Best Climb/Descent in Wicklow?

pmg001

Just interested to hear peoples opinions.

Personally, my favourite climb would have to be Slieve Mann from Glenmalure side, and descent would probably be Wicklow gap into Laragh. Actually the old long hill from Calary into Kilmac is quite a good descent but is a bit short.

Hoping people will suggest some amazing hidden alpine-like climbs that I've yet to find in Wicklow!!

DirkVoodoo

The descent of Calary is probably my favourite, as it's the only one I ever manage to tackle well. Just need to be aware of traffic coming from Enniskerry on your left half way down.

I don't think you will find anything Alpine, so I'm told, but any of the climbs/descents to/from Sally Gap are pretty good and scenic.

velo.2010

pmg001 wrote: »

amazing hidden alpine-like climbs .... in Wicklow!!

:eek:

Haven't found any yet.....though you could try the Col de Butter Mountain!:D

The ascent up to Sally Gap from Kilbride side looks daunting, plenty of ramps up to the summit but a quick descent off the top heading back!

TheBandit

The decent coming from sally's gap past viewpoint towards tallaght is a fun. Lots of twists and turns but it does get quite a bit of traffic on sunny days

buffalo

TheBandit wrote: »

The decent coming from sally's gap past viewpoint towards tallaght is a fun. Lots of twists and turns but it does get quite a bit of traffic on sunny days

That's Stocking Lane/Kilakee Road, and yeah, it can be busy sometimes. It's a long climb from Scholarstown Road, one of my favourite descents.

For a short tough climb, I like to include Old Long Hill in my route - between Enniskerry and Roundwood.

ROK ON

For climbing and descending I absolutely love Shay Elliott from both sides. Two very dufferent climbs and descents. But both are great.
Shay Elliott is my favourite climb in the country or else maybe the Healy Pass on the Kerryside.
My favourite descent outside Wicklow is Tunnels into Glengariff.

nomadic

Did djouce for the first time a few weeks ago . Quite the climb and a deadly decent dodging walkers.

IM0

if you mean alpine like in terms of how hard and long they are then the best one to similaute this type of effort is probably either stocking lane to the featherbeds. From stocking lane to the lookout carpark over Dublin is a pretty unrelenting tough climb avgeraging about 8% mostly and nasty sections around 13-15%.

The other one is very close Cruagh road (on your left if your on stocking lane climb as you get to the lookout car park) brings you down to a junction and to the right to Jonny Foxes, another steep 9% one, but dont go up it yet, go straight to the bottom of Cruagh rd and then when you climb back up to here take that right (now left) to go towards jonny foxes.

I dont really have a favourite really. None come close to true French Alpine climbs which I love all the ones around Bourg. All the ones over here are training and I usually do multiple times each in sets and move on to another for a few sets.

Favourite descent might be Wicklow gap speed wise on the Laragh side, I usually hit 75km/h it flattens out in that middle bit
and the other side of WW Gap scenery wise.

A couple of years ago I came down the Elliot side of Slieve Maan and that was a really fast desent, but didnt know it so didnt hit 70 or 80 that time, but once I get the corners/kinks in my head Im fairly sure thats do able, though I think it was a pretty heavy road, so maybe not?

roc_racer

MTB climb from the wooden bridge on the WW at Knockree, up through Crone car park and up Maulin from the right hand side, finishing up the zig zags with the water bars. Non-stop climbing all the way and hardest at the top. Don't drop to the granny for the last section !

Nietzschean

me@ucd wrote: »

A couple of years ago I came down the Elliot side of Slieve Maan and that was a really fast desent, but didnt know it so didnt hit 70 or 80 that time, but once I get the corners/kinks in my head Im fairly sure thats do able, though I think it was a pretty heavy road, so maybe not?

After the TOI last year it was possible to get very high speeds on that descent as they had the corners all marked well with advance warning/indications of how much you had to slow for the corner.

niceonetom

The climb up to the forest above Bohernabreena is the longest steepest bastard close to Dublin I think. Cruagh and Stocking lane are a close second. None of them are more than about 350m though .

I have a bit of an idea brewing about trying to do the Cruagh and Stocking Lane climbs ten times (5 each way) up to the view point. That would be +3000m assent in ~120km. I've no idea why I think this is a good idea.

Nietzschean wrote: »

After the TOI last year it was possible to get very high speeds on that descent as they had the corners all marked well with advance warning/indications of how much you had to slow for the corner.

Those bloody things slowed me down sooooooo much. Oh noes a big yellow arrow and chevrons and DANGER SLOW written before every innocuous minor curve. By the time I figured out they were being hysterically over protective I was already at the bottom having squandered a hard earned descent. Which I HATE.

I like the descent from the other side. There a little hump back bridge you can get serious air on.

Also like the descent from SG towards kilbride - it usually has a tailwind and you can really attack the rises before Kippure House.

pmg001

I saw another thread on here a while back that had people putting up times for various climbs around Limerick.
Anything similiar ever done for Wicklow? Had a search but didn't find anything.
I suppose all it takes is for a marker at the bottom and top of each of the main climbs was identified and then people post their times whenever they did them.
It would make the climbs a bit more interesting if you had times to aim for as doing the wicklow gap for the hundreth time can get a bit tedious.

Nietzschean

niceonetom wrote: »

I like the descent from the other side. There a little hump back bridge you can get serious air on.

That not on the SE descent? i could be confused though not been there in a while

Descent down from luggala is one of my fav's just for high speed cornering/spinning out between bends. Top speed on the djouce descent towards enniskerry, which is always nice, its a bit dangerous though with the cars in the way...

blorg

I've done the Wicklow Gap in 7 minutes.

IM0

Ive done the WW gap in 8 1/2 minutes with the 53x11

Dr_Colossus

Last Sun I was out for a random cycle and ended up in NewTownMountKennedy and took a small road that linked back to the main road linking Roundwood to Kilmacanogue coming out at Ballinastoe. It was a right stinker of a climb and hit 20% on the garmin for a few mins while I struggled uphill. Anyone ever do this climb, it's a real country road and wouldn't fancy trying to descend down it but good for climbing.

-K2-

blorg wrote: »

I've done the Wicklow Gap in 7 minutes.

What was the start point? A map would be handy.

Thanks!

petethedrummer

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Last Sun I was out for a random cycle and ended up in NewTownMountKennedy and took a small road that linked back to the main road linking Roundwood to Kilmacanogue coming out at Ballinastoe.

I was in the area myself during the week and thought this road looked like a good climb. I was going downhill.....in a car....so i might be wrong.

-K2-

petethedrummer wrote: »

I was in the area myself during the week and thought this road looked like a good climb. I was going downhill.....in a car....so i might be wrong.

It's a handy enough decent anyway.

blorg

ElectronEng wrote: »

What was the start point? A map would be handy.

Here you go

levitronix

I think the Climb from the carpark at 3rock up the masts is the closest thing to an alpine climb just because of the few switch back turns and the scenery

Al Wright

There's a relatively short but sharp climb on the Ashford to Annamoe road (R763) starting at Devil's Glen, I think the one of the shoulders about half way along has the steepest gradient you are likely to find on on a main road. I snapped a quick link on my chain on it week before last. I wouldn't recommend it as a downhill run, in wet weather gravel tends to get washed out onto the road.

Raam

niceonetom wrote: »

I have a bit of an idea brewing about trying to do the Cruagh and Stocking Lane climbs ten times (5 each way) up to the view point. That would be +3000m assent in ~120km. I've no idea why I think this is a good idea.

You should do this.

blorg wrote: »

I've done the Wicklow Gap in 7 minutes.

6.59, myself.

blorg

Raam wrote: »

6.59, myself.

Having seen you descend, I doubt that :pac:

Raam

blorg wrote: »

Having seen you descend, I doubt that :pac:

I actually thought we were talking about going up
Yes, my descending skills leave a lot to be desired.

blorg

Raam wrote: »

I actually thought we were talking about going up
Yes, my descending skills leave a lot to be desired.

The Wicklow Gap? In seven minutes? On the flip side I suspect you would be more than 1 second faster than me on a climb.

Raam

blorg wrote: »

The Wicklow Gap? In seven minutes? On the flip side I suspect you would be more than 1 second faster than me on a climb.

It was just a poor attempt at humour on my part

Dr_Colossus

What kind of time would you guys have for climbing the wicklow gap, it's shown as 6.8km. Have never timed it and only ever climbed it twice on an MTB so no idea what a good time would be, is sub 20mins possible without the need of a defibrillator at the summit?

Lumen

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

What kind of time would you guys have for climbing the wicklow gap, it's shown as 6.8km. Have never timed it and only ever climbed it twice on an MTB so no idea what a good time would be, is sub 20mins possible without the need of a defibrillator at the summit?

There was some discussion here (seemed like a good idea at the time, never went anywhere).

Poncherello

Most exhilarating descent I have ever done is the one on the route of Kenmare Half iron Man. Is it the Healy Pass ? I should really know.
Loads of switchbacks savage fun. Plenty of seep to avoid too !

ROK ON

Poncherello wrote: »

Most exhilarating descent I have ever done is the one on the route of Kenmare Half iron Man. Is it the Healy Pass ? I should really know.
Loads of switchbacks savage fun. Plenty of seep to avoid too !

The descent of the Healy Pass from the summit to Adrigole has about 8 or 9 switchbacks.