Information and Support
This page provides information and support for people cycling the EuroVelo route in Ireland. In some cases, there is a link to another website which has all the relevant information.
Description of the EuroVelo 1 in Ireland
Travelling along the southern and western seaboard of Ireland, EuroVelo 1 explores the wild and rugged Irish coastline. The route begins in the southeast corner of Ireland at the ferry port of Rosslare Harbour in Co. Wexford, where ferries arrive from the UK, France and Spain. The route then winds along mostly quiet rural roads and greenways, including the Waterford Greenway, the Limerick Greenway and the Great Western Greenway. More greenway sections will be added soon. After 2350km in the Republic of Ireland the route reaches the northwest of the country and at the village of Bridge End in County Donegal it crosses the border into Northern Ireland. From here it continues for another 250km to the city of Belfast from where cyclists can connect with ferries to Scotland to cross the Irish Sea and continue on the Atlantic Coast Route.
93% EuroVelo 1 in Ireland is on public roads shared with other traffic and 7% is traffic free. This percentage is growing. There are a number of new traffic free sections in the pipeline. When these are all complete, 22% of the route will be traffic free.
For the most part the roads used on the route have low traffic volumes and speed. There are ideal for people who are used to cycling and cycle touring. There are however some sections of the road on road which can be busier and can have higher traffic volumes at certain times. In some cases there may be a wide hard shoulder which can be used to cycle in, in some cases there may not.
Examples of National Roads
These sections are used when the is no alternative route that can be used and to ensure the route is continuous. They are usually on a National road for a relatively short distance before re-joining a quiet road. It is the intention that in the future additional cycling infrastructure will be developed to improve the cycling experience on these roads.
At present all these sections can be cycled and are cycled regularly, but riders need to be aware that they exist and know to expect them. When cycling these sections, the use of your lights can help to make you more visible to other road users.
In the coming months, the page for each daily will be updated to include a map of the section showing any busy segments of road.
Rules of the Road for Cyclists
All of the relevant information can be found here Laws on Cycling in Ireland