Ballyhoura Mountain Biking

willietherock

Just curious if anyone has experience of this?
Is it just a case of turning up with a bike/helmet paying a parking fee of a couple of euros and starting off of a designated track or is there any other costs involved?

Raam

Couple of euro for a shower afterwards if ya like to get dirty enough.

jamesd

Ya just arrive down, pay for parking at the entrance and off you go following which ever trail you want. Pay for shower when back and your on your way.

Hatcho

Bring lots of 1 euro coins for the showers and bikewash...

mossym

wouldn't recommend the bike wash, it's a power washer job which will force water into all your bearings.

drive your car home with a dirty bike on the back as a mark of pride/badge of honour of the effort you've just put in, then wash it properly at home.


did the blue at ballyhoura last week, great day mountain biking .before i got into road biking i was in ballyhoura a lot more, it's an amazing facility to have...

west cork lad

€5 per car/van for parking. €2 coin for the bike wash ( and its not a power wash, it is a garden hose and you twist the yellow bit at the end to get a spray, which used with the small hand brush tied to the wash you get bike clean enough). 2 X €1 coins for hot shower after. Super tracks there. Well worth a spin which ever loop you do.

spoke2cun

This sounds like a great day's craic on the bike. Where on God's green earth is Ballyhoura? Anything like this up here in Donegal?

silvo

Check out this video from the Gravity Enduro last weekend there. Some good shots of the trails and facilities:

http://vimeo.com/66717160

CatFromHue

Wow, I'm surprised you have to pay for parking!

Vizzy

CatFromHue wrote: »

Wow, I'm surprised you have to pay for parking!

Why would you be surprised at that ?

The trails/shower facilities/bike wash don't maintain themselves

Tonyandthewhale

CatFromHue wrote: »

Wow, I'm surprised you have to pay for parking!

If you don't want to pay then don't drive there. It's free if you just cycle there.

C3PO

CatFromHue wrote: »

Wow, I'm surprised you have to pay for parking!

Wow, is it any wonder we have so few facilities here!

mossym

west cork lad wrote: »

€5 per car/van for parking. €2 coin for the bike wash ( and its not a power wash, it is a garden hose and you twist the yellow bit at the end to get a spray, which used with the small hand brush tied to the wash you get bike clean enough). 2 X €1 coins for hot shower after. Super tracks there. Well worth a spin which ever loop you do.

cheers for the correction, ,they've changed it in the last couple of years so, it definitely used be a high pressure job when i started going to ballyhoura about 4 years ago, and haven't used it since because of that.

ford2600

mossym wrote: »

cheers for the correction, ,they've changed it in the last couple of years so, it definitely used be a high pressure job when i started going to ballyhoura about 4 years ago, and haven't used it since because of that.

It's changed about 2 years.

Great value for €5. Also option of €35 for year, which gives access to all coilte tracks.

Stopped using it myself as we've started using our own local woods. Endless amount of roads and track

shaka

Definitely not power wash , usta be but just garden hose and a soft brush there now. Think its a two euro coin .
If your going for food after you will get good feed in Molly's in Kilfinane - nothing fancy but good food and good portions.
A fiver per car for parking is nothing, jeez these things take a lot to maintain especially with a very wet winter , seen couple of spots washed out during winter.

DaveyDave

€5 for parking isn't bad if it means you don't have to cycle there. As for not going anymore because the pressure washer, could have brought your own

I've looked at Ballyhoura a few times since I saw it's on the Bluegrass Enduro Tour in September, hopefully I'll be experienced enough on the mountain bike by the end of Summer to make the trip down, looks great

west cork lad

Dave. It depends on how far "down" is, but you don't need massive experience to do the first too loops.
Parking at €5 per car is great value, especially if there are 3 or 4 of ye in the car. The money raised is put back in. They have just put up new PVC panels in all the showers. Every time I go out you notice some new work after being done.

mossym

DaveyDave wrote: »

As for not going anymore because the pressure washer, could have brought your own

)

i stopped using the washer there, not stopped going to Ballyhoura

ravendude

mossym wrote: »

wouldn't recommend the bike wash, it's a power washer job which will force water into all your bearings.

The powerwash was removed several years ago. The current one is grand for bearings.
The current one is hose based, has adequate power and AFAIK is off a rainwater harvester.

ravendude

Agree with all the other about pricing, - its all perfectly reasonable for what you get.

The modest charges don't cover its costs so I'm more than happy to pay for parking, bike wash etc.

I've certainly been ripped off for far worse things.

I'd even pay a bit more if they extended the place with some more advanced trails.

Tenzor07

Ballyhoura is a grand place...And the longer trails are quite scenic..

However if you are further up North...Dublin etc .... and are looking for something a bit more advanced then take a trip to to Rostrevor or Castlewellen...

They recently held a biking weekend with Downhill, XC and Enduro racing and are definetly the best trails you can drive to without taking the Ferry over to Wales or Scotland...

mountainbikeni.com

studiorat

It's fair enough to expect to contribute something to the upkeep of the trails. However a toll barrier at the car park sets a precedent for paid parking at other Coillte sites. Furthermore, Mountain bikers aren't the only people who use that car park. Walkers are now expected to pay for parking too.

I don't mind paying in Ballyhoura because it's usually part of a day out driving down from Dublin etc. I don't know how I'd feel if I had to pay to park at Ticknock or Ballinastoe.

I'm off to Rostrevor Friday evening for the weekend. Looking forward to seeing that!

C3PO

studiorat wrote: »

I don't mind paying in Ballyhoura because it's usually part of a day out driving down from Dublin etc. I don't know how I'd feel if I had to pay to park at Ticknock or Ballinastoe!

I'd be happy to pay for parking at any of the Coillte sites if I was guaranteed that security would be there! The current situation in Ballinastoe, Djouce etc where it's "hit and miss" whether your car will be broken into in your absence takes a lot of the enjoyment out of your days cycling!

studiorat

C3PO wrote: »

I'd be happy to pay for parking at any of the Coillte sites if I was guaranteed that security would be there! The current situation in Ballinastoe, Djouce etc where it's "hit and miss" whether your car will be broken into in your absence takes a lot of the enjoyment out of your days cycling!

Tis true. But paying in Ballinastoe wouldn't mean security. It would mean clampers calling by or similar. The security in Ballyhoura is due to it's remoteness and the guy working the bike hire place. I doubt they'd have a man in a security hut looking after cars if you were paying for parking in Ticknock either.

ford2600

In dundalk with work at end of next month. Worth throwing bike in car for an evening spin around Rostrevor?

Tenzor07

ford2600 wrote: »

In dundalk with work at end of next month. Worth throwing bike in car for an evening spin around Rostrevor?

Just for the views of Carlingford Lough alone it is!

No charge for the carpark either and has a cafe and bike wash...

Tenzor07

studiorat wrote: »

Tis true. But paying in Ballinastoe wouldn't mean security. It would mean clampers calling by or similar. The security in Ballyhoura is due to it's remoteness and the guy working the bike hire place. I doubt they'd have a man in a security hut looking after cars if you were paying for parking in Ticknock either.

The basic truth is that facilities in the south are woefully inadequate, Ballinastoe is a joke for car parking for the amount of vistors, Djouce is a definite no-no for car parking during the week when it's quiet... As is Ticknock where the car parking spots are covered in tiny bits of broken car window glass...
Having a watchman and a barrier at some car parks would deter the opportunist thieves, and i'd pay for that piece of mind... And this would benefit both cyclists and walkers..

studiorat

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Having a watchman and a barrier at some car parks would deter the opportunist thieves, and i'd pay for that piece of mind... And this would benefit both cyclists and walkers..

Would be great. But I doubt the parking fees would cover the cost of the security.

Qumoqq

€35 for an annual pass and that's for all coilte sites. Well worth the few bob, good advise at the shop at the trailhead. Showers are great after a mucky ride aswell.

cruhoortwunk

Lads, I was thinking about heading down to Ballyhoura Sunday morning. But looking at the 5 day forecast, there will be a fair bit of rain over the next few days.
Would that make the trails very tricky? I presume it would make the wooden parts treacherous.

Raam

I was there once in the pouring rain. A couple of the lads in my group were fine on the boards. I chose to walk them. Everything else was fine.

mossym

was there one night in rain so bad some of the trail was under a few inches of water. guy with me lost his iphone to water leaking into it.

one of the best runs i've done there. you always have the option of doing the boardwalks slow/walking them as Raam said

shaka

Boardwalks get greasy easy so like what lads said above , walk them or take them handy. Personally the slower I take them more of a tendency I have of taking a nose dive into the bog

cruhoortwunk

Cheers for the info lads. I'm gonna call it off the ground will be fierce soft after all this rain

ryan_sherlock

cruhoortwunk wrote: »

Lads, I was thinking about heading down to Ballyhoura Sunday morning. But looking at the 5 day forecast, there will be a fair bit of rain over the next few days.
Would that make the trails very tricky? I presume it would make the wooden parts treacherous.

I have raced down there in both dry and torrential conditions, other than brake pad usage (faster in wet) and taking it easier on the boardwalk (which is MUCH improved now) there isn't much difference. Race speed for me drops by about 1kmph... Just lots of splashy puddles but not mud etc. Worth the visit in all conditions.

fryup

west cork lad wrote: »

€5 per car/van for parking.

does the car park take cash or do i need coins?? i persume its an automated barrier

is there security cctv for the car park??

ravendude

You need coins. You can get change at the bike hire place though. No cctv, but it doesnt seem to get targeted by lowlifes as there is usually someone around, eg. Caretaker or bike hire lads. Ive never heard of a break in there and have parked there dozens of times. Its not something I would be concerned about really.

fryup

anyone have any idea what the current conditions are like there after all the wet weather?? should i wait till it dries out a bit

i'm a novice

thebouldwhacker

fryup wrote: »

does the car park take cash or do i need coins?? i persume its an automated barrier

is there security cctv for the car park??

There's a lad with a big black thorn stick hiding in the bushes and is ready to leap out at the first sign of scum.....
Also the care taker and rental lads are there keeping an eye out. They call the gardi if needs be. That's why it has never been an issue.

ravendude

fryup wrote: »

anyone have any idea what the current conditions are like there after all the wet weather?? should i wait till it dries out a bit

i'm a novice

Not at all, its an all weather surface, loads of grip in any conditions.
Just take it handy on the boardwalks, maybe just walk them the first time if its very wet and you are new to it.

Tenzor07

FYI, if anyone's looking for an excuse to head down to BallyH, the Biking Blitz is on the 16th Feb...

fryup

went there for the first time on friday, very impressed, facilities on site were excellent..great to have a bike mechanic there too, he's a gent

just did the green & brown loops and was absolutely bollocked after it (the uphill detour didn't help)

do many do the the blue & white? how long does it take?

ADW1

fryup wrote: »

went there for the first time on friday, very impressed, facilities on site were excellent..great to have a bike mechanic there too, he's a gent

just did the green & brown loops and was absolutely bollocked after it (the uphill detour didn't help)

do many do the the blue & white? how long does it take?

Great facility, I go up there every Friday.
Blue Loop time ranges from approx. 2hour30min up to 4Hours
White loop times range from approx. 2hours to 3hours 30min.
Times are all dependent on fitness and getting used to the bike and terrain.

All loops are segments on strava so you will get an idea of times.

Qumoqq

Do the white and blue comfortable in 2:30 and 3:00 but that's taking it handy some nice sections to be had on white, the drop in from brown to whit is great craic

Qumoqq

Qumoqq wrote: »

Do the white and blue comfortable in 2:30 and 3:00 but that's taking it handy some nice sections to be had on white, the drop in from brown to whit is great craic

The white loop is very handy, if i push hard its a few minutes over one hour. Don't worry, I nearly died before the top of the first climb at the start of last summer, but improvements will come quickly. By the end of summer me and a buddy were doing the long route

youllbemine

Hi, I'm thinking of hitting the trails after work next week. Are they still open after 6pm or does the car park close after this time? Thanks

youllbemine

Hi, I'm thinking of hitting the trails after work next week. Are they still open after 6pm or does the car park close after this time? Thanks