Cycling North Leinster: Great Road Routes

By Hugh Halpin

With quiet roads, striking scenery and brimming with 5,000 years of heritage, north Leinster is a marvellous region to discover by bike.
These thirty routes, exploring coast, lake, river and canal routes, vary in distance and difficulty and are graded to suit all abilities. Greenways along canals and old railway lines are ideal for novices and families, while the adventurous can take a challenge through the mountains of Louth's breathtaking Cooley Peninsula. Each cycle is prefaced with summary information and illustrated with photos, a custom-drawn map and a gradient graph. Anecdotes, history and profiles of interesting locals are included throughout, adding colour to coffee breaks in the sleepy villages and medieval towns that dot the picturesque landscape.
All but one of the routes are looped back to the train stations from which they started, making for perfect days out. Visit the early Christian settlement of Monasterboice or the original home of the Book of Kells. Take in spectacular views across Dublin Bay or the legendary Hill of Tara. This practical and informative guide covers the scenic and the curious in this land of saints and scholars.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Collins Press
• Release date: Jul 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781788410472

Book preview

1. Balbriggan-to-Bellewstown Loop

Balbriggan – Stamullen – Bellewstown – Naul – Balbriggan

Distance (km): 43

Cycling Time (hours): 2¼–2¾

Grade: 3

Gain: 412m

Score:

Traffic: 2

Train Station: Balbriggan

Grid Reference: O 202 639

This is a good workout with several hills to keep you sprightly. The route passes through rural Fingal and Meath, with fine views and charming villages to make your day. Horse racing at Bellewstown can be traced back to 1726 and is still going on.

Cycling through Balscaddan from Balbriggan, County Dublin.

On leaving Balbriggan train station, turn right, followed by a left that will take you to a junction with the main street near traffic lights. Turn right; there is no signpost, however it is the Drogheda direction. Continue to a cycle track on the left. Follow the track, passing sixteenth-century Bremore Castle on the right. It was originally built by the Barnewall family and is now being restored. At the end of the cycle track, turn left onto Flemington Lane and continue to the top. Turn right at the T-junction here, following the sign for Balscaddan. Soon after, take the left, following another sign for Balscaddan.

Balscadden village gets its name from the Irish, Baile na Scadán or ‘town of the herrings’. You might wonder how you could catch a herring here since it’s far from the sea. Local tradition has it that herrings were once transported inland from a small port in Balscadden Bay, also known as Cromwell’s Harbour. The fish were prepared in the village for the Dublin market. Of course, this could just be a red herring.

Cycle through Balscaddan and cross the M1 motorway. Continue to a T-junction. Turn right towards Stamullen and enjoy the coastal view to the right. Descend to a T-junction near the village. Turn left and cycle to a nearby junction with two turns to the right. Take the rightmost one, not signposted, and follow the road passing the Benedictine priory at

View near Bellewstown Racecourse, County Meath

Silverstream, about 9km from Balbriggan. Arrive at a junction with a sign for Bellewstown. Turn left to follow the sign and continue straight on through a crossroads to Bellewstown. There is a steady climb to the racecourse where you can enjoy the panoramic views. Bellewstown is about 15km from the start.

Michael Collier, the notorious highway robber, was born in 1780 in Bellewstown. He worked the north road from Dublin. One of his more famous exploits was a plan to rob the Dublin–Belfast mail coach at Bloody Hollow in Santry. The hardened coach guards were well armed, as were some of the passengers. The odds weren’t good for Collier but he needed the money, so he came up with a daring plan. After collecting several old hats and coats, he arranged them along the hedges on each side of the road. When the coach approached, Collier leaped out in front of it while calling on his gang of hats and coats to hold fire unless provoked. The coach came to an abrupt halt in a cloud of dust and neighing horses. Seeing they were surrounded, the guards and passengers delivered up all money and valuables to the highwayman. The next morning, a squad of dragoons, sent from Dublin to arrest him and his bandoleros, came upon the dummy gang. By this time, Collier was well away, planning his next scheme.

Continue through Bellewstown and begin a steep descent. Follow the road all the way to a T-junction. Turn left following the sign for Ardcath, 3km away. Cycle to a crossroads and turn left again to a nearby Y-junction. Keep right and cycle into Ardcath. Continue on the main road through the village to the first crossroads. Turn left here in the direction of Naul and Clonalvy and stay on this road until you arrive in Clonalvy. Pass through the village and arrive at a T-junction where you turn right in the Naul direction. Continue to another T-junction and turn right again over the River Delvin. Continue to the R122 and turn left onto it towards Naul. At the next T-junction, turn right into Naul village. Naul is 31km from Balbriggan.

In 1820, Naul impressed the traveller Thomas Cromwell so much that he described it thus: ‘Naul … bordering on the county of Meath, has many charms for the traveller of taste in its very beautiful Glen, whose romantic rocks, cascade, and rugged caves, are finely contrasted by the picturesque ruins of its antique Castle … It will bear comparison even with some of the romantic scenery in the far-famed county of Wicklow.’

Continue through Naul, passing the thatched Seamus Ennis Centre on the left and begin ascending the steep hill out of the village. After the climb, there is a descent to a crossroads. Turn left here onto the L5080, signposted for Belgee. Cycle on to a staggered crossroads while enjoying the coastal view. At the staggered crossroads, turn right and then immediately left. Continue to a T-junction where you turn right into the Bog of the Ring (there is no signpost but it is clearly a bog). Cross over the M1 motorway and stay on this road until you meet the junction with the R132. Turn left towards Balbriggan. Continue to Balbriggan and after passing the hollow in the town centre, take the third right turn onto Railway Street to the