Most terrifying public roads in Ireland

Chris_5339762

While having a good old drive up to Barley Lake in Co Cork during the Level 3 restrictions, I started thinking about what the most hair raising, utterly terrifying, bowel softening roads in Ireland. Y'know those single track horrors up the side of a steep mountain with hairpins galore yet not one passing point.


Find your best, pop them here. And please, only public roads that you can drive on and find on Google, not driveways etc. Try and do a Google Maps link for ease (Click the three dots to the top left, click "Share or Embed Image" then "Copy Link")



Barley Lake ascent - https://goo.gl/maps/xgkmvYS6T8nPozRV7


Priests Leap on the Cork/Kerry border - https://goo.gl/maps/2Aptiyz3HKj4d5z98


A drivable part of the Kerry Way - https://goo.gl/maps/1dqCBJEC3imN9Sqt9




Something we can all look at while we are not recommended to go more than 5km from home.

lottpaul

https://goo.gl/maps/iVcNasvdEK8Bir81A Ashleam, Achill Island

https://goo.gl/maps/H872HcDzCNAeUjvP6 the road to Keem Bay, Achill

https://goo.gl/maps/k5wWJzjzQLbqp6km7 the road to Minaun transmitter, also Achill

All of these roads have no safety barriers and have huge drops on one or both sides, and I have vertigo

donvito99

Camden St between 11pm and 4am.

Tork

Going forward on those roads is fine - it's what happens if you meet something coming the other way that puts your heart in your mouth. It's a pity we don't have proper Passing Places like they do in the Scottish highlands.

screamer

Connor pass in Kerry, holy ****, there’s literally parts of it that waterfalls gush beside and a drop to oblivion on the other side. I tell you, heart stopping driving when a tour bus is on one side and you’re on the other, madness.

I drove on many mountain roads in Lesotho, each with hundreds of meters of straight drops, some glorified goat tracks. Regularly had moments when I thought I was going over the edge.

Closest to that in Ireland is the drive to Keem Bay, Achill

alias no.9

Drove the Caha Pass in a motorhome over the summer, as N roads go, it has to be one of the hariest. Spectacular scenery all the same.

Alun

I remember many years ago before I moved to Ireland to live I came across here on a driving holiday and drove up to the viewing pint for Slieve League which was pretty hairy. The gale force winds and fog didn't help, nor did the fact that I was in a LHD car. I see Google Streetview now stops at a new car park at the start of the hairy bit and there's a gate across the road to discourage tourists.


https://goo.gl/maps/6tcG8SaiKWbdYXag9

L1011

Flipping to an almost urban environment, the level of traffic that takes Kellystown Lane in Leixlip really doesn't tie in with it having a deep ditch bordered off with wands (some knocked over in this Streetview image, most gone by now), multiple bad entrances and a single track bridge with a blind bend at one end - just click forward one notch to see the (long) bridge.

Dark night here and you'll have inexperienced or non-local drivers actually stopping dead at multiple points

alias no.9

Alun wrote: »

I remember many years ago before I moved to Ireland to live I came across here on a driving holiday and drove up to the viewing pint for Slieve League which was pretty hairy. The gale force winds and fog didn't help, nor did the fact that I was in a LHD car. I see Google Streetview now stops at a new car park at the start of the hairy bit and there's a gate across the road to discourage tourists.


https://goo.gl/maps/6tcG8SaiKWbdYXag9

Funny that you mentioned that, the last roadtrip we did in the Motorhome before lockdown in March involved a trip to Sliabh Liag. The last 200m before the carpark was pretty much unsighted being a LHD also. I was very happy to see that carpark.

Donegal Storm

Alun wrote: »

I remember many years ago before I moved to Ireland to live I came across here on a driving holiday and drove up to the viewing pint for Slieve League which was pretty hairy. The gale force winds and fog didn't help, nor did the fact that I was in a LHD car. I see Google Streetview now stops at a new car park at the start of the hairy bit and there's a gate across the road to discourage tourists.


https://goo.gl/maps/6tcG8SaiKWbdYXag9

That is an awful road to drive, some extremely steep sections that are only wide enough for one car so all sorts of awkward reversing and clutch burning on 45 degree slopes when you meet someone

One that comes to mind for me, whilst attempting to climb Muckish over the summer google maps decided this was the best road to reach the base. We ended up abandoning the cars and walking the rest of the way, further up the road we came across a van stuck deep in the bog that google maps also led astray!

https://www.google.com/maps/@55.1180136,-8.0233241,3a,75y,125.39h,79.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sfksI47c3_8MSyRxxn4d47Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Donegal Storm

L1011 wrote: »

Flipping to an almost urban environment, the level of traffic that takes Kellystown Lane in Leixlip really doesn't tie in with it having a deep ditch bordered off with wands (some knocked over in this Streetview image, most gone by now), multiple bad entrances and a single track bridge with a blind bend at one end - just click forward one notch to see the (long) bridge.

Dark night here and you'll have inexperienced or non-local drivers actually stopping dead at multiple points

I used to live up the road from there, the whole area north of Maynooth/Leixlip is full of really dodgy roads with sudden 90 degree bends and blind corners

Redsoxfan

Donegal Storm wrote: »

I used to live up the road from there, the whole area north of Maynooth/Leixlip is full of really dodgy roads with sudden 90 degree bends and blind corners

The road from the top/bottom (?) of Kellystown Lane, i.e. not the Intel end (R149) is cat - was retrofitted with a footpath (which is good of course) but now makes it *seem* very narrow.

blindsider

The road down to Cromwell Pt lighthouse on Valentia is fun.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@51.9263383,-10.3315603,3a,75y,72.61h,57.74t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVFL-CvCkUYnbx0Eb6jJOmg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

is the turn. Going out is okay - coming back is hairy! Have a look at the old concrete road and the hairpins on it....

Thankfully its well worth the trip - one of my favourite spots on my favourite island!

Markcheese

Drove from bantry to kenmare , had done it in a car before no bother , did it In a van and it gave me the heeby geebys...

L1011

blindsider wrote: »

The road down to Cromwell Pt lighthouse on Valentia is fun.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@51.9263383,-10.3315603,3a,75y,72.61h,57.74t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVFL-CvCkUYnbx0Eb6jJOmg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

is the turn. Going out is okay - coming back is hairy! Have a look at the old concrete road and the hairpins on it....

Thankfully its well worth the trip - one of my favourite spots on my favourite island!

A substantial part of that road appears to be concrete, which is exceptionally rare in Ireland particularly outside 1950s suburban development. Wonder how that happened.

spakman

HabibiLibneni wrote: »

County Roscommon
https://maps.app.goo.gl/PXmSZX4dSNGucJjw9

I had the misfortune to end up driving on these roads a few months ago. Not terrifying in the sense that you can fall off into a mountain ravine but there are miles of this kind of road with absolutely no opportunity to pull in, severe bends, no sightlines, certainly not wide enough for a tractor or lorry to use. I couldn't believe why there were such long stretches with not even a field gateway to pull in. It must be a pain for locals to have to reverse for ages when meeting an oncoming car.

They're surely a legacy of pre famine dirt tracks to clacháns, which would have been common 'where the three counties meet'. I have never driven on such bizarre, incoherent and illogical roads in Roscommon as the ones on this border area of Mayo/Roscommon/Galway. .

There are wide grass verges and gateways to pull into on that map, that's fairly typical across the country once you go off the beaten path.

nordydan

Newtownmountkennedy to Roundwood

Steep uphill, very narrow, zero sightlines - a disgrace of a R road. Constant fear of a jepp bombing down the road and flying into you

Alun

nordydan wrote: »

Newtownmountkennedy to Roundwood

Steep uphill, very narrow, zero sightlines - a disgrace of a R road. Constant fear of a jepp bombing down the road and flying into you

I've driven that road often. No worse than many small roads in rural Wicklow to be honest.

blindsider

L1011 wrote: »

A substantial part of that road appears to be concrete, which is exceptionally rare in Ireland particularly outside 1950s suburban development. Wonder how that happened.

Yep - it's very unusual, and looks almost...false...?

Presume somebody somewhere decided that it was the best/cheapest/fastest way to maintain a road to the lighthouse.

Lovely spot!

alias no.9

L1011 wrote: »

A substantial part of that road appears to be concrete, which is exceptionally rare in Ireland particularly outside 1950s suburban development. Wonder how that happened.

There was a decent stretch of concrete road in rural east Kerry, I'm almost sure it was between Scartaglin and Ballydesmond but I'm not 100%. I've had a quick look at Google maps but not finding it, anyway it's something that Kerry Co Co did try.

SaltyJohn

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

While having a good old drive up to Barley Lake in Co Cork during the Level 3 restrictions, I started thinking about what the most hair raising, utterly terrifying, bowel softening roads in Ireland. Y'know those single track horrors up the side of a steep mountain with hairpins galore yet not one passing point.


Find your best, pop them here. And please, only public roads that you can drive on and find on Google, not driveways etc. Try and do a Google Maps link for ease (Click the three dots to the top left, click "Share or Embed Image" then "Copy Link")



Barley Lake ascent - https://goo.gl/maps/xgkmvYS6T8nPozRV7


Priests Leap on the Cork/Kerry border - https://goo.gl/maps/2Aptiyz3HKj4d5z98


A drivable part of the Kerry Way - https://goo.gl/maps/1dqCBJEC3imN9Sqt9




Something we can all look at while we are not recommended to go more than 5km from home.

Yes Priest's Leap is pretty crazy. Sheer drops at times but the main thing is the constant "brow of a hill" situations where you honestly can barely see in front of the car. The top is the highest part of a public road in Munster, at 463m. It's also a short hike from the highest point in Cork. Plenty twists and turns too. Great experience all the same.

hans aus dtschl

Another vote for Priests Leap and also the Barley lake.
As mentioned, what makes Priests great is that you have no idea what's going on for the most part, because of the constant changes in pitch.

Caha is grand though? It's a really big wide safe one with good surface and camber and easy switchbacks. They removed the only bad bend on it. Granted, for an N road it's hectic, but no worse than Molls Gap I'd have said. Dunloe, Ballaghoisín and Beallaghbeama are similar.

But spare a thought for the climb from Kenmare to Caha pass via Gortnabinny, just West of Caha Pass: that's another terrifying one.

And the roads down in Caherdaniel, which are just a car's width, and people tear around on them. Terrifying to me.

ednwireland

Donegal Storm wrote: »

That is an awful road to drive, some extremely steep sections that are only wide enough for one car so all sorts of awkward reversing and clutch burning on 45 degree slopes when you meet someone

One that comes to mind for me, whilst attempting to climb Muckish over the summer google maps decided this was the best road to reach the base. We ended up abandoning the cars and walking the rest of the way, further up the road we came across a van stuck deep in the bog that google maps also led astray!

https://www.google.com/maps/@55.1180136,-8.0233241,3a,75y,125.39h,79.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sfksI47c3_8MSyRxxn4d47Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

no where near as bad now as it used to be a couple of the blind crests and really bad corners were widened to allow coaches up. had friends screaming in the back of the car up there when i first moved here.

same with the switchbacks on glengesh still hairy but nowhere near as bad as they used to be.

Stihl waters

Kenmare to castletownbear with an artic and 40 foot trailer is hairy especially when you meet the Spanish lads coming from castle town fully laden with fish racing hard for rosslare, edge of the seat stuff

donspeekinglesh

The road between Newcastle, Co Tipp, and Mount Melleray in Co Waterford is not much fun. Particularly on the foggy evening I drove it. Had planned to drive the Vee as usual, but a wrong turn sent me that way.

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.2281573,-7.8374912,3a,75y,43.35h,82.75t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sPEfdBlzN0BSTur2361gspQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DPEfdBlzN0BSTur2361gspQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D126.826706%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

BelfastVanMan

donspeekinglesh wrote: »

The road between Newcastle, Co Tipp, and Mount Melleray in Co Waterford is not much fun. Particularly on the foggy evening I drove it. Had planned to drive the Vee as usual, but a wrong turn sent me that way.

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.2281573,-7.8374912,3a,75y,43.35h,82.75t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sPEfdBlzN0BSTur2361gspQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DPEfdBlzN0BSTur2361gspQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D126.826706%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

Had the pleasure of driving it myself, on a foggy evening in August, there. Barely wide enough for two cars at the best of times.

MarkR

Not terrifying, but you'd wonder what was going on when they decided to build this one twisty.

https://goo.gl/maps/BqUioyZaVD53988N6

KrisW1001

That's pretty common for old railway bridges. The shortest possible bridge over a railway is one that runs at 90° to the path of the tracks, so that's what was built in most cases: the railway companies only had a duty to get the road over the tracks in some way or other - they rarely cared about keeping it straight... Besides, when this was built, "fast" road traffic probably meant a two-horse carriage...

Dufflecoat Fanny

most of thr roads into glencullen co.wicklow
The Barrack rd. is lethal in icy weather

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.2125296,-6.2172579,3a,90y,122.41h,71.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAa4jd5UjtqzxchHOQQKsnA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

cantalach

hans aus dtschl wrote: »

Another vote for Priests Leap and also the Barley lake.
As mentioned, what makes Priests great is that you have no idea what's going on for the most part, because of the constant changes in pitch.

Which, as I'm sure you know, makes it murder on a bicycle:


https://www.strava.com/segments/631196

hans aus dtschl

cantalach wrote: »

Which, as I'm sure you know, makes it murder on a bicycle:


https://www.strava.com/segments/631196

It's great.
South side is much better than North IMO.
It has it all: loose gravel, blind crests, animals, potholes, grass. Just a beauty.

ianobrien

cantalach wrote: »

Which, as I'm sure you know, makes it murder on a bicycle:


https://www.strava.com/segments/631196

Ya it's fair hard on a bicycle. I found out the hard way. What was more fun was coming down when I ran out of brakes......

dmc17

Somehow manged to end up on this road in Kerry last year. Seemed to go on forever. All the time hoping not to meet another car

L1011

There's more than sufficient passing places there, going on driving in rural Donegal a lot.

jrar

dmc17 wrote: »

Somehow manged to end up on this road in Kerry last year. Seemed to go on forever. All the time hoping not to meet another car

"Road" is probably stretching it a bit !

irishgeo

The gap of dunloe , mad stuff, meeting horse and carts, cars limited spots to pull in and blind corners like this.

https://goo.gl/maps/xXvXabUnWXwjb67v9

Dufflecoat Fanny

irishgeo wrote: »

The gap of dunloe , mad stuff, meeting horse and carts, cars limited spots to pull in and blind corners like this.

https://goo.gl/maps/xXvXabUnWXwjb67v9

some spot like the hot gates in thermoplyae

cantalach

jrar wrote: »

"Road" is probably stretching it a bit !

Well...it is called Bóthar na gCloch;)

Lurching

Dufflecoat Fanny wrote: »

most of thr roads into glencullen co.wicklow

Glencullen is in Dublin

Oops!

Ah folks, the title of the thread is all wrong! replace terrifying with interesting!

hans aus dtschl

Oops! wrote: »

Ah folks, the title of the thread is all wrong! replace terrifying with interesting!

I think you need to try Priests Leap or Gortnabinny on a bike.

Oops!

Wouldn't mind a cut at any of them in a rally car....

Dakota Dan

lottpaul wrote: »

https://goo.gl/maps/iVcNasvdEK8Bir81A Ashleam, Achill Island

https://goo.gl/maps/H872HcDzCNAeUjvP6 the road to Keem Bay, Achill

https://goo.gl/maps/k5wWJzjzQLbqp6km7 the road to Minaun transmitter, also Achill

All of these roads have no safety barriers and have huge drops on one or both sides, and I have vertigo

I drove that road in Achill around 10 years ago, I kept driving at the wrong side of the road going down as the drop was scary.

anacc

irishgeo wrote: »

The gap of dunloe , mad stuff, meeting horse and carts, cars limited spots to pull in and blind corners like this.

https://goo.gl/maps/xXvXabUnWXwjb67v9

And at the end of the gap you come out into the Black Valley which is km after km of extremely narrow twisty road with nowhere for opposing vehicles to pass unless you reverse for km to where there is a verge that isn't a metres high ditch or metres high drops. Most horrible experience of my life, driving that road. Would have been grand if there was no other traffic, but the one time I did drive that road it was a sunny day and there was a lot of people out for a spin in the area!

hans aus dtschl

anacc wrote: »

And at the end of the gap you come out into the Black Valley which is km after km of extremely narrow twisty road with nowhere for opposing vehicles to pass unless you reverse for km to where there is a verge that isn't a metres high ditch or metres high drops. Most horrible experience of my life, driving that road. Would have been grand if there was no other traffic, but the one time I did drive that road it was a sunny day and there was a lot of people out for a spin in the area!

You'll laugh, but having done both multiple times, I find it much easier to cycle than to drive.
The biggest problem is that the majority of people driving have no business being there. They don't know where they are, where they're going, when to pass, or when to wait at the little passing loops. After a long while driving they get stressed out and fed up.

Example:
I had a fella in a Ford Kuga overtake me this summer (pointless - we were approaching the hairpins near head of gap), only to find I was on his bumper the entire rest of the way to the hostel. He was sliding and skidding around the corners and really driving without full control.
After the hostel, he stopped at the fork in the road (lost) and I came up beside him and asked if he was looking for Kenmare. He laughed at me and shouted "Killarney", and sped off into the bog. Around an hour later (no exaggeration), he finally reappeared behind me at Molls Gap. Probably still another 20 odd mins from Killarney. The same lad who overtook me around 90 mins earlier in a rush.

I probably have a half dozen ridiculous stories like that from Molls or Dunloe. People in a rush while sightseeing.
I understand people rallying the roads, I understand people in a rush, I understand people sightseeing, but Dunloe and Molls get people in a rush while sightseeing!

anacc

hans aus dtschl wrote: »

You'll laugh, but having done both multiple times, I find it much easier to cycle than to drive.
The biggest problem is that the majority of people driving have no business being there. They don't know where they are, where they're going, when to pass, or when to wait at the little passing loops. After a long while driving they get stressed out and fed up.

Example:
I had a fella in a Ford Kuga overtake me this summer (pointless - we were approaching the hairpins near head of gap), only to find I was on his bumper the entire rest of the way to the hostel. He was sliding and skidding around the corners and really driving without full control.
After the hostel, he stopped at the fork in the road (lost) and I came up beside him and asked if he was looking for Kenmare. He laughed at me and shouted "Killarney", and sped off into the bog. Around an hour later (no exaggeration), he finally reappeared behind me at Molls Gap. Probably still another 20 odd mins from Killarney. The same lad who overtook me around 90 mins earlier in a rush.

I probably have a half dozen ridiculous stories like that from Molls or Dunloe. People in a rush while sightseeing.
I understand people rallying the roads, I understand people in a rush, I understand people sightseeing, but Dunloe and Molls get people in a rush while sightseeing!

If the road was any way as busy as it was the time I drove through there I'd say cycling must also be a nightmare! I have been all over the country on roads like that, but this was by far the worst. Usually my huge 4x4 is handy for the broken old roads in remote parts of Ireland but in the Black Valley it was definitely a disadvantage because of the size.

hans aus dtschl

anacc wrote: »

If the road was any way as busy as it was the time I drove through there I'd say cycling must also be a nightmare! I have been all over the country on roads like that, but this was by far the worst. Usually my huge 4x4 is handy for the broken old roads in remote parts of Ireland but in the Black Valley it was definitely a disadvantage because of the size.

In all my years I've never seen anything like that day in July in the Black Valley. I had to stop cycling several times because of the crowds. It was like there was a football match on. I was fairly horrified by the crowds up there to be honest.

If you felt you struggled in the 4x4, spare a thought: I once was behind two mid-size buses bringing people to a wedding at the Black Valley church via Dunloe. And you know what, they drove it impeccably - far better than the lad in the Kuga did! Great drivers.

But normally it's much easier cycling than driving, honestly.

cantalach

hans aus dtschl wrote: »

In all my years I've never seen anything like that day in July in the Black Valley. I had to stop cycling several times because of the crowds. It was like there was a football match on. I was fairly horrified by the crowds up there to be honest.

If you felt you struggled in the 4x4, spare a thought: I once was behind two mid-size buses bringing people to a wedding at the Black Valley church via Dunloe. And you know what, they drove it impeccably - far better than the lad in the Kuga did! Great drivers.

But normally it's much easier cycling than driving, honestly.

Slea Head Drive is another road that is much easier to cycle than drive, certainly on a busy summer day anyway. Too many drivers ignore the recommended clockwise route, and that very narrow section after the crucifix can rapidly turn into a car park. But on the bike, you just sail on through. The north side of the Connor Pass is another car park from time to time that is best seen on a bike.

Chris_5339762

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

While having a good old drive up to Barley Lake in Co Cork during the Level 3 restrictions, I started thinking about what the most hair raising, utterly terrifying, bowel softening roads in Ireland. Y'know those single track horrors up the side of a steep mountain with hairpins galore yet not one passing point.


Find your best, pop them here. And please, only public roads that you can drive on and find on Google, not driveways etc. Try and do a Google Maps link for ease (Click the three dots to the top left, click "Share or Embed Image" then "Copy Link")



Barley Lake ascent - https://goo.gl/maps/xgkmvYS6T8nPozRV7


Priests Leap on the Cork/Kerry border - https://goo.gl/maps/2Aptiyz3HKj4d5z98


A drivable part of the Kerry Way - https://goo.gl/maps/1dqCBJEC3imN9Sqt9




Something we can all look at while we are not recommended to go more than 5km from home.

So with counties allowed now I happened to do the Cork side of the Beara Peninsulas Healy Pass the other day. Some people described that to me as scary, but it was just fun.



https://goo.gl/maps/HuhWXBar1Bz9c1kq5


Priests Leap as I mentioned above... that was a bit of fun too, I did the Cork side of that.... fortunately meeting the convoy of a tractor and five cars coming the other way when there was a pull in. The best part of this road are the blind summits... where you have no idea if there is road over the summit because there can sometimes be a bend too.


I ended up having to drive a kilometer into Kerry and park there (sorry Tony) because there was nowhere to turn at the county border as people were parking for the trip up to Knockboy, the Cork County top which is up there. I went too, and enjoyed a 2hr hike.



But even after all the fun at Priests Leap I think I prefer Barley lake for sheer ridiculousness... its the hairpins that do it for me there, having to do a 3 point turn to get up a hairpin is loads of fun.


This attempt at a mountain pass in Kerry looks good too


https://goo.gl/maps/mXmUDZ7TcmvfdPcs8

Jayuu

Ended up by accident on this road on the side of Mount Leinster many years ago. Was a complete wreck by the time I got off it. I'm not good with driving beside open roads with steep drops and no barriers


https://goo.gl/maps/a4vkaM8QVBW6m12E9