ABOUT OUR TOURS
'What is this life, if full of care, we have no time to stand and
stare'.
(W H Davies)
THE CYCLEWEST DIFFERENCE
It is said that Ireland, once visited, is never forgotten. The
Irish landscape has a mythic resonance, due as much to the country's almost tangible
history. Castles, gardens, hiking, music, and festivals - Rediscover what is bringing
visitors back to Ireland time and again.
Our specialty is creating
memorable routes and combining these with local culture, multi sport activity and hidden
gems selected from an array of private hotels, country manors, and historic castle hotels:
a MAGICAL combination.
Come and discover what is
bringing our guests back to Ireland time and again!
SMALL
GROUPS - MORE INTIMATE EXPERIENCES
As well as
being a wonderful travel experience, sampling the best that the West of Ireland has to
offer, we believe that our trips should be an opportunity to meet people and make new
friends. Our groups are limited to a maximum of 12, which is the largest number that we
can give a personal service to. Enjoy
the benefits of group travel without the hectic pace of a larger group tours.
AUTHENTIC ITINERARIES
The
CycleWest Ireland philosophy is to offer you a true immersion into the region into which
you visit. We will of course visit those
famous sites and locations, however, in addition we think it is important to take our
guests to lesser known, hidden gems! The West of Ireland is our backyard and we know
and understand it intimately!
RELAX
AND ENJOY!
Our
tours offer an immersion of rich and vibrant culture; fun filled sightseeing, great routes
and physical interaction with the landscape: the perfect blend for all.
BIKE
TOUR IN IRELAND ACCOMMODATIONS
Accommodations
are booked on your behalf at a selection of charming inns, private hotels, country manors,
historic hotels. These can be hand picked to suit your individual itinerary. See
each tour for details. Accommodation has been selected to ensure the highest quality and
comfort, combining with old world charm
with a friendly, contemporary touch!
Many of our lodgings are
award winning for various reasons: green tourism, high culinary standards, overall
quality, and service. We choose carefully for you. Our
lodgings are divided into two different categories.
Luxe:
Castle Hotels and Country Lodges. Our lodgings possess
both elegance and authentic regional flair. Each has its own unique quality and charm. In
addition, each has a proven track record in conservation and commitment to the local
community on which it does business.
Charming Inns: These lodgings area selection of small, luxury offerings and appropriate to
the area with such characteristics as terrific hospitality, authenticity, scenic settings
and proximity to our activities. Again, the overall experience is important to us, so we
have hand selected these lodgings on your behalf.
CULINARY
DELIGHTS!
We
strive to introduce our guests to good food and high food standards on our tours. We us
restaurants and hotels that serve locally sourced produce and are vested in the local
community in which they operate. Evening meals are included our tours and we carefully
select the restaurants for cuisine and ambience, and
favour those prepared with wonderfully sourced local produce: seafood, beef, vegetables
and lamb, for example. All meals include
a starter, main course and dessert. We are happy to arrange for
our restaurants to cater for specific dietary requirements and allergies etc. We believe
you will be pleasantly surprised!
Breakfasts
are included, usually continental although many hotels will provide a buffet-style
breakfast, of fresh fruit, yoghurts, home baked breads, often a serving of bacon, eggs or
a complete Irish Breakfast! We do not include lunch as different people have
different requirements, but we do suggest restaurants for lunch.
On all tours, your guides will be happy to organize picnics on days where the itinerary
and weather are suitable.
GUARANTEED
DEPARTURES
You'll
see that we have many departure dates for our GUIDED TOURS. We offer set departure dates
for tours that have bookings and are already guaranteed departures (see our Tour Dates and
Prices page on our website) as well as the ability to select your own dates on our SELF
LED TOURS. We also offer Tailor Made trips to
suit your needs in the event that you need additional dates or desire to have a Private
trip for your group or family or to celebrate
a honeymoon, for example.
Unlike most other tour operators, once we've accepted your
booking and you've paid your deposit, we promise that we will not cancel your tour unless
forced to do so by extreme circumstances beyond our control. Even on those rare occasions
when there are less than four passengers on a departure we will guarantee the trip and
provide you with a memorable experience!
HOW
FIT DO I NEED TO BE?
Anybody
who is reasonably active should be able to take part and enjoy our tours. Our tours are
designed to bike at your own pace and enjoy the surrounds - and there is always vehicle
support if things get too tough! If you choose to be ‘Speedy Gonzalez’ or desire
to re-enact the Tour de France on our tours – that is your choice! But we promise you that you will be missing out on
a lot.
We encourage Slow Travel on our trips – soak up the food and culture and enjoy!!
We
do recommend that anyone who has not taken any regular exercise for some time to consult
their doctor before considering
any activity based holiday. Bear in mind that a little regular riding (outdoors, not just
in the gym!) before coming on a cycling vacation will always be a benefit to you on our
tour.
Do
I NEED TRAVEL INSURANCE?
We
request that all participants have travel insurance with full medical cover. If you have
any questions about the cover required please contact us for advice. We recommend a site
on which you
can compare Travel Insurance Polices. Please look at www.insuremytrip.com for more details.
WHAT
YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET - REAL VALUE!
CycleWest
Ireland tours are designed to be as inclusive as possible. Please see each tour details
for ‘What is Included’. While we avoid making direct cost comparisons with other
tour companies what we do know is that we represent outstanding value for money. Please do
note however, that Driver and Guide gratuity is not included in our trips. We leave this
to your own discretion.
GUIDES
AND VEHICLE SUPPORT
There
will be one guide allocated to every 6 persons on each GUIDED tour: for smaller groups,
one in the vehicle which stays with the group at all times, for more than 5 persons also a
second guide cycles with the group. For groups with any disabilities or for our family
tours, we have at least 2 guides at all times. Vehicle support will always be available
for anyone at any point during the day. If
for instance you want to take a day off the bike, or if a particular
day seems a little hard, we will take you for as long or as little as you wish it to.
Everybody
is provided with detailed route maps for each day which allow you to break away from the
group at times. There are meet up locations every couple of hours and guides are easily
contactable by mobile phone. The guides are enthusiastic experts on the local area and
will be able to sort out any problems or special requests that you might have.
Small
groups mean we can change the daily schedule, take advantage of weather conditions, and
enjoy local events and your particular interest. Whilst we have set itineraries, there is
always room for an unscheduled stop, an extra glass of Guinness with lunch or detour down
the scenic route where time permits!
WHAT
IS INCLUDED IN OUR TRIP?
Not
all Biking Vacations are the same. Compare what is included
in a Guided bike tour:
- Quality
Trek bikes
- Quality
helmets (if required)
- Water
bottles
- Detailed
navigation instructions and route maps
- Quality
Accommodations
- Evening
dinners for all 6 nights of your trip
- Luggage
Transfer
- Entry
fees to attractions and historical sites
- A
memorable experience!
WHAT
IS NOT INCLUDED?
•
Air Fare is not included in our trip. This can be booking online or through your own
travel agent. We will request flight details as part of the information we request from
you upon booking.
• Driver/Guides gratuity is at your discretion
• Lunches, social drinks, optional activities, items of a personal nature and some
entrance fees when not accompanied by your Driver/Guide
• Incidental expenses, such as telephone bills, newspapers, laundry and room service
incurred at accommodations are your responsibility. All expenses are to be settled prior
to leaving the accommodation.
• CycleWest Ireland’s property lost or damaged while on tour.
BIKES
AND EQUIPMENT
We
provide lightweight alloy framed, 24 speed Trek hybrid touring bikes fully equipped with:
For carrying the items you might need during the day (camera, wallet, windbreaker etc.) we
fit a capacious handlebar bag and a map pocket. These clip on and off the bike in a flash
so that you can always take your valuables with you when off the bike.
The
bikes are meticulously maintained and we keep a wide range of sizes; some female specific
saddles are also available. You may also bring your own saddle, if desired, which we will
be happy to fit for you. We provide helmets automatically, but we also we find some people
prefer their own. Our bikes have uprights
handlebars, for comfort and stability. They come equipped with front pannier bags and rear
pannier bags are available upon request. Our bikes
are also equipped with regular, flat pedals. If you wish to use your own clipless pedals,
please feel free to bring your own and we will attach them to the bike for you.
WELL
ACCESSORIZED
All
bikes are equipped with a safety triangle, water bottles, bottle cage and for those who
want it: hand pump and combination lock, inner tube, tire levers and patch kit.
HELMETS
FOR YOUR SAFETY
For
your protection and that of your children, bicycle helmets are required on all biking
trips. You can bring your own or use one of our helmets.
BRINGING
YOUR OWN BIKE?
We
are happy for anyone to bring their own bikes. However, Airlines charge for each way
transport so cost can be a factor. Our bikes are of a high standard and quality, so it
might be a better option to
bring your saddle and/or pedals which we will be very happy to fit. We also provide
replacement bike should you have a mechanical problem.
WHAT
SHOULD I WEAR?
Layered
clothing and bright coloured rainwear are highly recommended, if not a necessity,
for sudden showers in Ireland!
Many people feel a bit self-conscious in lycra bike shorts and bike shirts, but they do
serve a purpose - they protect your skin from chaffing while on a long bike trip; are easy
to wash out and dry each day, and come in various layers that are easy to put on and take
off as the days warms up and cools down. They are easily available on line or at your
local bike shop.
Otherwise,
lightweight comfortable clothing (tee-shirts, shorts, trainers) is ideal, with something
warmer like a fleece just in case. Your local cycle shop will have a range of padded
undershorts which can be worn under normal clothing for added comfort.
For
dining out, many local restaurants are quite casual. For men, some restaurants do
request that you wear a jacket. They also request no jeans. So a cocktail casual dress
code is in place at some establishments. |
