What is the most efficient way from Military Road to Ballsbridge?

silverharp

Have never been able to come to a conclusion about the best cycling route back to Dublin (say Merrion road or RDS area) from Military Road , I tend to go Rathfarnham -> Dundrum (but you end up facing the Dublin hills for a bit)or if I don't turn off end up hitting the canal (but feel its an overshoot). Is the Tallaght way any better?

Wishbone Ash

silverharp wrote: »

Is the Tallaght way any better?

Hardly, as you'd be heading west when Ballsbridge is to the east. Would the normal route not be Stocking Lane-Ballyboden-Rathfarnham-Terenure-Rathgar-Rathmines-Ballsbridge?

To go via Tallaght would mean turning via Glenasmole-Bohernabreena etc. and would add to the journey.

copacetic

Toward Dundrum would be ok route, not sure how you end up facing the hills. There are a few options, grange road, down across Nutgrove, down into milltown and right then straight down across n11 onto Anglesea road. Into rathmines means you have added time by going to far in so you can come back out.

seamus

Yeah, it looks like the most efficient route is Cruagh Road all the way to the yellow house, then down nutgrove avenue to Joe Daly's, Dundrum rd, Bird Avenue, Clonskeagh and then down past the RDS.

Although it would seem to make the most sense to try get to the N11 or Enniskerry road and then just go north, your problem is because of the nature of the terrain there, most of the eastbound roads like pine forest rd, glencree, etc. all tend to head southeast rather than east. So although Rathfarnham's far from direct, it's the only route that's consistently heading in remotely the right direction.

silverharp

copacetic wrote: »

Toward Dundrum would be ok route, not sure how you end up facing the hills. There are a few options, grange road, down across Nutgrove, down into milltown and right then straight down across n11 onto Anglesea road. Into rathmines means you have added time by going to far in so you can come back out.

I think its the Braemor road near churchtown, for a bit you are facing back in the direction of the mountainsbe
Ill look up the Rathgar way back, its not an area I know well so I know Ive lost driving there in the past but should be ok if I note the route before hand

Chiparus

silverharp wrote: »

Have never been able to come to a conclusion about the best cycling route back to Dublin (say Merrion road or RDS area) from Military Road , I tend to go Rathfarnham -> Dundrum (but you end up facing the Dublin hills for a bit)or if I don't turn off end up hitting the canal (but feel its an overshoot). Is the Tallaght way any better?

Which military road are you talking about?

Qualitymark

Chiparus wrote: »

Which military road are you talking about?

Isn't there only one Military Road? The road that was built through the mountains to the Sally Gap to chase Michael Dwyer, who was on his keeping in the Wicklow Hills after 1798? It goes from Killakee over the Featherbeds past Glencree to the Sally Gap, where it divides, one branch going to Brittas, one to the Wicklow Gap and one to Laragh, I think.

If you come down by the Yellow House, OP, and then along the road passing Rathfarnham Village, you can cycle down to Terenure and turn right there for Rathgar. Straight along until you reach the fork in Rathgar with the little Presbyterian church; take that right fork along Highfield Road to Palmerston Park, at the beginning of which you'll turn right and cycle through Dartry. On the metal bridge turn right and take the second left through the Whitebeam housing estate and at the end of that cross the Clonskeagh road and nip into Beaver Row, where there's a nice little cycle along the Dodder for a flash, then straight-right across Stillorgan dual carriageway and into Aylesbury Road. At the bottom of that, turn left for Ballsbridge.

bazermc

I live in Ballsbridge, so if I am coming down off the sally gap, I tend to go right at the viewing point down cruagh road, follow the road down past the merry ploughman down to the yellow house turn left, then down thru terenure and harold cross, right on the canal and uptowards Ballsbridge. Thats mostly downhill once you get over the feather beds.

Alternatively, you can turn right just before the merry plough man and go tibradden road/marley park, lamb doyles then left onto the M50 cross over than right onto Blackthorn driver down thru Clonskeagh and right onto Beaver row, Angelsea road and past the RDS.

Qualitymark

D'oh, of course Anglesea Road would be better than Aylesbury Road! I tend to be heading for a swim when I go that way and so I'm going right at the end, not left!

Also, would Glenasmole really be longer? I've only driven it, but tend to cut down left at Noel Lemass' memorial cross and then go down through the glen, out into Friarstown and onto the Firhouse road and straight down to the Blue Haven, then left across the Blessington road and straight down all the way to the canal.

seamus

Yeah, Glenasmole would be longer because you're heading northwest as far as Friarstown, i.e. away from Ballsbridge, whereas towards Rathfarnham you're basically always heading either North or East.

You're right though that on a bike some route options may be more worth exploring; a route can be longer, but flatter overall and therefore faster. However in this case, all of the climbing is done between Glencree and the Wicklow/Dublin border, and there's no flatter alternative in that section. Once you hit the border, the road flattens out (and is better surfaced).

Chiparus

Qualitymark wrote: »

Isn't there only one Military Road? The road that was built through the mountains to the Sally Gap to chase Michael Dwyer, who was on his keeping in the Wicklow Hills after 1798? It goes from Killakee over the Featherbeds past Glencree to the Sally Gap, where it divides, one branch going to Brittas, one to the Wicklow Gap and one to Laragh, I think.

Military road in Killiney?

or Military road, kilmainham,

or military road rathmines?

cdaly_

Qualitymark wrote: »

Isn't there only one Military Road? The road that was built through the mountains to the Sally Gap to chase Michael Dwyer, who was on his keeping in the Wicklow Hills after 1798? It goes from Killakee over the Featherbeds past Glencree to the Sally Gap, where it divides, one branch going to Brittas, one to the Wicklow Gap and one to Laragh.

Is that why it wanders all over the place? 'cos Dwyer was dodging?...

Qualitymark

Chiparus wrote: »

Military road in Killiney?

or Military road, kilmainham,

or military road rathmines?

Ah, but when people say "the Military Road" they only mean the one.

cdaly_ wrote: »

Is that why it wanders all over the place? 'cos Dwyer was dodging?...

That's right; it was built by The Men Behind the Dwyer.

bazermc

Its actually the Old Military Road according to Google maps - that is the R115 through south Dublin to Laragh

Wishbone Ash

Chiparus wrote: »

Military road in Killiney?

or Military road, kilmainham,

or military road rathmines?

The OP did include the words "back to Dublin". He/she would hardly have done so if referring to Kilmainham, Killiney or Rathmines.

Wishbone Ash

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R115_road_(Ireland)

The R115 / Military Road starts in Rathfarnham, County Dublin, outside the Yellow House pub and continues to the Ballyboden roundabout, where it intersects with the R113; it then follows the Edmondstown Road for 100 metres where it meets the R116. At this point the route takes the Scholarstown Road and turns left onto Stocking Lane where it rises through the Dublin Mountains (past the Hell Fire Club), followed by a descent into Glencree at the head of the valley of the Glencree river, with a spur down that valley to Enniskerry, before rising again to the Sally Gap Crossroads (53.137799°N 6.312166°W), where it intersects with the R759 road, close to the highest point on the road which is 510 m (1,670 ft). From there it continues to a point east of Mullaghcleevaun Mountain (850 m) before descending to the village of Laragh, near Glendalough, via the scenic Glenmacnass waterfall.
The R115 terminates at Laragh, at a junction with the R755 and the 'Wicklow Gap' road, the R756. The Military Road continues south past Glenmalure to Aghavannagh in south County Wicklow, but is designated as a local road south of Laragh.
A well known stretch is The Featherbeds, the section below Kippure Mountain. The total distance is 34 Irish miles (69.6 km), of which the spur to Enniskerry is 5 Irish miles (10.2 km).

Chiparus

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The OP did include the words "back to Dublin". He/she would hardly have done so if referring to Kilmainham, Killiney or Rathmines.

I was responding to the post that said there was only one Military road.:roll eyes:


and asking the best way back from Military Road, Killiney to Dublin (say Merrion road) would have been a valid question.

Google map search does not seem to have the military road that the OP was referring to.

Russman

Best way IMO, is all the way to the bottom of the Military Road at Scholarstown/Ballyboden, turn right onto Taylor's Lane, left at the Grange Golf Club, first right onto Sarah Curran Avenue, then left onto the Grange Road, all the way to the bottom of that and turn right onto Nutgrove Avenue, follow that all the way to Churchtown, turn right at the Bottle Tower pub, first left onto Milltown Road, all the way down to the Dropping Well pub, turn right onto Sandford Road and finally go straight through the junction at the bottom of the hill, onto Eglinton Road and there you go.

Its actually a lot more straightforward than it sounds above.

There is also a short cut through Barton estate that can cut off the Grange Road/Nutgrove Ave part. You end up on Barton Road East and can still go via Churchtown or over to Dundrum and down through Clonskeagh.

I live in Ballyboden and cycled to work in Ballsbridge for a year and found that to be the easiest. But there's a multitude of routes really, all much of a muchness TBH.

Chiparus

From the yellow house, down to DunDrum, via Churchtown . Head down Dumdrum Road, turn right onto bird ave. left onto Clonskeagh Road , right onto Beever Row, straight through to Anglesea road, then right onto Simmonscourt Road.

bazermc

Chiparus wrote: »

Google map search does not seem to have the military road that the OP was referring to.

Thats because it is the "Old Military Road" not just "Military Road"

https://maps.google.ie/maps?q=Old+Military+Road,+Wicklow&hl=en&ll=53.118757,-6.322632&spn=0.389019,1.271667&sll=53.32432,-6.251695&sspn=0.193578,0.635834&oq=old+military+road&hnear=Old+Military+Rd,+County+Wicklow&t=m&z=10&iwloc=A