Cycling from Limerick to Cork

owenSoulKid

Hi everyone, I have decided that i would like to cycle from my home town in East Clare to Cork Via Limerick. I have been training now for a few weeks and i feel that my fitness level is ok. Now I have never cycled this far or this route. I am wondering if for my first time I could take the main road Patrickswell- Charleville etc. or Ballneety , Bruff - Fermoy etc. would any experienced cylists have any advice or recomendations? I am thinking of going the main road because it nice and flat and would be quickest I recon. any help would be greatly appreciated.

shaka

If you go the fermoy way the best way to go is main road to Tipperary turn off for caherconlish through hospital ballylanders and onto mitchelstown from where you will go on old road to cork as you can't cycle motorway. Nice cycle with mainly good road surfaces. If you do come out from limerick ballyneety road turn off at scanlons petrol station and go up by hospital. Stay away from bruff line road,tis a sack breaker .... Only advantage of going that route which would be through Kilmallock then Kilfinane is there is some nice hard climbs between Kilfinane and mitchelstown.

Charleville route will no doubt be shorter but with worse road surface. Ether way will be long day in saddle so plan your breaks well . I know both routes well . As I drive to work on way and home the other way most days and have cycled to fermoy and mallow many times.

owenSoulKid

Ok, thats a great help thank you, so in short would you recommend the Mitchelstown route as overall better option for myself? Will it take me much longer the Mitchelstown route?

owenSoulKid

Is there many climbs on the Mitchelstown route?

shaka

I'd prefer cycle mitchelstown way purely for better road surface but there is a difference in length of routes. Mallow way prob shorter but road surface will take it out of shoulders and wrists.

Mitchelstown has a short pull out of ballylanders , and a longish drag out of mitchelstown up to glaucamara cross with a few rolling hills as you go along. I'm a lump of a lad and can always manage them.

Mitchelstown route
Pros
Road surface.
Generally more space on road.
Cons
Longer .
Few drags.

Mallow route.
Pros
Shorter.
Cons.
Bad surface in patches, very bad around buttevant.
Road very narrow in spots .

How fit are you ? Would an extra few Km's be a killer ? Personally I think mitchelstown route is nicer cycle

owenSoulKid

cool, I think ill go the Mitchelstown route. I was thinking the Mallow route would be a bit hectic aswell with the traffic on a Friday. I am fairly fit I have been training alot, personally I dont think the extra few miles would kill me. So you recon the R513 off the main Tipp road to Mitchelstown then Fermoy onto Cork.

I done 46 miles today and it was grand

shaka

Better road surface on that road , you will turn off at bearys cross. Are you planning to cycle home or stay in cork ?

owenSoulKid

I will be staying in cork for the night and then I will be cycling to west cork then for a few nights down there, then Ill cycle back to limerick in two legs. is bearys cross on the tipp road? sorry i dont have my map.

owenSoulKid

sorry copy that I found it on google maps oops

owenSoulKid

sounds good man, I think ill take that route. Thanks for your help man, the plan is coming together. one more thing , whats the traffic like on that road?

shaka

Probably just as busy as other road but loads of space for overtaking. Only real tight spot is the drag coming out of ballylanders but views of Galtees up ahead are worth it .

Ah im jealous thats a great few days cycling ,Wife's family from Beara west cork and love cycling down there.

owenSoulKid

Sounds great, I'm really looking forward to it now and I'm glad that I ve decided to go that route. Thank you for your help man really helped clear things. sher who knows I might meet you on the road some day. Im on a blue hybrid bike with silver bullhorns and a red bottle ...... Happy days

owenSoulKid

oh one more question, how long does it take from Limerick to Cork city?

shaka

Hard to say not knowing how fast you go . Are you carrying bags?

If your looking for a food stop along way either the maxol station as you go into mitchelstown which has good deli counter and a few seats or o callaghans which is on your left after first set of traffic lights which has nice food and cake. Can't beat cake

If I see you ill beep ya, black mondeo. Off the bike injured at the moment:(

owenSoulKid

Bad buzz about injury but cake sounds great , I have a small pair of panniers for the back but twill only be a couple of kilos, Im guessing Ill be cruisin down at about 15 mph, my guess about 6 hours from limerick.

shaka

How did you get on with this ?

owenSoulKid

hi, got on great man, was a great adventure. was that you beeping me from aavan outside mitchelstown? took me 10.5 hours to get from clare to cork city. tough enough at the end some of them hills jesus! I went in the r614 into st.lukes that way. done macroom to ballydehob aswell two days later. Had lovely cake in that Cafe too, jesus twas nice