Ireland Trip Report - Coastal Route (Rosslare>Rosslare Clockwise)

I'm recently back from a trip around most(ly) the coastal route of Ireland. Thought i'd share a synopsis of my experience, routes & scenery to help others considering the journey, routes and roads to ride.

Total days ridden; 6
Mileage: 1800-1900

Start/finish: Rosslare Harbour

My aim was to cover around 300 miles a day/8 hours riding time. This was more of a riding holiday, than sight seeing tourist attraction jaunt. If i was to do it again there'd certainly be parts of the route i would change, but none the less really enjoyed what i had planned.
I've made the routes public in MRA & linked below also, so you can search them, download them & edit if you wish.
All accommodation linked below - most are camping, but some have B&B options or Camping Pods too. All of them appeared to take Motorhomes too.

Day 1;
Rosslare Harbour to Hungry Hill Lodge & Campsite on the Beara Peninsula.



Day 2; up to Curraghchase Camping, Curraghchase



Favourite parts along this route was the Ballaghbeama Gap & Ballagisheen Pass

Day 3; up to Westport House, Westport



Favourite parts Leneagh through to Delphi

Day 4; up to Dunfanaghy, Corcreggan Camping/accomodation



Favourite sections from Donegal up to the final destination

Day 5; up to Castle Ward, near Strangford



favourite sections; the whole of the North Coast. A mix of great roads &/or scenery the whole way.

Day 6; (rest day) spent it at Castle Ward and the surrounding areas.

Day 7; back down to Rosslare (skipped camping and got on the evening Ferry)



favourite sections; Wickow Mountains

Excellent. And very useful, thank you.

That’s what I would like to do one day good on you for posting up your trip what were the highlights and the low’s of the trip I bet the run to the 2300 ferry was a slog lol

Highlights; Pretty much all of it! Some of the best roads i've ridden thus far (i've done a lot of Europe at all), and some stunning scenery too.
low's; none Bike related as such. A few tweaks to do to the gear i take, and packing. Everything else was ok. Gripes were mainly stupid drivers (20mph on national speed roads), or c*nty kids/families at some of the campsites that ruin the time away and atmosphere for others.

The 2:45am ferry going out was not too bad. Sat at the dockside on the Bike watching Youtube until we boarded around 2:15. And the same again on the 8.45pm ferry back (i had a cabin either way so slept for most of it) - the slog coming back was getting off at Pembroke at 1AM and the 3.5 hour journey along the M4 home (at least there were no closures or roadworks!)

I should have taken you up on your offer to join you by the sounds of the trip
How do you fancy a trip to the Spanish Pyrenees in October

…..If i was to do it again there'd certainly be parts of the route i would change…..

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Which bits, please?

Nice one, fair play to you.

Zx9man said:

I should have taken you up on your offer to join you by the sounds of the trip
How do you fancy a trip to the Spanish Pyrenees in October

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It sounds good, but unfortunately budget and holiday allowance are pretty much gone now! No more big trips for me until next year.

Wapping said:

Which bits, please?

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I'd have to go through each route and remember which bits they were, and compare it to the route i took on my tracker. There's not a lot overall - mainly some tweaks such as taking faster routes to go around towns i went through, and allowing more time to enjoy roads in particular areas (riding a loop) than through them on one route.
I'll have a sift through and upload my updated interpretations.

Nice one. As a Norn Ironer, this is one of my favourite trips. Hope you don’t mind if I make a few suggestions based upon my travels on this route:
Day 2: just past Ballylongford(pt 46) is Tarbet on the Shannon. Take the ferry across rather than go towards Limerick. Great views and relaxing
Day 5: have dinner at Kealy’s Seafood Restaurant in Greencastle then take the Greencastle to Magilligan ferry rather than ride from Moville(pt 15) to Londonderry and around the coast. I would also stay in Ballycastle especially on a Thursday night and spend the evening in listening to Irish music in O’Connors. Then you are at the foot of the Glens to ride the coast rode to Belfast. A must do.
Day 7: I would pass on this route South and prefer to take the fast ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan then ride down south via the Lakes, Wales

That's a fair trip in the given timeframes

DJ123 said:

Favourite parts along this route was the Ballaghbeama Gap & Ballagisheen Pass

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A man after my own heart
There's a few similar roads in that general area, if you're heading back PM me & I'll put a couple of waypoints together for you. And then plan on a longer trip timewise...

Jeremy said:

Day 2: just past Ballylongford(pt 46) is Tarbet on the Shannon. Take the ferry across rather than go towards Limerick. Great views and relaxing
Day 5:take the Greencastle to Magilligan ferry rather than ride from Moville(pt 15) to Londonderry and around the coast.

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I'd definitely factor both those in. They each save time & cut out some boring bits

That looks like a fantastic trip. About 300 miles a day ? A few extra days just to have a low mileage day or even a lazy rest day would be the icing on the cake. Thank you for posting that up

Ah …. Just seen Day 6 was a “day off !”