Best Athlone to Galway Route

loudymacloud

Looking to cycle to galway over the next few days.

wondering if anyone has any decent routes they use.

I know the old galway road is not too busy due to the motorway.

would hope to avoid the likes of Ballinasloe and Loughrea if at all possible.

poochiem

I'd say come out the Galway road and turn for Monksland, Bealnamulla and the n362. Then the n363 for Dysart, Ballyforan and the bog road to Mountbellew. The n63 through Moylough, turning left at Dangan crossroads for Abbeyknockmoy and on to Lough George or you could even go left in Moylough for Menlough and on through Monivea, Athenry and Oranmore. All nice enough roads not too heavy with traffic. I've done Athlone to Moylough on that bog road route I mentioned and it's grand. Worth keeping lights on as traffic not used to many cyclists.

mr spuckler

personally I really wouldn't like to cycle that road, it strikes me as one where cars go way too fast for the quality of the road.
I say that only from experience of driving it so should definitely put more value in the advice of someone that has cycled it, just giving my opinion!

how come you're so keen to avoid Ballinasloe / Loughrea? I'd have thought the hard shoulder for most of that route would be a big advantage.

I've thought of doing Galway to Athlone a couple of times, and always assumed I'd do the old N6 so am curious if something better stands out.

eeimcaw

Did similar route to poochiem earlier in the year, only difference was from abbeyknockmoy went straight to claregalway and then into galway. Roads were quiet till got to claregalway and then you hit a good bit of traffic but the roads are wide so no real issues.
I was heading onto clifden so the worst part of the cycle is getting thru galway, try and avoid work traffic if ye can...

Have cycled thru balllinasloe and loughrea good few times and they are very easy get thru so i wouldn't worry about that.

loudymacloud

mr spuckler wrote: »

personally I really wouldn't like to cycle that road, it strikes me as one where cars go way too fast for the quality of the road.
I say that only from experience of driving it so should definitely put more value in the advice of someone that has cycled it, just giving my opinion!

how come you're so keen to avoid Ballinasloe / Loughrea? I'd have thought the hard shoulder for most of that route would be a big advantage.

I've thought of doing Galway to Athlone a couple of times, and always assumed I'd do the old N6 so am curious if something better stands out.

Just always hated driving through both places for some reason, so that would be my only reason for possibly avoiding them.

Not going to discount them completely.

ford2600

http://cycle.travel/

loudymacloud

ford2600 wrote: »

http://cycle.travel/

use that site quite a lot, very useful

magicbastarder

it's no use to you, but i drove back to dublin from athlone on the old road and saw a few cyclists, but fewer than expected. it's a lovely wide road with shag all traffic on it.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

I've never cycled it myself, but it strikes me that the old N6 would be a much safer and more comfortable option. Hard shoulder all the way and feck all traffic. That route through Ballyforan and on that way is much narrower, windy and as was said already, people drive too fast on it.

FWIW, Loughrea is bypassed at any rate, so you don't even have to go through the town.

loudymacloud

magicbastarder wrote: »

it's no use to you, but i drove back to dublin from athlone on the old road and saw a few cyclists, but fewer than expected. it's a lovely wide road with shag all traffic on it.

have cycled that a few times alright, always found it grand to cycle. go via tha canal now, and will do so on this same trip.

loudymacloud

cheers for all the replies.

might consider the old galway road then. was hoping there may have been a more scenic route.

mloc123

The old N6... decent road for the most part and now that the M6 is open has much less traffic.

Atom Ant

Food for thought on your run. I cycled from Dublin to Connemara twice. Once in similar weather and I took no Sunscreen. I think I had to hole up in the shade at one point for an hour and a half, the heat was blistering. Seems obvious to me now but not at the time when I wanted to minimise weight.

poochiem

Atom Ant wrote: »

Food for thought on your run. I cycled from Dublin to Connemara twice. Once in similar weather and I took no Sunscreen. I think I had to hole up in the shade at one point for an hour and a half, the heat was blistering. Seems obvious to me now but not at the time when I wanted to minimise weight.

And prevailing winds are Westerly so I always have a neck warmer/snood thing that I wear like a mask.

I've also taken the canal to Mullingar and the Greenway to athlone for this trip.

loudymacloud

poochiem wrote: »

And prevailing winds are Westerly so I always have a neck warmer/snood thing that I wear like a mask.

I've also taken the canal to Mullingar and the Greenway to athlone for this trip.

will be taking the canal and greenway from dublin on the way down.