Categorised Climbs: Piperstown Road
Let’s get the ball rolling with something very basic. This is a route I ride mostly in the winter and early spring: the roads are relatively sheltered from the wind, and it packs in a decent amount of climbing for a ride that takes less than two hours. If you’re desperate for a coffee stop (or a pint), Johnnie Fox’s will be happy to take your money.
Head out through Old Bawn on the R114, a road which will soon become tediously familiar. It’s a wide, open drag that offers no respite from the prevailing westerlies but it’s direct and it has the signal virtue of not being the bloody N81.
After the crossroads at Old Bawn, turn left onto the L7114 and follow the road for 6km through Bohernabreena village and up to the Featherbeds. At the T-junction, go left on Military Road to drop down to the Viewing Point, then sharp right onto Cruagh Road.
Take the right turn onto Pine Forest Road and continue past O’Connell’s Rock to the Glencullen crossroads. Turn left onto Red House Road and continue down Burrow Road to join the R117 near Stepaside. From there it’s suburban roads through Dundrum and Terenure to finish.
Variation: turn right after Bohernabreena and follow the road through Glenasmole to join Upper Cunard Road. Continue to the T-junction at Military Road, and turn left to rejoin the original route.
