Some ideas for new routes please!

Ososlo

Anyone any suggestions as to new places to run? Live in Dublin 9. Do most of my week day runs in small local park in Santry (1 mile circumference) and lsr and sessions in Phoenix Park but getting a little tired of it. Prefer to avoid running on the roads much unless I have to. Any other decent sized parks in general area that are good for running? Have car will travel. A park with a toilet facility would be even better
Thanks!
Ososlo

tHE vAGGABOND

Royal and Grand Canal, have great paths which go for miles and miles, find a good out and back route

plodder

Malahide Castle is a quick enough hop by car out the M1. If you come early on Saturday you can try the parkrun (5km).

Big Logger

Ososlo wrote: »

Anyone any suggestions as to new places to run? Live in Dublin 9. Do most of my week day runs in small local park in Santry (1 mile circumference) and lsr and sessions in Phoenix Park but getting a little tired of it. Prefer to avoid running on the roads much unless I have to. Any other decent sized parks in general area that are good for running? Have car will travel. A park with a toilet facility would be even better
Thanks!
Ososlo

Hi Ososlo, you're in the same estate to me. I run down as far as Albert College or Homestead park as non natives know it as.
Its the park beside DCU across from the pub The Slipper on the Ballymun road.
Its a mile and a tenth around it if you don't cut corners. I'm sure theres toilets there but if not slip into the pub across the road.

Theres also Tolka park on Mobhi road, not a huge park but scenic with the river running through it and theres also some nice hills where the field for the sports is near the playground.

Then you have the Stadium track beside you as well.

aficionado

Hi Ososlo,

Anytime Im looking for a new route or any route I use garmin connect, http://connect.garmin.com/
Even if you dont have a garmin its very useful, you have to create a account,
but from there you can click on explore, go to your location on the map, then filter by either running cycling etc and put in a min and max mileage

If you have a garmin watch you can upload the map of the route onto it,
Very handy, especially if your in a location your not familiar with

wrstan

Hi Ososlo

Some thoughts on runs I love, all of which would require some transport from Dublin 9:

1. Along Clontarf Rd and around St Anne's Park - lots of options here for as long as you like, all pretty flat and you could even include Bull Island, the wind coming back along Clontarf road can be a killer though.

2. Marlay Park and up along the Wicklow Way - very accessible from the M50, Marlay is really nice itself, but can be crowded and is not that large for a decent long run, but if you're not afraid of hills just follow the Wicklow Way trail markers and do an out an back - beautiful scenes.
http://www.wicklowway.com/trail-description/marlay-park-knockree.php

3. Dublin Mountains Way - again lots of options for trails and hills, and really great scenery with decent trail surfaces this time of year. Easy parking in Shankill
http://www.dublinmountains.ie/dublin_mountains_way/dublin_mountains_way/

4. Bray to Greystones along the cliff walk and back over Bray Head - decent climb here, but I am always amazed by the view coming back over the top of Bray Head. The surface fo the cliff walk is not great with a few protruding stones etc. but it's not too bad. Plenty of parking in Bray

5. Shankill to Dalkey to Sandycove to Dun Laoghaire Peir and back over the top of Killiney Hill - another of my LSR staples, lots of variation. I'll send you a Garmin Connect link and you can always join at any point on the loop.

plodder

wrstan wrote: »

Hi Ososlo

Some thoughts on runs I love, all of which would require some transport from Dublin 9:

1. Along Clontarf Rd and around St Anne's Park - lots of options here for as long as you like, all pretty flat and you could even include Bull Island, the wind coming back along Clontarf road can be a killer though.

+1 and don't know why I didn't think of it as I run there most days. Very accessible from Santry too. Parking is easier to find away from the Fairview end. The run out along the Bull Wall is lovely and you can do a loop that includes the beach and the other road off the island. There's some class of a public toilet on the Bull Wall. Never had to use it though. So, can't vouch for its condition. Other suggestions are great too.

2. Marlay Park and up along the Wicklow Way - very accessible from the M50, Marlay is really nice itself, but can be crowded and is not that large for a decent long run, but if you're not afraid of hills just follow the Wicklow Way trail markers and do an out an back - beautiful scenes.
http://www.wicklowway.com/trail-description/marlay-park-knockree.php

3. Dublin Mountains Way - again lots of options for trails and hills, and really great scenery with decent trail surfaces this time of year. Easy parking in Shankill
http://www.dublinmountains.ie/dublin_mountains_way/dublin_mountains_way/

4. Bray to Greystones along the cliff walk and back over Bray Head - decent climb here, but I am always amazed by the view coming back over the top of Bray Head. The surface fo the cliff walk is not great with a few protruding stones etc. but it's not too bad. Plenty of parking in Bray

5. Shankill to Dalkey to Sandycove to Dun Laoghaire Peir and back over the top of Killiney Hill - another of my LSR staples, lots of variation. I'll send you a Garmin Connect link and you can always join at any point on the loop.

Joe prim

plodder wrote: »

+1 and don't know why I didn't think of it as I run there most days. Very accessible from Santry too. Parking is easier to find away from the Fairview end. The run out along the Bull Wall is lovely and you can do a loop that includes the beach and the other road off the island. There's some class of a public toilet on the Bull Wall. Never had to use it though. So, can't vouch for its condition. Other suggestions are great too.

I can confirm that Bull Island jacks is in very good nick, it's an automated computerised internet-connected one, just make sure you have some change , I think its fiddy cent but might be more.
Bull island is a lovely running venue, park at the end of the bridge, out along the beach to the bird sanctuary and back through the dunes is a challenging six miles/10K, but plenty of shorter options, best avoid fine weekends as there are far too many loose dogs, and don't leave anything of value in the car, otherwise runner's heaven.

Ososlo

LOVIN' the suggestions everyone! This is so helpful. Thanks so much
Somehow it feels wrong to be complaining that I'm sick of the phoenix park as I'm very luck to have access to it but I don't want it to start getting stale for me. It'll be nice to mix it up a bit.

hardCopy

There are also a couple of pubs and an esso on the Clontarf Road for natural breaks.

KielyUnusual

hardCopy wrote: »

There are also a couple of pubs and an esso on the Clontarf Road for natural breaks.

There's also a toilet in the visitor centre on Bull Island. This is free but it's a bit dank with no artificial lighting. I nearly always run across the trails that traverse the island rather than the beach. Much nicer in my opinion and a bit quieter too. Definitely a run you'll have to do on a nice day over the summer.

hardCopy

KielyUnusual wrote: »

There's also a toilet in the visitor centre on Bull Island. This is free but it's a bit dank with no artificial lighting. I nearly always run across the trails that traverse the island rather than the beach. Much nicer in my opinion and a bit quieter too. Definitely a run you'll have to do on a nice day over the summer.

Running up and down the dunes is great craic too, featured in my Gaelforce training last year.

Big Logger

hardCopy wrote: »

Running up and down the dunes is great craic too, featured in my Gaelforce training last year.

My memory of the sand dunes is that there are always flashers lurking about there....No wonder you were having great craic (no pun intended):

Sara2002

[quote

5. Shankill to Dalkey to Sandycove to Dun Laoghaire Peir and back over the top of Killiney Hill - another of my LSR staples, lots of variation. I'll send you a Garmin Connect link and you can always join at any point on the loop.[/quote]
Are the hills on this route not absolutely savage?? I ran from Dun laoighre to Killiney hill last week and I thought the hills on Vico road were going to kill me!
Seriously though, would you do a hilly route like this for a lsr? Fair play

wrstan

Gotta love those hills

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/269334431

sea level to 140m in less than 2k :cool: