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Nicer Midlands route across the country?

  • 01-09-2014 9:35pm
    #1
    a148pro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,207 ✭✭✭


    Planning Dub - Galway tomorrow

    I'm in two minds re these two routes, can any midlands based Boardsie's recommend either, preference is for a road I won't die on but I find nice scenery is a big motivation when you're a long time in the saddle and a nice surface is always a bonus

    Preference is thus for the first route because of this post:
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=85393562&postcount=2

    Naas - Newbridge - Monasterevin - Birr - Portumna - Loughrey

    or

    Naas - Rathangan - Tullamore - Banaher - Loughrey

    Google maps seems to only have maybe 5kms in the difference between the two

    Any advice appreciated!


Comments

  • #2
    macbane66
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 219 ✭✭macbane66


    Done Kildare to Galway twice : either really have good and bad parts to it : prob favour the more southerly route : prey u don't get a westerly !


  • #3
    a148pro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,207 ✭✭✭a148pro


    macbane66 wrote: »
    Done Kildare to Galway twice : either really have good and bad parts to it : prob favour the more southerly route : prey u don't get a westerly !

    Magic Seaweed says light winds, Met Eireann too and neither really Westerly. I'm not in work tomorrow so it doesn't get more optimum than this I think, time to knock this one off that fcuking bucket list ;)


  • #4
    nilhg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,160 ✭✭✭nilhg


    Depends a little on which route you are taking out of Dublin but for me starting from Rathangan it'd be Brackna, Portarlington Mountmellick then on via Birr. Nothing wrong with the Tullamore route but probably slightly more exposed if it's windy and more traffic but if tomorrow is nice you're probably grand with either.


    Enjoy the spin, I'd love to be able to get away for one like it.


  • #5
    Donie75
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭Donie75


    Dublin to Kilbeggan on the old road, then turn for Clara - Ballycumber - R444 to Shannonbridge - Ballinasloe


  • #6
    countrykid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 835 ✭✭✭countrykid


    Donie75 wrote: »
    Dublin to Kilbeggan on the old road, then turn for Clara - Ballycumber - R444 to Shannonbridge - Ballinasloe

    Best route by far...
    The others have straight boring stretches....
    Spin down to kill began is obviously fairly straight but pleasant from memory


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  • #7
    Esroh
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,508 ✭✭✭Esroh


    Monesterevin, Emo, Mountmellick, Birr, Portumna, Loughrea, Athenry, Oranmore, Galway.


  • #8
    a148pro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,207 ✭✭✭a148pro


    Really? My recollect from driving that road back in the day was that it was very bland. Probably nice and safe now though with the hard shoulder and reduced traffic.

    Edit- I mean the old dub galway road


  • #9
    a148pro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,207 ✭✭✭a148pro


    The world's tastiest fish and chips. When I'm finished I may well have to build a church in this spot.


  • #10
    Eamonnator
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭Eamonnator


    as my grandmother used to say
    "hunger is a great sauce"


  • #11
    blobbie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 673 ✭✭✭blobbie


    a148pro wrote: »
    The world's tastiest fish and chips. When I'm finished I may well have to build a church in this spot.

    Mc Donagh's I presume


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  • #12
    demanufactured
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭demanufactured


    blobbie wrote: »
    Mc Donagh's I presume

    It's nice...but it's not NICE!...If ya get me .


  • #13
    Rua_ri
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 322 ✭✭Rua_ri


    blobbie wrote: »
    Mc Donagh's I presume

    That's definitely McDonnaghs.
    That meal is worth the trip alone.

    They won the "best chip in Ireland" award a few years . 10,000 euro prize for it.


  • #14
    countrykid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 835 ✭✭✭countrykid


    Which route did you take and how long do the journey take?


  • #15
    a148pro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,207 ✭✭✭a148pro


    Mcdonaghs for sure, was very good, is always at least good (significantly better than burdocks imo) but in the circumstances that was very very good this evening. It could have been captain birds eye for all I know and it would still have been lovely.

    Did naas monasterevin birr portumna. In hindsight maybe I should have just gone the old road route, the security of a hard shoulder is not to be underestimated. Very little traffic from emo on. Almost no cyclists. Some very nice scenery in offaly and south galway but overall wasn't great and I suspect you have to get off the main arteries to get the best of the midlands.

    The only massive black spot was portumna to loughrey, pure russian roulette. Thin road, no verge or hard shoulder and 100kph with a lot of traffic. Anyone thinking of doing this route avoid. Took a turn off up a bohereen with knee high grass growing down the middle and ended up on a beautiful snaking esker lane elevated above the fields. Was pretty elated then, managed to get a signal for my smart phone to navigate and stuck to the back roads until loughrey.

    Also I overestimated my ability. Was headed to rossaveal and knew it would be 250 plus but was thinking I would continue on a bit further and loop back to make it 300k, so was happy to not take the shortest route. Oh the naivety of it all, right leg went at about 220k and the spin out from galway to rossaveal was agony. If I had gone direct and not fecked about visiting portumna castle etc might have been less pain.

    Off the bucket list, never to be repeated! At least till the canal route opens!

    Was about eleven and a half hours to mcdonaghs which was 230 k, including breaks. Slow but as planned, my rule was nothing over 25kph until after birr and I more or less stuck to it. 25kph average overall (263k).

    Thanks for the helpful suggestions and if nothing else the thread will be here for other people to search for if they're thinking similar.

    And if mcdonaghs was good that pint of black when I got in...


  • #16
    demanufactured
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭demanufactured


    That's some cycle...considering I drive athlone to galway everyday so I know the distance.
    And I know all the places you come through from Naas to galway it's not easy terrain.


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