Major Cycling Project Being Planned For Slieve Blooms

pointer28

Does anybody know any more about this? I was surprised I didn't hear about it on Boards or one of the other cycling forums first.

http://www.midlandtribune.ie/articles/news/17869/major-cycling-project-being-planned-for-slieve-blooms/

This would suit me down to the ground. I love Ballyhoura but it's over 3 hours drive while this is only 40 minutes. I'm in Westmeath and there's not even an adjoining county with MTB facilities so I have to drive to the Coillte centres none of which are that handy from the midlands.

Any thoughts?

Captain Havoc

Definately be a great spot for a boards meet, very few people would be more than an hour and a half from it. Great for me though, it'd be about an hours drive for me.

Super Freak

I'll be very surprised if this is up and running next year.

We(Unlaoised MTB) had a meeting with the Laois sports officer late last year where she outlined the plan. Taking into account environmental impact studies, tendering process, design etc.etc 18 months to completion is more realistic.

Although I did hear through the grapevine that both Laois and Offaly councils are behind this plan and wish to get it completed asap. Both are happy to finally put something into the slieve Blooms which is a perfect location for outdoor pursuits. Personally I would be surprised to see anything finished this year.

Failte Ireland are behind this and are ponying up much of the funds required.

Personally I would love to see this completed. At the meeting I attended there was talk of this becoming the biggest and best cycling trails in Ireland!!

roc_racer

" 90 miles of cycling routes through the hills" doesn't sound like MTB to me sadly...

fikay

I can't comment on the MTB side of things but I am from Kinnitty originally and while I was at home over Christmas I noticed new sign-posting in the hills around the area and there were what looked like racks constructed in the village itself.
There are some great road surfaces that I know of and I love getting out and about on the bike when I'm back there. From that side of it I wouldn't imagine a huge amount of resources would be needed.
I've often met MTB's at the back of Carroll's Hill/ front of Arderin. What kind of investment would be needed to develop the area to a reasonable standard for the sport? Are there many of the pre-existing forestry tracks that are suitable?

pointer28

From my limited knowledge of the sport it certainly seems like a perfect location to build another Ballyhoura type project, complete with full facilities including showers, bike wash, secure parking etc.

I've been there a few times walking and some of the walking trails would be fine for the MTB although probably frowned upon by the walkers.

I know the local roadies cycle through the Slieve Blooms for hill training and think it's great.

ROK ON

Slieve Blooms - great cycling. WOuld love to head back.

Chips Lovell

I've heard about a project for road routes up there. Not sure if this is the same thing.

godihatedehills

el tonto wrote: »

I've heard about a project for road routes up there. Not sure if this is the same thing.

They're trying to promote road cycling in the area as well. One idea was to produce maps of the area with green, blue, red and black routes (like ski slopes).

dexty

know those hills so well, class location, great 2 c a bit of investment in them
btw whch is the toughest climb there? i suppose the cut from clonaslee 4 length and the wolftrap from Cadamstown/kinnity 4 steepness?
what wud get a black slope status then?

GlennaMaddy

Hopefully Kinnity Castle will reopen someday so I get head down for a 'romantic getaway'. Mrs can enjoy the spa while I can enjoy the local routes and some of the trails that start from the castle.

godihatedehills

dexty wrote: »

know those hills so well, class location, great 2 c a bit of investment in them
btw whch is the toughest climb there? i suppose the cut from clonaslee 4 length and the wolftrap from Cadamstown/kinnity 4 steepness?
what wud get a black slope status then?

I don't know, but I'll pass on all suggestions.

GlennaMaddy wrote: »

Hopefully Kinnity Castle will reopen someday so I get head down for a 'romantic getaway'. Mrs can enjoy the spa while I can enjoy the local routes and some of the trails that start from the castle.

Roundwood House?

pointer28

I can't flippin' wait, this will be superb for a huge number of cyclists in the midlands and further afield.

It will also be a very straightforward run down the motorway for the Dublin gang.

Now I'll simply "have" to buy that MTB I've been drooling over. "But honey, honestly, I really, really need it and it'll actually end up saving us money in the long run if you think about it" :rolleyes:

Dizraeligears

pointer28 where are you in Westmeath?
Do you know that a mtb trail is being developed near Multyfarnham?
The Lakeside Wheelers people are invoved I think.

pointer28

Hi Dizraeligears,

Cheers for that. I have heard about it alright, but I still think the Slieve Bloom project will be much appreciated.

AFAIK, the Multyfarnham project is being built and maintained by the club so there probably won't be any facilities and less trails. However, I still welcome it wholeheartedly, and from what I've heard the Lakeside Wheelers are a super club and I hope to join them in the future. There is also another Coillte property I know of which would be one of the finest venues in the country but they can't get permission to build there. Probably due to bureaucracy and red tape, no doubt.

Anyway, the Slieve Bloom project just shows that the powers that be are finally taking this cycling lark seriously and it's a step in the right direction.

If they like, I can also recommend a nice site on the Longford/Roscommon border.

Dizraeligears

The Multyfarnham site will be small but a spectacular site on top of a hill-ive been there,and hope to go over to lend a hand in the new year.
The other site in Westmeath -is it Mullaghmeen?Truly spectacular!Have been there a few times,very early in the morning,wink wink!
The site on the Longford/Roscommon border is probably Sliabh Bán-I live not a million miles from here and go there regularly enough.Agreed,would make a great site for MTB.
However Coillte are developing a wind farm there in the near future.I went to some of the presentations in relation to this.Talked to the Coillte rep who told me that they had looked into its feasability as a MTB site but decided not to proceed,as they reckoned there was not enough area to develop-this despite the area concerned being way larger than Multyfarnham.
I imagine the planning process will see permission being granted despite the objections of locals,and the whole top of Sliabh Ban being closed off for a year or two.
Sliabh Blooms-never been there,but look forward to going!

pointer28

Dizraeligears,

Correct on both counts, I love Mullaghmeen and Sliabh Ban, go to both regularly for walking. I actually cycled to the top of Sliabh Ban on my hybride once (not a great idea), but a spectacular site all the same.

I can't see how a windfarm would make any difference to MTB. I can understand why they wouldn't want people around during construction, but once they're erected then there's nothing to stop them. It's certainly sizeable enough.

I walk in a lot of the Coillte sites and they all have their strong points. Newcastle near Ballymahon would be ideal for a short beginners / family type trail. It's already fine for a spin around on the hybrid, but a few nice bits of singletrack would really finish it off and, I would imagine, not cost a fortune either. It would be quite similar to the cycle tracks in Portumna.

tulachmhor

To be honest,I'm somewhat sceptical about this whole venture.
I would dearly love to have proper XC/DH facilities on my doorstep,but as far as I can ascertain,this here project is aimed more towards the leisure cyclist end of the spectrum.
Granted,there may be some off-road sections involved in this development,but I very much doubt that it will be on a par with Ballyhoura.
There are already designated cycle routes in and around these hills,and it is my concern that these will be merely upgraded to meet the demands of leisure cyclists,rather than desiging and developing proper off-road trails catering for the serious mountain biker.
One would hope that the people undertaking this development do sound research and realise that well-designed off-road trails are an absolutely essential aspect of such a project.
In any case,here's to hoping for a revitalised and bright future for mountain biking in the midlands.

Super Freak

To be honest,I'm somewhat sceptical about this whole venture.
I would dearly love to have proper XC/DH facilities on my doorstep,but as far as I can ascertain,this here project is aimed more towards the leisure cyclist end of the spectrum.
Granted,there may be some off-road sections involved in this development,but I very much doubt that it will be on a par with Ballyhoura.
There are already designated cycle routes in and around these hills,and it is my concern that these will be merely upgraded to meet the demands of leisure cyclists,rather than desiging and developing proper off-road trails catering for the serious mountain biker.
One would hope that the people undertaking this development do sound research and realise that well-designed off-road trails are an absolutely essential aspect of such a project.
In any case,here's to hoping for a revitalised and bright future for mountain biking in the midlands.

I personally attended a meeting at the request of the the sports officer of Laois county council. She outlined project to us, we were told the project is along the lines of Ballyhora. There will not be a DH section.

There was talk of getting the same designer that was used for Ballyhora as apparently he is an award winner.
(I'm only passing on what I heard, and I'll believe it myself when I see it, however all of the correct noises were being made).

pointer28

Super Freak,

I was told the same thing (hearsay again though) that Dafydd Davis was the trail builder.

I am actually a course designer myself for a different sport, but we all have our own style and I'm just afraid that all the Coillte trails in Ireland will have the same flavour because they're designed by the same person. I personally feel that, in MTB, as well as my own sport, that course designers should be changed around as long as there is a replacement available of the same standard. This is certainly not meant as any kind of insult, or questioning of abilities of the man in question.

Nonetheless, I'm happy that he's a proven designer as it means that we'll have proper singletrack rather than just gravel pathways.

tulachmhor

@Super Freak and pointer28,

What ye have stated goes a long way to allaying my fears that all we were going to get with this project was a 4million euro bike rental scheme and no real infrastructure to speak of.
On the basis of somewhat tentative talk coming from the the County Council,it does indeed look promising for the future of this project.
Lets hope that all involved make this a really successful venture.

pointer28

Tulachmor,

Absolutely, keep thinking positive.

Offaly's answer to Whistler is on it's way.

Super Freak

Offaly's answer to Whistler is on it's way.

Genuine LOL here

angry_fox

Great to see some new xc trails been built. I just wish that they would build some proper dh facilities in Ireland.

pointer28

Angry Fox,

I suppose the WC trails are just more accessible to the general public. Most people could rent a bike and cycle the trails in Ballyhoura etc. but if they built a proper downhill track then they'd only be catering for the more serious Downhill fans. A downhill track just wouldn't give the same returns for the investment.

Not that I'm saying they shouldn't be built, I think they should. Why couldn't Ireland host a World Cup Qualifier like they do in Fort William? If you had somewhere with decent parking, showers, toilets and other facilities and not too far from a town such as Tullamore for accommodation then there's no reason in the world why we couldn't run a world class competition.

I think if the trail centres continue to be a success and the cyclists keep pressure on the powers that be then we might head that way in a few years.

fenris

The one thing that would worry me is berties involvement in Coilte, the whole thing could literally be sold off for firewood over a pint and a brown envelope.
I hope that there is some provision that will keep the whole project publicly accessible.

Apart from that I think that it is a great idea especially if there are properly designed MTB trails, DH would be great but the important thing is to give an entry point to as many people to mountain biking and cycling in general, that will drive demand and help to protect facilities. Tame trails are better than no trails for beginners!

angry_fox

pointer28 wrote: »

Angry Fox,

I suppose the WC trails are just more accessible to the general public. Most people could rent a bike and cycle the trails in Ballyhoura etc. but if they built a proper downhill track then they'd only be catering for the more serious Downhill fans. A downhill track just wouldn't give the same returns for the investment.

Not that I'm saying they shouldn't be built, I think they should. Why couldn't Ireland host a World Cup Qualifier like they do in Fort William? If you had somewhere with decent parking, showers, toilets and other facilities and not too far from a town such as Tullamore for accommodation then there's no reason in the world why we couldn't run a world class competition.

I think if the trail centres continue to be a success and the cyclists keep pressure on the powers that be then we might head that way in a few years.

agree with everything you said there, i remember seeing on tv a while back that they were planning to build a xc/dh centre in Donegal. They done a presentation and they showed the success of the fort bill event and how it was worth £20 million plus to the local economy every year

pointer28

Through my day job I'm actually involved with running / organising sporting events so I do have some limited knowledge.

In my sport, you generally run a lower ranking international event for a few years to prove yourself and then you can apply for Championship events etc.

In my experience, events that are run privately tend to work our better than events that are run by committees, as one person is responsible, whereas with committees, everyone is pulling in different directions.

I don't who this quote is from but I think it says a lot:

"A camel is a horse built by a committee"

poolboy

Anyone hear any more on this

Super Freak

Not here, very, very quiet. Nothing in the local papers . I'll make a discrete query tomorrow.

poolboy

thanks superfreak all quite here on the offaly side to,:mad: not looking good

pbull69

dexty wrote: »

know those hills so well, class location, great 2 c a bit of investment in them
btw whch is the toughest climb there? i suppose the cut from clonaslee 4 length and the wolftrap from Cadamstown/kinnity 4 steepness?
what wud get a black slope status then?

Try the Glengdine climb... nasty!!! Tougher than all the above.

Super Freak

OK here's the situation, as I heard today,

Apparently both Laois & Offaly cc have the funding in place. However the entire project is tied up in red tape due to the fact that Coilte might be sold. Not one sod turned on this project yet:(

Don't hold your breath people.

Donie75

Any update on this project? I'm not an MTBer but I'm tempted to buy one if this project goes ahead. Or is there any other good trails around the Midlands?

Donie75

Right, I've bought a mountain bike and I'm looking to hit a few trails. I was talking to a guy from Birr area recently and he said that the Sliabh Bloom Project is going ahead....
Have any boardsies heard any more news on this???

xxyyzz

Bump

Anymore on this? The Sunday Times had an article 2 weeks ago stating that coillte were looking to develop trails in the Slieve Blooms and 10 other locations. Very vague on details though.

pointer28

Just heard from a very reliable source that the MTB trails recently got the go ahead from Coillte.

He has no idea about when this is to start but the timescale he was told 6 months build time.

Does anybody else know more about this?

xxyyzz

pointer28 wrote: »

Just heard from a very reliable source that the MTB trails recently got the go ahead from Coillte.

He has no idea about when this is to start but the timescale he was told 6 months build time.

Does anybody else know more about this?

Would be great if it went ahead but I wouldn't hold my breath with anything Coillte are involved in.

theholyghost

There is plenty of space up there for trails anyway. Hopefully they will use their heads and build something slightly different to the already existing trail centres in the Republic this time though.

Nisio

Fingers crossed for this one; there's space up there for another ballyhoura

pointer28

www.coillteoutdoors.ie

Download Coillte Offroad Cyling Strategy, half way down the page, left of centre.

xxyyzz

pointer28 wrote: »

www.coillteoutdoors.ie

Download Coillte Offroad Cyling Strategy, half way down the page, left of centre.

Document is nearly 3 years old at this stage and still nothing done.

pointer28

Oops, sorry I just got the link and passed it on.

June 2012 on the cover, so maybe it's updated since you saw it?

xxyyzz

pointer28 wrote: »

Oops, sorry I just got the link and passed it on.

June 2012 on the cover, so maybe it's updated since you saw it?

Possibly, TBH, I think the document was just an excuse for another quango to go away and do another study to justify their existence. They have been talking about this for a long time and absolutely nothing was done. I think the private ownership route is the only possibility for MTB tracks really. There is pretty much one guy in the whole of Coillte - Daithí De Forge - responsible for MTB development on Coillte lands and he refuses to acknowledge any email sent to him from MTBers.

dingdang

Any more news on this project? It would be great if they made some progress on it.

pointer28

I heard again about 3 weeks ago that its moving forward.

When you ask?

Not a clue.

dingdang

Are there mtb trails around the slieve blooms as it stands, say around the Clonsalee side but would travel anywhere in the area if there was some decent trails.

Have recently moved to Tullamore and would love to get out.

pointer28

I honestly don't know, I don't have an MTB at the moment but would definitely invest in one if this ever goes ahead.

Call in to Buckley's Bike Shop beside the canal bridge (near the hospital) and I'm sure they'll point you in the right direction.

Tomred13

dingdang wrote: »

Are there mtb trails around the slieve blooms as it stands, say around the Clonsalee side but would travel anywhere in the area if there was some decent trails.

Have recently moved to Tullamore and would love to get out.

Hi Dingdang

As said earlier call into seamus buckely cycles in Tullamore, there is a group in tullamore cc that do weekly mtb spins as far as i know, as for trails in the slieveblooms i used to use the trails around glenbarrow and the ridge of capard, from the top of the ridge of capard drop down through the trees past an old cottage then follow the walkers trail that joins up with the fire road which turns left back up towards the top of the ridge through open bog. its a killer of a lap, used to be used in the nat champs in the 90's...
D

Donie75

Great to see this project being progressed. Planning Permission was lodged this week and Coillte are saying that the first phase will be open next year. https://m.facebook.com/slieveblooms/