Innisfree 400

The Innisfree 400km Audax begins in the centre of Sligo town. It was a 6 am start so we were starting in the dark, it being the end of September. 

There is also a shorter 300km option which starts from the same place and time. It meant that there were about 15 of us starting together with 8 doing the 400 and 7 doing the 300. 

We set off at 6am, on the dot. Well, everyone else did. I had arrived a little late and was still setting of my gps and putting on gloves when they all rolled out. I was sure I’d catch them but when I turned the corner I was met with a fairly substantial hill. Nothing too massive but not something you want to be racing up at the start of a 400km cycle. I could just see their lights disappear over the crest of the hill. I just let them go and I would catch them if I could.

It doesn’t take long to get out of sligo. Within ten minutes you’re on small country roads that wind left and right and up and down. This up and down part was to be the theme of the day, especially the up.

As first light came you are cycling around part of lake, Lough Gill. With high steep hill to your left and water to your right it made for an amazing setting. Unfortunately it was still too dark to take any decent pictures.

On, we cycled over lumpy terrain towards Dromahair (18km) and then turning north, and out of a headwind, towards Manorhamilton(33km). At this stage I had pasted a few slower riders and had caught a guy that was of similar speed so we stuck together.

Even though we were on tiny roads mostly there where nearly no cars for the first few hours. Whenever the sun came out we got some amazing views as you can see below. It should be noted that these pictures are just a snippet of the beauty of the ride. There were even more amazing views that I couldn’t take because of rough terrain or steep descends. 

We continued norths after Manorhamilton on towards Rossinver (42km). From here we turn north west and on to Bundoran and then through Ballyshannon (62km). We took a mountainous road along Lough Melvin. There was a much flatter route but with the views we got I was glad we put in the extra effort. If you ever do this route be very careful on the descent here. It is very steep and it has sharp corners and gravel on the centre of the road.

The next big town after Ballyshannon was Donegal (92km). There was a mixture of roads as we rolled through the early morning countryside but it wasn’t as hilly as it had been. And we had a tailwind.

After donegal I was alone again as my companion had signed up for the 300km event which splits at mountcharles (98km).

This is on a tough climb on quite a busy road but there is a big hard shoulder so it feels safe enough. When you get over the top you’re treated to a very high speed downhill. On a big road with the possibility of potholes were low and with a slight tailwind I was able to freewheel to nearly 80km/h. Enjoy this as the real hard work of the day is about to begin.

From here you will be either climbing or descending all the way to Glencolumbkille (149km) through some of the most rugged terrain in Ireland. The scenery is more than enough to keep you going.

After stopping in Glencolumbkille for a restock you then turn west. The wind blowing directly into my face now which made a tough cycle even harder. The next stop was in ardara (174km) but there were three big climbs before you get there. The last descent before Ardara is to be treated with care. It is very steep and has tight switch backs. This was a real tough part of the day for me. I just had to keep pedaling I try not to look at my average speed. 

When I finally made it to Ardara I stopped for dinner. It was now half past three so I needed to top up as there was now 90km of wilderness ahead of me. And to make matters worse, it started raining. It would continue to rain on and off for the rest of the day so I didn’t take much more pictures as everything was soaking.

The route leave Ardara on a busy road heading east towards the Glenties but turns off onto small mountain roads before you get there.

At 212km there is a GAA pitch with a water tap outside the changing rooms. Use this to top up your water or you will run out.

You eventually come out of the wilderness for about 10km but this is just to cycle along the busy N15. This part goes through a gap in the mountain. Such a lovely part of the world and it would have made for an amazing picture but it was raining hard now and I couldn’t bring myself to stop for a picture.

Again, we turned off onto more mountainous roads but this aren’t just as hilly as the last pass and is more heavily forested. 

So finally I made it to Pertigo (267km) and pass a garage on the outskirts of what I thought was a town but I quickly found out that it was a small village and there was nothing else open. It was now half past eight. I was very low on water but rather than turning back the way I came I decided to push on to Kesh (276km). I had cycled through Kesh a few months ago while doing the Coast to Coast 600 so I knew there were a few shops there. 

After stocking up I felt heartened that it was just 30km to Enniskillen (306km) and when I had done it during the coast to coast 600 it hadn’t seemed too bad but this was completely different this time. 

I wasn’t expecting this part of the route to be so tough. Indeed, when I look at the elevation now as I write this I wonder what the fuss was about. Maybe it was the fact that it had just gotten dark and my legs were getting tired but this was the toughest part of the route for me. I thought it would never end. I felt like I was just climbing all of the time, even though the elevation suggests otherwise. Anyway, whatever the reason, I finally did make it to Enniskillen at eleven fifteen where I had a mcdonalds and topped up my water for the final 100km. 

It felt good to be on the “final stretch”. I knew it would be the easiest on paper even though it had one substantial climb in it. The first 30km after Enniskillen went by really fast as they were fairly flat roads through some lakelands. 

At Swanlinbar (335km) the Benbeg climb began. It was never steep but just seemed to roll on forever. As I climbed, the fog got thicker and thicker and the wind got less and less. I stopped at one stage just to hear the silence. It was weird. Anyway, I was climbing for what seemed like a long time and I passed what looked like an entrance to someone’s house. But there wasn’t any houses at the top of mountains, I thought. I must be nowhere near the top.

Thankfully I was wrong because all of a sudden I started to freewheel. I was going down. This was a great relief and surprise. 

From here it was 50km to go and it was mostly downhill with four or five decent climbs thrown in just to make sure you didn’t go home with any energy left in your legs. I finally made it back to Sligo (404km) by half past four in the morning. 

The Innisfree 400 was one of the toughest Audax I have ever done. With over 4600m of climbing and the irish weather to contend with it was always going to be that way. But in a strange way, I miss it. The vast wilderness and the rugged landscapes give you a true sense of adventure.

Will I do it again? …… ask me in a few weeks…