The Eurovelo 1 is Europe’s Atlantic Coast route, stretching 10,650 km from North Cape in Norway to Valença in Portugal. Roughly 2500 km of this route follow the Irish coast, starting in Belfast and ending at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford. That distance is a bit daunting, but luckily you can easily do bite-sized chunks of the route.
The 180 km section from Cork to Waterford runs through adorable colourful seaside villages, past wide sandy beaches, and along very green Irish countryside with more cows and sheep than people. This stretch is particularly manageable since you can easily access the start and end points by train. Plus, it’s pretty flat and it runs through the sunniest part of Ireland, so you might actually catch a glimpse of blue sky.
Route map from Cork to Waterford
To follow the 3-day version of the route, you can follow using our routes on Komoot by clicking on the links below:
Day 1: Cork to Youghal, 73km, 480m elevation gain (Note: This route requires a ferry crossing – the ferry leaves every 10 minutes and costs 2 Euros – cash or card – per person if the operator bothers to come collect the fare.)
Day 2: Youghal to Strandbelly, 67km, 670m elevation gain
Day 3: Strandbelly to Waterford, 41 km, 210m elevation gain
What is there to see along the route?
There are several highlights along the route. Starting in Cork, you’ll find the English Market – Europe’s largest covered market and the perfect first stop for filling up on food before you start the cycle ride. The brie and smoked chicken sandwich at the Sandwich Stall and the Italian from Brooklyn sausage from O’Flynn’s Gourmet Sausages were particularly good. The market is open Mondays to Saturdays from 8 am to 6pm.
Cobh (pronounced ‘Covh’) is famous for its colourful houses, neatly stacked down a hill like a deck of cards. Just note, if you do want that famous photo, you’ll have to snap it from over the stone wall on Spy Hill road (near the Park View road). St Colmans Cathedral and the walk along the road parallel to the ocean are pretty as well. The Arch – Cafe & Wine Bar at Casement Square is a good shout if you’re looking for a decent coffee.
In Midleton you’ll find hidden in a park outside of the main town a very beautiful silver sculpture of feathers – Kindred Spirits. This artwork commemorates the famine relief donation by the Native American Choctaw People in 1847 during the Great Hunger. This act of immense generosity came just a few years after the Choctaw People had endured the Trail of Tears.
We had never heard of it before, and only by chance because it was a convenient place to stop for the night, we found out about Youghal. It was an unexpected surprise. The seaside town is full of medieval history with many helpful plaques throughout the town where you can learn a bit about the buildings and their former occupants. The Clock Gate Tower, while quite cool to see straddling the main road, has a particular dark and gruesome history as a former gaol from which prisoners were executed by hanging out of the windows for everyone to see. And in case you couldn’t guess from all the signs everywhere, Youghal’s famous for hosting the Ironman (run up Windmill Lane twice if you can in true Ironman style).
Another popular seaside town along the way is Ardmore. This isn’t a bad place to stop for the night on Day 1, if you don’t want to stay in Youghal. There’s a picturesque cliff walk you can do if you have the time. Alternatively, if you don’t, no worries – it is a bit like doing the Howth cliff walk. We visited the Ardmore Round Tower which had nice views of the sea, before heading into the town for coffee at the Garden Kitchen.
At some point along the route, you’ll probably notice you can’t read any of the signs any more and ‘stop’ suddenly is ‘stad’. That’s because you’re now nearing Ballynagaul – a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area). While that’s quite cool in and of itself, there’s also beautiful views across the bay on a clear day from Ballynagaul Bay Beach.
At the far end of the Waterford Greenway lies Dungarvan. This harbour town has a number of restaurants (including AndChips which has fantastic fish and chips), supermarkets, and even a castle. If you can manage to find a spare room free here, it’s a good place to stay the second night if you want to do the 3-day version of this cycle route.
And then of course there’s the Waterford Greenway – a 46km carfree cyclist’s paradise following a former rail track. The route goes through tunnels, past countryside, and is dotted with hundreds of little faerie doors.
How long do I need to cycle this route?
This stretch is best done over 2 or 3 days. You can easily do this cycle in a weekend if you live in Dublin by taking the morning train on a Saturday and a late train on the Sunday.
How difficult is the route?
The route is relatively easy if you’re used to cycling and exercise regularly. The route is quite flat, but there are moderate hills at points particularly between Youghal and Dungarvan.
What is the route condition like?
Minus a short greenway stretch out of Cork and the Waterford Greenway, most of this route is along roads. A few sections are on high speed roads with little wiggle room for mistakes because of the vehicle traffic. I found the safety questionable at points and would say this Eurovelo route is not great for families with small children. But otherwise, usually you are on quiet rural roads with only the odd car or two passing by.
Where can I stay overnight?
On our 3-day cycle over the May bank holiday weekend, we stayed in Youghal and just after Dungarvan. In Youghal, we stayed in Abbey View House (€115 on their website) and by Dungarvan we stayed at Comeragh View B&B (€100 through booking.com). We’d recommend both. They each had excellent breakfast – continental at the first and a full hot Irish breakfast at the second. Comeragh View B&B is along the Greenway but not near a restaurant, so make sure you eat before you head there for the night.
How do I get there from Dublin using public transport?
You can easily get a train from Dublin Heuston to Cork Kent, and a train from Waterford Plunkett to Dublin Heuston. If you book in advance you can get tickets for relatively cheap (we paid about €35 per adult round trip, with a bicycle reserved). Trains from Dublin to Cork take 2.5 hours and 2 hours between Waterford and Dublin.
Where can I rent a bike?
I wouldn’t rent a bike in Cork or Waterford just because of the logistics of returning a bike on a one-way trip. Rather rent a trekking bike from one of the many bike shops in Dublin if you are starting from Dublin.
How can I extend my cycle trip?
If you cycle from Waterford towards Cork, you can continue from Cork to Killarney and from there cycle the Ring of Kerry. This route, while tough, is full of dramatic mountain and sea views and quaint little villages.
