Winter spin recommendations - West Dublin/Kildare/Meath

DaithiMC

Hi,

I am trying to put together a set of 50, 75, and 100km routes coming out of Dundrum and heading to the Phoenix Park, going along The Strawberry Beds and out into Kildare and Meath, looping back to the Phoenix Park. I'm trying to keep the spins relatively flat but also on reasonable surfaces. Any recommendations about the roads out that way would be gratefully appreciated. I have some experience but figured I could save myself a lot of exploration by fishing the Boards! Thanks in advance!

kildarecommuter

Lucan, Celbridge, Rathcoffey, Donadea, Timahoe, Coill Dubh, Robertstown, Caragh, Sallins, Straffan, Ardclough Newcastle, Lucan should be 80-100 ish !

Tomred13

Hi DaithiBc

Dundrum- Phoenixpark-carpenterstown rd to clonee-kilbride-rathoath-dunshaughlin-dunsany-summerhill-dunboyne-park-dundrum,, slightly over a 100ks but mostly dead flat with quiet country roads. usually head out that way on sat morns.

DaithiMC

Excellent, thanks for the suggestions. The Phoenix Park is a great launch pad for that side of the county, adding a lap also gives another 10 km if needed! Now for the important question.... Recommended cake stops?

t'bear

DaithiMC wrote: »

Excellent, thanks for the suggestions. The Phoenix Park is a great launch pad for that side of the county, adding a lap also gives another 10 km if needed! Now for the important question.... Recommended cake stops?

Nice grub at the shop at the hill of Tara

seven stars

Strawberry Beds is nice, but the speedbumps are a pain in the hole.

DaithiMC

seven stars wrote: »

Strawberry Beds is nice, but the speedbumps are a pain in the hole.

Yes, I've been down there a few times but never really went on loops beyond that, still it seems to be a reasonable way to access out west while minimising car traffic.

DaithiMC

kildarecommuter wrote: »

Lucan, Celbridge, Rathcoffey, Donadea, Timahoe, Coill Dubh, Robertstown, Caragh, Sallins, Straffan, Ardclough Newcastle, Lucan should be 80-100 ish !

Did this yesterday - threw in a loop around the Phoenix park and from Newcastle went on through Saggart-Tallaght-Firhouse, 125k by the time I got back. lovely route, not too flat but no legbreakers, just what I need for the winter. I think yesterday was probably as cold as it gets, hitting only 2C when we got onto the Celbridge road.

One con - a distinct lack of coffee shops - there were a few Centras but no where to sit inside and not freeze!

Thanks again for the suggestion. Meath next!

frazzledazzle

DaithiMC wrote: »

Did this yesterday - threw in a loop around the Phoenix park and from Newcastle went on through Saggart-Tallaght-Firhouse, 125k by the time I got back. lovely route, not too flat but no legbreakers, just what I need for the winter. I think yesterday was probably as cold as it gets, hitting only 2C when we got onto the Celbridge road.

One con - a distinct lack of coffee shops - there were a few Centras but no where to sit inside and not freeze!

Thanks again for the suggestion. Meath next!

Costa coffee if you do a short divert from Sallins to the huge Tesco on the Monread Rd ............ you missed a trick there !!

DaithiMC

frazzledazzle wrote: »

Costa coffee if you do a short divert from Sallins to the huge Tesco on the Monread Rd ............ you missed a trick there !!

In fairness, we tried to stay to the quieter roads so while the waypoints were the towns\villages listed, on the larger towns we didn't want to have to play with the traffic so much. I know that then is the trade-off - quiet roads, less commercial trade but I was surprised that even in a place like Straffan (which we did divert to) there wasn't a coffee shop, just the usual Centra\Mace\Londis. I didn't spend time exploring though so someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

Here's the route if anyone wants to use it.... http://www.mapmyride.com/ie/sandyford-l/kildare-120k-route-322519479

nilhg

DaithiMC wrote: »

In fairness, we tried to stay to the quieter roads so while the waypoints were the towns\villages listed, on the larger towns we didn't want to have to play with the traffic so much. I know that then is the trade-off - quiet roads, less commercial trade but I was surprised that even in a place like Straffan (which we did divert to) there wasn't a coffee shop, just the usual Centra\Mace\Londis. I didn't spend time exploring though so someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

Here's the route if anyone wants to use it.... http://www.mapmyride.com/ie/sandyford-l/kildare-120k-route-322519479

You could have gone up to the K Club, no problem with the coffee there:P

You didn't go all the way down to the village of Caragh, think you'd have got somewhere to sit in and have your stop there (IIRC a garage at the Naas end of the village) or gone through but turned back to Sallins via Osberstown and have had your stop there.

mcgratheoin

Nice coffee shop in Straffan antiques just out the Maynooth road beside the roundabout (not sure if it's open all year round).

https://maps.google.ie/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=barberstown+house&aq=&sll=53.324257,-6.60759&sspn=0.001852,0.005284&vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Barberstown+House,+Straffan,+County+Kildare&t=m&z=16

DaithiMC

nilhg wrote: »

You could have gone up to the K Club, no problem with the coffee there:P

You didn't go all the way down to the village of Caragh, think you'd have got somewhere to sit in and have your stop there (IIRC a garage at the Naas end of the village) or gone through but turned back to Sallins via Osberstown and have had your stop there.

As my daughter would say to me "thanks for stating the bl**ding obvious!" - I did think the K Club but thought that I'd need the Classic car, not the bike for that one!

Yes, might try Caragh next time - actually we got behind a Naas cycling club train on the way down that road to where we turned off, nice to get a tow now and again - thanks to anyone in that group! Actually thinking of calling a few of the B&Bs around to see if they'd take a few bob for a coffee and some toast!