The Old Rail Trail (Athlone to Mullingar)

Where: Co Westmeath (40km)

Why: Cycle through the heart of Ireland on the Old Rail Trail, traversing some 40km of the former Midlands Great Western Railway between Athlone and Mullingar. The route opens up a gentle countryside that drivers whizzing by on the M4 or M6 rarely get to see - farmscapes, the stone arch bridges at Streamstown, a stretch of the Royal Canal and old station houses at Moate and Castletown, for starters. There isn't much by way of twists, turns or ascents and descents, but that (along with the smooth, tarmac surface) could be seen as a plus for smaller cyclists, and there's a surprisingly good shot of folk history with a playground at Dún na Sí amenity & Heritage Park (dunnasi.ie) - closed for now, but one to mark for future magic in the Midlands.

Trip notes: Start at either end, or do sections in between - Castletown to Mullingar (11.5km) for example, or Athlone to Moate (14.5km). Athlone.ie has a map highlighting entry and exit points. Find bike hire with buckleycycles.ie and mullingarbikehire.com, among others.

If you like this, try: A 5km off-road cycle path connects Crosshaven and Carrigaline in Cork, while the Comber Greenway is an 11km, traffic-free trail running from Belfast to Comber. Along the way, you'll see the Harland & Wolff cranes, Belfast Hills and a statue of CS Lewis.