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....