EuroVelo 1 Ireland - Atlantic Coast Route
Road Cycling Trail · Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Wexford
EuroVelo 1 Ireland - Atlantic Coast Route is a 2300 km very challenging waymarked linear route in Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Wexford, starting near Newtowncunningham or Rosslare Harbour.
Grade
| Activity | Grade | Difficulty | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cycling | Very Challenging | Very Challenging | – |
Getting there
Starts at Newtowncunningham or Rosslare Harbour.
Finishes at Rosslare Harbour or Newtowncunningham.
- Trailhead coordinates
- 54.99668, -7.51451
- Irish Grid reference
- C 313 168
- Ordnance Survey sheets
- Discovery Series Sheets 1, 2, 6, 10, 11, 16, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, 37, 38, 44, 45, 46, 51, 52, 57, 63, 64, 70, 71, 72, 76, 77, 78, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 88 and 89
The National Trails Register's own latitude and longitude fields are empty for all 1,186 trails on it. This trailhead comes from Sport Ireland's separate Trailheads dataset, matched to this trail on its register ID.
Public transport
Details of public tranport available from cities, towns and villages along the route can be found as follows: Rail - Irish Rail Bus - Bus Eireann For further details see https://euroveloireland.ie/transport
About the trail
In the Republic of Ireland the Atlantic Coast Route (EuroVelo 1) - described here from North to South - starts at the village of Newtowncunningham in County Donegal. From here the route is signposted for almost 200km on quiet rural roads, to Donegal town. The route then joins the North West Cycle Trail which is signposted as far as Sligo town. After that much of the route is not yet developed or signposted. However, there are some notable exceptions to this in Co Mayo and Co Limerick where the route joins the Great Western Greenway for almost 42km and the Great Southern Trail for 37.5km respectively. Both of these sections are constructed on former railway lines and are mostly traffic free. After this there are some further signposted road sections which are part of existing regional and local routes in Counties Clare, Cork and Waterford. However, much of the route in the southern part of the country is yet to be developed. Eventually the route arrives at Rosslare on the East coast, where cyclists can connect with a ferry to Wales and continue on the Atlantic Coast Route through the United Kingdom.
Before you go
This route is fully signposted throughout its length. However, signs can get damaged or go missing so it is advisable to use a navigation device loaded with a GPX file of the route if you have one. A map of the full route is also shown on https://euroveloireland.ie. The route is mostly on quiet roads with low levels of motorised traffic. However, there are some sections shared with moderate traffic and some short sections shared with higher traffic. The route also includes traffic free greenways. More traffic free sections will be added when they are completed. There are a number of such sections under development. The route map will be updated as soon as they are included.
- Waymarking
- Blue text on white signs with bicycle symbol and EuroVelo logo
Who manages it
National EuroVelo Coordination Center (NECC)
The section of the route which passes through each county is managed by the Local Authority. Overall management of the route is coordinated by the National EuroVelo Coordination Center (NECC) now led by Cycling Ireland. For more information on the route or to report any issues please email [email protected].
Conditions and closures change. The operator is the authority on both, not this page.
Trails nearby
Measured trailhead to trailhead, in a straight line.
- Maylin Wood 3.9 km away · 0.8 km trail
- Ballykeeran Forest trail 16 km away · 1 km trail
- The North West Trail Cycling 18 km away · 126 km trail
- Grania’s Gap Loop 18 km away · 6.7 km trail
- Woodquarter - Forest trail 18 km away · 1.1 km trail
- Tip O’Neill Trail 23 km away · 7 km trail
Common questions
How long is the EuroVelo 1 Ireland - Atlantic Coast Route?
2300 km, recorded as a linear route on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register. It climbs 21,700 m in total.
How hard is the EuroVelo 1 Ireland - Atlantic Coast Route?
Sport Ireland grades it Very Challenging. Grades are set against national criteria, so they are comparable with other registered trails.
Where does the EuroVelo 1 Ireland - Atlantic Coast Route start?
Starts at Newtowncunningham or Rosslare Harbour. The trailhead is at 54.99668, -7.51451 (Irish Grid C 313 168).
Can you get to the EuroVelo 1 Ireland - Atlantic Coast Route without a car?
Details of public tranport available from cities, towns and villages along the route can be found as follows: Rail - Irish Rail Bus - Bus Eireann For further details see https://euroveloireland.ie/transport.
Who manages the EuroVelo 1 Ireland - Atlantic Coast Route?
National EuroVelo Coordination Center (NECC). They are the authority on current conditions and closures, not this page.
More in Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Wexford
Trail data from the Sport Ireland National Trails Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Trailhead coordinates from the companion Trailheads dataset. Snapshot taken 2026-08-13.