The best road cycling routes around The Municipal District of Arklow

Built between 1117 and 1184 by the Normans on an earlier Irish Castle. the castle was destroyed in the 16th century and the current ruin is that of a more modern building.

This 19th-century arch bridge over the Derry Water River is a fine example of Irish civil engineering. The construction is entirely built from local granite, with the precisely cut keystones in the arches immediately catching the eye. These arches are not only elegant but also technically designed to optimally absorb the varying water pressure of the river. The robust parapets of rough natural stone allow the structure to blend seamlessly into the landscape of Aughrim, making the bridge a characteristic monument on the border between history and nature.

Historic hillside town above the Avonmore valley, with roots in Celtic ring forts and later a centre of flannel and wool trade. Close to Avondale House (Parnell) and perfectly situated as a gateway to the Vale of Clara and the Wicklow routes.

Historic hilltop town above the Avonmore Valley, with roots in Celtic ring forts and later a centre of flannel and wool trade. Close to Avondale House (Parnell) and perfectly located as a gateway to the Vale of Clara and the Wicklow routes.

The Glenmacnass Waterfall cascades 80–100 metres down several broad steps into a carved U‑shaped valley, one of the wildest landscapes in the Wicklow Mountains. From the R115, you have a frontal view of the granite ledge over which the water falls, with open moorland, peat slopes, and the river winding its way towards Laragh.

The waterfall plunges in multiple stages, 80–100 meters, down a wide granite ledge. The combination of steep walls, open highlands, and the winding river below makes this one of the most dramatic panoramas in the entire R115 corridor.

Sally Gap, one of the highest and most open crossroads in the Wicklow Mountains. Here, the R759 and the Old Military Road (R115) intersect at over 500 meters altitude, in the middle of a vast moorland and heath landscape without buildings or shelter. The panorama is a full 360°: the dark bogs of Liffey Head Bog, the flanks of Kippure, the valleys towards Glencree, and the long, empty Military Road that runs like a pencil line through the highlands. This location is world-famous as a backdrop for films and series such as Braveheart, Vikings, and P.S. I Love You.

You are here on one of the most characteristic sections of the Old Military Road, built between 1800 and 1809 by the British Army to control the Wicklow Mountains after the 1798 Rebellion. This section of the L1013 runs across an open high plateau with wide, rugged views towards Glencree, Kippure and the northern Wicklow Mountains.