Cycling the Ireland Way

Peck3277

Has anyone here cycled the Ireland Way?

I'm looking for some long distance trails for some bikepacking. The Ireland Way seems like the best candidate for it. From the reading I've done there is a bike version that mainly uses the road, but I'm thinking of loading up a hardtail and following the trail.

I imagine there would be plenty of sections where you would have to push/carry the bike but I wouldn't be opposed to that.

Has anyone here done part or all of it?

saccades

If I'm being honest, that's not an inspiring route. Middle of Ireland has some nice bits but a lot of nowt special.

A route along the "wild Atlantic way"* would be much better.

* - the wild Atlantic way is a marketing connector rather than an actual way.

Peck3277

Yea, I've done a few bits on the wild atlantic way. There's some great sections there but I've been thinking of trying to get off road in a more adventure touring style rather than road touring.

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Peck3277 wrote: »

Has anyone here cycled the Ireland Way?

I'm looking for some long distance trails for some bikepacking. The Ireland Way seems like the best candidate for it. From the reading I've done there is a bike version that mainly uses the road, but I'm thinking of loading up a hardtail and following the trail.

I imagine there would be plenty of sections where you would have to push/carry the bike but I wouldn't be opposed to that.

Has anyone here done part or all of it?

I haven't done or looked at hardly any of that route but it seems a collection on hiking trails joined up.

I've looked at East Munster Way, Tipp Heritage Way and St Declan's Way and they tend to a mix of
1.nice quite back roads
2.gravel type forest roads and the similar
3.sections that just can't be cycled

Number 3 above leaves you with a choice; either hike and bike over some very rough terrain with all your gear or be prepared before hand and have a nice alternative route to slot in. Neither are "easy" options ime.

Looking at the Cork sections which I'd have some idea about they look like a mix as outlined above.

I would disagree that the Wild Atlantic Way is automatically superior to a route up through the centre of Ireland mixing back roads with gravel. I've done a lot of WAW(from Kinsale to Bangor Erris and a few other bits north of there) and sections of it a really special but some of the best days I've had on bike over the years have been away from coast on the type of route described above.

We live on a magical ancient island full of quite villages, historic sites, wildlife, hidden treasures and the type of person you'll get to engage with when on those type of route.

Look up Dave Flangan's book on Cycling Ireland you might get some inspiration

https://threerockbooks.com/product/cycling-in-ireland/

Peck3277

That looks like a great book. I ordered it there, hopefully I find what I'm looking for in it.

Looks like those trails you mentioned aren't too far from where I'm based so I might get a chance to try and scout them out if lockdown ever eases off again.

I have to agree about cycling up through the centre of Ireland. You don't have the coasts but some of the small forests and hill sides are fantastic. I was living in BC, Canada for a few years and a lot of our cycle treks were just through forests and dirt roads. That's what I'm looking to get into again except at home this time. Thanks again!

at1withmyself

Thanks for posting this. I did a lot of the wild atlantic way last summer when we could travel so think this might be a nice challenge this summer when we are back travelling again.

Peck3277 wrote: »

Has anyone here cycled the Ireland Way?

I'm looking for some long distance trails for some bikepacking. The Ireland Way seems like the best candidate for it. From the reading I've done there is a bike version that mainly uses the road, but I'm thinking of loading up a hardtail and following the trail.

I imagine there would be plenty of sections where you would have to push/carry the bike but I wouldn't be opposed to that.

Has anyone here done part or all of it?

a148pro

That book is excellent, will give you some ideas. There's these things called cycle hubs which, until I bought the book I wasn't aware of. They're towns which have a series of marked bike routes out of.

Multi day stuff - consider the kingfisher trail in leitrim / fermanagh type area. That area is full of interesting little gems. I was there this summer and the ireland's hidden heartlands thing really rang true.

Also the royal and grand canals and barrow ways are long and totally off road so no traffic. Scenery boring at times but still worth doing.

There's another one called the tain trail which follows the route of the epic from (I think) Sligo, across to louth.

I'm fascinated by the prospect of cycling some of the walking routes but as pointed out above you never really know how much of it you can do. But it's fun kind of researching it online seeing if you can find mention of others doing it, looking at alternative routes.

a148pro

Actually I see you're on the hard tail so you'd have a shot of some of the off road routes. Kerry way would be big target of mine but I've no real idea what kind of terrain it is.

Peck3277

I actually canoed the barrow this summer. The blue way runs along side it, seems like it would be a great trail for a bit of bikepacking, would probably need gravel tyres as large parts of it is grassy/dirt road. Would be a very nice trail to do by bike and a lot faster than by canoe!

As I'm writing this now, the famine way pops into mind. I don't know much about it, I think it's relatively newish? I only started to hear about it this year.

Yea, I'm on the hardtail so parts of the Ireland way would be accessible but I'd imagine there would still be a bit of bike pushing. Part of what appeals to me about the route is that wild camping is supposedly common along the trail. I think what I might do is try to break the trail up into sections and attempt them over longer weekends to scout it out, with the goal of eventually linking it all together on one big trip.

mone

Have a look at https://www.facebook.com/ridefor85

I think that is the same route

Peck3277

Thanks for that mone, I watched some of his videos and it looks how I thought it would be, hilly and boggy. Seems to be doable but with a lot of work. Might be a bit of a fun project to do and break it up into parts.

a148pro

I have a sense the famine way may go along large parts of the Royal Canal? I think I saw signs for it on the last jaunt.

There are lots of threads on here about the two canals and the barrow way. Definitely viable bikepacking options, and you could pop into towns on the way for a chipper.

Each would probably be only 2 days though. You could combine them. If you are a real masochist for banal canal scenery you could do the Royal and Grand in a kind of loop. Bear in mind that the Barrow way also starts on the Grand at Robertstown so you could do it in the loop also.

Finishing off in St Mullins on the right evening could be class indeed.

Otherwise look at Flanagans Book and combine a few routes into multip day journeys.

sweet_trip

d'ya like hills? Then the south leinster way is for you. Has a short off road section too.

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Peck3277 wrote: »

Thanks for that mone, I watched some of his videos and it looks how I thought it would be, hilly and boggy. Seems to be doable but with a lot of work. Might be a bit of a fun project to do and break it up into parts.

I just checked a strava spin; I was riding an off road route in South Tipp between Newcastle and Clogheen. A mix of fire road, single track, quad roads and a 1km or so of open mountain. Crossed a few stiles and a lot of streams with a few bridges.

Route has parts of East Munster Way, Tipp Heritage Way and Liam Lynch monument roads.

My speed over that section was about 12km/h including stopped time so maybe 15km/h tops moving. I was riding a loaded touring rig!

Some of the sections in OP link look harder and wilder than where I was. My max height was 200m odd and the altitude gain wasn't anything special.

Also take into account I know the area very well and there is a huge navigation aid to my south, the Knockmealdowns and a simple cue to stay on right path; don't climb them!

On an end to end cycle if we good navigational brain, plenty planning on route I think you would get "lost" a bit and have to make a lot of route decisions on the fly. So more important than any fancy gear would be the mindset that you are ok not being quite sure where you are a winging it a bit and staying calm when you have to do u-turns etc.

What part of country are you in, and if nearby I'll pm you some routes/areas to try?

Slogger Jogger

I ran c.30k of the way towards Millstreet last year and much of it was a muckfest. I wouldn't want to be trying to cycle or indeed push a bike through some of those sections which, lets just say, are prone to flooding. And that was just a fraction of the overall.