Cork094

Preview of the Mealagh Valley 5k...

The Mealagh Valley is located in the hills to the north-east of the town of Bantry in West Cork.

Getting there...The best way to find the Mealagh Valley is from Bantyr itself regardless of what direction you are coming from. If you are travelling from say near Cork City then you need to allow plenty of time to get to Bantry....say 1h 30m and then another 15 mins or so to get to the parking area.

The easiest way to get there is probably via Bandon....Enniskeane....Dunmanway....Drimoleague....Bantry.

Directions from Cork City on the N71 : When you arrive in Bantry, follow the road for Glengarriff to the outskirts of the town and past Caseys filling station. Take the next right at Donemark Bridge...see photo below.

Once you turn off right, you stay on this narrow road for about 8 kms. Just keep going straight.

Directions from Glengarriff & Kerry on the N71 : As you approach the outskirts of Bantry, follow the N71 passing the golf club on the right. After a long bend in the road, take the next left and follow the road as above. See photo below.

See photos near Donemark Bridge...

As you approach the race venue, you will meet some race stewards. Follow their directions for parking.


Entries........These are normally taken at Cronin's Yard. The community hall where the refreshments will be later is about 900 metres away...a 10 minute walk.

Please note! There is no need to go to the community centre before the race. Cronin's Yard is approx 1.3kms from the start line.

Course map...

Course...The Mealagh Valley is a lovely quiet scenic spot for a race. The course has some challenging sections but plenty of downhill running as well.

The start is on a narrow road but with the reasonable small numbers, that's not really an issue. You're straight into a downhill section from the start...

...until the first junction at about 1.2kms where you turn left.

From the junction, you run up a slight hill and past the entrance to Cronins Farm.The road then drops rapidly on the other side into a long downhill section (see photo). 

At the end, the road twists and turns in a series of short uphill and downhill sections until you come to the community centre.

Note that the finish line is just outside the centre. When you are finishing the race, you will be approaching this point again but from the opposite direction.

Past where the finish line will be and into another downhill section until you get to a narrow bridge over the Mealagh River which gives the valley it's name.

This is the lowest part of the course. From here, the next 600 metres or so are really tough. It's all uphill but it changes from gradual to short steep sections and back again. The hardest part of the course is just before you reach the local primary school.....

If it looks steep then that's because it is! This is a really steep section but it's pretty short. At the top, you reach the turn around point and you retrace your steps to the finish line outside the community centre.

Overall.....It's probably the toughest 10 mile road race in the country but it's a great spot when the weather is nice. Not a course for personal best times but it's still a little gem. Quiet, scenic and rural. As the organisers say, it's got everything except flat sections ;o)

Cork069

Preview of the Bay Run Half-Marathon...

The Bay Run Half-Marathon takes place in Bantry at the start of May every year.

The race starts in Glengariff and finishes in the town of Bantry. A fleet of buses take the runners from Bantry to Glengariff before the race.

 Between the mountains and the sea, it's a stunning location for a race...

Course profile...

Course map...

Course preview....

The race starts in the heart of Glengarriff , a stunning spot with views out over the Bay. Before you head towards Bantry, you first need to do a loop to the west.

At the western end of Glengarriff, you take a right at the junction...

Here is road is covered in Rhododendron as it turns and twists slowly uphill. Just after the 1 mile mark, you turn off left into the forest to do a short loop....

At first it's flat but you then climb steadily. At the end of this small loop, you rejoin the main road again and then it's a fast mile or so downhill and back into Glengarriff.

After you pass the start line again, you begin the next stage of the race. From the town, the road climbs for about a mile until near the 4 mile mark and the local golf club where is eases off. After a while, the road begins to climb again until around the 5 mile mark where you have extensive views out over Bantry Bay...

Now you begin the downhill section until you approach sea level again around the 8 mile mark...

The next 1.5 miles are very pleasant as the road twists and turns as it follows the rugged coastline. There are a few minor pulls but nothing serious. At about 9.5 miles, you approach Ballylicky and the Ouvane Falls Hotel...

The third and final part of the course begins now as you head south towards Bantry. There are a few minor climbs but nothing major. You still get the occasional view of Bantry Bay as you move away from the coast...

As you progress towards the town of Bantry itself, the course slowly changes from rural to urban.

As you descend into the town, the course takes a right...

 You now follow a narrow road which runs behind the houses shown above on the right. The narrow boreen exits onto a slightly wider road where you turn right into a short but steep climb...

 This road then passes a small housing estate before dropping down towards the waters edge...

 

 You now follow the Béicín Walk which follows the waters edge with great views out over Bantry Bay....

 Eventually the path loops around to the back of Bantry where you finish just a short distance from the main square...

Overall....probably not a course for setting personal best times but once the weather is nice, it's a stunning location for a race.

Cork058

Preview of the Mealagh Valley Ring 10 mile road race...

The Mealagh Valley is located in the hills to the north-east of the town of Bantry in West Cork.

Getting there...The best way to find the Mealagh Valley is from Bantyr itself regardless of what direction you are coming from. If you are travelling from say near Cork City then you need to allow plenty of time to get to Bantry....say 1h 30m and then another 15 mins or so to get to the parking area.

The easiest way to get there is probably via Bandon....Enniskeane....Dunmanway....Drimoleague....Bantry.

Directions from Cork City on the N71 : When you arrive in Bantry, follow the road for Glengarriff to the outskirts of the town and past Caseys filling station. Take the next right at Donemark Bridge...see photo below.

Once you turn off right, you stay on this narrow road for about 8 kms. Just keep going straight.

Directions from Glengarriff & Kerry on the N71 : As you approach the outskirts of Bantry, follow the N71 passing the golf club on the right. After a long bend in the road, take the next left and follow the road as above. See photo below.

See photos near Donemark Bridge...

As you approach the race venue, you will meet some race stewards. Follow their directions for parking.


Entries........These are normally taken at Cronin's Yard. The community hall where the prizes and refreshments will be later is about 900 metres away...a 10 minute walk.

Please note! There is no need to go to the community centre before the race. Cronin's Yard is approx 200 metres from the start line.

Course map...

Course...The Mealagh Valley is a lovely quiet scenic spot for a race. It does however come at a price in that the course is very hilly. It's certainly not a race to set a 10 mile PB but it should be considered as more of a challenge.

The start is on a narrow road as shown above but with the reasonable small numbers, that's not really an issue. You're straight into a hill from the start as you run up a slight hill and past the entrance to Cronins Farm.

From there, the road drops rapidly on the other side into a long downhill section. At the end, the road twists and turns in a series of short uphill and downhill sections until you come to the community centre.

Note that the finish line is just outside the centre. When you are finishing the race, you will be covering this part of the course again.

But first time around, you keep going! Past where the finish line will be and into another downhill section until you get to a narrow bridge over the Mealagh River which gives the valley it's name.

This is the lowest part of the course and just after the bridge, you come to the 1 mile mark. From here, the next 600 metres or so are really tough. It's all uphill but it changes from gradual to short steep secions and back again. The hardest part of the course is just before you reach the local primary school.....

If it looks steep then that's because it is! This is a really steep section but it's pretty short. At the top, you join another road...

The road now changes into a relatively flat section which will give you a chance to recover from all of that climbing. You are basically running along a road above the valley floor with a nice view of the surrounding area. It's not that the road is dead flat or anything like it but it is easier than the initial two miles. As you head up the valley, the road climbs but starts to drop after the 5 mile mark as you come to the next road junction...

From here, you are heading back down the valley again with views of the mountains of the Beara Peninsula way off in the distance. You might think at this stage that since you are heading back down the valley, it might get easier. Dream on! You get to around 7 miles and there is another long hill. Nothing drastic but still slow going.

Eventually, you get some fast downhill sections...

...and you eventually turn left and retrace your footsteps from the start towards the finish line.

Overall.....It's probably the toughest 10 mile road race in the country but it's a great spot when the weather is nice. Not a course for personal best times but it's still a little gem. Quiet, scenic and rural. As the organisers say, it's got everything except flat sections ;o)