Two days E-Bike Journey from Dublin to Wicklow

This has probably been one of the most exciting and exhilarating two days trip we have put together.  For a long time we have been wondering about doing Wicklow on electric bikes.  We recently found an e-bike rental company that operates right in the middle of Dublin City Centre.  Our objective was to find a way to invite Dublin visitors to get on an e-bike and follow the less busy and scenic routes into Wicklow.

Our route started from Dublin City Centre, followed the Dodder river that flows through the city, and over the Dublin Mountains and into Wicklow.  Lunch was organised at Kippure, and in the afternoon, we cycled to the Blessington Reservoir into Avon Ri, where we stayed for the night.  The following day, our journey started along the Blessington Greenway and over the Wicklow Gap into Glendalough.  Lunch for then organised in Roundwood, and we finished the day cycling to Powerscourt Waterfall after which we finished at Powerscourt Hotel.  Our bags were transferred each day to our destination and we only took a few items for the day (rain gear, water, a bit of food, camera, etc.)

The route we followed was planned with the objective to follow ‘safe’ and scenic routes.  GPS track of the route is available below.  Day one from Dublin to Blessington was 50km long.  Day two was around 70+km long to reach Powerscourt Hotel.

Our experience was made possible by the support of Greenaer e-bikes, Kippure Estate, Avon Rí Lakeshore Resort, Byrne & Woods Restaurant and Wicklow Way Baggage.  At each location, we were able to charge our batteries and extend our journey.  All we had to do is warn the various places we planned to either eat, stay or visit to offer somewhere we could plug our batteries.  A simple multi plug socket board did the trick.

We invited a few tour operators to experience our trip and see if we could organise e-bikes packages.  Feedback has been very positive, and we soon should have e-bike packages available that will help visitors enjoy Wicklow on e-bikes!  Note:  from this initial experience, it was agreed that the ideal distance to cover in a day would be 50km which would allow for stops, visits, and recharging.

Day 1:  Dublin to Blessington:

We picked up our bikes from Greenaer near Pearse Station.  Our small group made our way to the Dodder River just below of Lansdowne road.  The route included small paths, cycling lanes, dirt traks and few open roads to reach the limits of Dublin City.  From there, we climbed our way over the Dublin Mountains in Kippure for lunch and charge.  We then crossed the Liffey River over Sorrell Hill into Lacken.  We follow the Blessington Lakes in Blessington then Avon Ri for dinner and overnight.

Leaving the City:

Over the Mountains into Blessington:

Day 2:  Blessington to Powerscourt, via Glendalough & Roundwood

We left Avon Rí at 9am and intially followed the Blessington Greenway.  We then went to Valleymount to catch St Kevin’s Way into the Wicklow Gap Road and arrived at Glendalough for teas and coffees around 11.30am.  We cycled over Trooperstown into Roundwood for lunch, then on to Powerscourt Waterfall and Hotel to finish the day around 5pm were Greenaer collected the e-bikes.

Morning journey to Glendalough

Glendalough – Roundwood – Powerscourt

REFERENCES:

• Ebike rentals were kindly profived by Greenaer.  The shop’s location right in the middle of Dublin City makes it ideal to start the experience.  Further info at https://www.greenaer.ie/
• Lunch Day 1:  Kippure Estate is ideally located right in the middle of the first day.  We had a fantastic lunch and a were able to charge the batteries of our bikes.  Further info at https://kippure.com/
• Overnight:  Avon Ri offered great self catering accommodation for the night with a lovely dinner.  We were lucky as well to be given a canoe tour over the Blessington Lakes.  More info at https://avonri.com/
• Luggage Transfer:  Wicklow Way Baggage collected our bags in the morning.  for further info:  http://wicklowwaybaggage.com/
• Lunch Day 2:  Byrne & Woods restaurant in Roundwood offered a very tasty lunch with again opportunity to charge the bikes.  Further info at http://www.byrneandwoods.com/

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