Driving from Athlone to Cork? Advice re motorways?

araby

Hi folks I was thinking of heading to Roscrea hopping on to the M7 and then joining the M8 but it seems I can't do this according to aa route planner. Looking at the map this route seems a no brainer, surely it's not possible that such a major intersection has no provision for this ?

brianwalshcork

From Roscrea, you'd go through Thurles and join the M8 at horse and jockey.... No M7 required.

araby

brianwalshcork wrote: »

From Roscrea, you'd go through Thurles and join the M8 at horse and jockey.... No M7 required.

Thanks BRIAN thought I would be able to get straight onto M7 for a few miles then head southbound from that big intersection in Laois?

The Dagda

Or go Athlone to Portlaoise and join the motorway there?

brianwalshcork

araby wrote: »

Thanks BRIAN thought I would be able to get straight onto M7 for a few miles then head southbound from that big intersection in Laois?

Can't be done... The same junction is missing further on also, you can't go from northbound on the N7 to southbound on the M9.

The Roscrea to horse and jockey isn't a terrible road and won't take much longer ...unless you get stuck behind slow traffic or in a jam in Thurles...

veryangryman

The Dagda wrote: »

Or go Athlone to Portlaoise and join the motorway there?

This. Keep it simple. If you can hold your bladder for two and a half hours try this route.

Otherwise the road via Thurles as the many towns on the route allow for a toll free stop. You will still pay one toll in fermoy anyway.

Chris_5339762

If you need to pee, come off at Horse and Jockey, head towards the town, and have a coffee in the Horse & Jockey hotel (and a wee). Its where I always stop as its roughly halfway between Cork and Dublin.

Lando Griffin

Athlone to Cork Via Portlaoise you go through a small village and Mountmellick. Tullamore and Portlaoise are bypassed.
The other route brings you through Ferbane Birr Roscrea Templemore Thurlas with the first section Athlone - Ferbane and last Templemore - Thurlas absolute savage bad for driving.
Since they opened the M7 & M5 I haven't used the latter and good riddecce to it hello Cruise Control.

corktina

I'd go via Nenagh, M7 M20 N20

JupiterKid

I've never driven this route but from looking at a map Cork - Portlaoise - Tullamore - Athlone (and vice-versa) wins hands down.

The amount of motorway you use is maximised and the time saving more then makes up for the very slight doubling back eastwards that you do on this route.

munchkin_utd

from via michelin, heading due south from Athlone and joining the motorway at Thurles is:
212 km with 103 km on motorways and in time 03h13 with 01h05 on motorways

going via Tullamore/ Portlaoise is
248 km with 190 km on motorways and in time 03h13 with 02h00 on motorways

theres a cost in going the slightly longer way via Portlaoise but for the sake of a fiver or so incl the extra toll its arguably worth it for a journey of that length.
BTW, the 50km or so of non motorway between The M6 and M7 is a grand road. Half of it is recently upgraded incorporating the Tullamore by pass. The other half is reasonably straight so again pretty stress free.

moyners

I used to do this route alot and I eventually settled on taking the slightly more indirect route over to Portlaoise and then the M7/8 down. As someone else has mentioned the only town you'll pass through is Mountmellick and there's a backroad to bypass that. It's longer on the map but about the same amount of time in realistic conditions given you're bound to get stuck behind everything going on the way down to Thurles/Horse & Jockey - very frustrating!