Off road cycling trails in NCD

the_amazing_raisin

EDIT: Original thread title

Cycling in the Donabate to Portrane cliff walk?

Hi folks,

Does anyone know if you're allowed to cycle (slowly) on the cliff walk from Donabate to Portrane?

Is the surface paved at all or is it dirt and gravel?

magicbastarder

i've seen people do it, not sure if there are bye-laws against it but my gut reaction would be that unless it's quiet you should get off and walk. it's narrow in places - too narrow to be a combined cycle path/footpath - and probably could be construed as antisocial trying to negotiate past walkers on the sections where there's a drop beside you.

downtheroad

I've cycled it plenty of times. Go slow, be respectful to walkers, you'll have no issues. Pedestrians will be courteous to you if you are courteous to them.

It's all dirt and gravel. I've only ever done it on road bike tyres with no difficulties.

the_amazing_raisin

Thanks folks, I guess to be clear I'd be trying to go when it's quiet, taking it slow and giving way to pedestrians. It isn't a dedicated cycleway after all and I am mindful of that

I'm looking for places I can cycle around without having to share a narrow road with cars as much as possible

I was thinking of Ardgillan or Newbridge house, but again I'm not sure if bikes are specifically banned from those paths

magicbastarder

i'm fairly certain bikes are OK in newbridge house anyway.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121017429#Comment_121017429

Thanks, I've seen plenty of kids bikes, not as many adults on bikes around there

I suppose Newbridge would be a lot easier to negotiate than a cliff walk, less chance of turning a corner and crashing into someone

the_amazing_raisin

FYI, I've updated the thread title to better reflect the topic

Are there any other cycling routes people would recommend than don't involve a lot of road sharing with cars?

Nothing against cars but I find it hard to relax when I'm being passed out on a country road

I was thinking the coastal road from Skerries to Balbriggan looked fairly nice, albeit a bit cracked and broken in places

magicbastarder

google maps will happily plot cycling walks through the grounds of newbridge anyway.

not a great place to live if you want to cycle - if you want to leave the donabate/portrane 'peninsula' - i.e. cross over the old belfast road, there's only two places possible and neither option is fun for a nervous cyclist.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121017489#Comment_121017489

Yeah it's not brilliant, hoping the proposed Greenway makes things better, if it ever gets built

I'd be coming from Swords so probably the simplest way is to cross over the R132 at Lissenhall and head up the Hearse road

The Hearse road isn't much fun on a bike, I'd be tempted to brave the R132 for a while longer and take Turvey Ave instead since it's not as heavily trafficked

Duckjob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121017515#Comment_121017515

Not as heavily trafficked but 80kph limit vs 60kph on the Hearse Rd. The R132 is no problem up to Turvey though - traffic goes fast but you're generally away from it on the hard shoulder.

Here's my tips for the Hearse Road - The traffic going to Donabate will go in bursts due to the lights at the R132 roundabout. Next to no traffic ever comes from R132 Turvey side and turns into the Hearse Rd. (Unless they're dropping into Jones;s), so-

Sometimes I come around the roundabout and instead of going striaght onto Hearse Road when the light is green, i'll pull in and join the traffic waiting on the red that came from R132 Turvey side. Then when that light goes green, turn left and up to Hearse Road, This gives a chance to get a good way down the road before the next burst of traffic comes from Swords/M1

When on the straight part of Hearse Rd there's a couple of places (like the car plcae on the left) where you can pull in if you're very nervous and wait for the current burst of traffic to pass before you carry on. (Yes- I know we never should feel we HAVE to pull in, but if you're not in a huge hurry, and you're not confident if might ease the stress)

And then you can turn off at Cobbes Lane and head into Newbridge thru the side gate, which is mostly open.

magicbastarder

The R132 is no problem up to Turvey though - traffic goes fast but you're generally away from it on the hard shoulder.

worth noting that there is no hard shoulder between the two roundabouts (the one that you'd use for the tesco warehouse and the one at the filling station)

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121030910#Comment_121030910

Is there a pavement on the Tesco side though?

magicbastarder

i'm fairly certain there is, but i would not be able to endorse such reckless criminality as cycling on a footpath which will almost certainly be empty of pedestrians.