I had hoped to do more of the peninsulas but traffic, knee pain and time constraints made me cut it a little short. That being said it was a fair effort and I saw a lot of beautiful areas so I’m pleased with the route overall. I debated on doing the Beara peninsula on the final day but [this was the weather that greeted me ](https://imgur.com/a/HpbknZb)so I decided to call it a day and head to Killarney.
This was my first time visiting Ireland and I had a fantastic trip. The seemingly endless network of quiet country roads offered some of the most peaceful riding I’ve had on any tour. [See this video for the kind of thing I mean](https://imgur.com/a/FuJT79w). Food was outstanding, I didn’t have a single restaurant meal that was less than excellent. Add to that the beautiful scenery and friendly locals and it’s a brilliant place to tour which I strongly recommend it to anyone who gets a chance to visit.
Of course the main challenge was the weather. I’m from Scotland so I’m used to wet and windy summers. But I think even for Ireland the west coast has been particularly rough this year. It rained every single day of my trip, some days being fairly torrential. And thunderous headwinds across much of the route made for a challenging ride.
But it never rained for very long. The sun would always come out eventually, and those bright moments combined with beautiful quiet roads, great food and wonderful people made the tough weather all part of the fun.
Racks: Old Man Mountain pizza rack mounted with their thru-axle adapter and zip tie pucks. Tortec expedition rear rack. Blackburn outpost fork cages.
Bags: Ortlieb back rollers. Blackburn outpost frame bag.
The bike was rock solid the entire trip. Not so much as a skipped gear. Only maintenance required was a bit of chain lube and adjustment of the mechanical disc brakes as the pads wore down. Loved the 1x setup and happy with the gear range, although I will probably switch to an 11-50 cassette for a super low granny gear next trip
Spamfactor on
# Things that worked
**Old Man Mountain Pizza rack**
As I have a carbon fork I mounted this rack using the thru-axle adapter and zip tie pucks. I was a little concerned how this would hold up but it was perfect the whole trip and still feels solid. Having a wide stable base to strap my tent and sleeping pad was great.
**Schwalbe marathon plus tyres**
Never had a puncture in thousands of miles of touring using these and that trend continued this trip.
**Chair**
This was my big luxury item, a 500g Helinox Chair Zero. Turned out to be one of my favourite things I packed and will be coming with me on any upcoming trips. Having a comfortable chair to recline in at camp was well worth the weight.
**Puffer, rain jacket and gilet**
Trying out a new layering system and it worked fantastically. I was very impressed by my Regatta Pack It rain jacket and Hillpack puffer jacket. These cost £20 and £25 respectively and handled the battering rain and chilly evenings brilliantly.
My Alpkit Sierra gilet was my default layer when the temperature dropped during the day, perfect for on the bike and around camp. Between this and the Regatta items I always felt like I had the right amount of insulation.
**Visor helmet**
**I** got a new helmet with a large flip-down visor. This was great for cycling in all that wind and rain. Don’t think I’d choose to use a helmet without one of these big visors now.
# Stuff I’ll change next time
**Sleeping pad**
I decided just to bring my Thermarest z-lite foam pad for this trip to see how I fare with a minimal pad. It did work and I slept well every night, but it really pushed the limits for comfort, particularly as I’m a stomach sleeper. Next time I’ll go back to my usual system of the z-lite plus my short Prolite self-inflating pad.
**Stove**
I brought my trusty Trangia which I love, but I’ve realised I barely cook on tours. I’m happy to do a mixture of cold picnic foods, sandwiches and restaurants. I do still want a quick and easy way to boil water occasionally, so next time I’ll try this little heat-exchanger pot and gas stove: [https://i.imgur.com/JcXl1NK.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/JcXl1NK.jpeg)
**Tarp**
I brought my 3x3m DD tarp, but it only got used once when I hid out from the rain in a park in Dublin: [https://i.imgur.com/oeQIrQB.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/oeQIrQB.jpeg)
I still want to carry a tarp but I’ll downsize to the 3×1.5m model.
**Wheels**
I used the 650b wheels that came stock with the bike but I’m going get myself a set of handbuilt touring wheels in 700c as I’m much more of a road tourer.
Most used piece of kit – Velcro strap I used to lock the front brake. Used multiple times a day whenever I leaned my bike against anything to make it more stable. Also every night when I guyline out the bike.
Happy to answer any questions about the trip/gear
NoFly3972 on
Thanks for your well-written trip report, we can all learn a thing or 2 from your experiences.
And a shitload of beautiful pictures too! Absolutely gorgeous, but the weather always makes me want to tour towards the south, haha.
skerinks on
Are pics 57&58 where Houses Of The Holy was shot, perchance?
4 Comments
Full Photo Album: [https://photos.app.goo.gl/o2g5bs8Yn3Bjp24PA](https://photos.app.goo.gl/o2g5bs8Yn3Bjp24PA)
**Route**
[https://www.komoot.com/tour/1746090597?share_token=aPQLu24jIyxRAgjvmRUuIxqEKjgjgMMy5UH4W6dJLy1o55OXjj&ref=wtd](https://www.komoot.com/tour/1746090597?share_token=aPQLu24jIyxRAgjvmRUuIxqEKjgjgMMy5UH4W6dJLy1o55OXjj&ref=wtd)
I had hoped to do more of the peninsulas but traffic, knee pain and time constraints made me cut it a little short. That being said it was a fair effort and I saw a lot of beautiful areas so I’m pleased with the route overall. I debated on doing the Beara peninsula on the final day but [this was the weather that greeted me ](https://imgur.com/a/HpbknZb)so I decided to call it a day and head to Killarney.
This was my first time visiting Ireland and I had a fantastic trip. The seemingly endless network of quiet country roads offered some of the most peaceful riding I’ve had on any tour. [See this video for the kind of thing I mean](https://imgur.com/a/FuJT79w). Food was outstanding, I didn’t have a single restaurant meal that was less than excellent. Add to that the beautiful scenery and friendly locals and it’s a brilliant place to tour which I strongly recommend it to anyone who gets a chance to visit.
Of course the main challenge was the weather. I’m from Scotland so I’m used to wet and windy summers. But I think even for Ireland the west coast has been particularly rough this year. It rained every single day of my trip, some days being fairly torrential. And thunderous headwinds across much of the route made for a challenging ride.
But it never rained for very long. The sun would always come out eventually, and those bright moments combined with beautiful quiet roads, great food and wonderful people made the tough weather all part of the fun.
**Gear**
[https://lighterpack.com/r/y066a3](https://lighterpack.com/r/y066a3)
**Bike**
Frame: Sonder Camino AL
Groupset: SRAM Apex 1x
Handlebars: Surly Moloko bars
Racks: Old Man Mountain pizza rack mounted with their thru-axle adapter and zip tie pucks. Tortec expedition rear rack. Blackburn outpost fork cages.
Bags: Ortlieb back rollers. Blackburn outpost frame bag.
The bike was rock solid the entire trip. Not so much as a skipped gear. Only maintenance required was a bit of chain lube and adjustment of the mechanical disc brakes as the pads wore down. Loved the 1x setup and happy with the gear range, although I will probably switch to an 11-50 cassette for a super low granny gear next trip
# Things that worked
**Old Man Mountain Pizza rack**
As I have a carbon fork I mounted this rack using the thru-axle adapter and zip tie pucks. I was a little concerned how this would hold up but it was perfect the whole trip and still feels solid. Having a wide stable base to strap my tent and sleeping pad was great.
**Schwalbe marathon plus tyres**
Never had a puncture in thousands of miles of touring using these and that trend continued this trip.
**Chair**
This was my big luxury item, a 500g Helinox Chair Zero. Turned out to be one of my favourite things I packed and will be coming with me on any upcoming trips. Having a comfortable chair to recline in at camp was well worth the weight.
**Puffer, rain jacket and gilet**
Trying out a new layering system and it worked fantastically. I was very impressed by my Regatta Pack It rain jacket and Hillpack puffer jacket. These cost £20 and £25 respectively and handled the battering rain and chilly evenings brilliantly.
My Alpkit Sierra gilet was my default layer when the temperature dropped during the day, perfect for on the bike and around camp. Between this and the Regatta items I always felt like I had the right amount of insulation.
**Visor helmet**
**I** got a new helmet with a large flip-down visor. This was great for cycling in all that wind and rain. Don’t think I’d choose to use a helmet without one of these big visors now.
# Stuff I’ll change next time
**Sleeping pad**
I decided just to bring my Thermarest z-lite foam pad for this trip to see how I fare with a minimal pad. It did work and I slept well every night, but it really pushed the limits for comfort, particularly as I’m a stomach sleeper. Next time I’ll go back to my usual system of the z-lite plus my short Prolite self-inflating pad.
**Stove**
I brought my trusty Trangia which I love, but I’ve realised I barely cook on tours. I’m happy to do a mixture of cold picnic foods, sandwiches and restaurants. I do still want a quick and easy way to boil water occasionally, so next time I’ll try this little heat-exchanger pot and gas stove: [https://i.imgur.com/JcXl1NK.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/JcXl1NK.jpeg)
**Tarp**
I brought my 3x3m DD tarp, but it only got used once when I hid out from the rain in a park in Dublin: [https://i.imgur.com/oeQIrQB.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/oeQIrQB.jpeg)
I still want to carry a tarp but I’ll downsize to the 3×1.5m model.
**Wheels**
I used the 650b wheels that came stock with the bike but I’m going get myself a set of handbuilt touring wheels in 700c as I’m much more of a road tourer.
Most used piece of kit – Velcro strap I used to lock the front brake. Used multiple times a day whenever I leaned my bike against anything to make it more stable. Also every night when I guyline out the bike.
Happy to answer any questions about the trip/gear
Thanks for your well-written trip report, we can all learn a thing or 2 from your experiences.
And a shitload of beautiful pictures too! Absolutely gorgeous, but the weather always makes me want to tour towards the south, haha.
Are pics 57&58 where Houses Of The Holy was shot, perchance?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houses_of_the_Holy