amy

We're doing two weeks of biking--one week on the west coast and one on the east coast--in Ireland. Though I sure know how to wash out bits and pieces every night, I will really need a laundromat mid-trip to get the sweat out of all the gutchies.

Has anyone found one near Shannon Airport or Cork Airport?

Thanks!

Sherry

I know there is one in Kenmare and there are several in Galway City.
I found the information in a Rough guide book.
You may have to pick a town to locate one. Do you need one specifically at an airport location or will one do during your trip along the way?

Mary

You won't find a lot of laundromats in Ireland at all, although there are a few in larger towns. Most tourists drop off their clothes at a laundry/dry cleaner and pick them up later...all clean, dry, and folded. Don't know that you'll find anything right at an airport, but certainly in Cork City. Ennis may be your best bet near Shannon.

amy

Dear Sherry and Mary: Thanks for helping me out so quickly. Sherry, by way of more information, we're biking around seven days straight on a West County loop then flying over to Cork to begin another seven-day loop. I have two nights but little daytime I can spend in between on either coast. So what I'm trying to do is plan my accomodations around my laundry needs. I know I'm going to be using those airports, so if one has a good laundromat handy, that's the area in which I'll stay.

It's hard to get it done in the hotels in which we stay mid-trip because we're always on the move. There's very little down time. As I said, I'm good at using the hotel sink with very quick drying clothes!

And Mary, I'm willing to use a service, but I don't know if it can get done within the time allowance. I'll arrive off one trip late Friday and start the next trip on a Sunday morning, so I'm not too sure if I'm allowing enough time for a service.

I agree, Sherry, that I better go out and get a Rough guide to chip away at this.

Thanks again for coming to my assistance,

Amy

sam

Amy - I don't have any specific information for you, just a thought. It sounds like you're going to have your accomodations figured out before you go. If you know where you're going to be staying that Friday and Saturday night between loops - could you possibly contact that particular location and find out if you can use their facilities, even if it's for a fee?

Have a great time. I'm off to Ireland on Saturday and can't wait!!!!

I have friends in Cork - if you can post where you're staying - maybe I can ask them..... you can contact me at [email protected] directly, if you want.

amy

Wow, Sam, that's a super offer. No, I don't know where I'm staying in between yet. That's why I'm asking this question. Strange, I know, but I have often arranged our hotels in other countries between biking trips near laundromats. It always works. Your Cork contact idea is heaven sent.

Have fun on your trip.

Janet

Amy, while I dont know of laundry facilities, I was interested to see that you are taking our dream vacation. We are think of taking a biking tour anywhere from June-October of this year, do you have any words of wisdom for us?

Any advice would be appreciated!

amy

Janet: I love biking vacations! We're a family of four with two somewhat athletic girls. I am distinctly non-athletic, by the way. We do winters as "museum people" and summers as "biking people." When in US, we almost always do our own thing. As you know, it's so easy to rent truly good bikes in the US where necessary, and it's also rather easy for us to take our own. Biking trails in the US are very well advertised, and I think biking maps here are quite plentiful. Kind of ironic for a nation that came late to the biking game, I think.

In Europe, though, we've spent the extra cash to use guided tours. That way the luggage problem is always someone else's problem. Even my non-social husband likes the idea of meeting other people with only two common interests--exercise and travel--and I love it because for once I'm not the Dictator of All as far as our routes, meals, and beds. What all of us love as a family is that there are different distances on these trips people can choose to do on most days. There are days when one of us does the long route, one does the short route, and two do the standard route. All have a great time.

There are many types of tours out there at all price ranges. We have enjoyed Backroads, but we've done just fine with much less pricey ones. The best advice I can give you in checking out tours is how many nights you stay at accomodations. We as a family hate the one-night-stop type of tour. Two nights per hotel gives everyone a chance to be a bum for at least an hour or two while giving the actual trip some wide-ranging scope. We travel really light, so we need time to do some sink washing, and it's great to greet a morning without having your luggage outside the door by 7.

We have yet to take the self-guided but tour-operated trips, but I think they're a super concept. These are the kind that give you the routes/maps, provide the accomodations and the luggage schlepping and will even give you the bike. They just don't provide an on-the-spot guide. I think they do provide emergency services, though. You get all the services without having to interact with people in a set group.

Your reaction is exactly how I feel when I plan these trips or think back on them. I assemble these huge photo albums here at home after the trips, but I never need look at them. Seeing how my girls looked on each biking trip seems to be engraved on my heart.

sam

Amy - not sure if you tried to reach me - my hotmail account tends to either fill up quickly or randomly refuse mail. If you did, please retry and put something reallly distinctive in the title.

sam

Amy - couldn't resist a challenge.

Go to

http://mmm.eircom.ie/phonebook/

I typed in Launderettes in Co Cork. It came up with the 30 entries. You may have to make a couple of quick calls to see if these are self-services places, it's hard to tell from the names.

amy

Thanks, Sam. I had good luck myself last night. Went out and bought Lonely Planet/Rough Guides. While their actual listings were sparse, they gave me my big clue: Term "Launderette." As soon as I did a Google search for "Cork City Launderettes" I ended up with a ton of listings. Now I'm going to compare my list of accommodations with them and see what lines up.

Thank you again, Sam, for going the extra mile. This really was the key to our airline times and two night stay, so it's a relief to have made progress.