Clare cycle route listed in world top 10

A CYCLE route in Co Clare has been listed as one of the top 10 in the world in a new guide which highlights the best trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the upcoming year.

According to the Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2010 guide, the route between Miltown Malbay and Doolin in west Clare ranks with nine other routes from Vietnam, Cuba, USA, Canada, UK, France, Australia, Italy and New Zealand. "Beginning in fertile lowlands flanking the Shannon estuary," the guide says, "this route rolls past golden-sand beaches to the dramatic Cliffs of Moher facing the Atlantic".

It recommends stopping at Milltown Malbay and Doolin before progressing to the Burren, and "a sojourn into Yeats' country", understood to be a reference to the poet's home near Gort, Thoor Ballylee castle, "before sauntering back in a loop through County Clare's gentle patchwork countryside". Welcoming the guide entry, chairman of the Clare Tourism Forum, Cllr Richard Nagle, said: "We now need to make the most of this great achievement."

Some 102,000 overseas visitors take cycling holidays in Ireland annually, generating €78 million, a number that is in serious decline year on year due to the increase in traffic on Ireland's roads.

If you are interested in cycling the coast of Clare, more information is available from Cycling Safaris