Places 100km from Dublin

sleepyholland

Myself and a couple of fellow cyclists are planning on heading about 100km on Saturday, staying the night and coming back Sunday.
We need suggestions.

Ideally, we'd like to get onto quiet roads as soon as possible, we're not adverse to a bit of climbing, but not too much as we'll have a bit of overnight gear with us. Any destinations spring to mind? We'll probably stay in a hotel if we can get a last minute deal, but open to ideas.

Somewhere interesting would be good, with something to do on the Saturday night/Sunday morning - we've ruled out Electric Picnic!

DirkVoodoo

You could try doing the TOI route up to Mt.Leinster, stay the night somewhere local then approach it from the other side and back to Dublin. Its about 120km each way, but the climb will make it more memorable than just clocking up a distance on fairly flat/rolling roads.

oobydooby

A bit shorter than what you were thinking of, but just what leaps to mind.

A/ Trip across the military road to Glendalough. If it's not long enough you can easily vary the route. Very nice for picnic etc. but not mad for night-life. Gorgeous cycling and you can vary the route back over the Wicklow gap and take in the braveheart route for a bit of variety and steep hills.

B/ Trip to Trim. Very close to Dublin but great place for a weekend. Super pubs with music, dancing etc. Plenty to see and enjoy as well. Again, you can vary the route out or back to put in extra miles if it's a bit short. But if it's a poxy day on Sunday/deadly night on Saturday it's nice to have the option of a direct route home, especially with bags.

Weekends away with the bike are the silver lining for football injuries!

ROK ON

Hi. I would suggest Dublin - Kilkenny. Great town/city and lots to do and see. Beautiful rolling countryside.

116kms by main roads. I cycled from Carlow back to Dublin a few weeks back. N9 isnt too bad. Big hard shoulder in places. You could go via Kilcullen. Alternatively go back roads via Naas, Blessington and then head southwest for Timolin, Bagnalstown and acroos to Kilkenny via Castlewaren. Some beautiful country side in Carlow/Kilkenny. Alternatively from Kilcullen you could head for Athy, Castlecomer to Kilkenny.

Kilkenny has great pubs (Tynans for 1), great restaurants (Rinucini, Zuni etc) plenty of places to stay and a direct train back to Dublin if ye get knackered.

hunnymonster

Dublin to Dundalk is about 100km. There are quite a few hotels there now and unless there is some big event on they often have special offers. Nothing special about the scenery on teh way up but the roads are pretty quiet and not much in the way of climbing.

sleepyholland

Dear god, not Dundalk. Only joking, I spend enough time in that neck of the woods already. I think Kilkenny might be winning out, is there anywhere else worth a visit in south wicklow? Been to the hostel in Glendalough and enjoyed that trip, so little traffic too made it very enjoyable.

blorg

Dublin-Abbeyleix is 100km and while Abbeyleix is nothing special it was a very nice (and flat) cycle from Naas onwards (I did this as the first leg of a Dublin-Cork cycle a few months ago- photos on that link.)

Reckon if I was doing it again I would go over Bohernabreena and across the N81 to Kilteel to avoid the N7 out of Dublin. Bit hillier but more picturesque. The N78 was fine IMHO.

EDIT: Athy might be a bit more lively BTW, and you could make that a bit over 100km by tracing a route across Wicklow- this one takes in both Sally and Wicklow Gaps, very scenic but could be tough going! You could cycle the flat way back.

ROK ON

blorg wrote: »

Reckon if I was doing it again I would go over Bohernabreena and across the N81 to Kilteel to avoid the N7 out of Dublin. Bit hillier but more picturesque. The N78 was fine IMHO.

Would echo this.

For other ways out of Dublin to avoid the N7, you can try Naas to Kilcullen (R448) quite nice actually. Wide quite road, some nice hills (short) (in Kilcullen).
Naas to Ballymore Eustace.
Newcastle to Saggart (R120), Saggart to Blessington (road is parallel to N81) and has fantastic brand new surface. This helps avoid the busiest part of the N81. It joins the main road just outside Kilbride.

blorg

I cycled from Naas to Kilcullen on the R448 on my Dublin-Cork trip, it was indeed very pleasant. The key thing is just to avoid the N7- it's actually perfectly safe with a big hard shoulder but it is certainly not pleasant.

If you do want to try something starting heading out over the Wicklow mountains, a whole bunch of us Boardsies will be heading out that way on Saturday at least as far as Laragh I reckon, very likely continuing over the Wicklow Gap from where we would prob turn back to Dublin but you could press on to Athy. Might even press on to Athy myself and back to Dublin from there.

Stark

I did Dublin - Courtown (near Gorey) with a few friends a while back. Apart from the climb from Bray to Greystones, it's quite flat and takes in some nice places along the way: Bray, Greystones, Wicklow town, Arklow, Brittas Bay and Gorey. I'd recommend the Happy Pear on Church Road, Greystones as a place to stop in Greystones, really nice smoothy place (they also do coffee, cakes and food).

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103820776091211683817.0004555f093c6e38827fb&ll=53.034607,-5.984802&spn=1.174287,2.471924&z=9

We're probably going to do Dublin - Athlone in the next few weeks. It's along the old N4/N6 which is now completely bypassed, so it should be nice and quiet.

Muller_1

Dublin, Aughrim Co. Wicklow, via Laragh and Glenmalure

sleepyholland

Thanks for all the suggestions. We'll decide on it tomorrow. I'll let yous know we we end up, and maybe post a little report on sunday night.

Capt'n Midnight

blorg

sleepy- myself and Raam cycled to Waterford yesterday on nice back roads, it would be slightly over 100km (maybe around 115km) but you could go to Kilkenny the way we went (Eadestown, Ballmore Eustace, Dunlavin, Castledermot, Carlow, Leighlinbridge) and do the other leg via the N78 (which is not so bad for a N road) - Castlecomer, Athy, Kilcullen.) I'd probably suggest yesterday's route down to leave the N78 back as our route down was probably a bit more challenging.