30 Hours Biking in Northern Ireland

Posted on November 13, 2015 @ 12:20 PM in

Most of the time, if you’re like us, ideas for that next big adventure will pop into your head at random moments often set off by the tiniest flicker of thought as you go about everyday life. In our experience the majority of these flickers rarely make it to and almost never make it past the ‘idea stage’. Instead they are safely filed away under ‘could have/would have/should have’.  

Sometimes though, one of these flickers blossoms into a fully-fledged idea which actually sticks and before you know it, you’re knee deep in tomato juice hurling rotten fruit at a group of Spanish students on the streets of a Valencian village with over 20,000 other like-minded souls! Let’s call these ideas ‘crackers’ and yes my Scottish friends we have a cracker for you!!

P&O Ferries is offering a Special 30 Hour Return crossing from Cairnryan to Larne for one car and three people from £145 return from now until 17^th December 2015. Now maths was never my strongest subject but even I can work out that that’s less than £50 per person!

So Scotland, the challenge …we dusted off our trusty road atlas this afternoon and reckon it’s feasible to hit each of Northern Ireland’s National Trail Centres as well as Belfast’s urban trails and jumps park in under 30 hours no problem. In fact, we think you would still have time for a pint or two along the way!

Always keen to encourage adventures a.k.a. live our dreams through other people, the team at MountainBikeNI.com have scribed what we believe to be the World’s Greatest 30 Hour Mountain Bike Itinerary (to Northern Ireland)!

Day One

10:30 – Ferry departs from Cairnryan to Larne

12:30 – Arrive @ Larne & Drive to Davagh Forest (60 miles)

14:00 – Ride the Davagh Forest Trails

16:30 – Drive to Castlewellan (70 miles)

18:00 – Dinner

20:00 – Ride the Castlewellan Mountain Bike Trails (Night Ride)

22:00 – A few sociable pints

Day Two

08:00 – Breakfast

08:30 – Drive to Rostrevor (20 miles)

09:00 – Ride the Rostrevor Mountain Bike Trails

12:00 – Drive to Belfast (40 miles)

13:00 – Ride the Barnett Demesne Trails & Jumps Park

14:30 – Drive to Larne (30 miles)

15:30 – Arrive @ Ferry Terminal 

16:30 – Ferry departs from Larne to Cairnryan

So that’s two ferry journeys, under six hours driving and nine hours out on the bike, yes NINE hours of superb riding in the UK’s must visit mountain bike destination of 2015! 

Go on …Seize the Day!!  

Chris Armstrong  Mountain Bike Officer

Chris looks after all things mountain biking in Northern Ireland ...it's a tough job but someone's gotta do it!

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