Tour Reviews
Donegal Bike Tour was a Highlight!
“We had a truly wonderful biking experience in Donegal Co with Ireland by Bike. The bikes are perfect for the terrain and very well maintained. The routes were magical – always on quiet backrounds with fabulous scenery. So many “Wow!” moments were had. The written notes and instructions, along with maps and a GPS meant we never got lost and we had some information that made everything just that much more interesting. We were in Ireland for 2 weeks, and this week of cycling was our Highlight in so many ways. Thank you Seamus and Nora for an excellent trip. Christine and Brian Vancouver, Canada”
Great Experience.
My husband and I completed Donegal Coastal Tours in August 2024. We highly recommend Ireland by Bike with Seamus and Nora. We never got lost using GPS and written instructions. Both were up to date and accurate. The roads were frequently single lane with little traffic. The scenery was spectacular. We enjoyed the challenge of the hills but would recommend ebikes if you don’t regularly ride hills. Accommodations were comfortable and well located. Seamus or Nora responded quickly to all questions.
Delightful Donegal by E-bike
“Our e-bike tour will go down as one of the best holiday experiences we have had! The trip was well organized right from the point of arriving in Donegal town to handing our bikes back in Letterkenny. It was great knowing that our luggage and accommodation were sorted out while we were off exploring each day. The routes available were excellent and long enough to fill in the day without being overwhelmed by too many kms. We did all of the ‘extra’ routes will minimal difficulty each day. The bikes were well maintained and it was good to know that Seamus was just a phone call away if there were problems.”
Posted to Website via Regiondo Booking Software
Spectacular cycling experience
“Our group thoroughly enjoyed the cycling through Donegal County. The trip brought us to beautiful beaches, lovely towns and over stunning geography. The e-bikes were a must for us ‘flatlanders’- but we all were able to still get a good workout. Seamus and Nora were easy to connect with- highly recommend Ireland by Bike.”
Posted to Website via Regiondo Booking Software
Donegal Coastal Treasures e bike tour
“The Donegal coastal treasures tour was about as good as it gets. Very comfortable accommodations everywhere Shamus and Nora were both welcoming and helpful. When a chain broke Shamus was there in 20 minutes to fix it. I would highly recommend this tour and we are seniors. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The weather helped too. I loved Donegal Peggy and Doug.”
Wonderful trip along quiet roads in beautiful Donegal!
“We rode 4 days of the Highlights of Donegal Tour that Seamus crafted for our limited time. It was awesome. The routes kept us away from cars on small roads surrounded by sheep literally everywhere but more so with our eyes on the endless natural beauty of Ireland. We really enjoyed being able to enjoy our pace unbothered by cars. Seamus was super helpful setting us up with bikes, bags, locks, Garmin devices with directions and a guidebook. The small homes we stayed in had delightful hosts with local knowledge and history to share as well as tasty breakfasts! Overall, Seamus made everything easy for us to simply enjoy our exploration of Donegal. The best part of the trip – meeting the Irish – such a friendly, lovely, kind and fun lot! I recommend this trip with Seamus 100% and would like to do it again to see more of Donegal as we only rode 4 of 7 days.”
Highlights of Donegal Tour
“This self guided tour around Donegal was truly a lovely experience. Seamus met us at the beginning and gave us all our navigation tools and answered all of our questions. We rode manual bikes which were sturdy and reliable but heavier than we are used too. This made for an excellent workout up the hills. We loved the option to add mileage to our day or to skip it if the weather wasn’t favorable. The GPS was invaluable. It beeped as soon as you made a wrong turn. It was also nice to have the listed directions and also the maps to cross reference. The scenery was 10/10 and the people we met along the way were all lovely. The accommodations were nice and clean. We went the last week of May and it seemed to us that significantly more things open up in June which might give more options for eating and evening activities. I love this self guided bike tour format. Being on our own time was so great. I will definitely recommend this tour to friends. Thank you Seamus and Nora.”
Take the time and enjoy
“I didn’t realise that I needed to order a e-bike for a e-bike tour; only afterwards once I was given a manual bike – so I missed that detail. Never fair an upgrade occurred on the first day of our tour and I’m so pleased that I did – thank you Sameus. Our small group took all of the extra trips and given the weather we had – we enjoyed the whole tour – we were prepared with strong wet weather gear. Some of the tour legs were hilly and the e-bike came into its own; I did train for cycling prior to the tour – two people in our group although fit – did not train on a bike and were able to cope. We had contact with Sameus but only messaged when we had slight battery trouble not too much of an issue. Would do another e-bike tour after this experience and would recommend the Highlights of Donegal Tour.”
Posted to Website via Regiondo Booking Software
A cycling trip to remember forever
I enjoyed everything about the Donegal Coastal Treasures Bike Tour with Ireland-by-Bike, from the fantastic cycling routes, beautiful scenery in Donegal County, wonderful B&Bs, and the kindness/helpfulness of the B&B hosts, to the quality of our bicycle rentals, friendly atmosphere everywhere we went, and most of all, to our wonderful cycling tour hosts/operators, Seamus and Nora. They were wonderful and went above and beyond to ensure our cycling adventure was fun, enjoyable and safe. I would highly recommend the Donegal Coastal Treasure Bike Tour to anyone who is considering it.
Best we could have hoped for!
“We were extremely happy with the services provided by Seamus and Nora. As visitors to this beautiful country, we were made comfotable and never felt silly asking questions or for guidance. We would highly recommend this bike company to any other travellers. They are knowledgeable and went out of their way to make use feel comfortable and safe on our journey. The accomodations chosen were also top notch.”
Highlights of Donegal Bike Tour – Amazing!
“Excellent tour. Great accommodations and the sites were well prepared for cyclists. Safe storage for bikes and the breakfasts were a good start to our cycling days. The routes were unique and fun. Minimal vehicle traffic, roads were safe and interesting and it was always fun dodging an occasional sheep along the way. Also, on our last morning, Nora and Seamus notified us that the weather could be challenging with high winds and rain. We choose to accept their offer to transfer us by vehicle to our last accommodation. This was greatly appreciated. I will definitely recommend “Ireland by Bike” tours to our friends. It was the highlight of my Ireland trip.”
Excellent routes, bikes and lodging! Just what we needed!
“We had a wonderful trip. The first day was very wet, so pack rain gear just in case. We were warm enough and enjoyed it all nonetheless. The routes were great bike-able roads with little traffic. The accommodations were friendly B & B’s with locals who know the area well. The bikes worked great! I recommend the e-bike on this trip if you have any dislike of steep hills. The hills are all short, but some are quite steep. I regularly ride 20 miles on hilly roads and used the e-bike and was glad. The information packet helped us find sites of interest along the way, at our own pace. Each day was a unique experience, with something new and different to discover.”
“Amazing and well planned! Very detailed instructions for high quality equipment and easy to follow directions. The routes were stunning!”
Worth every penny!
“This was such an amazing bike tour, a really great way to see the coast and smaller towns of Ireland. Seamus and Nora were so kind and helpful and I would highly recommend this tour to anyone. I also really recommend doing the E-bike option as there were a lot of steep hills along the way. It was a great value and we even said how we wish they could plan another trip in another country for us sometime!”
Great fun.
“My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our Donegal coastal Treasures ride with Ireland by Bike. The route designed by Seamus and Nora was first class, quiet roads with stunning scenery and the e-bikes and equipment they provided were perfect for the job. This was a fantastic experience as everything worked perfectly. The accommodation was wonderful and the baggage transfers flawless. We highly recommend this cycle tour as a relaxed, enjoyable way to explore a beautiful part of the world.”
“Ireland by Bike tours are awesome! I recently completed the Causeway Coast tour (my second time on this tour) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The scenery was stunningly beautiful, the b&b’s were nice, and the local pubs were charming. This tour was my fourth with Ireland by Bike. I really appreciate the quiet roads on the routes they chose, the accurate route guidance on the garmins they provide, and the transfer of luggage from b&b to b&b. Terrific value for the cost of the tour. I can’t recommend these tours highly enough!”
Note: Below Review is of 3 combined Ireland by Bike Tours, Sligo Single Centre Tour, Highlights of Donegal Bike Tour and Causeway Coast Bike Tour.
21 Day custom tour from Sligo to Cushendall. “Amy and I contacted Ireland by Bike to create a 21 day custom bike tour combining several of their tours of the Wild Atlantic Way, Donegal and the Causeway/Antrim coastal route. Seamus and Nora were a pleasure to work with and were excellent communicators. They were more than willing to create an itinerary and route that met all of our expectations and more.
We had originally planned to ride the tour in May of 2023, and had paid for and booked the trip and flights. Unfortunately, we had to cancel due to a bike crash injury Amy had prior to the trip that needed time for rehab. No problem! Seamus and Nora cheerfully returned our funds and said to contact them when we were ready to ride again.
We booked for September and again, Seamus and Nora had our logistics and tour route ready to go. We had a four day layover enroute to Dublin in Reykjavik, Iceland to get synced up with the time zone change ( 8 hours forward!) and jet lag relief. We strongly recommend this option as we were ready to ride when we arrived in Ireland.
We met Seamus in Sligo to get our tour briefing and e-bikes. We had a nice visit with him and went over our itinerary, GPS and bicycle operating details. He was very informative and helpful, providing us with all we needed to start our tour.
All of the routes and side trips were just what we hoped for. Amazing scenery, abundant historical sites to visit and, most importantly, back roads with minimal vehicle traffic. I can honestly say that we encountered more sheep and farm tractors than other motor vehicles. While we had to ride some busy highways, they were of short duration and usually had a bike path or lane for us to ride on.
The lodging they arranged for us was exceptional! We enjoyed our stay and meals at all of them, and the hosts were very friendly and helpful. Their local knowledge of places to hike and visit and evening meal options were invaluable. Our luggage was always waiting for us at our evening destination.
Our rental bikes, GPS and guide books provided by Ireland by Bike were accurate, dependable and easy to use. That’s not to say we didn’t manage to occasionally “create” our own routes, but that was operator error, and we
never got lost.
We had the pleasure of meeting Nora in Carrick at the company building while riding to Glencolmcille. Seamus met with us again in Letterkenney to provide a GPS and guide books for the back half of our tour ending at Cushendall.
It’s hard to say which part of the tour was our favorite, as every leg had it’s own unique, exceptional character and scenery. The hiking days we had scheduled at Slieve League and Glen’s Head are memorable and were a nice break from being in the saddle.
The side trips and ferry rides to Arranmore and Rathlin Islands were spectacular, as was the riding and scenery.
We would not hesitate to recommend Ireland By Bike for those wishing to book a bike tour. Ours was truly a trip of a lifetime, and everyone who has
viewed our photos agrees!”
“Everything about this tour was simply FANTASTIC. The views were jaw dropping. The E-Bikes were excellent (do get an E-Bike, its hilly and they are so much fun to ride). The routes were off the beaten track and so easy to follow with the GPS system and written instructions provided by our really wonderful Tour Hosts. The B&Bs were delightful with really terrific hosts, easy access to towns, always very clean and included the infamous HUGE Irish breakfasts each morning which will get you all the way to supper. We did every “extra” along the route and I’d encourage you to do the same, its always worth seeing another gorgeous spot. We took our time and stopped at historical sites, phenomenal beaches for picnics and crafts people along the route…there’s no need to rush because the mileage each day is so reasonable. I travelled with my husband and our three nieces on the 7 night Donegal Coastal Treasures Tour and all agreed it was the trip of a lifetime.”
Family – Posted on Tripadvisor
Causeway Coast tour
“Seamus and Nora were a pleasure to work with. Our tour was all that we could have hoped for. The scenery was magnificent. The route allowed us to visit many places of interest. The Giant’s Causeway and Dunluce Castle were among our favorites. We enjoyed the variety of accommodations, including breakfasts. The hosts were all friendly and helpful.”
“This was an incredible adventure and one I happily recommend. My daughter and I were so impressed with everything about the experience. The accommodations were comfortable and having the baggage portaged by Seamus each day made it easy. Our BAndB hosts were lovely at each stop. The GPS on the bikes took us off the beaten path and allowing us to enjoy an “in the weeds” Irish experience. The people and sights along the way provided us with such an authentic Irish feel. At almost 70 I was just a bit nervous about the rigor of the rides but I had absolutely no problems. I would do it all over again. Ireland May be the only vacation destination I was “homesick” for when I returned to the states.”
Posted on Tripadvisor
“We cycled six days on the Donegal Coastal Treasures Bike Tour, the lansdcapes were really nice. Sometimes we could not resist to stop every 100 meters to take pictures… We felt that Donegal County was as nice other more touristic places in Ireland, but a lot less crowded. Seamus and Nora provided everything needed to follow easily the tour, and a lot of interesting informations about the places to see along the way. They also helped us to arrange our arrival in Donegal when we missed our flight to Dublin and had to take the next one! All the accomodations and B&B were nice and comfortable, with lovely hosts.”
Posted on Tripadvisor
Donegal Coastal Treasures
“Amazing tour! Nóra and Seamus are so kind and helpful and the routs they chose for our Donegal Coastal Treasures Tour were beautiful. We had a wonderful time and will choose Ireland By Bike again.”
Wonderful trip
“This was a perfect bike ride. The scenery was beautiful and we had perfect weather which was extremely lucky. The accommodations were comfortable and hosts were very nice. Nora and Seamus were always helpful and gave good recommendations! The bikes worked well and I would highly recommend this trip for anyone who enjoys biking.”
“Just finished the 10 day Backroads and Beyond bike/hike tour with Ireland by Bike. Let me highly recommend Seamus and Nora who organized a wonderful trip – spectacular scenery, quiet roads, good bikes, welcoming bnbs, lovely hikes, and friendly people all over Donegal. The weather was kind to us, and a reasonable level of fitness required for biking and hiking. Thanks Ireland by Bike”
“Wow. Seamus and co have it put together. We took a slightly altered tour (changed a bit from their standard tour) starting in Derry and ending in Ballycastle. All of the inns we stayed in were wonderful, welcoming, and ready for all aspects of our luggage and then our bikes. The GPS navigation system, in combination with their printed material, and occasionally Google maps, insured that we knew where we were at all times. The bikes and all of the gear felt new and in perfect working order. The routes that were chosen were wonderfully varied – mountain passes, pastureland, bike paths near cities, etc. There was very little time needed to be spent on busy roads and we never felt endangered in any way. And Seamus is a really nice guy that is super organized and communicative. We simply LOVED every aspect of our trip. I couldn’t recommend Ireland by Bike enough.”