Road trip through Ireland: Trail park paradise on behalf of the government

Lush green nature, rugged cliffs, melancholic people and above all: peace and quiet. At least that was my idea of Ireland until now. But now I'm sitting here with Tobi in a pub in Temple Bar, Dublin's nightlife district, and my Guinness is almost going stale with amazement: Live music thunders and booms through the cobbled streets, people dancing on every corner, from hippies to tie-dye wearers, colourful lights everywhere. Ben, our guide, grins at our wide eyes and toasts us with his pint: "This won't be the last surprise for you. Wait for our trail centres first."

There are already five major trail centres.

In fact, it was Ben who persuaded us to go on this road trip through his home country. And we didn't need to be asked for long - after all, the British Isles are known for their bike enthusiasm and trail building skills. Ireland alone - slightly larger than Bavaria - can now boast five major trail centres with kilometres of fun networks. Unfortunately, the country is also known for its four seasons, which are supposed to pour down on you every day. That's why we've unfortunately never managed to visit the centre. But now the time has come: we finally want to experience at least three of these top spots.

MTB trails on Dublin's local mountain: Ticknock Mountain

The next morning, midsummer shines over Ticknock Mountain, Dublin's local mountain. Ben really knows every stone and every tree here, as the house where he grew up is only a few hundred metres away as the crow flies. The entrance to the trails is marked by a tiny house that has been converted into a biker café. Next to it is a billboard with a trail map. Bikers are welcome here, that's for sure. But it wasn't always like this. "The mountain used to be all forestry," Ben remembers from his childhood. "There was just logging, nothing else was allowed." But it was precisely the forbidden that had its appeal: "For us youngsters back then, it was a big adventure playground. The trail up ahead, for example, used to be our escape route from the rangers." Today, signs on these former escape routes ask us to dance. However, the surface of the Barn Stormer is rather rough: sometimes rocky, sometimes earthy, the path twists and turns through a kind of fairytale forest of ancient spruce trees. Steps, hairpin bends, root carpets - and that's just the uphill trail! But the extra boost from our minimal assist unit somehow makes it possible. Ben shows us that it can also be smoother.

The Irishman leans his bike into the bends, lifts it up the steps and unerringly selects the right gear every time. He only lets himself be slowed down by the bikers we meet along the way. Ben is well known here and likes to stop for a quick chat. At the highest point of the loop, we switch to the After Burner, which turns out to be a real downhill track in the first section. A few kids with full-face helmets and long suspension travel let Ben and us go first. We trust our guide's line and follow him over angular rock slabs, drops and through steep bends. In the end, Tobi also seems happy to relax for a few minutes on the next gravel track uphill. This leads us back up into treeless, panoramic terrain. Reddish evening light is already sweeping over Dublin, making the name of the final descent a programme: the trail is called Skyline.

The Ballinastoe Trail Centre

"Just like in a picture book," Tobi exclaims a few days later as we look down on Lake Guinness from the highest point of the Ballinastoe Trail Centre. The lake is pitch black, framed by lush green hills, and on the horizon the coast of County Wicklow breaks off into the Atlantic. At our side is the man without whom Ireland would be a blank spot on the map when it comes to mountain biking: Niall Davis, singlespeed world champion, former cross-country and downhill World Cup racer and trail builder with a passion. A few years ago, Niall brought the EWS (World Enduro Series) to Ireland and sparked national interest in the sport of biking. As a result, Niall was commissioned by the Forestry Commission to develop an infrastructure for mountain bikers, and he didn't need to be told twice: Ireland's five trail centres - all his work.

"That lake down there is actually called Lough Tay," says Niall, pointing to the dark waters below us. "But everyone calls it Guinness Lake. Partly because of its colour, but mainly because all the land around it belongs to the Guinness family." They even carted tonnes of white sand to the lake shore to simulate the foam. "But nobody knows for sure if that's true," laughs Niall as he gets his bike ready for the downhill.

Trail fun for MTBs at an altitude of 400 metres

The descent is a prime example of how much trail fun you can get out of just 400 metres in altitude. Littered with dozens of jumps and steep turns, the Pump & Grind runs almost endlessly through bizarrely cleared forests before plunging into a dense forest stuffed with man-high ferns under the name Holts. We also try the combination of Dark Loam and Holts, because it requires even more concentration with its steep root drops and narrow rock passages. And because this descent doesn't throw us out of the saddle, we even qualify for the Junkers trail, which is marked in deep black. After its doubles and a subsequent rumble through the forest, we wave goodbye when Niall offers us an extra level of difficulty. By the evening, we're exhausted, but we haven't done nearly all the routes at this trail centre - a shame, but we've already made an appointment for tomorrow at the Coolaney Trail Centre and will have to make up for it another time.

8 million sheep live in Ireland

There are eight million sheep for every five million Irish. We see the majority of the latter the next morning on the 200 kilometres towards the west coast. They graze right up to the roadside and are part of the postcard landscape. "Blackface Mountain Sheep" is the name of the breed with the distinctive black face. But the animals are not the only feast for the eyes. We pass stone-built villages, vast moorland landscapes and castle ruins. All this still at the height of summer. The much-vaunted other three seasons during the day have still not materialised. This also gives us a view at the Coolaney Trail Centre that you rarely get here. Below us is the bay of Ballysadare. On the right, the legendary table mountain and landmark of the town of Sligo, Ben Bulben. Behind it, the Atlantic coast. The Wild Atlantic Way, one of the longest coastal roads in the world at 2600 kilometres, also runs here.

Spectacular trails over Coolaney

Much shorter, but no less spectacular, are the newly created mountain bike trails high above Coolaney. Always with a spectacular view of the coast, local trail builders Cian, Brian and Kyle have wrested kilometres of trail rollercoasters - in the truest sense of the word - from the peaty ground. The lads spend around a month shovelling each kilometre here. But the trail trio has already completed almost 39 kilometres of trail. And by the start of next season, they aim to have completed twice as many.

Ireland's trademark: pubs and whiskey

Pubs are a dime a dozen in Ireland, we've learnt that by now. But none of them can compete with the Thomas Conolly Bar, says Ben. So we take a short detour south-west of the Northern Irish border to the town of Sligo. Here, the pub that has just been voted the best whiskey bar in Ireland awaits us, with hundreds of exquisite whiskeys stacked up to the ceiling on time-honoured wooden shelves. Ben not only knows the barman, but can tell an Irish speciality about almost every bottle. It turns out that he worked as a bar manager in Dublin's nightlife before his sports career. Not only the country, but also the people here are good for a few surprises.

Info on MTB trails in Ireland

Travelling to Dublin

Lufthansa, Aer Lingus and Ryanair offer several daily flights. There are direct flights to Dublin from Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. Alternatively, there are regular car and passenger ferries from France, England and Wales to Ireland. Important note: E-bikes may only be transported on the aircraft without a battery!

Trail centre

In Ireland, trail centres are set up exclusively for bikers. The trails are permanently maintained. Nevertheless, use is free of charge. All trail circuits are fully signposted. Large maps at the trailhead provide a good overview. You ride uphill and downhill on single trails; forest tracks can also be used for some uphills. All trails are categorised according to difficulty and can also be found on the Trailforks website.

Ticknock

A total of 22 kilometres of pure singletrack with a great view of Dublin. The trail centre offers rental, guiding and technical training. There is also a trail café, service station, repair service and bike wash station.

Coolaney

Ireland's newest trail centre offers 39 km of elaborately designed single trail tours of all difficulty levels. Fun jumps and other features. There is a car park for bikers, but no infrastructure directly at the trailhead.

Ballinastoe

The large trail network comprises 28 kilometres of pure single trails. There is also a jumpline and several enduro trails. The trail centre offers rental, guiding and technical training. Also: trail café, service station, repair service and bike wash station.

Ballyhoura

Ireland's first trail centre has over 50 kilometres of trails. The tours are signposted and there is a bike wash station.

Slieve Blooms

A total of 49 km of mountain bike trails with starting points in Kinnitty and Baunreagh. The Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Centre offers guiding and technique training.

Accommodation

The Irish are known for their hospitality. If you want to experience this, it is best to choose a bed & breakfast. Ticknock and Ballinastoe are easy to visit from your accommodation in Dublin. The Royal Marine, for example, combines city and sea views. Accommodation in Sligo is recommended in the Coolaney trail centre. The Glasshouse is centrally located.