding drivers and potholes. – A Very inspiring and positive account of cycle touring. Also brings back good memories from my own cycle touring in Ireland. [...]

  2. Cycling in Dublin | Cycling UK - August 2, 2009

    [...] Irish Cycling holiday [...]

  3. Garmin Edge GPS Bike Systems — Cycling Review - December 26, 2008

    [...] sure you don’t get lost, especially when touring in remote parts of a country. On a recent cycling tour of Ireland, I wish I’d had a GPS system for a [...]

  4. The Brighter side of Winter Cycling | Cycling UK - November 10, 2008

    [...] photos are actually taken from an Irish cycling holiday in the middle of summer. But, you could just about pass them off as winter [...]

  5. Taking A Bike on A Plane | Cycling UK - July 16, 2008

    [...] recent Irish holiday was the first time I too a bike on a plane. I had always been nervous about taking a road bike. [...]

  6. Tips for Cycle Touring | Cycling UK - July 15, 2008

    [...] recent cycling tour to Ireland was a great experience. It was the first time I took a bike by plane; but, definitely want to do [...]

Leave a Reply


2 + 9 =