Good place to cycle in Southern Ireland this summer please?

Does anybody have any advice on a good place to base myself for a week in southern ireland where I can strike out on day rides and come back to a decent hotel each night? Preferrably near to a beach or within 30 mins drive ..and in a place with things going on in the evenings? Ideally I'm thinking nice small village location with a few restaurants, hotels, pubs but not a big town...characther, nice flattish country roads to ride on, and somewhere interesting?

Any thought appreciated Ta.

Westport Co Mayo.

What about 'Kinsale' about 1/2 drive from Cork!! Brilliant place, small, got to go the 'Muddy Pats' . You can kiss the Blarney Stone while your there!!
Nice area.
Tel

The Ring of Beara is great, its flat round the coast but Kenmare to Glengarrif is a bit hilly. I've never done the Ring of Kerry but it also has a good name.

I'd second Kinsale - beautiful village and full of colour and character. Also try Co. Wicklow on the east coast. This comes with varied mountain and coastal terrain and is close to Dublin which is well worth a visit. The towns / villages of Greystones, Kilcoole, Newcastle might suit what you are looking for.

The Rind of Beara is excellent, it's a very scenic country road. The Ring of Kerry is quite overrated, I think it lost a lot of it's character when it was modernised to accommodate all the tour buses. There is a cycle route that more or less follows the same route as the Ring of Kerry as well as a foot path that does the same. Either one would be far more pleasant than the actual Ring of Kerry. There are also lots of little country roads lacing the Iveragh Peninsula (where the Ring of Kerry is located) that are very pretty. Not sure if they meet your definition of flat, though.

thanks for those...much appreciated.

Quiet simply Kenmare. Beautiful town. Great range of restaurants, bars , hotels and top notch B&Bs and superb cycling west to Beara, north to Ring of Kerry, South to Coolea and east to Killarney. Sod it. I'm off to book for Easter.

when are you thinking of doing this i'm cycling from mizen to malin with a few lads from the fell club and maybe one or two irish lads camping all the way, doing it at end of may.

not sure yet..but it will be summer...to minimis chance of rain etc

I'd seriously look at Doolin.
Cycled around the area a decade ago, I remember it as being a large village with a dozen pubs with a band in each one.

Another vote for Kenmare and the Beara peninsula, quiet roads, stunning scenery, friendly locals (build in time to stop and chat!) and great food. Haven't been to Doolin for over 10 years and the Burren is not easy cycling, though you do get the opportunity to get the boat out to the Arran Isles and pretend to be Father Ted!

Anywhere in Southern Ireland is woth cycling. The Wicklow mountains are wonderful.

Super, Super, Super part of the world is Southern Ireland. They are all barking nuts.

I overheard the start of a telephone conversation in a pub.

"Hello is that you? This is me"

I went to Southern Irelands highest pub and they only had seafood to eat.

I am even tempted to go back myself.

Steve

Ring of Kerry. Did it a number of years ago from a holiday home in Caherciveen. Excellent.
Liked the Ring of Baera as well, but not as much as the Dingle Pennisular, but limited route options there.

I remember being lost down south and asking for directions from an old chap sitting with a pipe and a blackthorn stick outside the stereotypical Irish country pub somewhere.

His first words

"well now, I wouldn't be starting from here..........."

We had exactly that line back in March last year in south west Ireland in the early stages of our tour. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=y&page_id=182535&v=dF

"We have also come across the least useful of Irish directions today - I know they were trying to be helpful, but when asking us if we were OK and us just wanting to confirm that the road we were on was the one we thought it was, the reply of "Oh I would not start from here, if I was going to XXX, I would start from YYY" is not really particularly useful! Still it did leave us something to joke about for quite some time to come."

South-West Donegal - Glencolmcille and the surrounding area (especially Sliabh Liag) absolutely stunning, rugged landscapes, mountains to avoid and the Atlantic for paddling. And, just to corroborate an earlier comment - don't count on the weather being any different in 'the summer', it just means the rain may be a little warmer......

Kinsale is very nice but is a bit touristy and can get very crowded, and Kenmare is.... in Kerry

Split the difference and stay in Bantry: on the sea, close to Beara and Sheep's Head penninsulars, good restaurants and as well. (If Bantry is a bit big then go for Baltimore or Schull)

A couple of shameless plugs for the joys of West Cork

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=8412&v=2Z

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=9398&v=2i