Well I'm an enthusiast for smaller bikes and with your level of experience I'd suggest you'd get on better with the weight and size of a 125. The only time you'll feel you need more power is on a motorway and there won't be many of those on the Atlantic Way. With up to six weeks for the trip it's not as if you'll be doing huge daily mileages.

When I compare my 125 and 250, yes the 250 is substantially faster but it requires a lot more respect. In essence it's a small big bike, it has 'presence'. The 125 in contrast feels like you can take liberties on it and is fun to ride in a way you don't get with the bigger stuff (and I currently have just about every size up to 1800cc). In your situation the 125 is the one I'd be pulling out of the garage.

If you've not been to the west coast of Ireland before there's a reason it's known as the wettest place outside of your bath tub - even in summer. Whatever you save on buying a smaller bike, spend on decent clothing.

Don't worry whether you're "suitable for this kind of tour". If you want to do it, do it. Break the whole trip down into small managable steps in your head and tackle each of them separately. If you're going on your own the whole thing can seem daunting but it's meant to be fun so look at it positively. Camping can be enjoyable (and cheap) but it requires a whole new level of organisation, not only to buy the stuff but to load it onto the bike. For Ireland I'd stick with prebooking somewhere online each day. At least you'll be able to dry out



A flooded winter in the middle of France on my 125: