County Tipperary
The starting point was Ballycommon, close to Nenagh in North County Tipperary, and the first leg took me through the lower reaches of the Arra range to Killaloe. The most scenic route would have been to go via Portroe and take the beautiful lakeside road past the Lookout and follow the lakeshore down to Ballina. However, that stretch of road can be a bit frantic, particularly at rush hour, so I took the quiet route through Burgess and Boher (pictured below).
This route takes you along quiet back roads, with the Arra range to your right and the Silvermines range to your left. So while you’re not getting any lake views just yet, you’re certainly not missing out on scenic views! There was a gradual climb through Burgess, and then a gradual descent to the Shannon, landing in Ballina, with its magnificent views of the river (pictured below).
County Clare
Crossing the Old Bridge, I paused to admire the view upstream before heading up the west shore.
At this stage, I was 25km into the journey. There are a number of places in Ballina and Killaloe where you can pause for refreshments. However, I was planning on holding off on a pit stop for a while yet. After cycling along the beautiful river bank in Killaloe, I joined the cycle path which follows Lough Derg all the way up to Tuamgraney. As the river opened out into Lough Derg, I paused at Two Mile Gate to admire the view. This is where you realise the sheer scale of Lough Derg, as only about half of the lake is visible from this point, and it still looks a long way!
Continuing up the County Clare shore of Lough Derg, I passed numerous scenic viewpoints. The next village is Ogonelloe, where you can look back on a panoramic view of the southern end of the lake before turning the corner into Scarriff Bay. There is also a coffee shop in Ogonelloe, if you are ready for refreshments. Shortly after leaving Ogonelloe, you will come to a parking area with great views down over the bay, including Inis Cealtra (Holy Island).
At the end of the cycle path, and around 1/3 of the way through the lap, is Tuamgraney, and it is here that I decided to take the first pit stop, at McKernan’s Woollen Mills, where they have a coffee shop. Other choices in the area would be Wilde Irish Chocolates, Nuala’s Bar or the East Clare Community Co-op in Scarriff. Any of the above will see you right for the next section of the cycle!
The final stretch of County Clare took me the relatively short distance to Mountshannon, where you can detour to the harbour for another fine view of Lough Derg.
County Galway
Leaving Mountshannon behind, I was soon in County Galway. The route bypasses the first town, Whitegate, but if you don’t mind a short detour, and are not fully refreshed yet, it is well worth calling into The Half Barrel, where they have a very good food menu. The next stretch takes you to Portumna. There aren’t many lake views on this stretch, but the cycling is nice and easy and the scenery is pleasant, so the kms just fly by!
It was on this stretch, around the half way point, that I switched to the 2nd eBike battery. I arrived in Portumna, which is around 2/3 of the way around, ready for lunch. Normally I would have headed into the Portumna Forest Park and cycled through there, however on this day it was closed so I stuck to the roads. Normally, however, the forest park offers great cyclable tracks, which bring you through to the Marina and the Portumna Castle, and it was here (at their CaToCa cafe) that I stopped for lunch. Other options in Portumna are on the Main Street, including Cafe Rose and the Courtyard Cafe.
Suitably refreshed, I continued towards the River Shannon crossing via the new Lough Derg Blueway (a dedicated walkway / cycle track), arriving at the Shannon Bridge. This is a rarity – it has a middle section which swings open several times a day to allow boats to pass under.
County Tipperary
The next stretch, as far as Carrigahorig, is on the N65, and is the busiest stretch of road on the route. It only lasts for around 5km, however, and can be avoided if you prefer to divert along the R489 and pass through historic Lorrha. Turning off the main road at Carrigahorig, I headed for Terryglass.
Terryglass is an idyllic village featuring two fine pubs (namely The Derg Inn and Paddy’s Bar), and you can take a short diversion to the harbour for yet more beautiful lake views. Continuing on along the back road, you will next come to the Mouse House, a historic toll bridge dating back to 1776. No toll is payable today, thankfully!
The next stretch is very scenic, along quiet roads with beautiful lake views (again!), before I descended towards Skehanagh at Coolbaun. This stretch takes you downhill past the historic St Barron’s Church, until you land at the lakeshore, at one of my favourite spots of all, Cleary’s Quay.
This is a wonderfully quiet place, and on this occasion the only sound while I looked out over the calm waters of the lough was the birdsong. This set me up for the final leg, taking in the bathing spot at Skehanagh before heading through the pretty village of Puckaun and on to home!
It was a wonderful day, and while it is a long way to travel by bike, it was very manageable with numerous breaks, and with the help of the extra battery, which allowed me to make use of the sport setting. There was even enough juice left at the end to shoot up into Turbo mode, which made the final miles just fly by.
I would highly recommend doing this lap. It’s a great way to see the best of what Lough Derg has to offer, and if you feel like you’re flying past some of the scenic spots, you can always go back another day and revisit those spots! If you would like to enquire how you can do a similar journey, please contact me at info@loughdergebiketours.ie.
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