1. Castlecomer to Dunmore Cave Loop (28.4 km. 105 mins cycling. Rise and fall: 370m.)
To Dunmore Cave and back via Tinalinton & Old Ballyragget Road
As well as bringing you across pristine stretches of beautiful countryside, this route also lets you delve deep into both the earth and the past with a stop-off at Dunmore Cave.
In addition to containing some of Ireland’s most impressive calcite formations, this series of limestone chambers is also fabled as the site of gruesome Viking war crime, when Guthfrith of Ivar supposedly massacred a thousand people there in AD 928.
2. Castlecomer to Ballyragget Loop (25.3 km. Approx 102 mins cycling. Rise and fall: 406m)
Old Ballyragget Road and back through forestry
After a spectacular initial climb out of the bustling town of Castlecomer, you’ll cruise across a wide-open plain surrounded by pretty hillsides before descending into Ballyragget, its medieval castle dominating this ancient fording point on the Nore.
The route back brings you back along quiet forestry roads. If you’ve still got some energy to burn, Castlecomer’s brilliant Discovery Park offers ziplining, tree-top walks, climbing walls, boating, and archery across its 80 acres of stunning natural woodland and lakes.
