Description
Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trails sit in the Ballyhoura Mountains near Ardpatrick, County Limerick, and form the largest mountain bike trail network in Ireland at 98km. Coillte manages five waymarked loops here: two blue (Greenwood and Mountrussell) and three red (Tech Loop, Garrane and Castlepook), running from a gentle 7km warm up to the 51km Castlepook epic. The forest roads that link the singletrack also carry some of the best gravel riding in Munster.
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Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trails
- Greenwood Loop (Blue, 7km): the easiest of the five, one gradual climb followed by one long descent on mostly narrow, twisty singletrack. A good introduction to the network.
- Mountrussell Loop (Blue, 17km): a longer version of Greenwood with more climbing and descending, still on flowing, well surfaced trail.
- Tech Loop (Red, 28km): tight, bermed turns and short jumps mixed through more technical sections.
- Garrane Loop (Red, 35km): technical singletrack throughout, with tight turns, steep descents, rock steps, exposed roots and elevated timber boardwalks.
- Castlepook Loop (Red, 51km): the longest and most demanding loop on the network, a full day out with sustained climbing and technical descending through the remoter parts of the forest.
Gravel Riding
Ballyhoura's forest road network is worth riding in its own right, not just as the climbs that link the singletrack loops. The gravel roads climb steadily through mature forestry plantations to ridgeline viewpoints over the Golden Vale, and loops from around 20km up to nearly 50km are possible starting from the same trailhead. It is a good option on a gravel bike or for a mellower day than the red loops offer, and Trailriders on site also rent gravel bikes.
Facilities
- Car park at the trailhead (small card only fee applies)
- Toilets and showers
- Bike wash
- On site café, bike hire and bike shop run by Trailriders, offering hardtail, full suspension, e-bike and gravel bike rental
Local Organisation
Team Ballyhoura MTB is the local club, meeting at the trailhead on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings and welcoming riders of all levels. Find them on Facebook. For wider updates on the trails, check the Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trail Facebook page.
Trails at Ballyhoura are subject to periodic closures and diversions due to forestry operations. Always check the Coillte Ballyhoura page for current alerts before travelling.
Getting Here
The car park and trailhead is 2km south of Ardpatrick village in Co. Limerick, off the R512, at Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trailhead, Ardpatrick, Co. Limerick, V35 H263.
From Limerick: take the N20 south through Charleville and on to Ballyhea. Turn left just after Ballyhea church and follow the road for 10km to Ardpatrick village. Turn right and continue for 2.5km, then take the turn signposted Ballyhoura Forest. The car park is 1km up this road.
From Dublin: take the M7 south to Limerick and join the N20 as above. From Shannon: take the N18 south to Limerick and join the N20.
From Cork: take the N20 to Mallow, then the N72 signposted Waterford through the town. Shortly outside Mallow, turn left onto the N73 signposted Mitchelstown and travel around 13km, then turn left onto a minor road signposted Ardpatrick. The car park is around 10km up this road. Alternatively from Cork, take the M8 to exit 13, signposted Mitchelstown, follow the bypass, take the second exit at the third roundabout signposted Kildorrery, then in Kildorrery village turn right onto the R512 and continue for about 11.5km. The turn for the car park is on the left.
The car park is pay and display, card only.
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