Biking the Kerry way(MTB)

FirstinLastout wrote: »

What exactly is the reasoning behind not being allowed to cycle it?
Destruction or damage to the ground/trails etc??

That's the reasoning I've heard so far. Though when looking at the damage the hordes of dirt bikers have done in 3rock on their club spins I can sort of get why someone might go :eek when any sort of two wheeled device on knobly tires comes close to a park.

I have done the bit from Killarney to Kenmare a few times, it is a seriously good craic on the way back. I have also done it at night! Haven't done other bits of the Kerry way though.

I have met a good few walkers, no problems, I have never met another MTBer up there.

Yea that bit is a really nice MTB trail IMO and it is riddickless & unjustifiable that there are 'No MTB' signs. Anyone up to canvassing the local politician with the cap?

There are a few nice if unchallenging trails along the Dingle way (a lot of road though), MTBs are AOK on that.

Can anyone tell me if the Killarney to Kenmare section is doable (in that direction) with a hybrid bike? And if so how much hike-a-bike are we talking about?

Middle of summer you can make progress on the dry earth. You'll be carrying a nice bit though. I made it up some sections on 23's! But it wouldn't be something I'd recommend

I really don't think the Binn Chaorach ridge is. Just my opinion. And the hydro road to Caher is just a bog, I don't see anybody cycling up that.

Not sure if you're replying to me or the OP, but there's no rules that I know of on the Kenmare - Killarney section. Agri vehicles use it and it's accessed directly from the road. I've hiked the reeks a lot of times and never spotted signs saying that MTB's are not allowed, but personally I don't think they're possible anyway. Maybe the hydro road is but it wouldn't be worthwhile IMO.

The fun stuff / trouble starts after the Streetview section.

By who? Under what by-law? There's plenty of signs all around the country that have absolutely zero legal standing. The "rules" of local cranks.

I'm a fairly 'stick to the rules' guy normally but in this case I'm trying to navigate my way around the Ring of Kerry without getting killed by tourist traffic. Seems very difficult to get away from main roads in parts. I know, I know.... mountains.

Oh, it's only a National Park and it's their rules. Maybe if you don't like it you can go somewhere else?

Or maybe we just let people do whatever the fcuk they like, ride bikes, ride quads, ride horses, light fires, dump rubbish, let pets loose and see what sort of a park we have then? It's no wonder there's no right to roam here when people can't behave themselves and respect rules.

Yep exactly, it's very rough towards the Kenmare side.

And for clarity, I'm absolutely certain there's no signs prohibiting traffic whatsoever. There's people living where the streetview ends, likely why they can't ban the traffic. And I'm certain there's no signs at all on the Kenmare side. I suspect there's something between around Torque and Galways bridge maybe. Again, I haven't done that myself so I can't say.

The prohibition is specific to the Old Kenmare Road. This is a sh!tty snip from Streetview but this sign is at the access road from Muckross up to the Torc Upper Car Park (for those on small screens, the last two lines read "No bicycles allowed on Old Kenmare Road"). No idea of the reason - maybe they don't want the folk who rent a bike, not having ridden one for years, trying to get up a hill that averages over 6% for 1600m with sections of 10%. That road to the car park is quite narrow too. Or maybe they are trying to protect the bog sections later in the route.

There's another sign with a raft of prohibitions and a traffic barrier at the upper car park as you start on the graveled path.

The section from Torc to the small public road from Galweys Bridge is just a 7 km hiking path - no houses on this section and while you might get a quad along it, you won't take an ordinary car.

After this section the trail joins the public road you mentioned for about 600m until it runs out. There is another general prohibition sign (No fires, no horses, no bikes etc) buried in the ferns at the point where the trail and the public road meet. And after this public road section is the rough section shown in the video posted earlier.

There's no prohibition sign at the Kenmare end of the track.

How long does that spin take you, round trip?

It was slow because of my low ability and stopping for breaks. I think over 90 minutes anyway. It's only around 1-2km uphill from the road to the top at the Kenmare side, but it's rough and steep and that takes the majority of the time. I could barely get up that and it's slow going.

That's near where the house is, right? I must have passed that 10 times and I've never noticed it! As I say, I've never turned off the road and gone straight on past that sign, only gone "left" or "right" of it as it's shown in that image, staying on the main track, down to the bridge or back to Kenmare. Even looking at it now - and I'm obviously biased - I don't think it applies to the section the cars are seen driving on, in Google maps?