Travelling Dublin - Ballina

2ndcoming

How's it going folks?

I'm heading down to Ballina for a wedding tomorrow and I've never been to that side of Mayo before. I was wondering if anyone could advise me which is the best route, either through Strokestown and up through Swinford or staying on to near Sligo town and heading over the N59. Or maybe even the Boyle / Tobercurry route?

Any help much appreciated.

yop

2ndcoming wrote: »

How's it going folks?

I'm heading down to Ballina for a wedding tomorrow and I've never been to that side of Mayo before. I was wondering if anyone could advise me which is the best route, either through Strokestown and up through Swinford or staying on to near Sligo town and heading over the N59. Or maybe even the Boyle / Tobercurry route?

Any help much appreciated.

When I am coming from Dublin, which I was doing on an almost daily basis I started taking the motorway to Athlone, then into Roscommon, head for Tulsk, take a left in Tulsk heading for Ballaghdereen, well its bypassed now.
Then take a right for Swinford, head for Foxford and then Ballina

skipper756

+1 for the above route. I am up and down to Dublin on a regular basis and I have always found Athlone - Roscommon - Tulsk - Ballaghadreen - Swinford - Foxford - Ballina to be the best route.

Ilovelucy

Since ballaghdereen by pass opened it's best to come that way.

homewardbound11

Dublin . Longford. Strokes town . Ballaghaderrin . Swinford. Ballina.
Done it enough times to know .
Rubbish road from athlone to tulsk.


Dublin athlone 1hr plus athlone to tulsk 40 mins . Tulsk to swinford 40mins. Swinford to Ballina. 25 mins.

Dublin to Longford 1hr 20 . Longford to swinford 1hr. Swinford to Ballina 20 mins.

yop

homewardbound11 wrote: »

Dublin . Longford. Strokes town . Ballaghaderrin . Swinford. Ballina.
Done it enough times to know .
Rubbish road from athlone to tulsk.


Dublin athlone 1hr plus athlone to tulsk 40 mins . Tulsk to swinford 40mins. Swinford to Ballina. 25 mins.

Dublin to Longford 1hr 20 . Longford to swinford 1hr. Swinford to Ballina 20 mins.

Too much traffic on the Longford route during the main travel times.
So your saying 5 mins shorter going Longford

I just found it doing it daily from Cbar to Dublin for 3 months that you were caught up from Longford until you got to the motorway. Tulsk road surface is top notch, maybe 6-8 corner but its a lot quieter.
You;ll get to Athlone in under an hour, its 120k so even sitting on the speed limit for the majority of it will kick you in an hour, but you can skip along there at 130kmph and you will be ok.
Longford bypass helps but the road from strokestown gives you no where to pass with any level of traffic.

homewardbound11

yop wrote: »

Too much traffic on the Longford route during the main travel times.
So your saying 5 mins shorter going Longford

I just found it doing it daily from Cbar to Dublin for 3 months that you were caught up from Longford until you got to the motorway. Tulsk road surface is top notch, maybe 6-8 corner but its a lot quieter.
You;ll get to Athlone in under an hour, its 120k so even sitting on the speed limit for the majority of it will kick you in an hour, but you can skip along there at 130kmph and you will be ok.
Longford bypass helps but the road from strokestown gives you no where to pass with any level of traffic.

Castlebar to athlone is 2hours via the tulsk route. Not too many overtaking spots on tulsk to Roscommon. I would do the east west route about 3 days a week . I guess it's a case if preference . I got all my penalty points 6 between tulsk and Roscommon over the years. They must smell the mayo person in me . Think yop might understand that from a gaa point if view.

yop

homewardbound11 wrote: »

Castlebar to athlone is 2hours via the tulsk route. Not too many overtaking spots on tulsk to Roscommon. I would do the east west route about 3 days a week . I guess it's a case if preference . I got all my penalty points 6 between tulsk and Roscommon over the years. They must smell the mayo person in me . Think yop might understand that from a gaa point if view.

There was 2 Mayo lads in the traffic core up there, feckers used to nail everyone!

homewardbound11

yop wrote: »

There was 2 Mayo lads in the traffic core up there, feckers used to nail everyone!

Out of boredom times it today. Little traffic both ways . Times it from tulsk to where the 2motwrways meet. It was 11 mins shorter on the Longford route. But yop is right . A bank holiday weekend in. And around 4to8 pm would make the athlone route quicker.

yop

homewardbound11 wrote: »

Out of boredom times it today. Little traffic both ways . Times it from tulsk to where the 2motwrways meet. It was 11 mins shorter on the Longford route. But yop is right . A bank holiday weekend in. And around 4to8 pm would make the athlone route quicker.

Well if u keep within the legal limits Longford looks shorter, though I am an impatient banstand!

Which ever suits OP, get there safe and sound anyway.