Ireland - Connemara, Best of the West

On a self guided tour we will organize your bike hire, the accommodation and the luggage transfer. Your route details will be waiting for you in your first night’s accommodation. In the route details you will also find recommendations for lunch stops and places to have dinner. You will set off by yourself and the luggage will be transferred to the next stop by our local taxi transfers. And should there be a day you won’t be able to cycle, it is possible to arrange a lift with the luggage transfer.

You can also contact us in the office (info@cyclingsafaris.com) or on our emergency number if you need assistance.

You can start the cycling tour on any day that suits you.

If you prefer to cycle with a support van and/or guide we are happy to send you a customized quote for this.

On a self guided tour it is possible to add extra days or shorten the trip if you wish to or we can customize the route for you.

Guide in a support van / no cycling guide

We offer set departure dates for group tour bookings. If we reach a minimum of 8 people on the set departure tour date the tour will be run with a guide in a support van.

The guide will meet you each morning to give you a short briefing for the day ahead. Then you can set off in small groups or individually. Each person has their own route details. Your guide will then collect the luggage and deliver the bags to the next night's accommodation before catching up with the group again. 

Although the guide will not be cycling with you, he or she will be driving the support van and will make a sweep to ensure that all is well, and offer lifts to those who want a break. 
This provides a sense of freedom in that you can travel at your own pace in the security that the guide is there for you in the event that you might need them. The guide will recommend places to eat and try to find out where the best entertainment is each night.

Most importantly, the guide sets the right tone to make you feel welcome to the country and to help you in whatever way possible so that each day you are free to leave your worries behind.

If we don’t reach the minimum of 8 bookings, this tour will go ahead as self guided version with luggage transfers via our local taxi companies. There might be others cycling the same route, but there won’t be a guide in a support van. However, you can always contact us in the office to get assistance and if you need a lift we can organize this for you.

Bike rental is not included in the basic tour price

In Connemara you can rent a Merida Crossway Urban 20-D bicycle for our tours. These are a 24 speed alloy frame & fork with twin hydraulic disc brakes. Each bike is fitted with muds, alloy pannier rack, kick stand & handle bar bag.
The pannier bags are waterproof 40 liter bags.
Bikes come in different sizes and in gents and ladies style frames. 
It is very important you give us your height on booking so that we can allocate the correct bike to you.

An E-bike can also be rented 
We use Lappierre Overvolt Urban 300-Wh Electric bikes
This Lappierre 300 Wh model bike has a range 70-100km kilometers on a fully charged battery, depending on the person's weight, hills, wind, road surface and setting they on the bike.
There are 3 setting: Eco - Normal - Turbo ( Eco will last long ) 120km

Our normal daily cycling route A to B is between 50-60km

Looking at a scale from 1 - 10 (1 = easiest, 10 = hardest) we are giving this tour 4 points.

Other than young children, whom we discourage from attending, people of all ages and abilities come on the tours, so do not worry if you are not super-fit. You have all day to cover the recommended route, and while Irish roads rarely follow a straight line, there are few really high climbs.
A great tour if you are looking to take it a bit easier! Still includes many of the highlights of Connemara and the "Greenway" cycle route, but there are more opportunities to take a break from cycling to indulge in some other pursuits. Unlike our other Irish Tours, on this trip you will stay two nights in Westport and also two nights on Achill Island. You have the option to cycle on the rest day or chose from other activies on offer.

The average daily cycling distance is around 34- 57 km. On this tour there are two rest days with options to cycle or to do something different instead. The cycle around Achill Islands is the most challenging on this trip.

We offer Garmin files on request, but you need to bring your own device.

We would seriously recommend that you bring padded cycling shorts and / or a gel saddle cover that will definitely make your day’s cycling more comfortable. Cycling gloves are also a good investment. You can also bring your own saddle which we should be able to attach to our bikes.
We provide 40l pannier bags (waterproof) in which you can keep your day-to-day items. Otherwise you may prefer to use a daypack and there are back carriers on each bike for this purpose.
We do not provide rain gear so be sure to bring your own light weight waterproofs.
Don’t forget sun cream, sunglasses, sun hat as well as a bathing suit for that refreshing dip in the Atlantic Ocean.
Our rental bikes don’t have lights – no problem on the long summer evenings, but if you are travelling in May or September, please bring your own light or high-visibility vest.
Finally if you wish to use toe clips please bring your own pedals with toe clips which we can attach to our bikes (the pedals on our bikes do not accommodate toe clips)

You have the option of booking different room types:
Double room = Room with one big bed for two people
Twin room = Room with two single beds for two people
Single room = Room with one single bed
Triple room = Room with one double and one single for three people OR room with three single beds
Family room = Room with one double and two single beds

If the room type you would like to book is not listed on the booking form, you can specify this in the
section "other details"

You will be staying in Galway, Clonbur (group tour), Westport and Achill Island during this tour.
Please click here to see our sample accommodation list.
Its possible to upgrade the accommodation in Galway and/or Westport.

To confirm you onto our tour, we require a deposit of 250 euro per person.
After your initial booking request, we will be in touch with payment details.

The remaining balance for the cycling tour will be due 60 days prior tour start.

Should you wish to cancel, cancellation charges will be imposed. These are calculated from the day written
notification is received by the company or their agent as a percentage of the total tour price, including
surcharges as follows:
> 60 days before departure – retention of deposit (250 euro per person)
60-14 days before departure – 50%
< 14 days before departure – 100%

To claim the balance back, you need to send the details on to your travel insurance who should reimburse you. Please make sure that your travel insurance covers the costs for unforeseen cancellation before signing up.