Organiser: Kieran Farmer

Phone: 087 3143483

E-Mail: kieran.farmer@gmail.com

RidewithGPS Map: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42108979

Entry Fee: €5 by PayPal to paypal@audaxireland.org and Cycling Ireland Licence required, no One-days allowed.

Start/Finish: Timahoe Community Centre, Timahoe, County Laois… or anywhere else along the route as desired. 

Shops/refreshment available at the following places along the route: Mountmellick (51km), Mountrath (90km), Rathdowney (116km), Cullahill (125km), Durrow (135km), Applegreen Graiguecullen (172km), Ballylinan (190km).

The route is a little tour of County Laois. Starting off in the village of Timahoe, there is lots of parking in the carpark behind the church/ in front of the community centre. Rolling out to start the route, spare a glance for the 12^th century round tower on your left. Heading out the Portlaoise road for a sedate start, a right turn past Ratheniska (home of the Ploughing Championships), will lead you towards the ruins of the fortress at Dunamaise. Some meandering back roads end in the canal village of Vicarstown where you’ll swing left and cycle along the canal for a while. Out across the N7 you head through beech woods and into Emo. Your first available refreshment stop if required is at Mountmellick.

After a relatively easy start, it’s time for some climbing. On from Mountmellick into the Slieve Blooms.

A couple of warm-ups (some lightly broken/gravelly lanes) and
then on to The Cut. A long recovery down into Mountrath and another refuelling opportunity. Over the coming kilometres you will pass Aghaboe Abbey, Donaghmore Workhouse, then through Rathdowney and on to Cullahill Castle. A short spin through the hills, then a chance to rest by the river in Durrow. From here it is long gradual climbing through Ballinakill, Spink, Swan and on to the hills in Killeshin. A fast drop past the reservoir then you are skirting the Carlow border before turning
and following the path of the River Barrow. Bearing west brings you through Ballylinan and over the back roads to arrive back at Timahoe.

Road surfaces vary greatly over the route but there is nothing too rough or broken.

Read this page https://www.audaxireland.org/audax/permanents/ for more details on riding Permanents.

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