MTB trails Slieve Blooms

Donie75

Thinking of heading down to the Slieve Blooms with the MTB over the next few weeks. Anyone been to the area? Are there any marked trails?
Does anyone have any garmin routes saved?
Thanks.

Cast Iron

Donie75 wrote: »

Thinking of heading down to the Slieve Blooms with the MTB over the next few weeks. Anyone been to the area? Are there any marked trails?
Does anyone have any garmin routes saved?
Thanks.

Not 100% sure, never been but Slieve Bloom .ie says they are planning an MTB trail so I assume there are routes there being used already

Trailbadger.com would be worth a look to see if any trails have been put up.

Budawanny

Cast Iron wrote: »

Not 100% sure, never been but Slieve Bloom .ie says they are planning an MTB trail so I assume there are routes there being used already

Trailbadger.com would be worth a look to see if any trails have been put up.

and have a rummage around on Strava

Donie75

I spotted this good news on FB this morning... Seems that progress is being made.
http://www.midlands103.com/news-centre/planning-approved-part-slieve-bloom-mountain-bike-trail/

xxyyzz

Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/slievebloommountainbiking

Hopefully the NIMBY gang don't lodge an appeal.

xxyyzz

Proposed map of the trails on the Kinnitty side http://www.offaly.ie/idocswebDPSS/ViewFiles.aspx?docid=108888&format=jpeg

iwillhtfu

xxyyzz wrote: »

Proposed map of the trails on the Kinnitty side http://www.offaly.ie/idocswebDPSS/ViewFiles.aspx?docid=108888&format=jpeg

Link seems to be broken

xxyyzz

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Link seems to be broken

I don't think it works on mobile

iwillhtfu

xxyyzz wrote: »

I don't think it works on mobile

Just aswell I'm on a pc so.


Oh wait...

xxyyzz

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Just aswell I'm on a pc so.


Oh wait...

Call tech support because it works for me

woky83

Has anyone any info on the delay with the slieve bloom project? The first stage was to be finished by may. I ride there regularly and I have not seen any sign of work starting on the trails and does anyone have a map of the proposed trail layout thanks in advance

xxyyzz

Coillte - 'nuff said.

I've heard it is out to tender and will be lucky to start in May. To be honest with their track record I'm not holding my breath that it will ever get off the ground.

http://www.offaly.ie/ePlan5/AppFileRefDetails/1687/0

Click on the View Scanned Files button, click agree and a list of documents are available. One of them is the trail map.

iwillhtfu

By the time this all goes through planning and consultancy they'll be lucky if there's the budget for a pump track.

marvin80

Pity there's a delay with this - was looking forward to spending some days there in the summer.

On a side note I've heard the one in Sligo should be open by September/October.

woky83

Tenders have been in since December and all the planning is done,they were felling trees up there lately and in the areas were the trails will be going so maybe it wont be that long,fingers crossed

xxyyzz

Hopefully, I think it was back in 2011 that Coillte released their offroad cycling strategy document and they haven't built a single thing MTB related since then apart from the tech loops in Ballyhoura.

Tenzor07

xxyyzz wrote: »

Hopefully, I think it was back in 2011 that Coillte released their offroad cycling strategy document and they haven't built a single thing MTB related since then apart from the tech loops in Ballyhoura.

That was published in the "Fiction" section I believe!

A pure PR exercise...

Coillte's priorities are:

1. Clear felling forests
2. Producing trees for paper products
3. Profit
4. end.

ford2600

Tenzor07 wrote: »

That was published in the "Fiction" section I believe!

A pure PR exercise...

Coillte's priorities are:

1. Clear felling forests
2. Producing trees for paper products
3. Profit
4. end.
5. selling sites
6. Selling hunting rights (with p1ss poor assessment of risks to public)
7. Being a private company when economy is on up and public when it comes to pay/performance/pensions

FYP

Tenzor07

ford2600 wrote: »

FYP

Can't disagree with you there!

xxyyzz

They are actually using the document as a stick to beat any new suggested projects. Nothing gets built because the site doesn't meet the criteria in the document.

Also, Daffyd Davis was the only trail builder they would work with and when he got sick all projects were canned.

woky83

Iam surprised more private land owners haven't realised the potential of there land given the success of BPI and I will just have to keep riding the natural trails in the slieve blooms while iam waiting for collite to sort it out

Wanderer78

woky83 wrote: »

Iam surprised more private land owners haven't realised the potential of there land given the success of BPI and I will just have to keep riding the natural trails in the slieve blooms while iam waiting for collite to sort it out

id assume the gap has also been very successful since its opening to, ive only been there once, its an astonishing setup there?

Tenzor07

woky83 wrote: »

Iam surprised more private land owners haven't realised the potential of there land given the success of BPI and I will just have to keep riding the natural trails in the slieve blooms while iam waiting for collite to sort it out

If we waited on Coillte there'd be no MTB'ing trails in Ireland..

Private operators are showing the way but it's an expensive thing to set up a bike park due to high insurance costs...

Tenzor07

Wanderer78 wrote: »

id assume the gap has also been very successful since its opening to, ive only been there once, its an astonishing setup there?

Yes, they have done great work on it, bringing a new generation into the world of MTB'ing...

woky83

Wanderer78 wrote: »

id assume the gap has also been very successful since its opening to, ive only been there once, its an astonishing setup there?

The GAP was always going to be a success been that close to Dublin but In my opinion I would say it's far from an astonishing setup, but the more places to ride the better. Have you been to BPI? That has an astonishing setup for such a small hill in the middle of nowhere.

Wanderer78

woky83 wrote: »

The GAP was always going to be a success been that close to Dublin but In my opinion I would say it's far from an astonishing setup, but the more places to ride the better. Have you been to BPI? That has an astonishing setup for such a small hill in the middle of nowhere.

fair point, i have indeed, many times in fact, but maybe im getting a little bored of it, and the gap is doing just something a little different. im just delighted both places exist, and i wish both business the best, sounds like theyre looking after each other as well, which is great to see.

xxyyzz

To be honest if Coillte do build a trail centre in the Slieve Blooms it's hard to see it being anything other than another Ballyhoura, an awful lot of slogging with very little payoff. The current trails are probably better than anything Coillte will create. They'll always err on the side of caution.

woky83

xxyyzz wrote: »

To be honest if Coillte do build a trail centre in the Slieve Blooms it's hard to see it being anything other than another Ballyhoura, an awful lot of slogging with very little payoff. The current trails are probably better than anything Coillte will create. They'll always err on the side of caution.

Looking at the map of the trails it has Cat 3 and Cat 4 bike trails this iam hoping is in regard to difficulty level? I did hear at the start of the planning that the trails were going to have a difficulty grade out of 5 and that most would be a 3 or 4. The main advantage of a collite trail system will be how easy it will be to link existing trails and new ones and the ability for it to host MTB events like the biking Blitz and potentially some Enduro stuff and XC events

woky83

The tender has been awarded. Hopefully work will begin soon

Donie75

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/slieve-bloom-bike-trail/
It's a bit concerning that they are calling it a cycleway rather than trails.

iwillhtfu

Donie75 wrote: »

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/slieve-bloom-bike-trail/
It's a bit concerning that they are calling it a cycleway rather than trails.

To be honest I never thought it was going to be anything other than an offroad greenway. I see now there's mention of amenities either end which would make it a point to point cycling trail. I think any ideas of a bike park wales set up were never going to materialise.

I'd say best case scenario this will provide good post ride amenities and ease off access to the locally built trails which will more than likely be destroyed in the build process.

xxyyzz

It's going to be along the lines of Ballyhoura or similar standard definitely 100% not a greenway. There will be 2 loops, one on the offaly side and one on the Laois side which will be joined by stretch of road. Check out the maps I posted earlier in the thread.

Coillte were never going to build a gravity bikepark.

Sticky bottle is written by a bunch of roadies, they have no idea what this centre entails.

iwillhtfu

I'd be happy with a ballyhoura style park. ��

xxyyzz

https://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/letters/310207/sod-turned-on-5-million-slieve-bloom-mountain-bike-trail-by-minister-charlie-flanagan.html

Tenzor07

iwillhtfu wrote: »

I'd be happy with a ballyhoura style park. ��

I would say so, basically narrow fireroad or boardwalked trails, suitable for families of all ages...

Icyseanfitz

ill believe it when i see it tbh, only way forward in this country is private imo

xxyyzz

They started working on it yesterday morning.

at1withmyself

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

ill believe it when i see it tbh, only way forward in this country is private imo

Why? Ballyhoura works well so why not more of the same?

marvin80

xxyyzz wrote: »

https://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/letters/310207/sod-turned-on-5-million-slieve-bloom-mountain-bike-trail-by-minister-charlie-flanagan.html

Fantastic stuff - really looking forward to this one and the Sligo one opening - I hope there a massive success, those regions deserve it for putting these amenities in place (akin to the Waterford Greenway, Ballyhoura, Westport Greenway etc..)

El Vino

This quote in the newspaper piece made me smile "[font=Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]mountain biking is a year round activity and not weather dependent"[/font]

Tenzor07

El Vino wrote: »

mountain biking is a year round activity and not weather dependent"

That true at least...

xxyyzz

at1withmyself wrote: »

Why? Ballyhoura works well so why not more of the same?

I hope they put a bit more flow into it than Ballyhoura, the brown loop is an awful slog with very little reward aside from the tech loops. Bikes have come on a long way since Ballyhoura was built. You can tackle almost anything on a trail bike these days, I hope they build the trails to match.

booooonzo

Slieve blooms will be mainly blue and green trails in their first phase

Sligo will be blue/red/black

So both will cater to a wide range of abilities.

I assure you there will be some really good, fun trails!

Icyseanfitz

at1withmyself wrote: »

Why? Ballyhoura works well so why not more of the same?

more of the same would be lovely but coilte have a habit of talking a big game with regards to mtbing in ireland and then absolutely nothing happens.

woky83

I was up in the kinnity area of the Slieve blooms on Sunday with a friend on the mtbs and we came across 4 guys on scramblers, they were ripping around the fire roads and the natural MTB trails at one point we met them coming up one of the trails that we were going down,I even seen scrambler Tyre marks on the rooty walking trail down by the river that goes to the castle and I know I shouldn't be on it with the MTB either but there is a big difference. My issue is I don't want them making a **** of the natural MTB trails and bringing unwanted attention,iam not trying to be a spoil sport but there is surely somewhere better and safer for scramblers to rip around and iam wondering what other people think about this??????

booooonzo

woky83 wrote: »

I was up in the kinnity area of the Slieve blooms on Sunday with a friend on the mtbs and we came across 4 guys on scramblers, they were ripping around the fire roads and the natural MTB trails at one point we met them coming up one of the trails that we were going down,I even seen scrambler Tyre marks on the rooty walking trail down by the river that goes to the castle and I know I shouldn't be on it with the MTB either but there is a big difference. My issue is I don't want them making a **** of the natural MTB trails and bringing unwanted attention,iam not trying to be a spoil sport but there is surely somewhere better and safer for scramblers to rip around and iam wondering what other people think about this??????

Are the natural mtb trails originally built by mountain bikers?
If so I'd be reporting them as they would be making sh&*e of them, however with the new trail center trails going in there atm it might not be best to highlight any natural, unsanctioned trails as they more than likely would be shut down then.

Tenzor07

woky83 wrote: »

My issue is I don't want them making a **** of the natural MTB trails and bringing unwanted attention,iam not trying to be a spoil sport but there is surely somewhere better and safer for scramblers to rip around and iam wondering what other people think about this??????

Used to happen around the Dublin mountains that you'd have guys on scramblers making ****e of the place, though they also used to create a lot of the trails MTB'ers would use, until they built the official Coillte Ticknock trails, now you'd rarely see guys on Scramblers going around, partly because of the official trails and the fact that Coillte are clear felling most of the forests around 3Rock now..

Anyways... You can be guaranteed that the local forestry manager knows about all the unofficial trails already, any that exist close to what they are building will be fully blocked off like what they did in Ticknock...

xxyyzz

It looks like Niall Davis from biking.ie is going to be involved in the project https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1975934442426317&id=139066222779824

Macy0161

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Used to happen around the Dublin mountains that you'd have guys on scramblers making ****e of the place, though they also used to create a lot of the trails MTB'ers would use, until they built the official Coillte Ticknock trails, now you'd rarely see guys on Scramblers going around, partly because of the official trails and the fact that Coillte are clear felling most of the forests around 3Rock now..

They still are, I've come across them around Brown Mountain/ Aughavannagh and between the top of Glenmacnass and Sally Gap. imo, they do a lot of the damage attributed to mountain bikers around the Wicklow Mountains where people see the tread makes in the ground, which leads to Mountain Bikes being technically banned from a lot of the walking routes.

Tenzor07

xxyyzz wrote: »

It looks like Niall Davis from biking.ie is going to be involved in the project

At least they have a MTB'er involved in the project, hopefully he will have some sway with the designer, last time Coillte used some pen-pusher to design the Dublin trails from what he watched on Youtube..

Tenzor07

Macy0161 wrote: »

They still are, I've come across them around Brown Mountain/ Aughavannagh and between the top of Glenmacnass and Sally Gap. imo, they do a lot of the damage attributed to mountain bikers around the Wicklow Mountains where people see the tread makes in the ground, which leads to Mountain Bikes being technically banned from a lot of the walking routes.

Banned from all of Coillte lands (apart from designated trails in Ticknock/Ballinastoe) and walking routes..