From Rebels to Rail Trails: A Joyride Through Rural Wicklow
Today’s 28km spin through the quiet roads of south east Wicklow reminded me yet again why I love cycling in rural Ireland. I parked up at Crossbridge Church and set off into the April air with no particular hurry—just the promise of a loop that would wind me through history, hills, and the kind of scenery that stops you mid-pedal to take it all in.
My first leg brought me around by Ballycumber and Kyle, two townlands that feel suspended in time. There’s a peaceful rhythm out here—sheep in the fields, the odd tractor, and birdsong that fills the gaps where traffic might be elsewhere.
Just after Kyle, I spotted a River Ford marked on my Ordnance Survey Map and I made a short detour: a quiet stone at the roadside caught my eye: a memorial to Luke O’Toole, the GAA’s first full-time secretary. Luke served ar secretary of the GAA from 1901 to 1929; an historic time in Irish history. He would have dealt with the most tragic day in GAA History; Bloody Sunday, on 21st November 1920, in Croke Park when British Forces murdered 14 innocent people during the game between Dublin and Tipperary. It’s a simple marker, but a powerful nod to someone who helped shape Irish sporting life from this very landscape.
Onward to Ballinglen! I stopped at the bridge to read another piece of local memory etched in stone—this one erected in memory of two local brothers Philip (22) and Patrick Lacey (22) who were shot beside the bridge while returning from the Battle of Vinegar Hill on 21st June 1798. A nearby seat, unveiled in 1998 by President Mary McAleese, invites you to pause. I did just that. Sat for a moment in the quiet, the only sound the murmuring of the Derry River below, and thought of the lives and stories rooted deep in this place.
The scenery all along the route was nothing short of spectacular—mountains rising up and rolling away to the horizon, softened by spring’s early green. There’s something nourishing about being surrounded by hills; they don’t rush you, just rise steadily and remind you how rejuvenating the outdoors are for mind and body.
From there, I rolled down into Tinahely, a real hub for hill walkers with its many fantastic loops. Rather than take the road out, I picked up the old rail walk, which winds gently along a narrow wooded path toward Tomnafinnoge Wood. It’s a lovely trail—tree-lined, quiet, and full of little surprises. One of those was a ‘rag tree’ along the way, its branches fluttering with ribbons and cloth left behind by those with wishes, prayers, or memories to leave. A simple, powerful tradition still alive in the hedgerows.
Tomnafinnoge is one of the last remaining mature oak plantations in Ireland. The magnificent oaks were planted by the Fitswilliam Estate several hundred years ago and timber from the forest is said to have been used in the construction of Trinity College Dublin, King’s College Cambridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral London. During the 1980s, a public campaign by locals, politicians and artists such as U2’s ‘The Edge’ ensured the survival of the woods from total destruction and the remnants are now protected as a ‘Special Area of Conservation’ owned and maintained by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
After Tomnafinnoge, I turned uphill toward Ballyraheen. The climb had some bite, but nothing too fierce, and the reward was a roadside audience: a herd of colourful goats, lounging and curious, as if they were expecting me. Their presence gave the whole moment a kind of comic charm. You just don’t get that on a spin around Carlow Town!
The loop closed back at Crossbridge, with 446 metres of climbing in the legs and a warm satisfaction in the soul. Not a long spin, but one rich in variety—history, beauty, solitude, and the kind of quiet moments that make rural Ireland such a joy to explore by bike.
If you’re ever looking for a route that feeds the legs and the spirit, you could do worse than this corner of Wicklow. And if you’re lucky, the goats will be out to greet you too.
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