Dublin/Wicklow mountain running trails

Naked Lepper · 29-04-2021 10:16am #1

Anyone got some links or routes for running trails in mountains?
Have been running in parks and city for years but never in the hills

Planning a half marathon tomorrow, apparently there is a good 21km trail between hellfire club and fairycastle? not familiar with area so trying to find the route online but it is proving difficult, is there any running or hiking website that I can get some more info on this?

Presume i will need GPS on phone too in order not to get lost (have Garmin 945 but not sure how to use maps on it yet)

Lurching · 29-04-2021 10:16am

Have you got the All Trails app?

TFBubendorfer · 29-04-2021 2:18pm

I find the Komoot app really good for planning trail runs. Also helps with navigation while out on the run.

average_runner · 29-04-2021 2:35pm

If heading to Hellfire or even Ticknock forest, you need to get there before 8 at least if you are driving. We got the last spot in Ticknock last Sunday at 830. Hellfire was the same the week before

Unthought Known · 29-04-2021 3:04pm

average_runner wrote: »

If heading to Hellfire or even Ticknock forest, you need to get there before 8 at least if you are driving. We got the last spot in Ticknock last Sunday at 830. Hellfire was the same the week before

Or run up

ReeReeG · 29-04-2021 3:10pm

Unthought Known wrote: »

Or run up

Yeah park at Marlay even (although again, you'd probably need to be there by 11) and run up Ticknock from there. Tis a lovely run.

Mar Azul · 29-04-2021 3:12pm

Unthought Known wrote: »

Or run up

Exactly, from Ballyboden roundabout to touch the Hellfireclub is bang on 5k and from Grange golf course to Kilmashogue car park is about 3k.

Way too many cars up that neck of the wood over the weekends, creating havoc for locals.

average_runner · 29-04-2021 4:04pm

Unthought Known wrote: »

Or run up

I don't know the area too well. So driving was the easy option with 8 & 10 year old.

If we go to Marley, is there a good trail for kids up to Ticknock?

Unthought Known · 29-04-2021 7:01pm

average_runner wrote: »

I don't know the area too well. So driving was the easy option with 8 & 10 year old.

If we go to Marley, is there a good trail for kids up to Ticknock?

Ah yeah of course, I'd have done the same with kids. From Marlay you can follow the Wicklow Way signs. Lovely walk up, but pretty steep.

MuchoTrails · 29-04-2021 10:01pm

GameChanger wrote:

Hey Pal.. You mind your side of the street, I'll mind mine. You are entitled to your opinion, as I am. I see now, below you are giving a legal opinion to the lads. Let me say the Guards, are no fools. Maybe get yourself a FAS course or something under the belt, because there is a wind a blowing, and the Lads will be ratting each other out like you wouldn't believe. And it's personal between me and the dirtbag Hutch.

Strava Heat maps are great for designing routes and easy enough to send to your Garmin watch if it supports maps.

Look up Dublin Mountain Half Marathon on the IMRA events and you'll get an idea of that distance. Can use Hellfire to get few km, then you cross over to Massey, through Cruagh, into Tribradden where Zipit is and next stop Fairy Castle.

Stick to the firetracks and don't go off trail if you're not familiar with the area.

Enduro · 29-04-2021 10:41pm

The easiest thing to do if you don't know how to navigate is to follow the waymarked ways (Dublin mountain way covers most of what you're looking for). Wicklow way is also a good route. You can do out and back on sections of them for as long as you like. They overlap so do pay attention to which is DMW versus WW when they're pointing in different direction on the same signpost.

IMRA is good for finding race routes. Trails are mapped in lots of websites, and lots of open source maps that can be downloaded to your phone fro offline navigation. But please don't rely on your phone too much. They are easy to kill in the hills!

Also worth carrying additional kit for if the weather turns. Better to be looking at it than looking for it.

Naked Lepper · 30-04-2021 12:26pm

Lurching wrote: »

Have you got the All Trails app?

not yet but i will google it now
thanks for all the replies

going to park at johnny foxes and try the dublin way and see how it goes

FinnC · 30-04-2021 1:40pm

Crone Woods is a good place for a bit of trail running.

Supercell · 30-04-2021 1:43pm

You could park in Shankhill and run up to the Ballycorus Lead mine, lots of nice trails around there.

AhhHere · 06-05-2021 10:33pm

Mar Azul wrote: »

Exactly, from Ballyboden roundabout to touch the Hellfireclub is bang on 5k and from Grange golf course to Kilmashogue car park is about 3k.

Way too many cars up that neck of the wood over the weekends, creating havoc for locals.

Stupid question. I looked this route up and see the path runs out and becomes country roads. Whats traffic like if running on the road?

py · 06-05-2021 10:39pm

AhhHere wrote: »

Stupid question. I looked this route up and see the path runs out and becomes country roads. Whats traffic like if running on the road?

I've done it a few times and it's been fine. The roads get busier later in the morning so I'd try get up early. I run with the traffic for most of it due to it being a popular cyclist route. I'll run against the traffic when there's a left bend in the road and I want to be sure I can see and also be seen. There's a grass verge you can step on to if you want to get off the road as motorists/cyclists pass you.

Edit: I'll often wear earphones when running but this is one route I don't as I want to hear what's ahead/behind.

AhhHere · 06-05-2021 10:43pm

py wrote: »

I've done it a few times and it's been fine. The roads get busier later in the morning so I'd try get up early. I run with the traffic for most of it due to it being a popular cyclist route. I'll run against the traffic when there's a left bend in the road and I want to be sure I can see and also be seen. There's a grass verge you can step on to if you want to get off the road as motorists/cyclists pass you.

Lovely, thanks. Ran on roads outside of dublin but very little traffic. Also ran the DMW which has some roads but some hairy moments so like to know what I'm getting myself into. Paralysis by analysis possibly but I love to plan ahead. Appreciate the response.

Enduro · 09-05-2021 10:44pm

py wrote: »

I've done it a few times and it's been fine. The roads get busier later in the morning so I'd try get up early. I run with the traffic for most of it due to it being a popular cyclist route. I'll run against the traffic when there's a left bend in the road and I want to be sure I can see and also be seen. There's a grass verge you can step on to if you want to get off the road as motorists/cyclists pass you.

I spend a lot of time running on the roads in the Dublin/Wicklow mountains. My advice would be the opposite of yours for which side of the road to run on. Run into the direction of traffic, for all the safety reasons that this has been advised over the years. Cyclist are no different to cars for this. As I cyclist I prefer to see pedestrians coming towards me, as its much easier to know that we see each other, so something unexpected is less likely to happen.

The other thing I would say is you can either be very meek (which I wouldn't recommend) or assertive. You have a right to run on the road. Drivers use the road by license, which can be withdrawn. They are not more important than you. So don't run right at the edge of the road, inviting a close pass. run a bit out from the edge to make sure you're both visible, and that your presence requires a reaction (which should be to pass leaving enough room). 99% of drivers are good safe drivers and well able to deal with this without issue. The other 1% are the reason to be assertive.

jamule · 09-05-2021 11:34pm

Enduro wrote: »

I spend a lot of time running on the roads in the Dublin/Wicklow mountains. My advice would be the opposite of yours for which side of the road to run on. Run into the direction of traffic, for all the safety reasons that this has been advised over the years. Cyclist are no different to cars for this. As I cyclist I prefer to see pedestrians coming towards me, as its much easier to know that we see each other, so something unexpected is less likely to happen.

The other thing I would say is you can either be very meek (which I wouldn't recommend) or assertive. You have a right to run on the road. Drivers use the road by license, which can be withdrawn. They are not more important than you. So don't run right at the edge of the road, inviting a close pass. run a bit out from the edge to make sure you're both visible, and that your presence requires a reaction (which should be to pass leaving enough room). 99% of drivers are good safe drivers and well able to deal with this without issue. The other 1% are the reason to be assertive.

I would add, run on the safest side of the road, in most cases its against traffic, but on right had bends its the opposite side, also there are a lot of roads where the hard shoulder is more hospitable on the 'wrong' side.

I have seen genius's stay on the right side of the road even when there is a path on the left side.

And the assertive bit is essential.

Dublin/Wicklow mountain running trails

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