Route suggestion

blueballfc

Anyone out there with a route suggestion for ballinlasloe to Dublin Heuston, Sunday looking good weather wise and fancy a spin with the wind on back and get the train home.....

moonshadow

It's a pretty standard spin of which I'm doing the other way round in June albeit a 200k spin ,
My wrong way round is Ballinasloe- Tyrrelspass (food stop) - maynooth (more food) DUblin.... (your dest.)
Old road and poor surface with wind behind you probably, Athlone is the only issue is it national road along the motorway or national road over the distance of Athlone ?

John_Rambo

Happened apun this thread by accident. My sport involves wind and it's looking like it will be an unusual Easterly wind on Sunday (in your face!!). Keep an eye of the forecast and best of luck on your spin.

Regards JR.

nilhg

Here you go OP,

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19718082

I'm reasonably familiar with Ballinasloe to Rathcoole, from there on is at best an educated guess....

Personally I'd suggest considering spending some of your time in the Blooms, and then getting the train home from Portarlington, come back to me on that if you want.

mr spuckler

hey, i'm originally from athlone so have done dublin to athlone and vice versa a few times.

the old N6 is fine with hard shoulder most of the way and is the route i've taken most of the time.

there are some stretches between rochfortbridge and kinnegad and then between kilcock and maynooth where the shoulder disappears for a bit.

the last time i did it though i took the new greenway from athlone to mullingar and then straight onto the canal towpath from mullingar to the county boundary between westmeath & meath up past killucan. from there you can rejoin the main road near kinnegad - this way adds about 10km versus going straight up the old N6 but does mean that you get about 60-70km completely away from road traffic

blueballfc

mr spuckler wrote: »

hey, i'm originally from athlone so have done dublin to athlone and vice versa a few times.

the old N6 is fine with hard shoulder most of the way and is the route i've taken most of the time.

there are some stretches between rochfortbridge and kinnegad and then between kilcock and maynooth where the shoulder disappears for a bit.

the last time i did it though i took the new greenway from athlone to mullingar and then straight onto the canal towpath from mullingar to the county boundary between westmeath & meath up past killucan. from there you can rejoin the main road near kinnegad - this way adds about 10km versus going straight up the old N6 but does mean that you get about 60-70km completely away from road traffic

Thanks good shout here not sure how to get on to the greenway but will do some digging. From killucanto Summerhill then Dunboyne then into town seems very straight forward or is there a better way ?

mr spuckler

blueballfc wrote: »

Thanks good shout here not sure how to get on to the greenway but will do some digging. From killucanto Summerhill then Dunboyne then into town seems very straight forward or is there a better way ?

do you know athlone well at all? can give you pretty easy directions depending on how well you know the town!

here is the new starting point, don't be fooled by the railway line in google earth here!

map view here for some reason the pin in the map doesn't work on this but it's the rail line between sarsfield square and beech park. alternatively you can join at garrycastle if you know where that is? decent shop at garrycastle right at the entrance too if you want a snack or to stock up.

someone else had asked above btw if you can cycle the athlone by-pass. the answer is yes, motorway ends before the town and becomes a normal dual carriageway for a few miles.

yeah i'd say the dunboyne route probably is most direct alright though you'd be without a hard shoulder until you get past dunboyne. for me on these long spins i prefer the comfort of being separated from the traffic but you might be ok with it!

blueballfc

mr spuckler wrote: »

do you know athlone well at all? can give you pretty easy directions depending on how well you know the town!

here is the new starting point, don't be fooled by the railway line in google earth here!

map view here for some reason the pin in the map doesn't work on this but it's the rail line between sarsfield square and beech park. alternatively you can join at garrycastle if you know where that is? decent shop at garrycastle right at the entrance too if you want a snack or to stock up.

someone else had asked above btw if you can cycle the athlone by-pass. the answer is yes, motorway ends before the town and becomes a normal dual carriageway for a few miles.

yeah i'd say the dunboyne route probably is most direct alright though you'd be without a hard shoulder until you get past dunboyne. for me on these long spins i prefer the comfort of being separated from the traffic but you might be ok with it!

So slight chnage of plans, departure will be Athenry, Ballinasloe via Kilconnell, from there on to Athlone. From there hop on greenway all the way to Killucan. Back on the road then Summer hill dundoyne - into town. Looks ilke 198 K as per https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19734683.

Food stops Athlone and Summerhill......

mr spuckler

looks great!

will you have that route on your GPS for navigation? the shop at garrycastle has benches outside for cyclists to use if you're planning a stop in athlone. pretty sure they also have track pumps etc there too - this is a bike hire base for the greenway.

if you get on the greenway at the white gates as per your route above, you'll only be on it about a mile before you pass under an old stone hump-back bridge. you can cut off here (it's an obvious exit) and you'll be right at the shop.

blueballfc

mr spuckler wrote: »

looks great!

will you have that route on your GPS for navigation? the shop at garrycastle has benches outside for cyclists to use if you're planning a stop in athlone. pretty sure they also have track pumps etc there too - this is a bike hire base for the greenway.

if you get on the greenway at the white gates as per your route above, you'll only be on it about a mile before you pass under an old stone hump-back bridge. you can cut off here (it's an obvious exit) and you'll be right at the shop.

cheers sounds like a plan will let you know how it goes, thanks

blueballfc

blueballfc wrote: »

cheers sounds like a plan will let you know how it goes, thanks

Got delayed and started in Athlone. Great day on the bike, greenway to mulligan is great surface and was very quite despite the weather. Great great amenity for people more of it needed. Royal canal to killucan was bit rougher but easily do able on the road bike..... 68 K in total with no cars.
Good shout about the easterly wind head wind all for 140 K

John_Rambo

blueballfc wrote: »

Got delayed and started in Athlone. Great day on the bike, greenway to mulligan is great surface and was very quite despite the weather. Great great amenity for people more of it needed. Royal canal to killucan was bit rougher but easily do able on the road bike..... 68 K in total with no cars.
Good shout about the easterly wind head wind all for 140 K

It shifted South Easterly and slacked off from what I can gather. Did you have a head wind or a side wind, or were you protected from buildings/hedgrow

Fair play to you, sounds like a great trip.