Help working out or finding a route in Ireland

dakidcp

Hiya,

Hoping someone might be able to help me. I'm thinking about going to Ireland for a week's cycling later in the year. I figured I'd start and finish in Dublin (going to drive over from the UK ... hate flying), and I also want to go via Belfast, as I have a friend there I'd love to visit. I'm not a massive cyclist (or rather I am a massive cyclist, but I don't cycle massive distances [:I]), so I'd probably be happy with just 30-40 miles a day. How best to go about planning a route like that?

Is there a site where I could look for such routes, or should I just get hold of the maps and plan it all myself?

Thanks for any advice [:)]

<hr noshade size="1">"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
<i>Mark Twain</i>

Wheelz

Check out the Sustrans site at http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ as there are quite a few cycle routes in Ireland, and the maps are available in the Sustrans shop. I'm not sure if they have a direct route between Dublin and Belfast, but they definitely have a scenic route.

kaacp

If you want to cover Dublin and Belfast in just a week, I suggest you stick to the northeast of the country.

Have a look at http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/cycling.aspx for some information about cycle routes in Northern Ireland - personally I recommend the Kingfisher trail around Lough Erne in Fermanagh, once of my favourite parts of the country. Another option is getting to Newry and taking the cycle route by the canal to Portadown, from where you can pick up the trail around Lough Neagh. And of course, the Antrim coast is fabulous.

It is also possible to cycle to Belfast from Dublin, but takes a bit of planning to avoid the motorway. I've done this route lots of times, so email me off-forum if you want more info.

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<font size="1"> Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.
Charles M. Schulz </font id="size1">