Blackwater Valley Cycle Route in Co Cork - Overview

In August of 2023, I cycled the Blackwater Valley Cycle Route in Co Cork over the course of three days. In this post, I'll give an overview of the 161km route from Midleton in East Cork to Rathmore in Co Kerry. In the other posts listed below, I'll give a breakdown of what notice boards and signs are left on the route. I'll also give a detailed description so that others to try to cycle parts or all of the route.

Updated 1st Sept 2023

Maps & Signs...An inventory of what notice boards and signs are left on the course of as August 2023.

1) Midleton to Youghal - Maps & Signs

2) Youghal to Fermoy - Maps & Signs 

3) Fermoy to Doneraile - Maps & Signs

4) Mallow, Ballyclough, Buttevant, Doneraile loop - Maps & Signs (future post)

5) Kanturk to Rathmore - Maps & Signs (future post)

Modern Route... Description

1) Midleton to Youghal - Directions (future post)

2) Youghal to Fermoy - Directions (future post)

3) Fermoy to Doneraile - Directions (future post)

4) Doneraile to Kanturk via Buttevant (option 1 - northern route) - Directions (future post)

5) Doneraile to Kanturk via Mallow (option 2 - southern route) - Directions (future post)

5) Kanturk to Rathmore - Directions (future post)

Map of the route...

The Blackwater Valley Cycle Route starts in the town of Midleton in East Cork and ends in Rathmore on Co Kerry, a distance of approximately 161kms or 100 miles.

The route seems to have been an initiative to promote tourism in Co Cork as it doesn't follow the Blackwater river north to Cappoquin and Lismore in Co Waterford and it stays mostly within the confines of the county of Cork.

According to online source, there doesn't seem to be any printed maps or leaflets for the route. Instead, notice boards were placed in several key points along the route. Most of these are still intact although they're showing their age at this stage.

The image below shows what the original sign for Kanturk looked like...

As can be seen, there is an outline of the full route on the left and a more detailed local map on the right with some gradient information below it. Similar notice boards were put up in the villages and towns along the route.

How old is the route???.. Looking at Google Streetview, the information boards were in place in 2009 so the route pre-dates that. On the overall map, the Youghal Bypass and the Ballincollig Bypass are not shown so it's possible the route predates their opening dates of 2004 and 2003 respectively.

Judging by the weathering on the signs and the information above, the early 2000's would seem like a good guess.

Current Status... As of the Summer of 2023, this is as far as I can tell the status of the information boards on the route based on my own observations and by examining Google Streetview...

Location - Distance from start - Status of notice board
Midleton - Start - Board removed between 2019 and 2021
Ladysbridge - 12kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Youghal - 31kms - Board removed between 2011 and 2018

Mount Uniacke - 43kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Ballynoe - 55kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Conna - 59kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Aghern - 63kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Fermoy - 75kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Glanworth - 83kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Castletownroche - 91kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Doneraile - 103kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Buttevant - 110kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Kanturk - 130kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Banteeer - 135kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Millstreet - 150kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Rathmore - 161kms - Unable to locate

The list above shows the shortest route going from Doneraile to Kanturk via Buttevant. There also seems to be an option of an a more southerly route via Mallow after Doneraile which adds 5kms to the overall route.

Option 2 after Doneraile...

Mallow - 115kms - Cycle route map has been removed from the board.

Ballyclough - 123kms - Visited Aug 2023. Still in place

Kanturk - 135kms

Sign at Mount Uniacke in July of 2023... still in place but showing its age

Forgotten Route... As of 2023, the route is probably at least 20-years old and it seems to be long forgotten. I called into one of the more popular tourist offices in a town along the route and they had never heard of it.

It seems to follow the pattern of a lot of other tourist initiatives... a walking or cycling route is proposed, funding is provided, signs are put up and then there is no maintenance and it is largely forgotten about.

In Conclusion... Truth be told, it probably isn't the nicest of cycling routes. While the route avoids the main roads, some of the roads are still reasonably busy and are certainly not 'quiet back roads'. In terms of a good experience and views, tourists would be better served by following the EuroVelo1 route along the coast rather than this inland route.

Having said that, the Blackwater Valley Cycle Route isn't the worst route either and the whole route or parts of it could be used as an excuse for a cycle.

Back Story... During a long cycle in the Summer of 2023, I came across a sign in Conna in NE Cork for the 'Blackwater Valley Cycle Route'. The sign itself looked quite old and it was something I had never heard of.

Once I got home, I tried to tried to search online for any information about the route and I had some limited success. This is the description given on various websites... 

"The Blackwater Valley Cycle Route is approximately 156 km and starts in the historic Heritage Town of Youghal, County Cork and ends in Killarney, County Kerry. The route first runs Northwest towards Fermoy and the Blackwater and then generally west towards Killarney.

The route is divided into four sections and the end point of these sections has been influenced by the availability of overnight accommodation in the general area. Please note that this is not an official route, and it is not signposted as a cycling route or mapped.

The Blackwater Valley Cycle Route can be divided into sections and the following are suggested cycling schedules:
Day 1: Youghal – Fermoy 43 KM
Day 2: Fermoy – Kanturk 54 KM
Day 3: Kanturk – Millstreet 21KM
Day 4: Millstreet – Killarney 38 KM."

Mallow.ie has the following description... "The Blackwater Valley Cycle Route is a 191 km long spanning from Rathmore to Midleton. The route passes through 18 villages and towns including Mallow. The beauty of "The Blackwater Valley Cycle Trail" is that it can be joined at any stage and that it boasts numerous cultural and heritage sites. The trail is also close to a wide range of activities from Fishing to Hot Air Balloon rides!! A loop section encompassing Mallow, Ballyclough, Buttevant and Doneraile can also be cycled and the trail is fully signed."