This route is a variation on the basic Laragh route, taking in the under-appreciated (and somewhat brutal) climb of Trooperstown Hill, so check the notes on that for the sections shared by both routes.
When you reach Laragh, go left at Lynham’s pub to take the road for Rathdrum. Take the left immediately before Bookey Bridge and climb gently for about a kilometer, then a sharp left onto the Trooperstown climb proper, which is anything but gentle. The reward comes afterwards, on the long, gradual descent around the curve of the hill — the views across the valley are lovely and you usually have the road entirely to yourself. There are a couple of tight bends and sections with loose gravel but it’s not particularly steep. At the bottom you run into the Moneystown road heading towards Roundwood. Rejoin the Laragh route just before the drag up to Ballinastoe.
The route works well in reverse too also, turning Trooperstown into a gentle, winding ascent. You’ll be riding the brakes all the way down the other side though.
A five-star route: classic climbs, quiet roads, beautiful scenery. There are very few routes in the Dublin area which pack so much into a ride you can finish before lunchtime. This is my Ardennes Week route — maybe there’s nothing here to match the Mur de Huy or La Redoute but there are punchy ramps steep enough to get your attention.
The early section following the R114 over Ballinascorney to Brittas is fairly routine, but provides a good warm-up for the ascent of McDonagh’s Lane that awaits on the far side of the N81. Follow the road around the back side of Slade Valley and along the ridge before dropping down to a crossroads. Turn left for Kilteel and Eadestown. This is the westernmost edge of the Dublin mountains — to your right only the flat expanse of the midlands. The few hills visible on the horizon are a couple of counties away.
A few kilometres after Eadestown, the road begins to rise, presaging the final categorised climb of the day, Bishopshill Road. The steep ramps on the lower reaches of the climb are more than compensated by the views of Poulaphouca reservoir and Blessington from the top. Drop down into Ballymore Eustace, and up to the N81, before making a quick loop around Tulfarris and returning to Dublin via Blessington, Manor Kilbride and Ballinascorney.
There are few hazards along the way: the descent after Slade Valley is steep and badly paved but doesn’t see much traffic so you can usually pick your way down without trouble. Best taken handy, nonetheless. You’re on the N81 for a stretch coming into Blessington but it’s flat, well-paved, and you often have a tailwind so it passes quickly.
There is scope for variation: if you want a shorter route, turn left at the T-junction at 36km (after Bishopshill) to cut straight back to Blessington. This lops nearly 20km off the route although you’re missing a lot of pleasant cycling by the reservoir. You can take a different look at the hill by continuing past Bishopshill Road and taking the next left instead — you miss some of the views but it’s a steadier climb. And if the R114 is getting you down, you can take the road up Mount Seskin to Brittas instead.
Worth waiting for: Poulaphouca nestled beneath the mountains
This is classic Wicklow cycling: the windswept bogs of the mountains, the quiet roads through sloping pastures in the lowlands. The route is packed with climbing, from the headline ascent to Sally Gap to the rollercoaster roads around Oldbridge, finishing with the uncategorised duo of the Poggio and the Scalp. Reversing it gives not just another perspective on the countryside but a different, no less satisfying, rhythm to the day.
Navigationally, the route is very simple: only two turns separate the start at Five Points and the halfway point at Laragh, and there are only a few more on the return leg. You climb to Sally Gap in two stages, taking the marginally gentler Edmondstown Road route up to the Featherbeds, then dropping down to Glencree before tackling the climb past Lough Bray. After the Gap you descend gradually for 15km to Laragh. Immediately after leaving Laragh take the left turn onto the backroad to Oldbridge. This road is perhaps the highlight of the route, quickly leaving the village behind to take you past tranquil fields lined with hedgerows and dry stone walls. Jink right at the R759, then left for Ballinastoe. After descending the Old Long Hill, there’s the quick kick of the Poggio and then the gentle slopes of the Scalp before the descent back into the city.
There are a few hazard points to watch out for. As you are picking up speed towards the top of Glenmacnass waterfall, the road swings left — you will frequently round this bend to find a slew of blithe tourists milling around in the road. Be ready for an emergency stop. The second is the descent into Oldbridge. There is a trio of warning signs, starting with an arresting (but unhelpfully unspecific) “!”, then one showing a bike sliding, and finally one warning of a 10% gradient (a gross underestimate, as you will find out if you ever travel it in the opposite direction). It would be pretty easy to come a cropper here. Finally, the descent of the Old Long Hill ends with a tight left-hand bend ending abruptly at a T-junction. Ignore the warning sign at your peril.
Laragh is the obvious place for a cafe stop — there’s nothing before it, and nothing afterwards until you reach Enniskerry. The route runs you straight past Glendalough Green (aka the Hippie Cafe), the traditional stop for cyclists. On a warm day, the outdoor seating will be thronged with the lycra-clad hordes, basking in the sunshine like seals on a rock. Lynham’s does a reasonable pub lunch, and there’s also a food truck doing barbecue in their carpark on summer weekends. There is a petrol station shop just off the route on the Glendalough Road.
There’s some scope for variation: if you’re already jacked by the time you get to Laragh, you may prefer the gentle drag along the R755 through Annamoe to Roundwood over the focused ramps on the L1059 to Oldbridge. Bear left as you exit Roundwood to get onto the road for Ballinastoe. Gluttons for punishment can turn left at the R759 (56km) to take on the steepest approach to Sally Gap, the road above Luggala Estate, and return to the city from the Gap.
The view across the valley to Trooperstown Hill from the Oldbridge Road.
