Friday Photo - Bicycle Touring Western Ireland

Circle City Bicycles customer Todd & his wife Anita touring western Ireland

Todd, one of our best customers, went bicycle touring in western Ireland with his wife in 2012. They went on a tour with CycleWest Ireland. This photo is one of four that now rotate on the main page of their website.

In the photo you can see Todd and Anita on their Co-Motion tandem, with Arkel panniers in the rear. Todd has an Ireland jersey and his with has a Gore jacket, all of which were purchased from Circle City Bicycles. Here is Anita's account of the trip:

Three years ago, my husband and I experienced one of the most memorable vacations of our lives when we visited Ireland! The clear, blue sky allowed us a picturesque view of the emerald green island as our airplane landed in Dublin.  From Dublin, we boarded a bus and crossed the island to spend the night in the beautiful west coast city of Galway.  The big cities were interesting, but the small, guided bike tour with Cycle West Ireland allowed us to explore the countryside and experience the culture and sights in a more personal way.
Life for us slowed down as we took in all of the sights on our tandem: miles and miles of green landscape or cliffs meeting the deep blue Atlantic Ocean, the beautiful Connemara Mountains in the background, inland lakes, and wildflowers of every color imaginable.  Houses and condominiums do not dot the coastline; just an occasional free range Connemara Pony or sheep became part of the ocean view landscape. Other animals we saw along the way were free range cattle, donkeys, rabbits, lots of birds, and seals.  Most of the time, we had the entire road to ourselves.  The only “traffic jam” we had to stop for was waiting for a shepherd to cross the road with his sheep!
We spent the night in quaint inns with delicious food, wonderful accommodations, and warm, welcoming hosts. The people of Ireland reflected the slower pace of life we were so enjoying on our tandem. Before the tour started, we were a little worried about exploring the county of my ancestry on our own, but a local assured us “You are never lost in Ireland as long as you have a tongue!” The pace of life seemed so much slower there and people always seemed to have time to talk and listen. It was truly a vacation of a lifetime.  Would I return to the Emerald Isle if given the opportunity?  Yes, in a heartbeat!