Can you help the Belfast-Dublin Tour de Drupal cycling group with any recommendations?

Hi J-P,

I was given a contact within Cycling Ireland, who organise events like these. But she's currently caught up with the Paralympic Games. If I do hear anything back, I'll let you know.

I just do NOT know the quality of the roads on different routes, but searching around turned up this article that lists some of the towns through which the participants rode.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/maracycle/make-a-break-for-the-b...

Tweaking routes with google maps between cycling and walking turns up a few variations:

Supposing you're departing from Belfast City Hall, and arriving at Drury Street Car Park opposite Brooks Hotel in Dublin.

The 161KM WALKING route suggested by Google Maps includes:
The A1, around Dromore, around Banbridge, then changing onto the Belfast Road into Newry.
Then out the old Dublin Road, which seems to become the L3097, eventually changing to the R132 coming into Dundalk.
Leaving Dundalk south on the Dublin Road/R132, passing through Castlebellingham and a few other villages until you get to Droheda, still on the R132.
The R108 takes you south through Naul, continuing through Roganstown and what looks to be a golf course, the route then turns onto the R125 into Swords.
The route then seems to cut in front of Dublin Airport, down into Whitehall, joining up with the N1, through Drumcondra, eventually turning onto Capel Street, and with a bit of wiggling through town, you get to Drury Street.

The 185KM CYCLING route suggested by Google Maps includes:
Departing along the A1, but then changing onto the A3, until you arrive at the Cusher River. This seems to turn into the Newry Canal, which the route follows all the way into Newry.
Leaving Newry, is another variation from the walking route, to follow what starts as the Low Road. Eventually coming into Dundalk anyway.
Leaving Dundalk, the cycling route proposed by Google Maps, suggests taking the R152 through Duleek, Ashbourne, the Ward (behind Dublin Airport), and in the N2 to Dublin. And arriving into town via the Four Courts on the River Liffey. Then with a bit of wiggling through town you get onto Drury Street.

The route described in the article above sounds much more like the walking than the cycling route, what do you think? Though, if the surface alongside the canal is nice, I can see the attraction of the detour. The MapMyRide reported for the 2015 MaraCycle seems to be yet another variation/hybrid of the two. Note that it's destination is a university in North Dublin. And actually the starting point is in an area south of Belfast City Centre. I don't know Belfast very well, but another starting point could be near Queen's University, University Road, Belfast.

You'll also want to double check everyone can make the opening hours of the Drury Street Car Park. It has lots of spaces for locking bicycles, but the opening hours on Sunday aren't as much as the rest of the week.
http://www.parkrite.ie/carparks/drury

Drury Street, and neighbouring Fade Street, George's Street and William's Street have lots and lots of places to meet, eat and drink, including Drury Buildings, The Market Bar, Hogans, and Grogans to name but a few.

Hope this helps a bit...

Hi J-P,

Have just heard back from an experienced tourer, and she recommends cycling an alternative coastal route:

I would recommend cycling out the Ards Peninsula;
ferry from Portaferry to Strangford then to Downpatrick and Newcastle;
through the Mournes or along the coast to Warrenpoint;
cycle lane most of the way to Newry;
around the coast to Carlingford or through the Cooley Mountains;
from Dundalk, follow the coast as much as possible all the way to Swords;
there may be a cycle lane most of the way to the City Centre but it's much nicer to take the Broadmeadow Estuary to Malahide and follow the coast by Portmarnock, Baldoyle and the S2S track into the East Link Bridge.

I know it's much longer than the main road but much safer and much more pleasant. You'd probably need to buy the relevant 1:50,000 OS maps;
you'd need about 7 but that's easily shared in a group.

There seems to be a few choices anyway :-)

Hi J-P,

you're very welcome, it's thanks really to some of the other volunteers in a cycling advocacy group here in Dublin that got back to me.

Drury Street Car Park doesn't charge for parking bicycles. Here's an article from the City Council from when the bike parking part first opened:
http://www.dublincitycycling.ie/blog/index.php/2009/10/new-cycle-parking...

It'd be interesting to find out the paving quality on the route along the Newry Canal.

PS: Thanks for the invite to join ye. I did consider it for a minute, even though I am already in Dublin :-)