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My friend and I do a cycle tour together every year - and this year we fancy Northern Ireland.
The outline would be to take a ferry from Birkenhead to Belfast, then tour for either 2 or 3 days. Ideally, this would be Sustrans-type riding: slow-ish pace, 50-70 miles per day, stopping for cream teas and pubs.
It looks like there's a Sustrans route around Loch Neagh. Any good?
Any other recommendations? Thanks 🙂
You could take the towpath cycleway from Belfast to newry, there are a few road sections in it especially from Lisburn to portadown.
If you end up on the newry towpath do some googling and head off to explore the lissummon tunnel.
If you have capable bike I recommend you check out the ulster way. Good for cycling as well as walking. You should also take in the mourne mountains if you can, stunning but you’ll need your climbing legs in places
I’ve done lap the Lough which is a Sportive around Lough neagh, not a lot of scenery to be honest. There aren’t great views around the Lough, it’s just a vast expanse of water. Lot of the route is through areas such as the airport and the industrial areas and sand quarries on the edge of the Lough.
I’d recommend you do the Antrim coast road, Cycle from Belfast finishing at Portrush. Take a couple of days at it then get train from Portrush back to Belfast.
I’ll post up some websites in a minute but feel free to pm me. Give me more of an idea what you are looking for as well. Challenging hills? Pub? Tourist attractions?
That’s probably best website for routes
http://www.cycleni.com/52/coast-road/
Part of my suggested route on there
Belfast to Larne then coast road from Larne up to ballycastle then continue round coast to ballintoy giants Causeway Bushmills then Portrush.
If taking train it’s a branch line from Portrush to Coleraine where you change train to go to Belfast so may be easier Cycling up to Coleraine to get the train. You would need to check with NI railways regarding taking bikes as I’ve never done it
Alternative cycle would be south from Belfast taking in strangford Lough
Brilliant - thanks for the input so far and the PM.
We're both capable of fair distances, but my mate is a runner rather than a cyclist per se; he doesn't wear lycra kit or have the latest bike, but has heaps of stamina. We've done JOGLE and a fair few of the UK long distance routes over the years, but have a relaxed attitude and prefer the quieter routes. He rides a flat bar hybrid at the moment, so I'll probably take my Surly Straggler along rather than a lighter roadie.
We have the option of arriving on a Friday evening and then doing 2 days of cycling until departing on the Sunday overnight ferry - or arriving earlier on the Friday for an additional (short-ish) day.
I'll have a look at those links now...
Just to add there are loads of small breweries starting up in Northern Ireland, and expanding rapidly. Quite a few are in the castlewellan, newcastle, kilkeel area which would link in with a cycle to the mournes if you head that way
There’s also the famous distillery at bushmills if you head north from Belfast