Ireland Bike Tour Reviews (page 3)
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★★★★★ MarcieB August 23, 2019The Wild Atlantic Way of Ireland is not to be missed!
· Dublin and West Ireland E-Bike Tour
There were two dates for the E-bike tour (Dublin and West Ireland). . . July and August. We selected the August date and packed rain/wind gear . . . just in case! When we received the advanced brochure for the trip, it was in English and the bike tour company was indicated: Rotalis ~ Die Radreise Manufaktur. Hmmm, I thought. An e-bike tour of Ireland by a German outfitter will probably be a mixed group of English and German speakers. That was true, up to a point. Of the thirteen members of the group, eleven were German speakers and we were the two English speakers. Several in the German group told us they take Rotalis trips on a regular basis and wondered how we had ended up in a predominately German tour. The good news is that I understand some conversational German. Although attempts were made to converse with us in English, among themselves it was natural to speak their own language. The Dublin city guide assumed everybody spoke German and off we went. My husband and I had to return to the hotel within 15 minutes because it was a bit overwhelming for me to try and translate all the architectural/historical details the guide was providing. She felt badly to see us go and said she could have provided an English translation, but she was providing a lot of information and we felt we would have slowed down their pace.
So, other than the language issue, I would highly recommend this tour if the number of English speakers could bring the ratio to 50-50. The two guides (a driver/chef/mechanic and the tour guide/mechanic/group leader) were extremely helpful and always spoke to us in English.
The E-bikes had already served several groups and were beginning to show some signs of wear. Chains would periodically fall off and need attention and some of the hand brakes were only working on one side. At one point, they ended up renting an additional bike for my husband in Clifden so he could continue riding. They mentioned that 2020 would bring a new fleet of e-bikes. With Bosch components they were pretty impressive as far as ease of use and power choices were concerned.
Staying two nights in three different locales was fabulous. The food, snacks and activities were always locally sourced and culturally authentic. The pacing was good, the stops were timely and the adventures unforgettable! I don't think any of us will forget the turbulent little ferry ride to Inishmore in the Aran Islands. Yes, there was some rain, some wind and some challenges, but we all made it and made some new friendships.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 3-10, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our 10th Biketours.com
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe August 24, 2019
Marcie - thanks kindly for the review. We're glad you enjoyed the tour despite the language issue. You never quite know what the make-up of a group tour will be, but it always makes things interesting! The guides on this tour are always bilingual and able to provide an English version of the information - don't hesitate to utilize it! Thanks also for noting about the e-bikes and their imminent replacement. We're so glad you enjoyed your trip overall, and we LOVE the photos, thanks for posting them! And, 10 BikeTours.com tours, WOW! Thank you!
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★★★★★ Island Chick August 29, 2019Amazing way to celebrate my 50th Birthday! Exceeded my expectations!
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
Perfect way to see the Donegal Coast and rural countryside of West Ireland. Local operator Shemass was awesome! Accommodations were all very nice and innkeepers very helpful!
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Chrisdrew October 9, 2019
Incredible Trip
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
We travelled from Dublin to Donegal with high hopes and this trip turned out to exceed the expectations.Seamus who met us in Donegal has outlined a trip that gets better as each day passses. The openess of the green Ireland countryside along the N. Atlantic is spectacular. The towns en route are quaint & very picturesque (Donegal, Killybegs, Carrick and Ardara). The tour is hilly but very manageable with lots of great places for picturea and stops. Definitely do the breakouy day trips with the 2 night stays in Carrick in Ardara-we worth it.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 22-October 1
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ LR cycle June 29, 2022Wild wind on the Wild Atlantic Way!
· Wild Atlantic Way Cycling
Two couples cycled the Wild Atlantic way for 6 days in June. It turned out we had to contend with tropical storm Alex but fortunately we had rented e-bikes for the often head on strong winds. The b&bs and hotels were great along the route. A highlight for all of us was the ferry to and from Inishbofin Island, the cycling on the island and the stay there. We also took advantage of hiking in the Connemara National Park along the way. All in all the tour was great!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 6, 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one!
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Gretchen Jones August 8, 2022
Stunning trip through the coast of Ireland
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
This was my fourth bicycle trip in Europe and was one of my favorites. We used ebikes which made the entire trip enjoyable and manageable (altogether, we rode about 130 miles and had just under 10K feet of climb). Scenery was unsurpassed. Just stunning. Area is very remote. Accommodations were fine but nothing special (except the beginning/ending B&B). We did self guided and directions/Garmin were impeccable. Just a great way to see Ireland
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9+
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Tim and Priscilla August 22, 2022
Best Ebike trip ever: Irish countryside with adult children
· Dublin and West Ireland E-Bike Tour
We just wanted to thank you. Our recent Ireland ebike tour with Stephano as guide and Sarah as driver/picnic arranger was too perfect for words. Although the guides spoke in German and in Italian, Stephano also spoke exceptionally well in English. We were worried due to reading another guest review and as the other 10 bikers were Swiss or German. However, half of the guests also spoke English. We connected well and had a most enjoyable time with a lovely group of strangers that got along amazingly well. Our hotels were wonderful and varied from a charming inn to a mansion - and all very clean and lovely. The food was simply the best at each place of lodging, and included. We especially enjoyed the amazing picnics the two guides arranged for us so we could bike on the most scenic roads with numerous cows, sheep, horses and boats etc - and not worry about where to eat. Stephano was exceptionally knowledgeable and happy, sharing interesting history along our route and equal kindness for all the guests. He was an expert biker and made 30-40 miles of biking up and down hills easy and fun - and, we were on terrific ebikes. He encouraged us to stop whenever we wanted, and we did, to take many photos along the way. Sarah as the driver brought extra bikes in case we needed them (we did not) and prepared amazing picnics in lovely shady spots, as well as had our luggage waiting in our rooms at each inn upon arrival. They worked as a seamless team and were happy everyday not letting us know how much work they did behind the scenes making sure our bikes were all in tiptop shape. We stayed 2 nights at each inn/hotel as we came in a night earlier to Dublin to see the Book of Kells. However, the biking on quiet lanes and the ferry with hike on Inishmore (Aran Island) was more beautiful than we expected or we can describe. The weather was sunny everyday - in Ireland! But we were prepared with rain gear just in case too. We could not have asked for a better trip for our two adult kids and us (ranging in age from 40 - 70.) The trip had 14 guests (ages 19 -81) and two well experienced guides. So much fun! Ireland is so beautiful. I would highly recommend this trip, and hope to ebike with Stephano and Sarah again.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- This is the first guided ebike tour we have gone on. We love biking, and recommend bringing padded bike liners/pants. ;D
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from taylor August 22, 2022
Thank you so much for providing this lovely feedback!
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★★★★★ Anne Stanek August 31, 2022
Gorgeous views most of the time!
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
We had a wonderful trip. Seamus was a super introduction to Donegal -such a friendly person who gave us a clear and detailed introduction to the bikes and the trip. The map and instructions were clear. Our bikes were comfortable and worked well - although the hills were intense and constant. I have done six previous bike trips with a standard bike but I would have opted for an E bike on this one had I known how difficult the hills were going to be! One of our group of four did opt for an E bike and she was very happy she did so! The routes were quiet and mostly on back country and farm roads. There always seemed to be beautiful or serene views. There were several very interesting side trips. The accommodations were very comfortable. The breakfasts were great. The pubs and music were such fun. And everyone we met was friendly and sunny (the Irish people are "always sunny on the inside despite the weather," so someone said and it seems to be true!). It did rain a lot - but it was always a gentle and warm rain. With rain gear it was quite manageable. I would highly recommend this trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- Six others
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Nancy Tiernan August 31, 2022
Beautiful, friendly country
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
Ireland is a lush and gorgeous country, and Donegal especially so. This trip is well planned to maximize the scenic and minimize time on busy roads. Our local coordinator, Seamus, was responsive to our needs along the way, quickly showing up to make what would be a critical bike adjustment for the day’s ride.
Our self-guided group of four senior citizens - very FIT senior citizens! - had 3 hybrid bikes and one e-bike. Although the distances were shorter per day than we did on the Slovenia bike trip three years ago, there were lots more hills in Donegal. I was VERY glad to have the e-bike, and my mighty mates envied me…- What was the date of your tour?
- August 22-29
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Stu Davidson September 13, 2022
Time to enjoy Ireland!
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
We opted for a customer 12 day option, with an extra day (well, a 13 day option?). The extra day was special for 2022 - with stories of airlines canceling flights. We wanted to be sure we arrived in time for our tour!
Ireland by Bike (the tour operator) delivered our bikes a day earlier, effectively extending our tour, and provided an extra route! I thought that was a very thoughtful surprise. We found that Ireland has lots or wonderful, thoughtful, friendly people, which made our tour enjoyable and low stress.
I rode a hybrid bike and certainly noticed the tour routes were not flat; my wife had an ebike and climbed hills faster than I did. We both loved the varied terrain. Doing the tour self-guided let us set our own pace with no pressure.- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10+
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ David Anderson October 4, 2022Pretty location, ok organization
· Highlights of the Highlands: Donegal by E-bike
In general, it was a great experience. I'd never been on a bike tour, and this was a load of fun. My wife and I plan to do more bike tours. However, if I had to choose between bike tours, I wouldn't recommend this specific one.
Going over this bike tour's organization.
GPS / Directions.
A few things here to complain about.
1. The printed directions were inconsistent between people on the tour. Some printed directions said left at an intersection, others said right. They were simply out of date, and the tour didn't re-print everything. Old printouts = old directions.
2. The printed directions were inconsistent with the web directions. We were sent PDFs of directions. Those didn't match up with the printouts. Again, likely because they were older or newer (we couldn't figure out which). Different roads sometimes, different turns.
3. The printed and web directions were inconsistent with the GPS tracks. This was super annoying, because we were biking along listening to the GPS directions (on the unit provided), and the GPS would say "turn here!" and the printed directions indicated we should go another few blocks.
4. The printed / web / GPS directions were out of date for actual road conditions. In two different locations, the road was literally closed, and we had to detour around an area using Google maps. In one place, the GPS road literally had grass growing on it, and had obviously moved at least 5+ years before. These directions are *very* out of date at times.
These direction inconsistencies didn't mean we got lost, but it did mean *daily* stops to consult our map, Google maps, GPS directions, and try to figure out where the tour intended us to go, regardless of all the inconsistencies. I'd highly suggest having offline Google maps if you're going to take the tour.
Lodging.
Some places were outstanding and high quality. Other places were lower quality. One place in particular stank heavily of peat smoke, with smoke literally billowing in through our windows. I don't know how often the tour company inspects the places they're sending people.
Food.
The tour included breakfast. It was sometimes great, mostly fine, but sometimes a bit low quality. Again, perhaps a lack of inspection on exactly what they're paying for.
While the tour didn't provide dinner, we sometimes had trouble finding any place which was open. In one town, we got *lucky* that there was a food truck open, because otherwise every single restaurant in town was closed down. The locals all said that it made no sense that we hadn't planned on dinner, because their town didn't have restaurants open in this season. Many locations only had a single restaurant option. I think if you're going to operate a tour this late in the season, you need to scout out restaurants which will actually be open. SHOW MORE
Bikes.
The bikes on average worked fine. Few specific issues.
1. The batteries were inconsistent power. Both in size (different models) and in age we suspect (as the power ran down more quickly). We absolutely used full power rarely, and most often had it at 1 or 2 out of 4 power. Still, on the longer days, we ran quite low on power. We had a battery die once, which was annoying. Thankfully we had young people on our tour who were able to power their way the last distance without a battery. For the distances available, I think the bike batteries are inadequate for anyone who isn't in good shape. When the tour operator was asked about this before the tour started, he insisted that the batteries "never" run out. Can't be true, we heard from other people on the tour that they also ran out of batteries.
2. We had a bike which repeatedly had the chain fall off. Looking at the chain, it was *covered* in grease. Looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years / forever. Thankfully we could put the chain back on ourselves, but if we were older / less competent with a bike, this would have been an issue.
General interactions.
In general, the tour operator was nice, but didn't seem overly concerned with the feedback we provided him.
1. "The GPS tracks are out of date." - "Well yeah that happens."
2. "There were no restaurants available." - "Yeah, it's late in the season"
3. "The bike kept losing the chain." - "Yup, bikes do that sometimes."
In general, we didn't feel like our concerns were being heard.
Again, overall it was a fun place to go, and we liked bike touring in general. The operator just could have done better.
SHOW LESS- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Bike Tours Team Member October 19, 2022
Hi David,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us feedback - we really appreciate it! For future bike tours, I do recommend following GPS tracks OR printed instructions. They can sometimes vary depending on updates but do not necessarily mean one or the other is wrong (I recommend GPS over printed instructions). It's a fair assessment that all hotels are not equal (i.e. breakfasts, amenities), sometimes our options are limited in certain towns. Unfortunately the same goes for restaurant options in certain towns. I would agree that an e-bike battery should never run out if it is properly charged. However, if the battery is being heavily used or is getting too old, it can run out and should be replaced. Although we know you can't fully inspect the ebike battery, we do recommend you do a good inspection of your bicycle before starting the tour, so we can try to address any issues before you get cycling. In the 2023 season we will offer 24/7 hotline to our local office so that we may be able to assist you immediately when any issues arise. I hope you had a great trip despite the the issues.
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★★★★★ Marge Anderson October 5, 2022
Lots of friendly people
· Highlights of the Highlands: Donegal by E-bike
We had beautiful weather. This helped make the trip really nice. We had very nice hosts at our accommodations. Some of the places were much nicer than others. The Brennan B&B was excellent. Other places had some problems like plumbing, but in general the accommodations were fine. We did arrive in one town (Glencolmcille) to find there weren't any restaurants open. We thought this wasn't very good planning on the part of the bike company.
The roads were ok. Some of the roads were a bit busy. Some were very nice country roads. There was a section that was gravel that was a bit tricky. The scenery was lovely.
There were some errors in directions that should be fixed.
I've been on a few other biking trips. This was my least favorite.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from JV October 6, 2022
Thanks for sharing this feedback with us. We are working on improving the directions to make them more clear and fix errors. We hope you travel with us again.
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★★★★★ Boris Kustin November 3, 2022
Great trip
· Wild Atlantic Way Cycling
The trip was delightful. My wife and found each day a bit short, but there was always an option to add a few miles along the way. The places to stay were very comfortable and the proprietors always very friendly and helpful. I would recommend this trip to just about anybody.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Donald Allen November 8, 2022
Bike Trip V
· Wild Atlantic Way Cycling
Scenery was breathtaking, people were extremely accommodating and app was excellent for this type of route. Tour company was quick to deal with initial problems we had with bikes. The Ireland biking experience exceeded our expectations.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Lucy Fraiser November 8, 2022
Eliminated by Covid
· Wild Atlantic Way Cycling
I am sure this would have been an incredible trip but I tested positive for covid the day before the trip was to start. I plan on rescheduling the trip. Please remember to get travel insurance when you book active vacations. In Ireland, doctors would not see you if you were positive for covid, so the travel insurance co. (AIG) put me in touch with a doctor that did a virtual visit and got me all the documentation I needed for my insurance claim. We were able to get most of the money spent on the vacation back and all of the extra expenditures made necessary by the lengthy quarantining.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ joseph eberly 10 months ago
Amazing scenery and people
· Highlights of the Highlands: Donegal by E-bike
The North West coast of Ireland is breathtaking. For the most part, quiet country roads or bike paths. Our B&Bs were very nice and the hosts even nicer. There are some areas that were quite challenging and we were very happy to have e-bikes. A little rain but nothing that kept us from riding. We had a fun and challenging ride through the national park with a dirt path and a steep climb on a gravel path. We had some equipment issues that slowed us down but operator got us going again. The Garman GPS was amazing. We made plenty of wrong turns, but it always got us back on track. All in all, this is the most beautiful part of Ireland and we had great food at every stop.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- This is our second trip with Bike Tours
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Katya Spielberg 9 months ago
Fantastic Introduction to Ireland Countryside
· Highlights of the Highlands: Donegal by E-bike
A wonderful way to experience Donegal County in Ireland!! In spite of high winds 2 days and some rain most days, the beauty of the landscape and the loveliness of the Irish people made it one of my all-time favorite bike trips. Moreover, the customer service provided by Ireland by Bike was top notch -- from the maps and GPS to the history and daily recommendations provided, everything was made easy and accessible. Definitely appreciated the e-bikes given the number of hills and strong breezes on the coastline!! The quality of the B&B's did vary by location, but all were clean and hosts were friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend to my friends and family!!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
