Denmark or Ireland?

[buckdoesntstophere]

Hi all,
I am in the UK and want to do a week's solo trip in June this year. Where should I go? Denmark or Ireland? Please help me decide.
Cheers.

[Tomkat]

Which is better, chalk or cheese? Very different destinations and depends on your own preferences. I can only speak for Ireland out of the two, I did the Wild Atlantic Way last year and loved it. You can do that in a week but you may want to cut across a couple of the peninsulas, since if you follow the coastline all the way round it's quite a long way. Some of the more inland roads are gorgeous as well, notably the Wicklow Mountains.

[buckdoesntstophere]

Originally Posted by Tomkat

Which is better, chalk or cheese?

Fair enough. I should've made it clearer. I like mountains and twisties. I also like dry warm weather. From what I've been gleaning so far, Denmark seems to be warmer than Ireland in June.

[Tomkat]

Originally Posted by buckdoesntstophere

Fair enough. I should've made it clearer. I like mountains and twisties. I also like dry warm weather. From what I've been gleaning so far, Denmark seems to be warmer than Ireland in June.

You'll get plenty of mountains and twisties in Ireland! The weather is uncertain, of course, as you might expect from an island in the Atlantic

The answer of course, is do them both, you just need to decide which to do first

[Erik_G]

You will not find any mountains in Denmark.

The highest is around 170 m.
Nice temp: Yes

[Rognv]

From UK to Denmark you need at least a full day, maybe two days, each way to get there and back. That leaves not many days to enjoy the country. In other words: a weeks is too short to visit Denmark from UK in my opinion.

[chris]

Ireland for riding and people. Just be aware of 4 seasons in a day along the west coast, so pack accordingly.

Denmark: Nice people, but only to ride if transiting from Germany to Norway/ Sweden.

IMHO.

[backofbeyond]

I've done UK to Denmark many times - we have family in Malmo, just across the bridge from Copenhagen - and it's two days each way through (mainly) Germany. Mid summer weather in Denmark can be really nice - close to perfect riding conditions if you get lucky, but to say the least mountains are noticeable by their absence. Lovely country though that we've toured round many times.

If it's twisty back roads and (small) mountains you're after then Ireland is a really good choice. It's a lot quicker / easier to get to than Denmark but if you're on fixed travel dates then it's Russian roulette with the weather. I had it pencilled in for a couple of weeks this summer but based on previous experience (family and friends + living there as a kid) something with a roof seems like a sensible option.

Using your back roads and hills in a week criteria you might also consider the border area between France and Germany. Start with the Ardennes area in Belgium, then the Vosges and Jura mountains as you go further south. Ticks the weather box and you can chose how far you want to go.

[AnTyx]

Originally Posted by buckdoesntstophere

Fair enough. I should've made it clearer. I like mountains and twisties. I also like dry warm weather. From what I've been gleaning so far, Denmark seems to be warmer than Ireland in June.

Denmark has no mountains and very few twisties (with low traffic): it is a small densely populated country with kind of a lot of agriculture. The countryside is usually quite manicured.

If you want it warm, and within a week, consider the ferry to Santander - loads of great riding in north Spain.

[backofbeyond]

Originally Posted by AnTyx

If you want it warm, and within a week, consider the ferry to Santander - loads of great riding in north Spain.

I did wonder about suggesting northern Spain as the location ticks a lot of the boxes. The ferry ride is quite convenient (if a little pricy), although one downside might be the trip dates not meshing with the ferry schedules. it's the time it takes though - with only a week do you really want to spend three of those days on what's essentially a floating motorway services.

[AnTyx]

Well from the UK to Denmark you would spend three days actually riding from one motorway services to the other! ????

[backofbeyond]

Originally Posted by AnTyx

Well from the UK to Denmark you would spend three days actually riding from one motorway services to the other! ????

Two days e/w, mostly on the autobahn but it’s the difference between visiting the services and being trapped in them.

[Tomkat]

Originally Posted by backofbeyond

Two days e/w, mostly on the autobahn but it’s the difference between visiting the services and being trapped in them.

If you're heading for Spain or Morocco it's a compelling argument though. Yes you're stuck on a boat and it's not cheap, but you avoid travel costs, hotels, fuel and aggravation that you'd otherwise have from riding down a load of boring roads just to get to where you want to be.

[backofbeyond]

Originally Posted by Tomkat

If you're heading for Spain or Morocco it's a compelling argument though. Yes you're stuck on a boat and it's not cheap, but you avoid travel costs, hotels, fuel and aggravation that you'd otherwise have from riding down a load of boring roads just to get to where you want to be.

All of that is very true and my thought process every time I’ve taken that ferry. Buckdoesntstophere (the o.p.) only has a week though. He’s looking for twisty roads+ mountains + ‘decent’ weather. The ferry to Ireland is only a few hours - in his position I think I’d take my chances with the weather. Any two out of three might be the best he can do.

[thecivvie]

Ireland and the Wild Atlantic Way. Definitely a great trip. I am lucky that I live on the Galway section.

If you decide and I am here, you are happy to call in for a coffee or sleep overnight.

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