Explore the island on two wheels
Cycling in Ireland can be as exhilarating as it is peaceful. It’s also a practical and sustainable way to get around. Here are a few of visitors’ favorite routes:
Countryside jaunts
Rolling green hills, a tapestry of fields, wild coastline and quiet leafy canals — there’s so much variety when it comes to cycling around the island of Ireland, you’re bound to find a destination that beckons.
Lough Boora Discovery Park in County Offaly is the place to go for a mix of wildlife and easy trails. There are a variety of different routes here (as well as bike hire), and one of the best is the Mesolithic Route (9.3km), which takes you to an ancient settlement on a raised bog.
Scenic views are plentiful on the 17km Sky Road Loop. Starting in Clifden, County Galway, this route, which is intermediate in difficulty, takes you along a spectacularly scenic narrow roads, immerses you in nature and offers panoramic views of the beautiful Connemara landscape.
Enjoy a challenge? The Mourne Loop Trail through the Mourne Mountains Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is the one for you. A route amongst the craggy rocks of the highest mountain range in Northern Ireland guarantees steep hills, but if you’re up for the 72.5km adventure, this beautiful part of the world will reward you with breathtaking views.
City cycling
City cycling is a great, low-cost way of getting around, and both Belfast and Dublin offer city bike hire — but to get the most out of city cycling, take a tour!
Hop aboard an iconic yellow bike in Belfast with Belfast Bikes. A knowledgeable guide will lead you through the bustling city to attractions including the Titanic slipways, the Peace Wall and the Salmon of Knowledge. This tour takes around three hours.
In Dublin, Lazy Bike Tours offer food tours and city tours, but to get away from it all, head to what is one of the largest enclosed city parks in Europe, Phoenix Park. This huge green space was a royal hunting ground in the 1600s, but today it’s home to monuments, the Dublin Zoo, the president’s house, and a herd of wild fallow dear.
Greenways and Sustrans Cycle Ways
Greenways and Sustrans Cycle Ways are formed by a network of paths carved through single-track roadside shrubs, by calm canals, and along historic railway lines. They link towns, villages, and cities where it’s easy to find bicycles to rent, and take pedestrians and cyclists out into wild Ireland.
The longest Greenway is the Royal Canal Greenway (103km). It runs mostly along the Royal Canal through counties Kildare, Meath, Westmeath and Longford. Enveloped by beautiful countryside and bathed in tranquility, this route is for lovers of slower-paced, off-the-beaten-track experiences.
The Newry Canal Towpath (32km) is a Cycle Way packed full of attractions. Following much of the old canal towpath, it takes you from Portadown in County Armagh to Newry in County Down. There’s lots to see on the route, including towpath-inspired artwork, the Terryhoogan aqueduct,t and Newry’s 19th century town hall.
