Touring - Galway, Ireland

Can anyone suggest some possible, and practical, day trips to cycle from Salthill, Galway City? Also, how about any trips that can be done with one overnight stay and then return to Salthill the next day? We'll be staying in a friend's condo there this summer, and would like to do some cycling from there.
Thanks.

There are a few possibilities. I'm in a rush, so I'll just toss these out there quickly.
The Aran Islands would make an excellent day trip. They can be accessed via a ferry from the Galway dockside. The ferry ride takes about 90 minutes. My guess is that once you're there, you'll want to make it an overnight. The Aran Islands are astounding in their beauty with lots of green fields and stone walls everywhere. Be sure to visit the ancient stone fort of Dun Aengus.

One of the most beautiful sights in all of Ireland are the Cliffs of Moher. That should be a good ride out of Galway, though you may not want to make the entire trip out and back in one day. Would be a good weekend getaway.

Lastly, ride in the Lake Corrib area, and take in the villages of Cong and Oughterard. Very lovely places.

One of the most beautiful sights in all of Ireland are the Cliffs of Moher. That should be a good ride out of Galway, though you may not want to make the entire trip out and back in one day. Would be a good weekend getaway.

Yeah, the cliffs of Moher are nice, but it's a hyper-touristy spot that might not jibe well with the bike tourist ethic. The problem is that they've put up a stone fence wall to keep people from falling into the ocean (understandably), which makes it feel like you're looking at the cliffs through a picture frame. And it's PACKED with the tour bus crowd.

Tip: stunning cliffs are EVERYWHERE along the coastline. Grab a decent tour guide -- we used the Lonely Planet one, it's excellent. Along the back roads, we found umpteen places where you can stroll along a mind-boggling cliffside path, not a soul around. We even found a place on the Ring of Kerry (sorry, not near your destination) where the farmer lets people camp near the cliffs.

Also: the back roads tend to be chock full of falling-down castles and ring forts. As Canadians with not much architectural history, we loved it.

We went by tiny car, not bike. Heresy, I know. I'd advise you to be super careful on the roads. Most of them are very narrow, with stone abutments, poor visibility, and scary fast drivers. They're generally good drivers, just fast.

And a +1 on the Aran Islands. Beautiful, friendly, calm, and a fascinating history.

Hi Frida1,

+ 1 Aran Islands and Lake Corrib area. Also Maam Cross, Leenane, Letterfrack, Clifden.

From Leenane to Westport is also a good cycle. Even better Westport to Leenane as it's mainly down hill. You might want to try climbing Croke Patrick if you're in the area.

The Burren in County Clare is also great. I'm from East Galway and there is some pretty nice cycling around Woodford, Portumna and all around Lough Derg.

Best piece of advice I'd say is to stick with small local roads. Avoid main roads like the plague. Irish drivers tend to dgo faster than they should and sometimes don't have great regard for cyclists.

Enjoy your trip!

We spent a week in Galway the summer of 2007. It is a beautiful area. My brother brought his travel bike and I considered renting one but decided against. Did a lot of hiking instead. The roads in the area are very narrow and winding, often with stone walls right along the roadside. Maps are hard to follow. My brother got in a couple of nice rides west of Galway but said it was a bit scary at times. The best riding is further west toward Clifden and Connemara National Park. It would have much less traffic than the Cliffs of Moher area. The Aran Islands are great for a day trip and you can rent crappy bikes there. We had a great time riding with the kids there. Here are a couple of shots from Connemara. I will post more photos later.

This thread at lonelyplanets.com is about bike touring in Ireland and has some specific Galway advice: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1341408 .

Also, I've been to Galway, though I didn't bike there. Expect rain. I drove up to Connemara and it is a bit isolated and open to the elements. I did go through towns up there where you could stay and do day rides, as well.

I also took the ferry to one of the Aran islands and rented a bike for the day. The roads had light traffic but there wasn't all that much to see.

I really enjoyed Galway.

Have a great time.

Ray

I went to one the smaller Arran Isles, Inisheer and it was really lovely. A bike is useful for zipping around.
The Burren is a really unusual part of Ireland, you have lots of ancient stone burial sites, a Karst limestone scenery and the most diverse plantlife in Europe with species from the Arctic to the Med growing side by side.

+1 for the Burren. Spent four months there a few years back and it is where I rediscovered my love of cycling.