Good cycling spots around Cork city area

Big Tone

Anybody know of any good cycling spots around the Cork city area?

Are there any consistent cycling lanes? The ones I've seen tend to appear and disappear into nowhere quickly.

Is it a safe city for cycling and where are the best spots?

evilivor

Big Tone wrote: »

Anybody know of any good cycling spots around the Cork city area?

Are there any consistent cycling lanes? The ones I've seen tend to appear and disappear into nowhere quickly.

Is it a safe city for cycling and where are the best spots?

The south side is much better served than the north in terms of cycle lanes it seems to me.

One cycle I like is heading out from the city, out the Marina, up to Blackrock Castle, then follow the walkway/path to Rochestown Inn, then on to Passage, Monkstown and then either back Rochestown via the recycling centre or keep going onto the main road and back into the city via Douglas, back into Blackrock and on to the Marina again. Nice, mostly safe spin.

Dan Dare

evilivor wrote: »

The south side is much better served than the north in terms of cycle lanes it seems to me.

One cycle I like is heading out from the city, out the Marina, up to Blackrock Castle, then follow the walkway/path to Rochestown Inn, then on to Passage, Monkstown and then either back Rochestown via the recycling centre or keep going onto the main road and back into the city via Douglas, back into Blackrock and on to the Marina again. Nice, mostly safe spin.

Agreed. Another route that I like is in the opposite direction, from the bottom of Sundays Well along the riverside walk and past the cricket club, through Fitzgerald's Park past the Mardyke and across the road and emerging at the back of the Kingsley Hotel, along the river and then cycle on the footpath (which is now also a cycle path) out towards the Anglers Rest or into Ballincollig itself.

evilivor

Dan Dare wrote: »

Agreed. Another route that I like is in the opposite direction, from the bottom of Sundays Well along the riverside walk and past the cricket club, through Fitzgerald's Park past the Mardyke and across the road and emerging at the back of the Kingsley Hotel, along the river and then cycle on the footpath (which is now also a cycle path) out towards the Anglers Rest or into Ballincollig itself.

A little variant on that, which is really nice, is the forest path from opposite the Lee Fields carpark - you come out at what used to be the Tennis Village on Model Farm Road - quite quiet and loads of wildlife to look at while cycling - I counted over a dozen rabbits one evening. Then you can go from there back in as far as Dennehy's Cross via cycle lane and turn back down to Victoria cross to where you began.

Big Tone

Thanks guys. Will stick with the south side so.

What about out the Lee Road (opp Straight Road), is it dangerous there with no cycle lanes?

evilivor

Big Tone wrote: »

Thanks guys. Will stick with the south side so.

What about out the Lee Road (opp Straight Road), is it dangerous there with no cycle lanes?

In this weather and in daylight I find it okay but I wouldn't do it say, teatime, when there's lots of traffic.

You can start from where Dan Dare suggested on the North Mall/Distillery, along the Riverbank walk, onto the Mardyke, cross over, down by the back of the Kingsley, and you have cycle lane/cycling permitted path way all the way to the junction down to the Anglers Rest and the Lee Road – then, when you come back to town, you can go up Sunday’s well and then down the hill to where you started off – nice loop and nice mixture of hills and straights.

Dan Dare

I've never cycled on the Lee Road, its rather narrow and windy though. Very nice views of the river etc. I live on the northside myself (Blackpool), been here since 2002, then cyclists were a very scarce species indeed, having lived and cycled in London for the previous 15 years, and before that in Dublin, I was shocked at how cyclist unfriendly Cork was. Things have improved, with lots of foreign nationals on bikes, plus chaps, and it is mainly chaps, of my vintage, presumably on doctors orders to lose weight, wobbling around the city. I suppose as a consequence of the recession, there are noticebly more young cyclists of both sexes on the road now. Two wheels good.

evilivor

Dan Dare wrote: »

I've never cycled on the Lee Road, its rather narrow and windy though. Very nice views of the river etc. I live on the northside myself (Blackpool), been here since 2002, then cyclists were a very scarce species indeed, having lived and cycled in London for the previous 15 years, and before that in Dublin, I was shocked at how cyclist unfriendly Cork was. Things have improved, with lots of foreign nationals on bikes, plus chaps, and it is mainly chaps, of my vintage, presumably on doctors orders to lose weight, wobbling around the city. I suppose as a consequence of the recession, there are noticebly more young cyclists of both sexes on the road now. Two wheels good.

I discovered a nice little cycle out of Blackpool at the weekend - out behind the shopping centre/Sunbeam and up past the Planet Gym, Northside Glass; out the old mallow road a few miles - beyond Rathpeacon and there's a long narrow road that brings you down to just before Killeens, then from Sunset Ridge you have the dual carriageway down to Commons Road and back to the shopping centre.

If you know of any other nice Northside runs I’d love to hear – I get bored easily.

Cork Skate

Not in the city obviously but a good few ready made cycle path would be in forest parks. It will be rougher ground but its normally a good spot to cycle around. You would have a few in touching distance of the city. Garryduff is the closest one i suppose.

Big Tone

Thanks for all the advice guys, appreciate it.

corblimey

And of course there's a rake of Cork based rides (city, north, south, etc) in mapmyride.com.

Lemag

There is a cycling forum here Big Tone. Don't know how useful it'd be to start a thread over there looking for city routes. Most of the routes suggested would most likely be out of the city though as to them, asking for cycling routes within a city would be akin to asking for walking routes upon a particular road. Btw, if you're new Cork, it tends to get more beautiful the further away you get from the city. This is especially true out towards the coast.

Big Tone

Lemag wrote: »

There is a cycling forum here Big Tone. Don't know how useful it'd be to start a thread over there looking for city routes. Most of the routes suggested would most likely be out of the city though as to them, asking for cycling routes within a city would be akin to asking for walking routes upon a particular road. Btw, if you're new Cork, it tends to get more beautiful the further away you get from the city. This is especially true out towards the coast.

I didn't see that, thanks a mill.