Hello fellow cyclists. My name is Jim, and I am a college student planning on cycling around Ireland (maybe some Scotland and England) this summer break. The only problem is that I do not have a travel buddy to go with (someone fell through). I am located in the S.F. Bay Area (North Bay), and wondering if, by chance, anyone else was planning on making a similar trip. My summer vacation begins at the end of May. Please let me know.

EDIT: I forgot to add this fact, but it would be about a 1.5 month trip. I'd want to circle the island and hang out at some cool towns.

Try www.cyclingplus.co.uk, it's based in the UK and has a bit of info for Ireland and you might find some other local cyclists who might tag along for awhile.

Going alone isn't bad either, you'll meet lots of people on your trip. I have met the most wonderful people that way.

Jim, I haven't been on a cycling tour as such, i have been to Ireland and have cycled. Not alot but enough to know that the whole cycling / driving on the left can be un-nerving at best..at worst..REAL dangerous. Sounds cliche but I just can't over-emphasize this FACT.. More than simply "riding on the other side"..EVERYTHING is dif.(difficult AND different). The whole way you'll take turns is unfamiliar. Simply the direction you look in is opposite, a split second hesitation..well.. you can imagine. I was advised this and prevailed upon by my hosts to heed thier warnings, I did.. I found 3 dudes to take some short 20-30 mile rides with. The roads are narrow, the cars speed , NO traffic lights just round-abouts - really scary. In a pack though, MUCH easier and safer. If i'd survived on my own, it would have STILL been too scary to enjoy. LOTS of places to explore..counties kerry..througfh Cork..onto waterford ..to name a few. It's a taal order to find someone with whome you'll be able to share your time-frame. I'd surely focus more on arrangements to participate in tours or such existing there, rather than trying to find a buddy(as unfamiliar with Ireland as you) on this side o' the pond.. great cycling / friendly enviornment indeed. As I've said..I'm not a touring expert..I do know how it is there and I KNOW there are great tours.

I have ridden a ton in Ireland and had no such problems, even in Dublin City. Have a ball!

Now that's just downright crazy, and there's no sense in scaring someone for no reason. I took a 2 month solo tour in Ireland a few years back, and had absolutely no issues getting around by bike, even in major cities. Roundabouts make sense and are EASY to negotiate, if you don't approach them in the sort of defeatist, paralyzed fear described in this post. Use your brain, and you'll quickly get into the rhythm of local traffic, it should become second nature during the first day of cycling.

I'd recommend getting a mirror (helmet mount is my preference). Those giant tour busses are eerily quiet, and were the only vehicle I had trouble hearing until they were actually passing me.

And traveling alone in Ireland is easy and a pleasure. Stay at a hostel, and you'll make instant friends. Visit a small pub, and if you're even halfway friendly people will be chatting you up. You'll likely meet cyclists from other countries too.

Ireland is one of the easiest places to start cycle touring. You get used to riding on the correct side of the rode fairly easily. I have to switch when I rde in Spain or France.
Ireland is chock full of solo cycle tourists who tend to congregate at the independant hostel network. You can usually find one or more people to team up with and its a great way to meet people.
There are bike shops in all the market towns so you dont need to load yourself down with expedition spares.

Ireland is rotten. You'll hate it. Don't come here.

hi jim, im from a place called drogheda ,30 miles from dublin, 70milesfrom belfast .,drogheda is on the north east coast,its the biggest town in ireland , you wont have any problems here ,worry not my friend ,come and enjoy any problems look me up,

well it sounds like most people are saying that I won't have any issue if I end up traveling alone (for at least a portion). Could some of you tell me how hostels work and tell me about your experience using them? Thank you for all of your input, as well. Also, this will be my first tour, as well as my first time out of the country (U.S.). I also view this trip as a sort of pilgrimage to the roots of my blood (of mostly Irish descent).

EDIT: Also, Is there any way that I can estimate how much money I should allocate for the trip? I will have about $4,000 total. I will need to spend about $900 on a touring bike, so that leaves about $3,100. If I went for a month and a half (60 days), that would be about $50 a day. Will this be enough? I know there are all of those hidden costs.

Getting use to riding on the left hand side is not all that difficult because, initially, you are constantly thinking about it. The problem I have had is going back to the States and forgetting to go on the right side. A guy I know in the States but is from London has the same problem when he goes back to the UK.

Do you have to buy a new bike? Don't you have one already? Or maye get a high quality used one?

I only have a racing bike right now. A nice used one is an option, if one pops up on CraigsList. The only issue is that it is hard to find a 60cm bike used.

So I was reading through this thread and I thought that it may be possible to take my 2006 LeMond Etape and not get a touring bike. I have put a rack and panniers on it before with the food from a full grocery run in them, and the bike seemed a little unstable, especially at low speeds. I also want to note that the food was very heavy, and I wouldn't be bringing as much weight with me.

I'd take the bike you already have.

The hostel system is fantastic in Ireland, especially for bike tourers with tents. The reason being, a lot of the hostels book up in advance for the inside rooms, but many of them allow camping in the yards. So a bike tourer, who can't really make reservations because you don't know in advance where you're going to be more than 24 hours from now, can often get a place to stay at a hostel that is otherwise full.

There are three hostel associations in Ireland: All 3 have pamphlets you can pick that list their locations. The one we used more was the IHH - The Independent Holiday Hostels - located at https://www.hostels-ireland.com/ They have over a hundred hostels, and we found them all to be clean, wonderful places with the most fantastic staff. There is no fee to join, and tenting is about half the price of staying inside.

There is also the IHO - The Independent Hostel Owners - some of the same hostels from the IHH are listed, but some are different. These hostels tended to be a little more run down and not as clean as the IHH, but if it was the only game in town, we stayed there as well. I don't have a web address for them, but they also have brochures when you get to Ireland.

Third, we never used the Youth Hostel Association, but here is their link: https://www.anoige.ie/
There is a fee to join, and if you stay there without joining, rates are higher.

As for cost, if you camp at hostels, buy groceries and cook at the hostel (ie, don't eat out all the time), you can get by on $50 a day, but that's pushing it. Main reason is that the Euro and the English Pound are both doing so well against the Amerian dollar...our buck doesn't go that far.

BTW, when I was there last summer, we also took 6 weeks and planned to circle the entire island..both NI and the Republic. We actually ran out of time and had to start zig-zagging thru the center of the country towards the end, going from castle-to-castle, in order to complete our circle in time and get back to Shannon for our return flight.

Have fun on your trip,
Cheryl