tralee to dingle on new years-advice please

conor rowan

hi all,
so my mates are going down to dingle for the week of new years but the thing is im working till 4pm new years eve. now i dont fancy a 7hr drive after an 8am-4pm shift at work so i was thinking of getting the train down and cycling out to dingle from tralee. (the alternative is hitchhiking as i think the buses stop running at that stage)
was on google earth and dingle seemed to be 45km away from tralee, i used to do 20km/hr average on my touring bike fully loaded so if i rob my bro's racer and just have a small rucksack i figure i should be able to cruise around 25-30km/hr. so it should take me under 2hrs?

so whats the road like down there, i mean hills,surface etc bearing in mind im gonna be leaving tralee train st around 10.30pm so wont be appreciating the scenery much!
hows cie for putting bikes on trains? does it cost much extra?do i need to book in advance?
thanks
conor

kenmc

It's a fairly windy twisty road if I remember correctly. Goes inland from tralee to 'Camp', and then crosses over the peninsula to the south and follows it all the way to dingle. I wouldn't fancy doing it at 10:30 new years eve to be honest, it's going to be COLD!
The drive shouldn't take you 7 hours though! 2 hours to limerick, another hour or so to tralee, say 4 tops. easy down in time to get bladdered before midnight.

tunney

conor rowan wrote: »

hi all,
so my mates are going down to dingle for the week of new years but the thing is im working till 4pm new years eve. now i dont fancy a 7hr drive after an 8am-4pm shift at work so i was thinking of getting the train down and cycling out to dingle from tralee. (the alternative is hitchhiking as i think the buses stop running at that stage)
was on google earth and dingle seemed to be 45km away from tralee, i used to do 20km/hr average on my touring bike fully loaded so if i rob my bro's racer and just have a small rucksack i figure i should be able to cruise around 25-30km/hr. so it should take me under 2hrs?

so whats the road like down there, i mean hills,surface etc bearing in mind im gonna be leaving tralee train st around 10.30pm so wont be appreciating the scenery much!
hows cie for putting bikes on trains? does it cost much extra?do i need to book in advance?
thanks
conor

I did this when I was 13 Great ride. Some uphill drags and can be into strong winds.

Unless you are a strong biker you won't hold 30kph on those road surfaces - never mind the wind.

Two hours should be good, just make sure you are lit up like a christmas tree.

TinyExplosions

You go around the world on a bike, and are stressing about a little jaunt from Tralee to Dingle :eek:

Afraid I don't know the road, but the ones on the Ring of Kerry Route are pretty good. You should book your bike ticket in advance, and it's about 8 or 18 quid (can't remember off hand)

blorg

Make sure you have a good front light. I would be slightly wary about New Years Eve with people possibly rushing about drunk to get somewhere before midnight. Train is £8 each way for the bike for that distance. Not sure about the road but I as it goes up over the middle of the peninsula I expect there will be a bit of climbing, probably nothing crazy though.

DirkVoodoo

I was about to say something similar, it would be foolish not to consider the possibility that people possibly take more chances on new years eve with driving after a few drinks on country roads (I dont know the route, might be well policed?).

Just take care of yourself and be well lit.

Chips Lovell

blorg wrote: »

I would be slightly wary about New Years Eve with people possibly rushing about drunk to get somewhere before midnight.

I would heed this advice too. I know that part of the world quite well and you do get a fair bit of this kind of crack going on. New Years Eve wouldn't be a night I'd fancy being on the roads out there on a bike.

tunney

blorg wrote: »

Make sure you have a good front light. I would be slightly wary about New Years Eve with people possibly rushing about drunk to get somewhere before midnight. Train is £8 each way for the bike for that distance. Not sure about the road but I as it goes up over the middle of the peninsula I expect there will be a bit of climbing, probably nothing crazy though.

Know the road well, there is not real climbing, but the combination of the drags, the wind and the road surface is a bitch.

I'd share your concerns over drink drivers.

Canis Lupus

I wouldn't cycle it. Wrong time of the year for it imo.

In fairness it should realistically only take you 4 or so hours to make the drive from Dub. You say you 'used' to EDIT: cycle. How long have you been off the bike? Personally, I reckon driving would be miles easier than cycling in the middle of nowhere on what would normally be a ****ty night.

rflynnr

First off, there are two routes: one via Camp and the other via the Connor Pass. The latter is definitively a climb so I presume you're talking about going the other way. Even there you're looking at a bit of climb before and after Camp followed by about 25 miles of unlit, windy (i.e. twisty) and often poorly surfaced road. (In fact the Connor Pass route offers a much better surface.) You would doing extremely well to average 25-30kph, especially given that you'll be facing into the prevailing wind.

All in all, it's not a road I'd contemplate riding on in the dark on New Year's Eve unless you're into a Blorg/Tinyexplosions-style night riding adventure.

DirkVoodoo

In fairness when he says he "used to cycle", that was from dublin to china, so I don't think ability is the question. More safety.

rflynnr

Canis Lupus wrote: »

I wouldn't cycle it. Wrong time of the year for it imo.

In fairness it should realistically only take you 4 or so hours to make the drive from Dub. You say you 'used' to EDIT: cycle. How long have you been off the bike? Personally, I reckon driving would be miles easier than cycling in the middle of nowhere on what would normally be a ****ty night.

'Fraid that's optimistic. I do this every year in August and regardless of what an AA routeplanner might say, allow at least 5 and a half hours of driving (assuming non-stop travel on or about the speed limit).

Gavin

Yeah 5 and a half is reasonable. Might be able to get a taxi to Dingle... ?

mvpr

The answer is - dont. I've driven the road tens of times. Its 100km/h+ with plenty of corners and climbs. Its just not worth it. If you can drive, do. Failing that, ther's got to be a Bus Eireann bus from Dublin to Dingle. Good spot for New Years though - i can see why youre anxious to get down.

CheGuedara

conor rowan wrote: »

hi all,
so my mates are going down to dingle for the week of new years but the thing is im working till 4pm new years eve. now i dont fancy a 7hr drive after an 8am-4pm shift at work so i was thinking of getting the train down and cycling out to dingle from tralee. (the alternative is hitchhiking as i think the buses stop running at that stage)
was on google earth and dingle seemed to be 45km away from tralee, i used to do 20km/hr average on my touring bike fully loaded so if i rob my bro's racer and just have a small rucksack i figure i should be able to cruise around 25-30km/hr. so it should take me under 2hrs?

so whats the road like down there, i mean hills,surface etc bearing in mind im gonna be leaving tralee train st around 10.30pm so wont be appreciating the scenery much!
hows cie for putting bikes on trains? does it cost much extra?do i need to book in advance?
thanks
conor

Hi Conor,
this part of the world is one of my clubs training routes. What I can tell you is

1.the road from Tralee to Camp is not too bad surface wise and has one or two long-ish drags in it before getting a bit twisty and entering Camp. At this point you have two choices - climb up through Camp and continue on through Annascaul taking in less than perfect roads with a pretty windy nature and a series of small hills to test your rythm or you continue on past the turn off for Camp, then on past Castlegregory and take on the Connor Pass. This is a proper climb, and you free wheel (at freakishly high speed) all the way into Dingle from the top.

2.To attempt either route at 10.30 at night when it gets dark as early as it is now would take waaaay longer than two hrs, and becase it is a FAST, poorly lit road, with many twist and turns taking either route your odds of arriving in Tralee General A&E are a lot better than reaching Dingle.

Get the bus out if you can, or wait till the following day - might even join you for the spin:D

mmclo

The Connor Pass at night...possibly with rain, ice, snow or fog....suicidal, this was once one of the most dangerous roads in the country even though it has been improved one slip and you could be down a sheer cliff.

CheGuedara

mmclo wrote: »

The Connor Pass at night...possibly with rain, ice, snow or fog....suicidal, this was once one of the most dangerous roads in the country even though it has been improved one slip and you could be down a sheer cliff.

Or touch off a catseye reflector or get just one of the bends on the descent wrong/wide at the speeds you can reach and it's lights out. 49mph is very achievable (my limit before losing my bottle and backing off anyhow) and there's no margin for error there. TBH I applaud the thought of racing out to a party in Dingle - there's been some legendary piss ups been had out there, but either route at that late hour at this time of the year simply isn't safe

Canis Lupus

rflynnr wrote: »

'Fraid that's optimistic. I do this every year in August and regardless of what an AA routeplanner might say, allow at least 5 and a half hours of driving (assuming non-stop travel on or about the speed limit).

I've gone from Caherciveen to Dublin, ahem, alot faster but that was in my reckless/stupid days. Being a bit more sensible on a good traffic day saw me doing it in 4ish hours, it's particularly better nowadays with more motorway closer to Dub. However thinking about it again NY night would be busy with traffic.

I still argue against cycling. Does no one have a car that could give the OP a lift from Tralee? If you're not driving I'd just bite the bullet and forget going to Dingle.

blorg

I have done plenty of night time cycling myself including very long distances and up the Wicklow mountains in rain and fog; it is fine if you have good lighting.

However in this specific case I would be worried not so much about the road but what else might be on it, namely drunk drivers. A night other than New Year's Eve I would reckon go for it.

If it was icy I would also think twice about it; however it is often NOT icy in this country.

ROK ON

DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS.
It does not matter where you have cycled.
I spend a fair amount of time in Kerry. In general drivers are amongst the worst that you will find. That road on that night. You would have a death wish.
(Especially cycling out of Tralee).
If you cant do it at a reasonable time, then dont.

I find that the locals (am married to one) tend to drive and take corners as if there is nothing else on the road. Following a racing line on the road, so to speak.
With the Conor Pass, you simply have no margin for error.
IMHO, too many people that I know in Kerry drink drive. Driving at the best of time down there is ludicrous. This is from a man that loves Kerry and will move there next year. It is a beautiful cycle, but not at that time.
People are simply not going to expect to see a cyclist at that time, and will IMO make no allowances for you.

sooty11

ROK ON wrote: »

DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS.
It does not matter where you have cycled.
I spend a fair amount of time in Kerry. In general drivers are amongst the worst that you will find. That road on that night. You would have a death wish.
(Especially cycling out of Tralee).
If you cant do it at a reasonable time, then dont.

I find that the locals (am married to one) tend to drive and take corners as if there is nothing else on the road. Following a racing line on the road, so to speak.
With the Conor Pass, you simply have no margin for error.
IMHO, too many people that I know in Kerry drink drive. Driving at the best of time down there is ludicrous. This is from a man that loves Kerry and will move there next year. It is a beautiful cycle, but not at that time.
People are simply not going to expect to see a cyclist at that time, and will IMO make no allowances for you.

Being from kerry myself....what ROK ON has said is very very true.

CheGuedara

sooty11 wrote: »

Being from kerry myself....what ROK ON has said is very very true.

+1

conor rowan

thanks for the response lads.

while the idea of a midnight adventure/challenge and arriving into a party having earnt my pints after a decent cycle appeals to me, given the night that's in it ( and the thought of getting nailed with a massive freezing headwind and it taking 4 hrs instead of 2!!) i think ill throw the bike in the boot of the car, deal with the traffic and go for a detox spin on new years day.
thanks again
conor

CheGuedara

conor rowan wrote: »

thanks for the response lads.

while the idea of a midnight adventure/challenge and arriving into a party having earnt my pints after a decent cycle appeals to me, given the night that's in it ( and the thought of getting nailed with a massive freezing headwind and it taking 4 hrs instead of 2!!) i think ill throw the bike in the boot of the car, deal with the traffic and go for a detox spin on new years day.
thanks again
conor

Look out for our gang on the road, or better still PM closer to the day and 'll see about bringing you into the group for the day