Suggest a route in the Wicklow Mountains

michaelm

I live in the mid west but will be in Dublin during the week and want to go for a spin in the Wicklow Mountains for the first time. I'm looking at driving to Enniskerry and doing a trip that would take in Glencree and Sally Gap - I want to do a trip of between 60 and 80Km. Can anyone suggest a route?

RobbieM

hi Michael,

There are very few routes through the wick mountains anyway. Only one real crossroad! Do you need a round trip or will you have a chase car! I drove through the wicklow and sally gap 3 weeks ago and it was beautiful. I saw many cyclists. But watch out for crazy drivers as the roads can be narrow in places.Can I recommend the place i grew up in as a starting point. Lacken, is across the lake from Blessington and is at the start of the sally gap! You can go can take the high or low road for a good round trip!

paddyb

This is a route I usually do. Up edmondstown rd, to view point and on up to sally gap. Then back by ballinastoe.
You could park up at the shops in ballinteer or marlay park and do this route.

Nietzschean

Plenty of routes thorugh wicklow...
Route 1
Route 2
Route 3
Route 4

would all be pretty nice routes from enniskerry taking in SG

tunney

RobbieM wrote: »

hi Michael,

There are very few routes through the wick mountains anyway. Only one real crossroad! Do you need a round trip or will you have a chase car! I drove through the wicklow and sally gap 3 weeks ago and it was beautiful. I saw many cyclists. But watch out for crazy drivers as the roads can be narrow in places.Can I recommend the place i grew up in as a starting point. Lacken, is across the lake from Blessington and is at the start of the sally gap! You can go can take the high or low road for a good round trip!

Amazingly there is more than one route in Wicklow. And many more climbs than Sally Gap.

ROK ON

If you have a car and want to drive to route start, then drive to Laragh. Cycle over Wicklow Gap and onto Hollywood. Turn left and head to Donard.
From there over Slieve Maan and Shay Elliot (Glenmalure). From there head back to Laragh. Plenty of nice places there for a coffee etc.

michaelm

Thanks for all the advice folks. A cycle from Ennsikerry to Glencree, on to Sally Gap and taking a left towards Roundwood and back to Enniskerry looks like what I will start with. Is there much difference to doing it this way than the opposite direction?

zzzzzzzz

michaelm wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice folks. A cycle from Ennsikerry to Glencree, on to Sally Gap and taking a left towards Roundwood and back to Enniskerry looks like what I will start with. Is there much difference to doing it this way than the opposite direction?

Enniskerry to glencree isn't that tough - short sharp climb out of enniskerry village but the rest is fairly handy.

If you go the other way you can take in the long hill or the old long hill (personally i prefer the old long hill). You can then turn right before roundwood and take in the sally gap via lugalla.

Much tougher route that way