Bikepacking to the World Champs across Ireland and Scotland

Mountain Biking Collection by Maghalierochette

Tours

25:54 h

314 mi

18,000 ft

We decided to bikepack to the Mountain Bike World Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, starting from Dublin, the capital of Ireland.

We rode for two days in Ireland and Northern Ireland before taking the ferry to get to Cairnryan in Scotland and ride for another ride two days there to reach the capital city, Edinburgh.

It was a wonderful trip and an outstanding route. The route was a real mix of road and off-road, so an off-road capable bike would be recommended if you wanted to give this a go yourself. The off-road bits are sometimes more challenging, but they truly bring the magic... They allowed us to experience the places differently and feel like we were more a part of nature.

We chose to sleep in hotels, so every beginning and end of each of these Tours are from our overnight accommodation. We met some wonderful people there along the way.

I loved every minute and every kilometer of this adventure!

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Dublin to Edinburgh full Tour

354 mi

17,300 ft

17,250 ft

Last updated: August 25, 2023

Tours

Day 1: Dublin to Newry, the land of rainbows!
06:12
80.3 mi
12.9 mph
2,900 ft
2,875 ft
The first day truly exceeded my expectations. Ireland is truly beautiful. We did have some rain, but it also taught me why Ireland is called the land of rainbows!

We landed in Dublin and had to make a little detour to the bike shop to get some parts. Shane at Euro Cycles was so nice. We started the day…
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Day 2: Newry to Belfast, through Northern Ireland
05:44
73.4 mi
12.8 mph
4,700 ft
4,550 ft
Day 2 took us from the Mourne Mountains to the shores of Strangford Lough. We started the day in Newry, and as soon as we got out of town, we were already on small, quiet roads. We started climbing and were already treated to nice views of green hills and cows.

The sun was out and allowed us to take in…
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Day 3: Belfast to New Galloway, the best ride ever?
05:50
70.0 mi
12.0 mph
3,825 ft
3,725 ft
We started the day riding in the rain at 6am in Belfast to catch the earliest ferry. This is where the Titanic left from in 1912!

We arrived in Cairnryan around 10, and the rain clouds had lifted. Lucky us! Less than 10 minutes into the ride, we took a turn off the big road and were instantly on a tiny…
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Day 4: New Galloway to Edinburgh, adventure day
08:08
90.6 mi
11.1 mph
6,575 ft
6,600 ft
This is a ride I will remember for a long time! Some of the best views, some challenging and rewarding terrain.

We started the day from our hotel at New Galloway, and right away we were on a quiet road. I was worried the A road would be busy, but it was actually super quiet. We made it to Thornhill and…
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