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Cycle Holidays Ireland - A Review Of The Company
By spokesman | November 16, 2008
I recently received an e-mail from a reader who had read my posts about my recent trip to Ireland. He discovered my website while planning his trip.
“My wife and went on a cycling vacation in Ireland last month and had a great time. Before the trip, we read your review, “Irish Cycling Safaris - A Review of the Company” and this helped us choose a different operator. We had such a great experience with Cycle Holidays Ireland that we wrote a review. Would you be interested in posting it on your blog? “
Best Regards,
Steve McCool Austin, Texas
The review from Steve is below. He and his wife enjoyed their first cycling trip very much and it looks like they will be doing more bicycling tours in the future. For those planning a trip to Ireland, please see my other posts on Ireland.
Bicycling Across Western Ireland -A personal review of our Cycle Holidays Ireland tour
What were we thinking?
I’m not exactly sure how I ended up bicycling across much of Ireland. I’ve got a sedentary desk job, I’m in my 50’s, and I’m a little out of shape. My wife and I took up cycling for exercise and things escalated until three months later we were on a train to Limerick to begin the Cycle Holidays Ireland seven-day tour of western Ireland. It’s an understatement to say I had plenty of misgivings and self-doubt. Thirty-five miles per day in high winds and rain? You call that a vacation? Surely you’re joking!
Trip of a Lifetime
To my utter surprise, not only did we survive, we had the trip of a lifetime. The Ireland we saw on our cycling tour was equal to what you see in the movies: beautiful, green, and hilly. Also, there’s a reason when you say “Ireland”, most people think “rainbows”. As they say locally, unsettled weather is followed quickly by bright spells leading to frequent rainbows. The terrain was incredibly varied. One day we were riding through the rocky lunar landscape of the Burren, then along hilly country lanes between farms and pastures. We crested a hill and unexpectedly saw a spectacular view of the Atlantic. The next day we were zipping along coastal roads with the Atlantic on one side, lush green hills with waterfalls on the other, and mountains in the distance.
There were ruins of Norman towers and monasteries seemingly at every turn. The cycling became secondary to the dramatic scenery, though I can’t imagine you could really experience the countryside like we did if your were on a bus tour.
Why Cycle Holidays Ireland, and was it a good choice?
We researched cycling tours of Ireland online and found numerous choices encompassing various areas of Ireland, self-guided and supported tours, and varying difficulty. One boasted of a 4000 foot elevation rise over 100 miles in a single day. Probably not a good choice for a professional mouse jockey. We read a blog telling of being abandoned for two hours in the rain waiting for a support van on another tour.
Cycle Holidays Ireland (www.cycleholidaysireland.com) was neither the least or most expensive choice, but for comparable service, it seemed like the best value. Always the cheapskate, I wanted to go with a lower-priced self guided tour, but my wife wanted a tour with more support. Given the unpredictable weather in Ireland, that turned out to be a really good investment. We were saved by the van from any really bad weather, got a much deeper understanding of the local history, and saw the most interesting tourist sights (e.g. Aran Islands, Cliffs of Moher, Ruins of Kilmacduagh, Dunguaire Castle, Aillwee Cave, traditional Irish music at McDermott’s Pub in Doolin, etc.). A tour with less support couldn’t have been nearly as much fun. Cycle Holidays’ website with a picture of riders hoisting beer kegs overhead hinted at a lighthearted approach and tempered my fear of being left in the dust by semi-professional cyclists.
Since our tour was the last of the season, we only got to meet the principal proprietor, John Heagney, an 11-year veteran tour provider, dairy farmer, and passable stand-up comedian. During the high season, he has additional trusted assistants.
The tour guide, the equipment, the hotels, and the organization make the tour. Cycle Holidays Ireland gets high marks on all counts. The bicycles were good quality and in excellent shape. John replaces them every two years. There was plenty of equipment, frame sizes, saddles, etc. to choose from.
Hello, John. These sheep don’t look familiar, are we lost?
John was accommodating and always pleasant. He always offers a van transfer if you want to avoid hills, or the opposite if you’re a glutton for punishment. He adapts to all situations and continues to improve the routes, accommodations, and organization. He is very knowledgeable of local history. The excellent organization and support Cycle Holidays Ireland provides started before the ride and continued throughout. They sent out a helpful pre-tour email explaining what to expect and what gear to bring. John promptly responded to emailed questions and picked up the cyclists at the airport or train station if possible. All of the routes were carefully chosen to avoid busy roads, but watch out for occasional sheep and cattle in the road. John suggested making a high-pitched sound to warn the sheep in advance, avoiding any unfortunate panics.
Cell phones programmed to call the tour guide were provided to everyone. They worked well. We used them several times, and they put our minds at ease even when we didn’t need them. John clearly marked the routes and provided custom maps each day. The van was nearby if we needed help. Riders were encouraged to go at their own pace and venture from the group. My wife and I wanted to ride more miles on Tuesday than some of the others on our tour, so John got us started early and then picked us up to rejoin the group. Individual couples were even dropped off for special site seeing requests. The logistics were dizzying for the guide I’m sure, but seemed effortless for the customers.
Most of the accommodations were excellent. One of the hotels, though conveniently located for our cycling route, was mediocre. John seems to take feedback from his customers seriously and makes changes each season. He can’t make everything perfect, but he does everything possible. You can’t ask for more.
A first-rate breakfast and dinner was included and ample and we had to learn to pace ourselves despite all the exercise. Lunch was not included, but John gave us a couple of suggestions each day and showed us around. An infinite supply of energy bars and water was always handy.
Do you enjoy being tired and sore?
My wife and I were quite concerned we’d be holding back the group. We crammed in a lot of riding for three months before the trip. That really paid off. We were as fast as anyone in our group and had a lot more fun than if we hadn’t prepared. You can always opt to ride in the van or take the day off, but we aren’t wired that way.
We rode 210 miles altogether in six days of riding. Daily rides on our tour varied between 34 and 50 miles (the farthest we’ve ever ridden) except one rain shortened 20-mile day and a rest day spent on Inishmore Island. Most of the routes in the Burren and Connemara are fairly hilly, but where possible, the direction was selected to have a net decrease in elevation. The worst uphill on our tour was about 300 feet, but John tactfully suggested we all ride in the van there. We did tackle one 200-foot hill.
The weather was sometimes rainy and cold at the end of September but we still had a fantastic time. We were all grinning like idiots while riding in blowing rain. Follow the guide’s pre-tour email recommendations and bring the right rain gear; you’ll stay fairly warm and comfortable.
Advice to fellow travelers
Consider bringing your own saddle if you have a comfortable one. Everyone had sore seats the first couple of days until they adapted to a different saddle of their choice. I got sore again on the 50-mile day, but I wasn’t about to stop. The views and the experience were incredible. Would we recommend others take this vacation and use Cycle Holidays Ireland? Absolutely, but get in some serious riding before the trip.
We’re hooked. We’re already planning a cycling holiday next year in Nova Scotia. I only hope we will find as pleasant a tour guide as John, and a tour of the same high quality.
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Topics: Ireland |