Ireland Motorcycle Tour: The Great Irish Tour

This Ireland motorcycle tour begins with your individual journey to the ferry port in Rotterdam. In the evening you board the ferry to Hull in Great Britain, your motorcycle and luggage safely stowed, and you spend the first night already on board.

In the morning you arrive in Hull, then this Ireland motorcycle tour takes you right across Great Britain to the Welsh region of Snowdonia. If you like, plan a detour into Snowdonia National Park before continuing on to overnight in Conwy or Caernarfon.

From Holyhead you take the ferry to Dublin, where this self-guided motorcycle tour of Ireland really begins. Passing the Boyne Valley, a treasure trove of prehistoric sites, you reach Belfast by evening, your first stop in Northern Ireland.

The morning leaves time for Belfast, with its City Hall and Titanic Visitor Centre, before this Ireland coastal-road motorcycle route takes you along the Antrim Coast Road to the Giant's Causeway with its more than 40,000 basalt columns. Overnight near Bushmills.

This Antrim Coast stage optionally leads to Malin Head, Ireland's northernmost point and the starting point of the Wild Atlantic Way. Alternatively, ride via Derry/Londonderry to the quiet coastal town of Dunfanaghy in the north of County Donegal.

Passing Glenveigh National Park and riding through the lonely Crocknamurrin Mountains, you reach the Slieve Leagues, at over 600 metres one of the highest cliffs in Europe. This stage of the Ireland round trip ends in Sligo, near the grave of W. B. Yeats.

On the well-paved roads of this onroad Ireland motorcycle tour you cross County Mayo, one of the most sparsely populated areas of the island. The dramatic cliffs at St Patrick's Head impress, before a loop via Achill Island brings you to your overnight stop in Mallaranny.

Along Clew Bay and past the holy mountain Croagh Patrick, this Ireland motorcycle tour brings you to the remote region of Connemara. A boat trip on Killary Harbour, Kylemore Abbey and the little town of Clifden all lie on this stage before you reach Galway.

This Cliffs of Moher stage brings you to cliffs that plunge over 200 metres straight into the Atlantic. Right next door lies the Burren karst region, and if you like, you can make a detour to Loop Head. Overnight in or near Ennis.

This Dingle Peninsula stage is one of the highlights of the trip: the cliffs of Slea Head, the Gallarus Oratory and the colourful fishing town of Dingle await you, before you continue via Killarney to Kenmare, your base for the next three nights.

The classic Ring of Kerry motorcycle route circles the Iveragh Peninsula between the Atlantic and the McGillycuddy Reeks. The village of Sneem invites a stroll, and the Skellig Coast Road leads all the way to Portmagee at the far western tip of the peninsula.

This Beara Peninsula ride leads you to lonely fishing villages and rugged coastline, less well known than the Iveragh Peninsula to the north but every bit as scenic. In the small villages you'll often find a pub for a chat with the locals.

This Ireland round trip continues to Cork, the second-largest city in the Republic. The natural harbour of Cobh was once an important emigration port and the Titanic's last port of call. Passing coastal towns such as Dungarvan, you reach Waterford.

The final stage of this Ireland motorcycle tour leads through the “Garden of Ireland”, the Wicklow Mountains, past the monastic site of Glendalough and the grounds of Powerscourt House, before you reach the Irish capital Dublin with its Trinity College.

In the morning you take the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead in Wales and ride back to Hull. This Ireland motorcycle tour ends with evening boarding for Rotterdam, and you spend the night on board once again.

In the morning you arrive in Rotterdam, where this Ireland motorcycle tour ends after 16 days and around 3,000 kilometres. Time to look back over the coastal roads, cliffs and lonely peninsulas on your way home, before you finally arrive back home.