Some Tracks on 3Rock

3Rock is a maze of tracks....some are XC mountain bike tracks, some are hardcore downhiller tracks, there are fire roads, a few paved roads, you name it. I've only been cycling for a few months on 3Rock, so this is by no means a full set.

One Way Up - Up the Boneshaker
The Boneshaker is a common and interesting way up 3Rock from Ticknock.
From Ticknock car park, climb the tarmac road to the first sharp right bend. Leave the paved road here, climbing a muddy groove up to the right. The groove exits onto a wider trail...keeping right and uphill, follow this with increasing interest until it debouches onto a paved road. This is more or less the highest point you can drive to on 3Rock.

Directly across the road, a narrow gap in the ditch is almost blocked by a fallen tree, the sawed-off end of which sticks into the gap. There are various rocks here too, just to add interest. Passing this tasty combination, climb the gently-angled mud track (many fallen trees to your left), into the forest. At a junction, you're going right. At this turn,(very muddy underwheel) you can bypass a large mud area by mounting the left-hand (uphill) bank and then dropping down off it again ten yards later. Follow the track for a hundred yards or so, until a steep trail crosses it. Take this trail, to the left, climbing steeply uphill, crossing three or four small gullies/ditches. A few minutes of tough climbing and you emerge on a paved road.

Directly across the road, a narrow track follows the edge of the forest (trees on your left) and enters a gorse-filled area. Take this track right through the forest, to join a larger track that runs uphill/downhill to the right/left. This is the Boneshaker.

Climb the Boneshaker (going right, of course) to the antennas at the top. This is more or less the top of three rock - strictly, the top is ahead and to your right, where the big rocks are.

Going down the way you came is of course an option.

You can reach the top of the boneshaker on paved roads, if you really want to, from the car park. Just follow the paved road up from the car park. But why would you want to ?

Fairy Castle
From the top of the Boneshaker, a trail runs in a steep, straight line up towards Fairy. Having climbed the Boneshaker, this is off to your right. The trail has forest on its left, and heathery ground to the right. Climb this trail to reach the top of Fairy Castle. The first half is tricky but feasible, the top is tougher. You know you're on Fairy Castle when you can go no further up!

Boulderdash
From the top of Fairy, drop down along the ridge of the hill towards Tibradden. 3Rock will be to your right, the Johnny Fox's road to your left. It's a pretty gradual drop, but the trail is full of boulders of various shapes, sizes and degrees of friendliness. This is Boulderdash. Boulderdash ends at the end of the ridge, at which stage you're at the top of the WockaWockas.

WockaWockas
The Wockas drop steeply from the bottom of Boulderdash to join the Johnny Fox's Road. This is all part of the Wicklow Way. About 30% of the way down the Woccas, the Tibradded Ridge Trail comes in from the right.

Tibradden Ridge
Take the right as you're going down the Wockas, and follow the trail in a straight line along the ridge of Tibradded to the top of Tibradden hill. Various small narrow gorges, some rocky bits, some mud. Good fun. From the top of Tibradden, follow the trail straight down to the car park. You won't get lost but you might fall off - this is steep and full of loose stones in many places. From the Tibradden car park you can
- turn left and climb the road steeply to the top, then drop down along the road to the bottom of the Woccas, from which you can ride back to Fairy
- turn right to the T junction, then left to Cruagh and Hellfire.
- turn right to the T junction, then left towards Cruagh, then right into Masseys and so (eventually to Taylor's pub).

3 Rock - overview and access.

Three Rock Mountain (3Rock) is a major venue for MTB in Dublin. It's a fair-sized hill just south of Rathfarnham, covered in trees (except where Coillte are busy cutting them down), and boasting easy access, several excellent trails and lots of mountain bikers. It's connected to other hills by a range of trails, including Fairy Castle and Tibradden.

The club I ride with, MAD, typically meets up at the Yellow House pub in Rathfarnham, at Taylor's Pub, or at Ticknock car park, when heading to 3Rock. All these options bring you to hte car park at Ticknock, from which we usually ascend 3Rock. It's 15 minutes of climbing from Taylor's to Ticknock; about 25 from the Yellow House.

3Rock, like almost every forest in Ireland, is owned/operated by Coillte. Mountain Biking is forbidden, but generally tolerated.

MTB riders share 3Rock with many walkers, the occasional equestrian, scrambler-bikers and other leisure users. Given our shaky position vis-a-vis being here at all, the sensible approach is to show respect and give right of way to almost everyone...I draw the line at our motorised cousins, but it's probably healthier to keep out of their way too!

Access Points
The key access points for 3Rock are
Ticknock, as mentioned above. Access is from the Lamb Doyles Road (Blackglen Road, officially) - heading away from Sandyford (going west, more or less), you cross the M50 and take the next left, signposted for Ticknock. Keep straight ahead at the only junction (passing a cul de sac sign) and the carpark is on the left. You can't miss it. Were you to turn right at the only junction, you'd come down to Taylors.

Taylors Pub is at the junction of the Grange Road, the Blackglen Road and Castle Road (hope I have those names right), pretty much were Marlay Park comes closest to 3Rock. Good parking in the car park, but have a pint there occasionally to keep the publicans happy...you know you want to!
From Taylors, pass under the M50 and climb for 15 minutes, turning right at the T-junction, to reach Ticknock.

The Yellow House is in Rathfarnham Village. To get to Taylors from there, you cross the road (church on your right), and climb the gentle hill to the junction where Grange Road heads up to the right. There's a car park on your right, at the junction. Follow Grange Road uphill to the right, with Marlay Park on your right. At the end of the Park, there's a 3-way junction. Go straight across, towards the M50 which you can see passing overhead on a viaduct. Taylors is more or less under the viaduct. Ten minutes from the Yellow House to Taylor's.

Other Ways onto 3Rock
3Rock lies more or less directly below the top of Fairy Castle, so any access to Fairy Castle automatically gets you to 3Rock. Most people heading to Fairy Castle start by climbing 3Rock, but you can also access it by....

Follow the Tibradden Road from Johnny Fox's pub in Glencullen up into the hills. Where the Wicklow Way leaves the road on the right (not the left), join the Wicklow Way. Follow it steeply upwards, with a number of steep transverse ridges, to a ridge. You have just climbed the Wocka Wockas, which is more fun in the downhill direction. From the top of the Wockas, follow the rocky trail up to the top of Fairy Castle. This is Boulderdash, which is also more fun going downhill.

For the true seekers after misery, another option is keep following the Tibradded Road until you get to the Tibradden Wood car park, which is on the right just as the road meets a T-junction. From this car park, work your way uphill, with much loose rock and awkwardness, to the top of Tibradden. From here, a lot more fun, ride along the ridge to meet the WockaWockas near their top, and climb Boulderdash from there.

See the picture at the top....

Hi all,

welcome to what will hopefully be an ongoing project, combining route descriptions and impressions for mountain bike riding near Dublin with whatever else comes to mind.