Hills in NCD

mike12 · 30-06-2010 8:53am #1

Hi,
When cycling last night i took a slightly different route heading straight on in Ballyboughal towards naul and it nearly killed me had a quick look on Map my ride and there seems to be about 6/7 km up hill in the 8 km between the 2 saw lots of other cyclists out last night 2 in Ballyboughal in what I think was swords club gear a couple of guys between Naul and Balbriggan and a big group in Balrothery. The route i took was Swords to naul across to Balrothery and back into swords around 44km, the question i have which way would be the hardest climbing the opposite way around seemed the downhills seemed steeper but shorter than the long drag up.
Mike

neris · 30-06-2010 9:02am

i was out saturday and took a wrong turn in naul village heading to garristown and hit a few good climbs. I would have thought that heading swords to naul direction would be slightly easier climbs.

The swords guys were racing around balrothery & bog of the ring last week so could have been their club races. Roads are pretty poxy up there aswell

olmo · 30-06-2010 10:10am

It sounds like you went up the Nags Head and maybe the 3 sisters.Don't quote me on that!You can also get to the Nags head from the main road and you end up at the cross roads on top.

RobFowl · 30-06-2010 10:18am

You climbed the Balyboughal side of the Nags head climb. It a longish but fairly shallow climb. The hardest version IMO goes for the 5 road junction on the old N1 up to the Nags head, initially less steep but s=gets steeper as you go on. We use in in Swords on our Corduff racing circuit,
The climb back up from Naul is steeper but quite short.

The 3 sisters are along the road from Naul towards Oldtown BTW different direction to the way you headed.

mike12 · 30-06-2010 11:25am

Was never out passed Ballyboughil before so was a bit suprised there were so many hills might look at coming back across the motorway on to that road before u get to the naul it was signposted for lusk M1 as the Ri32 back into swords is a bit rough and boreing just have to figure out which road brings u back that way.
Mike

neris · 30-06-2010 11:41am

was my 1st time up there last weekend aswell and was surpised by the hills. I did a route from swords up to balbriggan just past wavin, then over to naul then over to garristown and back into swords. enjoyable ride not too challenging.

killalanerr · 30-06-2010 12:33pm

the route the maracycle took this year was savage for club/leisure cyclist if any body wants to have a go at it
starting from just outside julianstown it took in bellewstown,snowtown,and the nags-head al with in a 15k stretch

kemase · 30-06-2010 12:40pm

I discovered a lot of the north Dublin hills on the Swords CC sportif last September. The route map is here.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/ie/dublin/649124811969814892

mike12 · 30-06-2010 1:26pm

killalanerr wrote: »

the route the maracycle took this year was savage for club/leisure cyclist if any body wants to have a go at it
starting from just outside julianstown it took in bellewstown,snowtown,and the nags-head al with in a 15k stretch

Play golf out in bellewstown and that looks like a massive hill coming up to the crossroads before turning right to bellewstown, i'm a bit heavy for climbing too many hills bur nice to have a bit of a hard drag on the cycle.
Mike

mike12 · 30-06-2010 1:46pm

kemase wrote: »

I discovered a lot of the north Dublin hills on the Swords CC sportif last September. The route map is here.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/ie/dublin/649124811969814892

Is this on again this year might give it a bash is there looks like a lot of climbing lots of spots to turn for home if i'm feeling bad as well.

RobFowl · 30-06-2010 1:49pm

kemase wrote: »

I discovered a lot of the north Dublin hills on the Swords CC sportif last September. The route map is here.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/ie/dublin/649124811969814892

The Balrickard climb (72/73/74 on that map is my favourite around here. Short but savage especially at the start.

kemase · 30-06-2010 2:42pm

RobFowl wrote: »

The Balrickard climb (72/73/74 on that map is my favourite around here. Short but savage especially at the start.

I had to get off the bike halfway the first time I did that one.

Now I throw it in on the way home most Sunday mornings to remind me that the training pays off.

kemase · 30-06-2010 2:48pm

mike12 wrote: »

Is this on again this year might give it a bash is there looks like a lot of climbing lots of spots to turn for home if i'm feeling bad as well.

I did it last year for the first time and with questionable fitness. The pace was beyond me and lost most of the group after 2 hills

Did the rest on my own but wasn't the last rider back as there was at least one car left in the carpark when I finished.;)

kennyb3 · 30-06-2010 3:02pm

RobFowl wrote: »

The Balrickard climb (72/73/74 on that map is my favourite around here. Short but savage especially at the start.

Im rubbish at negotiating maps like that, find it hard to place things, whats the best way to get out to that from along the N1 (anywhere along it as far as balbriggan just looking for least complicated way). I assume it would be out by the bog ?

RobFowl · 30-06-2010 3:04pm

kennyb3 wrote: »

Im rubbish at negotiating maps like that, find it hard to pace things, whats the best way to get out to that from along the N1 (anywhere along it as far as balbriggan just looking for least complicated way). I assume it would be out by the bog ?

Out the Old N! towards Balbrigan , turn left for Bog of the Ring , go over the flyover and past the Ring commons sports centre then its the next left.

mike12 · 30-06-2010 3:13pm

RobFowl wrote: »

Out the Old N! towards Balbrigan , turn left for Bog of the Ring , go over the flyover and past the Ring commons sports centre then its the next left.

Will that bring you back out on to the naul to Ballyboughil road? Been living around Swords for 10 years now and was never on any of the back roads untill i started cycling this year.

RobFowl · 30-06-2010 3:29pm

mike12 wrote: »

Will that bring you back out on to the naul to Ballyboughil road? Been living around Swords for 10 years now and was never on any of the back roads untill i started cycling this year.

It's bring you towards a T junction left will bring you back to the N1 right towards the Naul Balbriggan road. Various options to get onto the Naul balyboughil road from either way

manwithaplan · 30-06-2010 4:55pm

I went Killester-Howth (don't ask)-Swords-Ballyboughil-Naul-Stamullen-Gormanstown School-Balscaddenish-Balbrigganish-Balrothery-N1-Swords-Killester on Sunday morning. It was lovely between Naul and Stamullen with a nice bit of climbing. When I went right for Stamullen, there was a decent looking hill in front of me (I suppose heading towards Drogheda). I wouldn't mind heading out that direction again but I hadn't time on Sunday.

By the way, are the county boundaries arseways in mapmyride/google maps. Looking at Rob's route, Meath doesn't extend to the sea. I mapped my Sunday route and it was telling me I was in County Louth when I know I wasn't.

Hills in NCD

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