Best cycling territory in Ireland

Tackleberry

Myself and a mate are planning to spend a week off in February getting a lotta miles in somewhere in Ireland. We're trying to find decent roads, as little traffic as possible, not mad hilly, and some nice scenery, we'll base ourselves in a rented house for the week and try get out as much as possible on different routes each day.

Problem is its hard to know where to start!! Right now I'm thinking somewhere in Mayo, and plan our spins roughly around the junior tour of ireland stages, one of them takes in Achill Island which should be pretty cool. I think its handy to look at sportive and race routes in the area as they're tried and tested.

But like I said its all up in the air so I hoped some of you guys might be able to tell me where's a good place to have a cycling holiday, we'd also thought Kerry and Donegal but we're keen to get long flat steady miles in rather than mountain stuff. In this regard I also thought Waterford and / or Clare might be good.

Anyway any suggestions / advice would be really appreciated!!

Thanks

TinyExplosions

The Ring of Kerry route is pretty flat apart from a couple of climbs... plenty of nice roads around there too. Also, Galway/Mayo is good

ba

is this some sort of preparation for the open racing season huh?? ha, week long training camp disguised as something touristic?

yeah, ring of kerry is the way to go. especially if ya is looking for a bit of a break from the city.

Tackleberry

ba wrote: »

is this some sort of preparation for the open racing season huh?? ha, week long training camp disguised as something touristic

Ah god no! We've a charity cycle in a few months and both have time off so what better way to spend it - only problem is the weather but whats new there!

Ring of Kerry sounds great alright, we're now thinking we'll split the week into 2 bases, bit boring staying in one area, maybe mayo/galway then Kerry, jesus it sounds good haha!

interested

Tackleberry wrote: »

Ah god no! We've a charity cycle in a few months and both have time off so what better way to spend it - only problem is the weather but whats new there!

Ring of Kerry sounds great alright, we're now thinking we'll split the week into 2 bases, bit boring staying in one area, maybe mayo/galway then Kerry, jesus it sounds good haha!

+1 for kerry - in addition to the ring of kerry itself, theres a nice 90/100k route starting and finishing in kenmare thats used as part of the lost sheep triathlon down there each year. Also there's tralee to dingle and back to tralee over the conor pass.

Hope you guys get a steady spell of weather for it

CheGuedara

TinyExplosions wrote: »

The Ring of Kerry route is pretty flat apart from a couple of climbs... plenty of nice roads around there too. Also, Galway/Mayo is good

ba wrote: »

...yeah, ring of kerry is the way to go. especially if ya is looking for a bit of a break from the city.

interested wrote: »

+1 for kerry - in addition to the ring of kerry itself, theres a nice 90/100k route starting and finishing in kenmare thats used as part of the lost sheep triathlon down there each year. Also there's tralee to dingle and back to tralee over the conor pass

I may be biased but.... Go On The Kingdom.....

I've gotta agree, you've loops of three peninsulas there really.

The one interested suggests is the Beara Peninsula - shorter but harder than the Ring of Kerry but very rewarding to do esp. if you take in the Healy Pass.

The Next one north is the Ring of Kerry, 108 miles, but very fair, few climbs that could be described as hard - only to pace yourself over the distance.

And finally the Dingle Peninsula - If you get a good day do Tralee to Dingle over the Connor Pass (TCP), then head for Ventry and go around Slea head and return to Dingle. Home is then either back over TCP or via Annascail & Camp. A great cycle, really really good.

If I was trying to build up miles I'd probably do them north - south.

ROK ON

My tuppence worth.
(1) Ring of Kerry - base yourself in Kenmare, then you can do Ring of Kerry and Ring of Beara (Healy Pass, Caha Pass). Ring of Kerry is longer, but IMO easier if you dont like hills. Molls Gap is a long drag really. Healy Pass is beautiful, but a tough bugger IMO.
Suggested routes for spins:
Kenmare to Ladies View.
Kenmare to Caherdaniel (beautiful beach and food at Blind Piper is great).
Molls Gap to Sneem via the mountain road (have pancakes at Strawberry Fields).
Kenmare to Glengariff via Healys Pass. Great food in Josies? Some good pubs also.
Kenmare to Eyries/Allihies. Stunning, but some tough short sharp climbs.


(2) West Clare. (Fanore/Ballyvaughan). Apart from Corkscrew Hill (tough, but you can avoid it), the Burren is beautiful in all weathers. I actually think it is nicer in Winter. There will be feck all traffic, and it is rolling rather than hilly.
Pubs
O'Donoghues in Fanore is great.
A very good whiskey pub in Ballyvaughan.
Monks in Ballyvaughan do great seafood.

(3) South Tipp. Glen of Aherlow is absolutely stunning. Some great villages and pubs. This place makes Killinaskully look like a documentary.

OuterBombie

Great Stuff,

One time I've have been loving that trip (still would, if I could get away!).

Galway/Mayo are good but base yourself in Westport or Cliften, not in Galway city (which sucks for riding in and out of, traffic wise). Plenty of quiet scenic routes out there between north connemara and westport. Couple of hidden climbs here and there if you ask but mainly rolling terrain.

Clare would be grand but is a bit limited, a good day in the saddle would have you around the main route, plus the roads are terrible.

The kingdom would be my call as well. Heaps of long routes, decent roads for the most part and lots of hilly stuff if you were that way inclined.

Enjoy,

Ray.

CheGuedara

ROK ON wrote: »

My tuppence worth....

+1 on all of that (you must've spent quite a bit of time around my part of the world). Great descent off the Healy Pass though, the gain for the pain eh?

There's some climb out of that Glen of Aherlow though if memory serves me right...spectacular views on the way up esp after the turn

Raam

Some amazing cycling to be done on the Beara Peninsula. Healy Pass is just so spectacular to look at and really nice to cycle. Ring Of Kerry is good too. I'll give you a link to a nice route I did near Killarney which had a really quiet, off the beaten track climb. It was the middle of summer and there was no one around. It might have just been luck on our part. It's on the machine at home, so will post it later.

I did a nice climb up near Leitrim also. The roads are virtually deserted around there. For that I used the Garmin 705 with routes that I created on mapmyride.com. I just pick roads which aren't main ones and follow the trail. I've not been dissapointed with it yet.

Only problem with those places, is... yes... the rain. On more than one ocassion, I have been soaked to the skin. Be prepared

P

CheGuedara

Just thinking on it there's a nice loop starting in Killarney, taking in the Gap of Dunloe and going to Molls Gap and back to Killarney via Ladies View and Mucross. Will see if I have it mapped also.

cantalach

+1 for Kerry. If you base yourself in Kenmare you can do the traditional full loops of the peninsulas but also shorter and/or more challenging loops that take in part of the peninsulas. As mentioned already, there's the Lost Sheep Triathlon course on Beara. On Iveragh you can take the RoK as far as Waterville but then return via a really quiet inland route that takes in the passes of Ballaghisheen and Ballaghbeama. Finally, there are some fantastic loops in the Shehy Mountains which lie to the south-east of Kenmare. These are quiet roads with some savage climbs such as the Priest's Leap.

Raam

@Cantalach: what's that stiff climb coming out of Portmagee heading south near the coast?

ednwireland

donegal - but you'd need new wheels at the end of it

LDB

The cycling in Kerry is great. I was there in the summer and did a lot of the routes mentioned. We didnt' get to do the Ring of Beara but did drive it and the scenery is stunning and its v.quiet around there.

I want to go do all those cycles again.

Caroline_ie

+1 for Kerry. I never cycled it, but I drove through it as part as the UCI Tour of Ireland last year. Just amazing!!! I hope to cycle it this year.

cantalach

Raam wrote: »

@Cantalach: what's that stiff climb coming out of Portmagee heading south near the coast?

Yeah, the pass with the great views out to the Skelligs. I don't know what it's called though - everyone just seems to call it "that nasty climb just south of Portmagee".

Raam

Raam wrote: »

I'll give you a link to a nice route I did near Killarney which had a really quiet, off the beaten track climb.

P

I think this is the climb I'm talking about
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=curragh+beg&daddr=gearha+north&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=51.941514,-9.769249&sspn=0.149846,0.30899&ie=UTF8&ll=51.943842,-9.826584&spn=0.149838,0.30899&z=12

It's a nice gentle one.

Raam

cantalach wrote: »

everyone just seems to call it "that nasty climb just south of Portmagee".

It's well named

LDB

cantalach wrote: »

Yeah, the pass with the great views out to the Skelligs. I don't know what it's called though - everyone just seems to call it "that nasty climb just south of Portmagee".

yes it is nasty, that climb beat me
I'll have to attack it again some time.

ROK ON

cantalach wrote: »

Yeah, the pass with the great views out to the Skelligs. I don't know what it's called though - everyone just seems to call it "that nasty climb just south of Portmagee".

Drove up it with the wife last summer (in a dense fog). Car barely made it.

cantalach

Raam wrote: »

I think this is the climb I'm talking about
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=curragh+beg&daddr=gearha+north&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=51.941514,-9.769249&sspn=0.149846,0.30899&ie=UTF8&ll=51.943842,-9.826584&spn=0.149838,0.30899&z=12

It's a nice gentle one.

Yep, that's the Ballaghbeama Gap I was talking about. It's fairly easy alright going in the direction shown in your map but a bit tougher in the opposite direction.

ROK ON

CheGuedara wrote: »

+1 on all of that (you must've spent quite a bit of time around my part of the world). Great descent off the Healy Pass though, the gain for the pain eh?

There's some climb out of that Glen of Aherlow though if memory serves me right...spectacular views on the way up esp after the turn

Wife from Kenmare, so spend a lot of time ther. Moving there this summer. Finished with Dublin.
Yep, Aherlow is nice. Some tough clims that you wouldn't necessarily expect.

scottreynolds

ROK ON wrote: »

Wife from Kenmare,

Ahh, that explains why you know the roads.... slipping our for a ride or sipping tea with the in laws.. I understand... all to well.

CheGuedara

ROK ON wrote: »

Wife from Kenmare, so spend a lot of time ther. Moving there this summer. Finished with Dublin.
Yep, Aherlow is nice. Some tough clims that you wouldn't necessarily expect.

All my family are from Kenmare also. You might've fueled up in my grandparents shop (small blue supermarket) before heading off on a few of those spins. Got 2 yrs left in Dublin myself & prob moving back to Kerry afterwards.

Aherlow caught me by surprise - attacked at the foot and charged up to the hairpin before blowing up before the true top....

ridertothesea

Beara Peninsula... wins hands down

The Ring of Kerry is too choked with cars and tour buses in my opinion. The scenery in the Beara Peninsula is just as impressive if not more so.

Beara seems to be the real deal and not a tourist themepark.


Ridertothesea

cantalach

ridertothesea wrote: »

Beara Peninsula... wins hands down

The Ring of Kerry is too choked with cars and tour buses in my opinion. The scenery in the Beara Peninsula is just as impressive if not more so.

Beara seems to be the real deal and not a tourist themepark.

I'd agree - there's not a single 'leprechaun crossing' sign to be seen. The valley just to the south of Lauragh containing Glanmore Lake (what you're looking down on as you go up the Healy Pass) is surely one of the most beautiful places in the country.

Vélo

ROK ON wrote: »

My tuppence worth.
(1) Ring of Kerry - base yourself in Kenmare, then you can do Ring of Kerry and Ring of Beara (Healy Pass, Caha Pass). Ring of Kerry is longer, but IMO easier if you dont like hills. Molls Gap is a long drag really. Healy Pass is beautiful, but a tough bugger IMO.
Suggested routes for spins:
Kenmare to Ladies View.
Kenmare to Caherdaniel (beautiful beach and food at Blind Piper is great).
Molls Gap to Sneem via the mountain road (have pancakes at Strawberry Fields).
Kenmare to Glengariff via Healys Pass. Great food in Josies? Some good pubs also.
Kenmare to Eyries/Allihies. Stunning, but some tough short sharp climbs.


(2) West Clare. (Fanore/Ballyvaughan). Apart from Corkscrew Hill (tough, but you can avoid it), the Burren is beautiful in all weathers. I actually think it is nicer in Winter. There will be feck all traffic, and it is rolling rather than hilly.
Pubs
O'Donoghues in Fanore is great.
A very good whiskey pub in Ballyvaughan.
Monks in Ballyvaughan do great seafood.

(3) South Tipp. Glen of Aherlow is absolutely stunning. Some great villages and pubs. This place makes Killinaskully look like a documentary.

I got married in Ballyvaughan last year, it's a beautiful area. The whiskey bar you mention is O'Loughlin's.

Beautiful Guinness!!!!

donalgeraghty

mayo all the way.great scenery.good cycling clubs aswell and tours.

cantalach

I added a Shehy Mountains Loop to MapMyRide over lunch, complete with KOM and feed zones. Might be of use to anyone looking for routes from Kenmare.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/ireland/kenmare/406089536399

L'Enfer du Nord

OuterBombie wrote: »

Great Stuff,

One time I've have been loving that trip (still would, if I could get away!).

Galway/Mayo are good but base yourself in Westport or Cliften, not in Galway city (which sucks for riding in and out of, traffic wise).
Ray.

+1

I live in Galway city, lots of great cycling an hour outside the city. To get there you have to cycle busy roads most of which don't have hard shoulder -Avoid!Avoid!Avoid!

here:
http://tinyurl.com/googlelenana

Leenane which on the Galway-Mayo border is a great place. It's on a Fiord - Amazing scenery - great cycles in five different directions. Fairly flat roads, tour of Ireland went near if not past there last year.

I haven't been to Kerry since I was three! Hoping to do the Ring of Kerry this year.

Tackleberry

Fantastic advice there guys - thanks a mill, altho there's so much you'd wanna do now its even worse!!

But think it'll have to be Kenmare, that way you can spin around the ROK and Beara, looking forward to it now.

Still tho, would love to hit Mayo, Clare and the hidden gem of Waterford, cant have it all I guess, might try get a few nights in Mayo perhaps....

Where is healy pass btw?

cantalach

Tackleberry wrote: »

Where is healy pass btw?

Head west from Kenmare along the northern side of the Beara peninsula until you get to Lauragh where you take a left - it's well signposted.

ROK ON

Tackleberry wrote: »

Fantastic advice there guys - thanks a mill, altho there's so much you'd wanna do now its even worse!!

But think it'll have to be Kenmare, that way you can spin around the ROK and Beara, looking forward to it now.

Still tho, would love to hit Mayo, Clare and the hidden gem of Waterford, cant have it all I guess, might try get a few nights in Mayo perhaps....

Where is healy pass btw?

PM me if you need any advice re places to eat/drink in Kenmare etc.
I should be able to give you a good steer re what holiday homes etc are like.

Could try this place:
http://www.rentacottage.ie/self-catering/index.php?regiunea=Kerry&town=Kenmare&camere=0&upto=upto&sleeps=&user=search1&submit=%5B+Search+%5D

There would also be a lot of independent holiday homes as well as B&B's, and the beautiful Park Hotel for accomodation.

mmclo

not mad hilly

Connor Pass?
Healy Pass?

Tackleberry

ROK ON wrote: »

PM me if you need any advice re places to eat/drink in Kenmare etc.
I should be able to give you a good steer re what holiday homes etc are like.

Could try this place:
http://www.rentacottage.ie/self-catering/index.php?regiunea=Kerry&town=Kenmare&camere=0&upto=upto&sleeps=&user=search1&submit=%5B+Search+%5D

There would also be a lot of independent holiday homes as well as B&B's, and the beautiful Park Hotel for accomodation.

Thanks a million ROK, will do! Thank god for google maps - great for planning and gets you really geared up for it!

OuterBombie

mmclo wrote: »

Connor Pass?
Healy Pass?

Ah, in fairness, I don't think they are that tough (I've raced up both of them). Some of the climbs up around Mount Leinster are much nastier.

On a good day they are both very rewarding, and the descent off the Healy is a dream in the dry, nightmare in the wet! Pure cycling country imo.

Ray.

IM0

how about the midlands? much flatter and better for getting in the miles. not on the west (wet) coast either so weather should be better. but not as scenic
cant have everythin though

Tackleberry

me@ucd wrote: »

how about the midlands? much flatter and better for getting in the miles. not on the west (wet) coast either so weather should be better. but not as scenic
cant have everythin though

Cheers yeah I can see where you're going and we've actually booked a house down in Co. Waterford, I know the area well and some great routes around there imo, nice and flatish roads, decent chance of half-decent weather, heading tomorrow for the week and cant fuppin wait!!

cantalach

Tackleberry wrote: »

Cheers yeah I can see where you're going and we've actually booked a house down in Co. Waterford, I know the area well and some great routes around there imo, nice and flatish roads, decent chance of half-decent weather, heading tomorrow for the week and cant fuppin wait!!

If it's easy miles you're looking for in Co Waterford, be sure to check out the nice, gradual climb up to a place called Mahon Falls.

CheGuedara

cantalach wrote: »

If it's easy miles you're looking for in Co Waterford, be sure to check out the nice, gradual climb up to a place called Mahon Falls.

Definitely do, 53 x 11 all the way there, very gradual indeed

Tackleberry

Ah I've cycled that manys a time - as a young foolish pup! Tough climb alright, altho the back arse of it is waaay harder - we'll be passing by it tomorrow in fact en route to Carrick-on-suir.

Its been a great week so far, Waterfords got some fantastic cycle routes, 1st day was the coast road to Tramore, hilly but stunning views, clocked up a good 85km, yesterday was a tough 90km loop round Lismore and Youghal, legs were pretty dead at the end but that long decent from the Marine bar into Dungarvan was great craic. Day off today to give the legs a rest, weathers crap too, but tomorrows are last day so we're planning a filthy 100km loop that'll probably finish us off for weeks.

Its been fantastic, haven't done a trip like this for years and its class!!