Breathtaking scenery awaits those who choose to tour Ireland by motorcycle for their honeymoon.

All Ireland photos on this page courtesy Paul Rawlins.

by John Morris

Nearly two million Americans visit Ireland every year. Some come to rediscover their Irish roots; some come for the Guinness (which never tastes as good anywhere else but Dublin); still others come for the relaxed pace of life and the gorgeous scenery of the Irish countryside: the tree-lined lanes, scenic hills, and rugged cliffs.

Many visitors choose to completely immerse themselves in the Irish experience by experiencing it on a motorbike. Biking around Ireland gets you to places other transport cannot, where cars dare not tread and coaches are non gratis. Most of our 96,500 km (60,000 miles) of roads are in the ‘single-lane’ class, so being able to overtake at will is a huge benefit. Follow the roads to the coast and you will find yourself on laneways the width of one vehicle where the grass grows in the middle of the road!

So where should you go? This is such a difficult question to answer. So I took the approach: If I had a week to go biking in Ireland, where would I visit? I came up with the following, not in any particular order:

• Without a doubt, I would take the coast road from Larne (close to Belfast, two hours from Dublin) to Portstewart on the north coast. It’s breathtaking and not to be missed.
• Achill Island is joined to Ireland by a causeway and in crossing this threshold, you are taken back 50 years in time. One of Ireland's westerly islands; the next parish heading east is in Boston.
• Wicklow Mountains National Park. Glendalough, Sallygap, Guinness Lake (Lough Tay), and the Wicklow Way are all jewels in the diamond-studded crown of Ireland. If you want to see the Ireland of postcards, visit here.
• West Cork and its environs. Cobh, from where the Titanic sailed in 1912. Kinsale, Skibbereen, Schull, Barley Cove, on to Mizen Head, Ireland's southernmost point and one of the best places on land in Europe for whale and dolphin spotting. On to Kenmare and then on to Killarney to start your lap of the Ring of Kerry.

These points of interest cover all points, N,S E and West.  If you can’t manage to visit all of these points in one visit, you could comfortably manage three of the four by heading north or south.  Obviously, visitors should explore and plan in great detail so as not to miss any of the wonderful sights.

John Morris owns Irish Bike Hire and is an agent for Celtic Biker, Motorcycle Rental Ireland, Ireland’s only motorcycle rental company. "Our services go beyond the hiring of motorcycles," John says. "We provide all of your equipment and touring needs, luggage storage, location suggestions, route advice, coffee, smiles and hugs (hugs are limited to early bookings…)!"
Website: www.irishbikehire.com email: info@irishbikehire.com