Derroura Mountain Bike Trails

Location: Near Oughterard, Co. Galway

Distance: 16km

Terrain: Fireroad for the climbing, forest trails and rocky single track and occasional boardwalk

Difficulty: Beginner to advanced

Condition: Well Maintained

Sign posted: Yes, lightly

Bike rental: No

Brief description: For any of the Dublin mountain bikers who train at the Leadmines, or Ticknock the first section of Derroura has a very similar feel. Natural granite single track winds through Derroura, one of the few forests in Connemara. After the first climb which lasts about 5 minutes, you descend gently onto a wooden bridge over a stream and then climb your way out of it past a thatch cottage.As you progress up to the summit the ground changes into rugged stoney ground like Ballinastoe. Ideally you should have full suspension here.The fun goes on as you begin your descent back to the car park. There is literally hundreds of meters of north shore on your way back down.Derroura is a relatively easy trail to ride, with nothing too technical. It is however quite tiring. Not one of my favourite trails as I've had bad experiences and also because the first half of the trail is bland and boring.

Djouce Mountain Bike Trails

Location: Roundwood, Co. Wicklow (just down the road from Ballinastoe)

Distance: No exact distance as there are various routes to take

Terrain: Forest Trails, Fireroads and also a few Rocky patches

Difficulty: Medium-Advanced

Condition: Keeps fairly well as a lot of is it tree covered. Open areas can get quite mucky but it won't affect you too much

Sign posted: No, not at all. I would recommend getting someone to show you around before you hit the trailsas you can get lost quite easily and may miss out some parts of the trails.

Bike rental: No

Brief description: A fantastic set of trails, Djouce has a massive range of trails to test even the best of mountain bikers. There are a few different car parks to start from or you can just cycle down from Ballinastoe or through it to reach these trails. The trails consist of long, aching climbs, speedy, twisty descents and also a bit of fireroad climbing. (it's always climbing!) Depending where you start from, the trails will get your legs pumping straight away and will leave you tired at the end of the day. The trails start at roughly the same level as Ballinastoe and get up to roughly the same height, so you can expect a fair bit of climbing. These are a tough set of trails and in my opinion would not be suitable for beginners. A decent level of fitness and skill is required to tackle these trails and obviously a decent bike which is well maintained. On a sunny day, you will find no better place to spend your day and will thoroughly enjoy your day. As I said, I would advise getting someone to show you around or you will miss out. Make sure you try these trails out!

Ballinastoe Mountain Bike Trails

 

Location: Roundwood, Co. Wicklow

Distance: Approx 13.5km (set loop)

Terrain: Rocky, fireroad, boardwalk and very occasionally roots

Difficulty: Beginners to Experts, it's an all rounder trail

Condition: Extremely well maintained all year round. Not affected very much by the weather, only a few puddles to splash through and a bit of mud at parts

Sign posted: Yes, very well

Bike Rental: Bike rental available at the entrance from biking.ie

Brief description: Wether you're a novice or a pro mountain biker, Ballinastoe is regarded as one of the top trails in Ireland for Mountain Biking. Consisting of tight, twisty singletrack trails and forest fireroads, this trail is bound to test all of your abilities, especially your climbing. Starting off with a tiring, steep warm up climb, the trail then leads on to a relatively flat, but twisty and rocky singletrack which leads back on to another stiff fireroad climb to the next bit of singletrack which is also quite flat. Then another tough uphill climb on fireroad which leads to the first uphill singletrack climb. After this, you find yourself up quite high and it can by fairly cold and windy at times so rap up in warm clothes on a cold day. The trails start to go downhill from here and some serious speed is to be gotten on these descents. Then some more uphill climbing which leads you towards the end which is a nice descent down to the end. Make sure you have a sturdy bike with disc brakes which are vital or else you will find it very difficult to get through the trails. This track is not for the faint hearted because of the amount of climbing but is one of the best trails around.