Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Ireland: Tripping to the land of "Eire". All advice welcome. Thanks

« on: December 30, 2009, 09:07:40 am »

Hello.
I did a quick three-dayer in Ireland this year with a few friends and found it great fun.
We started at Belfast (that's Northern Ireland/Great Britain) in the north East.

We then followed the eastern coast line and went down the small roads to a place called portaferry (where you take a ferry over a ferry strait), before carrying on agin down the coast through Dundalk, and Newcastle, Newry and then finishing at Dublin.

The only bad part of that trip was around Newry, which was very hilly. The rest was very reasonable.

I would give you a few pieces of generic advice.

1.
Ireland was windy, and the prevailing wind comes from the south west, so cycling from bottom to top would be advisable.

2.
It rained a LOT. Often heavy and suddenly, but it was not all the time. Do take your waterproofs

3.
Ireland, especially Dublin was super expensive. At the current XR, don't be surprised to pay $8 for a pint of beer!

4.
The Irish (especially the Northern Irish), are very very friendly and welcoming.
Get ready to share a few stories with them.

Thanks,
Dan

2

General Discussion / Trans Am Solo ride - Safety issue?

« on: December 30, 2009, 08:52:09 am »

Hello All.
I'm a Brit from London, and I am planning to come to the states for a few months next year to ride the famous Trans Am route.

It looks awesome.

I am an experienced tourer, having done many long trips in Europe and beyond, so my request here is not for general advice on the route or its demands, which I imagine will be great!

I am in the research phase of this adventure, and the one major question I have and cannot find much data on is about safety.

I will be doing this ride solo, and would like some advice on:

- how safe the route is in general
- is it any less safe as a solo rider
- is there anything I should keep in mind (esp US-specific tips, as I have never been riding in the states)
- and... anything else the experienced Trans Am rider might pass on about this subject

I see talk of pepper spray and guns, neither of which I want to carry, but I wanted to ask for some advice at this early stage to make sure that I was not overlooking a vital issue from the outset.

Thanks a lot in advance,
Dan