Toast Sally with a Guinness | Dublin to Dublin

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120 km
1,477 m
02h00
Medium

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Last verified: 6 March 2025

Description by the author

Where does it start? Dublin

Where does it end? Guinness Storehouse, Dublin

How long is it? 82 miles

 

Why is it great?

The road through Sally Gap, one of two east to west passes through the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin, was built by the British Army to make it easier to flush rebels from the hills after the Irish rebellion of 1798, and to this day is known as the Military Road.

These days, signposted helpfully by the tourist board, it provides spectacular views of the Glencree valley, the dark waters of Lough Tay, Kippure Mountain and Glenmacnass Waterfall.

To get there, the road from Dublin is well-surfaced open sweeping single carriageway through the hills, sundappled woods, lakes and rivers of Wicklow, Dublin’s back garden, and on through the Gap to the pretty villages of Roundwood and Laragh to Glendalough.

You can then come back the same way, or head east on the route marked to the coast road and back to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour on the history of Ireland’s most famous beer and a pint in the rooftop bar.

 

What do I need to know?

In the Sally Gap, stop halfway at Glenmacnass Waterfall for a great photo.

Also worth a visit if you have time are the magnificent formal gardens at Powerscourt, the inspired fabrics and colours at reinvented traditional weavers Avoca and Avoca village itself, the setting for the Ballykissangel TV series.

A must if possible is the ancient monastic settlement at Glendalough. Monks arrived in this beautiful wooded river valley in the 6th Century for a bit of peace and quiet. Unfortunately they forgot to tell the Vikings (who raided the monastery four times), the Normans (who pillaged it once), and Henry VIII (who finished the job with the Reformation). Today, it’s one of the best preserved monastic sites in Ireland.

 

Anything Else?

Top spots to get fed and watered are Bates in Rathdrum for excellent food at a decent price, and the Cartoon Inn pub next door.

If you want to stay locally, Aughavannagh Cottage, beautifully restored by owner Dave Deighan, is up a leafy lane in a wooded valley with a stream burbling through the garden.

Source

Source: BikeSocial

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Route origin

Route description

Region

Statistics

Difficulty level: Medium (63/100)

Length: 120 km

Duration: 02h00


Total ascent: 1,477 m

Maximal slope: 7 %

Average slope: 1.2 %

Net ascent: -2 m

Total descent: 1,479 m

Roads and subsoil

Paved roads: 115 km (95 %)

Cobblestones: 0 m (0 %)

Scenery

Car free roads: 0 m (0 %)

Noise pollution

Amount of traffic


Natural area

Urban area

Water rich area

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        Start and end of the route

        Closest address to start and end: Market Street South, D08 HX3K Dublin, Ierland

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        Comments

        Activities

        Nearby

        Routes nearby

        Lodging nearby

        Services nearby

        Marrowbone Lane Distillery
        Dublin whiskey fire
        National College of Art and Design
        Thomas Street
        The Liberties
        James Joyce Bridge
        Drimnagh Castle
        Knocklyon
        Ballyboden
        River Dodder
        Victor's Way
        Round Tower at Glendalough
        Saint Kevin's Church
        Glendalough
        Glendalough Cathedral
        Annamoe
        Whitechurch
        Kilmacanogue
        Holy Redeemer Church
        Bray
        Shankill
        Shankill railway station
        Rathmichael
        Carrickmines Luas stop
        Carrickmines Castle
        Getty Images
        Leopardstown Park Hospital
        Danesmoate House
        Brehon's Chair
        Marlay Park
        Inchicore College of Further Education
        Kilmainham Gaol
        Irish Museum of Modern Art
        Guinness Brewery
        St James' Church
        Guinness Storehouse
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