It's so different getting ready for a trip that comes at the end of the summer. There's a sense of calm that I just didn't have when I was preparing for my May adventure in Hawaii. I know I'll be heading out with a solid summer's season of cycling under my wheels (and under my butt!).
I've continued commuting to work by bike two to three times a week. Three would be ideal, but I'm more often successful at commuting twice a week and then doing a short early morning or evening ride on one other day. My commute is a minimum of 35 miles round trip, so typically I get to the end of the work week with a good mileage base of 70 to 90 miles before I head into a weekend during which I can usually do two decent rides. The only thing I want to do before I head out on my Ireland trip is to start doing one longer ride each week. With the mileage from commuting, I can get a decent amount of mileage in each week without doing any long rides (which right now I classify as 50 or more miles), but it would be good for my overall endurance to get back to the habit of one longer ride each week.
There's definitely a sense of calm. My body should be a lean cycling machine by the time that I leave for Ireland...
Sunday, July 13, 2003
Resources: links, books, maps
Here are some of the resources I've used in researching my trip. I'll add to this page as I continue to read in preparation for my trip.
My biggest resource for this trip was the Iron Donkey web site and emails that I exchanged with Tony Boyd at info@irondonkey.com. The web site contains high-level information about the standard routes. Within 3 weeks of receipt of the final payment for the trip, Iron Donkey sends out a packet of information containing all of the details of your trip - routes, reservations for B&Bs each night, recommendations on sights to see, emergency contact information, maps. Once I receive my packet I'll let you know how it's put together.
For some pre-trip reading and information about places to wander, I picked up a copy of Lonely Planet's Ireland Guidebook. Interestingly enough, this is the guidebook that was recommended by Iron Donkey.
Back when I was considering planning this trip on my own, I picked up a copy of the book Cycle Touring Ireland, by Brendan Walsh. This book includes both descriptions and directions for a circular tour around Ireland, as well as some shorter tours. It looks like it would be a good source if you want to do your own trip planning.
Dublin is both my entry and my exit point from Ireland (by air). I'll be taking the train from Dublin to Sligo to start my trip, and taking the train again from Belfast to Dublin. I've used the Iarnród Éireann - Irish Rail - website to explore my rail travel options - schedules, prices, maps, etc.
I'm taking two electronic toys with me on this trip - my HP Jornada handheld PC so I can keep my journal up to date, and my Canon S40 digital camera for the multitude of pictures I hope to take. I checked the power supply for the Jornada and the battery charger for the camera, and both can handle a range of input voltages - covering the power patterns in both the United States and Ireland. But of course the plugs won't work, so I knew I needed to pick up a plug adapter. Buying a whole set of adapters seemed silly, since I only need one, so I went searching on the web. I found Travel Oasis. The site has a lot of information about international electrical supplies in addition to their storefront. I ordered the plug adapter late Monday night, and had a package waiting for me when I arrived home on Friday. Good service - I'll buy from them again if the need arises.
Cheep Hostels (and no, that it not a misspelling!) was where I turned to look for inexpensive accommodations in the center of Dublin for the last night of my trip. I'll be staying at Mercer Court, which offers Bed & Breakfast accommodations (when school is not in session) at the Royal College of Surgeons housing facility. Trinity College also opens its residential rooms for visitors during the summer and early fall.
Hostelling International's web site is a good source of information and an obvious place to look if you want to stay in one of their hostels. If you go to the country list on this site and you're looking for Ireland - it's listed under Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. Although I didn't stay at any HI hostels in Ireland, I have stayed at their facilities in the US and Canada, and I walked into the hostel in Bushmills. It looked like it was very nice.
Independent Holiday Hostels of Ireland looks like another good source for both hostel locations and for general travel information.
And then there are the two official tourist boards. I haven't used these sources for much (yet), but they may be of interest if you're planning a trip: Check out the Sustrans web site for information on the National Cycle Network in the UK. I was on one of their on-road cycle routes for a bit, and it might be interesting to check out some of their other routes for a possible future trip.
Good maps are readily available in stores, but if you want your maps ahead of time, there are Ordnance Survey sites for the UK, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. Maps can be purchased online on both the UK and Ireland sites, and maps of both Northern Ireland and Ireland are available on the UK site. The map I used had a scale of 1:250000. There are maps at a scale of 1:50000 - essentially topo maps - but I would have needed a ton of them for the distance that I covered! The 1:250000 worked out fine.
My biggest resource for this trip was the Iron Donkey web site and emails that I exchanged with Tony Boyd at info@irondonkey.com. The web site contains high-level information about the standard routes. Within 3 weeks of receipt of the final payment for the trip, Iron Donkey sends out a packet of information containing all of the details of your trip - routes, reservations for B&Bs each night, recommendations on sights to see, emergency contact information, maps. Once I receive my packet I'll let you know how it's put together.
For some pre-trip reading and information about places to wander, I picked up a copy of Lonely Planet's Ireland Guidebook. Interestingly enough, this is the guidebook that was recommended by Iron Donkey.
Back when I was considering planning this trip on my own, I picked up a copy of the book Cycle Touring Ireland, by Brendan Walsh. This book includes both descriptions and directions for a circular tour around Ireland, as well as some shorter tours. It looks like it would be a good source if you want to do your own trip planning.
Dublin is both my entry and my exit point from Ireland (by air). I'll be taking the train from Dublin to Sligo to start my trip, and taking the train again from Belfast to Dublin. I've used the Iarnród Éireann - Irish Rail - website to explore my rail travel options - schedules, prices, maps, etc.
Update on September 22, 2003: My plans for the beginning of the trip changed slightly, so instead of starting in Sligo I started in Belcoo, which is about 35 miles east of Sligo. Because of this change, I didn't take the train to Sligo at the beginning of the trip. I did use the trains at three times during my trip though - twice with the bicycle and trailer, and once after I had packed the bike (so it was in a suitcase). There's a small fee to roll a bike aboard a train - that is, you have to buy a ticket for the bike - but there was never any question about getting my bike on a train.And of course I have to check the weather! It's early August, and I'm starting to keep an eye on conditions - although the current conditions have absolutely nothing to do with the conditions in September! Curiosity, I guess. The Irish Meteorological Service seems to be the best place to start.
I'm taking two electronic toys with me on this trip - my HP Jornada handheld PC so I can keep my journal up to date, and my Canon S40 digital camera for the multitude of pictures I hope to take. I checked the power supply for the Jornada and the battery charger for the camera, and both can handle a range of input voltages - covering the power patterns in both the United States and Ireland. But of course the plugs won't work, so I knew I needed to pick up a plug adapter. Buying a whole set of adapters seemed silly, since I only need one, so I went searching on the web. I found Travel Oasis. The site has a lot of information about international electrical supplies in addition to their storefront. I ordered the plug adapter late Monday night, and had a package waiting for me when I arrived home on Friday. Good service - I'll buy from them again if the need arises.
I also checked the Travel Oasis site for telephone plug configuration. The information on the phones was half correct - it told me that Ireland uses an RJ-11 connection, which is the same as in the United States. There wasn't a listing for Northern Ireland, but there was one for Great Britain, and it showed something other than an RJ-11. I decided since I didn't know if I'd even have access to a phone that I wouldn't bother with buying an adapter, and I'd just hope that any phones I encounterd would use an RJ-11 modular jack. That turned out to be a good assumption. I did bring a phone line to connect my Jornada to the phone - and it turned out that both countries use an RJ-11 connector, so I was able to connect.As usual, I had to order my preferred PreSun sun screen from the official online distributor, Unique Sports Accessories. I haven't been able to find this sun screen in stores (other than in Hawaii), but luckily this distributor is very quick to fill orders, and has PreSun in stock year round. Very helpful! I was actually given the name of this distributor by Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals when I emailed them to ask if they still manufactured PreSun.
Cheep Hostels (and no, that it not a misspelling!) was where I turned to look for inexpensive accommodations in the center of Dublin for the last night of my trip. I'll be staying at Mercer Court, which offers Bed & Breakfast accommodations (when school is not in session) at the Royal College of Surgeons housing facility. Trinity College also opens its residential rooms for visitors during the summer and early fall.
Hostelling International's web site is a good source of information and an obvious place to look if you want to stay in one of their hostels. If you go to the country list on this site and you're looking for Ireland - it's listed under Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. Although I didn't stay at any HI hostels in Ireland, I have stayed at their facilities in the US and Canada, and I walked into the hostel in Bushmills. It looked like it was very nice.
Independent Holiday Hostels of Ireland looks like another good source for both hostel locations and for general travel information.
And then there are the two official tourist boards. I haven't used these sources for much (yet), but they may be of interest if you're planning a trip: Check out the Sustrans web site for information on the National Cycle Network in the UK. I was on one of their on-road cycle routes for a bit, and it might be interesting to check out some of their other routes for a possible future trip.
Good maps are readily available in stores, but if you want your maps ahead of time, there are Ordnance Survey sites for the UK, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. Maps can be purchased online on both the UK and Ireland sites, and maps of both Northern Ireland and Ireland are available on the UK site. The map I used had a scale of 1:250000. There are maps at a scale of 1:50000 - essentially topo maps - but I would have needed a ton of them for the distance that I covered! The 1:250000 worked out fine.
Saturday, July 12, 2003
Where I'll be wandering
Ah, another solo but planned trip...
I'll be traveling from Belcoo - about 35 miles east of Sligo - heading west and north to the coast, then north and east across the island, then heading south. I'll be ending on the east coast in Belfast. Hmmm... I'm finally doing a west to east tour!
Tony has put together what appears to be an interesting set of biking days for me. I'll be traveling on most days, but there are a few where there is a circle route planned, allowing me a day of luxurious riding on an unloaded bike. If I'm really tired I can use those days as rest days, but right now I'm hoping to ride. I'm only going to be in Ireland for a short period of time, and I want to see and experience as much as possible. Some of the unloaded days will be hard ones with steep hills and otherwise difficult terrain, but Tony tells me the scenery on those days is fantastic!
Here's the plan:
I'll be traveling from Belcoo - about 35 miles east of Sligo - heading west and north to the coast, then north and east across the island, then heading south. I'll be ending on the east coast in Belfast. Hmmm... I'm finally doing a west to east tour!
Tony has put together what appears to be an interesting set of biking days for me. I'll be traveling on most days, but there are a few where there is a circle route planned, allowing me a day of luxurious riding on an unloaded bike. If I'm really tired I can use those days as rest days, but right now I'm hoping to ride. I'm only going to be in Ireland for a short period of time, and I want to see and experience as much as possible. Some of the unloaded days will be hard ones with steep hills and otherwise difficult terrain, but Tony tells me the scenery on those days is fantastic!
Here's the plan:
| Day | Date | From - To | Activity / Mode of Travel | Which Country? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 2 | August 29 - 30 | Boston to Belcoo | travel by plane, train, and automobile | USA to Ireland to Northern Ireland |
| 3 | August 31 | Belcoo | Assemble bike, ride a bit, rest | Northern Ireland & Ireland |
| 4 | September 1 | Belcoo to Rosses Point | Bike | Northern Ireland to Ireland |
| 5 | September 2 | Rosses Point to Belleek | Bike | Ireland to Northern Ireland |
| 6 | September 3 | Belleek to Donegal | Bike | Northern Ireland to Ireland |
| 7 | September 4 | Donegal to Ardara | Bike | Ireland |
| 8 | September 5 | Ardara | Bike without gear, a challenging route! | Ireland |
| 9 | September 6 | Ardara to Castlederg | Bike | Ireland to Northern Ireland |
| 10 | September 7 | Castlederg to Derry | Bike | Northern Ireland to Ireland to Northern Ireland |
| 11 | September 8 | Derry to Bushmills | Bike | Northern Ireland |
| 12 | September 9 | Bushmills | Bike without gear | Northern Ireland |
| 13 | September 10 | Bushmills to Cushendall | Bike | Northern Ireland |
| 14 | September 11 | Cushendall to Belfast | Bike | Northern Ireland |
| 15 | September 12 | Belfast to Dublin | Train, then wandering on foot | Northern Ireland to Ireland |
| 16 | September 13 | Dublin to Boston | Travel, travel, travel - by plane | Ireland to USA |
Update on September 14th: When I left home I thought that my trip would progress from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland - that is, that I'd spend the first half of my trip in Ireland, and the second in Northern Ireland. It didn't work out that way, and I was actually wandering back and forth across the border for the first half of the trip. Belcoo, my home for the first two nights, is in Northern Ireland. The next day I traveled to Rosses Point, in the south. Then to Belleek, in the north. Back to the south to Donegal Town and Ardara. Then to Castlederg in the north. I traveled roads in the south as I rode back to Derry, in the north. At that point I stayed in Northern Ireland until I took the train to Dublin on September 12th. A trip of wandering between two countries...
Update on September 27th: I've updated the table above to show which country or countries I was in each day.
Monday, July 7, 2003
So what is a self-guided tour?
I'm hoping that my first experience with a self-guided tour is a good one. I think it will be based on the conversation I had with Richard and Laura, and it's certainly an easy way to plan a tour!
So what do I get for my money? First, I get to make use of someone else's experience and knowledge of the roads in Ireland. I'm looking forward to beautiful scenery, lightly traveled roads, and accommodations in a Bed & Breakfast each night. Iron Donkey will provide maps, cue sheets, B&B accommodations, suggestions for interesting things to see, information on restaurants, an emergency contact number, and... The Iron Donkey web site describes the routes as "secluded minor country roads and lanes". That sounds good to me!
And how much does it cost? I think the cost of my tour is extremely reasonable. I have a tour that was customized to my needs, and I'll be riding on roads that I doubt I could find on my own. Of course I could do my own planning, but the roads I'd find would probably be more traveled than those Tony has chosen for me. And the price is very fair.
Looking back...
Supported? Not this time!
Iron Donkey offers the option of transporting luggage from point to point.
I chose not to use this option. Yes, the biking is easier. But I think that self-contained touring is a different experience than touring with someone carrying your bags. And no, I'm not trying to make it harder.
I started out in this touring world by doing supported tours. I discovered that I loved traveling by bike, but I discovered that I liked it even more when I experienced really being on my own. For some reason, a loaded bike (panniers or trailer, it doesn't seem to matter) provides an introduction to strangers, a reason for people to spend time talking with you. Although touring has taught me to be more open, and I tend to talk with more strangers than I did before I started this touring thing, I still feel that I meet more people when I'm traveling on a loaded bike.
And since part of the magic of touring for me is meeting people...
So what do I get for my money? First, I get to make use of someone else's experience and knowledge of the roads in Ireland. I'm looking forward to beautiful scenery, lightly traveled roads, and accommodations in a Bed & Breakfast each night. Iron Donkey will provide maps, cue sheets, B&B accommodations, suggestions for interesting things to see, information on restaurants, an emergency contact number, and... The Iron Donkey web site describes the routes as "secluded minor country roads and lanes". That sounds good to me!
And how much does it cost? I think the cost of my tour is extremely reasonable. I have a tour that was customized to my needs, and I'll be riding on roads that I doubt I could find on my own. Of course I could do my own planning, but the roads I'd find would probably be more traveled than those Tony has chosen for me. And the price is very fair.
Looking back...
Could I do it for less? Yes - but for me (and in particular for me on this trip), the money was money well spent. My fee for the trip for 13 nights (including B&B, singles supplement, and 1 airport transport) was $1090, which comes out to $83 per day. A good chunk of the money went towards my accommodations, and the rest to the services that Iron Donkey provided. Done on my own, I think the money I spent for B&Bs would have varied a bit - I probably would have stayed in more expensive places in some towns, but to balance that out I may have stayed in hostels for a few nights too. All in all, I was happy with my choice - but the answer to the questions could I (or could you, if you're looking to do a low cost tour) do it for less is yes.
Supported? Not this time!
Iron Donkey offers the option of transporting luggage from point to point.
I chose not to use this option. Yes, the biking is easier. But I think that self-contained touring is a different experience than touring with someone carrying your bags. And no, I'm not trying to make it harder.
I started out in this touring world by doing supported tours. I discovered that I loved traveling by bike, but I discovered that I liked it even more when I experienced really being on my own. For some reason, a loaded bike (panniers or trailer, it doesn't seem to matter) provides an introduction to strangers, a reason for people to spend time talking with you. Although touring has taught me to be more open, and I tend to talk with more strangers than I did before I started this touring thing, I still feel that I meet more people when I'm traveling on a loaded bike.
And since part of the magic of touring for me is meeting people...
Sunday, July 6, 2003
A lazy gal's approach to trip planning: Iron Donkey
What's an Iron Donkey? Keep reading and you'll find out...
I started looking into cycling in Ireland last fall after I returned from my cross-country trek. I bought a cycling guide book - Cycle Touring Ireland, by Brendan Walsh, and started wandering through the tours in the book. At about the same time I noticed ads for Iron Donkey in my bike club newsletter, in Adventure Cycling's magazine, and in the League of American Bicyclists publication. Hmmm... self-guided touring in Ireland, sounds interesting. I checked out the Iron Donkey web site, requested a brochure, and started dreaming. Winter was coming, and I was dreaming of my next tour, but I was also working at a new job, so my plans didn't go beyond dreams at that point.
Then winter closed in on me. It was a wet one, and most of my riding was done on a trainer in my dining room. Very boring - so I turned toward trip planning again. The January/February 2003 issue of Adventure Cyclist had an article about a tour in Ireland organized by Iron Donkey. Still looks interesting...
I started seriously perusing the Iron Donkey web site, and I started an email conversation with Tony Boyd - the architect of the Iron Donkey tours. Questions went winging their way to Tony, and the answers quickly flew back to me. One of the things I asked was if I could talk to someone who had done an Iron Donkey tour in the (recent) past. Tony put me in touch with Laura & Richard from Chicago, and we spent a happy hour+ chatting on the phone one cold winter day. They did 3 of Tony's tours last year and absolutely loved both cycling in Ireland and the routes and lodging arranged by Tony. They had Tony carry their gear for part of the trip because they were traveling with some friends who weren't prepared to travel self-contained, but took their gear back for the last week when they were on their own. Still sounded good to me, but it was still a bit early for decisions. I continued to dream though, thinking about a trip to Ireland in the late May timeframe...
March rolled around, and I decided I needed sunshine. Hawaii first, and I moved my Ireland dreams to the end of the summer. September sounded good to me.
Time to make a decision - which Iron Donkey tour should I do? Back and forth, back and forth, decisions, decisions, decisions... I was having trouble making a decision, and for some reason a single week's tour didn't feel right to me. And looking back, I think that was the reason I was having so much trouble deciding which tour to ride - I guess I really wanted to do more than one! I started leaning toward a two-week vacation, but Tony's standard tours are 6 days biking with 7 nights accommodations. I needed extra days for travel time to and from Ireland, and I thought I'd need a travel day between the tours. I sent off another email to Tony telling him which tours interested me, and asking if he could shorten one or both of them so I could fit my trip into two weeks. His response was that he could definitely structure a trip to fit into my time frame. He also told me that I wouldn't need a day to travel between trips - I could bike between locations. Excellent!
The next step was to pick the tours. I sent off another email to Tony with my choices. He responded with a couple of questions - what was my preferred daily mileage range, and what's my attitude about hills. I answered via email, but then decided a real live conversation would be good. We spoke on the phone, exchanged some more information, and then Tony went into planning mode for me. Because I have a long travel day to get to my first biking day, I asked Tony to plan for a non-traveling first day - not non-biking, but I'll be staying at the same place the first two nights so I can do an easy ride without my gear that first day. He emailed an itinerary for my approval, and after I reviewed it I gave him the go ahead for the trip. I sent off a $100 deposit (with the balance due 6 weeks prior to the trip start). Done - I'm definitely going to Ireland!
I started looking into cycling in Ireland last fall after I returned from my cross-country trek. I bought a cycling guide book - Cycle Touring Ireland, by Brendan Walsh, and started wandering through the tours in the book. At about the same time I noticed ads for Iron Donkey in my bike club newsletter, in Adventure Cycling's magazine, and in the League of American Bicyclists publication. Hmmm... self-guided touring in Ireland, sounds interesting. I checked out the Iron Donkey web site, requested a brochure, and started dreaming. Winter was coming, and I was dreaming of my next tour, but I was also working at a new job, so my plans didn't go beyond dreams at that point.
Then winter closed in on me. It was a wet one, and most of my riding was done on a trainer in my dining room. Very boring - so I turned toward trip planning again. The January/February 2003 issue of Adventure Cyclist had an article about a tour in Ireland organized by Iron Donkey. Still looks interesting...
I started seriously perusing the Iron Donkey web site, and I started an email conversation with Tony Boyd - the architect of the Iron Donkey tours. Questions went winging their way to Tony, and the answers quickly flew back to me. One of the things I asked was if I could talk to someone who had done an Iron Donkey tour in the (recent) past. Tony put me in touch with Laura & Richard from Chicago, and we spent a happy hour+ chatting on the phone one cold winter day. They did 3 of Tony's tours last year and absolutely loved both cycling in Ireland and the routes and lodging arranged by Tony. They had Tony carry their gear for part of the trip because they were traveling with some friends who weren't prepared to travel self-contained, but took their gear back for the last week when they were on their own. Still sounded good to me, but it was still a bit early for decisions. I continued to dream though, thinking about a trip to Ireland in the late May timeframe...
March rolled around, and I decided I needed sunshine. Hawaii first, and I moved my Ireland dreams to the end of the summer. September sounded good to me.
Time to make a decision - which Iron Donkey tour should I do? Back and forth, back and forth, decisions, decisions, decisions... I was having trouble making a decision, and for some reason a single week's tour didn't feel right to me. And looking back, I think that was the reason I was having so much trouble deciding which tour to ride - I guess I really wanted to do more than one! I started leaning toward a two-week vacation, but Tony's standard tours are 6 days biking with 7 nights accommodations. I needed extra days for travel time to and from Ireland, and I thought I'd need a travel day between the tours. I sent off another email to Tony telling him which tours interested me, and asking if he could shorten one or both of them so I could fit my trip into two weeks. His response was that he could definitely structure a trip to fit into my time frame. He also told me that I wouldn't need a day to travel between trips - I could bike between locations. Excellent!
The next step was to pick the tours. I sent off another email to Tony with my choices. He responded with a couple of questions - what was my preferred daily mileage range, and what's my attitude about hills. I answered via email, but then decided a real live conversation would be good. We spoke on the phone, exchanged some more information, and then Tony went into planning mode for me. Because I have a long travel day to get to my first biking day, I asked Tony to plan for a non-traveling first day - not non-biking, but I'll be staying at the same place the first two nights so I can do an easy ride without my gear that first day. He emailed an itinerary for my approval, and after I reviewed it I gave him the go ahead for the trip. I sent off a $100 deposit (with the balance due 6 weeks prior to the trip start). Done - I'm definitely going to Ireland!
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