For adventurous ADULTS, circumnavigating Carlingford Lough is a great day of cycling! It’s 53km in total and with stops to enjoy the surrounds and have lunch, a day is ideal.
It is possible to complete the loop in half a day, but given the ferry trip, you would have to be averaging at least 15km per hour on the road. Please note that the Carlingford Lough Ferry does not run all year round, and Le Tour Du Lough is only possible when the ferry is running. In 2027, the Narrow Water Bridge will open and we’ll have another ‘loop route’ to offer.
Le Tour Du Lough offers a mixture of cycling conditions and challenges and why we do NOT advise this route for families is that for 12 kilometers, you have to cycle along the busy A2 road between Lisnacree and Warrenpoint. The A2 is FAST, it is NARROW and the road surface is ‘variable’ (raised grids, sunken grids, some potholes). Most drivers respect cyclists and give a wide berth but to take this route, you must be conscious of the potential dangers. OnYerBike will provide you with a High Vis jacket and a helmet of course . . .
Still up for the challenge?? Well off we go!!
From Carlingford Marina you head to Greenore – just 7km along the R176 which for the most part has a ‘hard shoulder’ for you to ride along. You will be able to look across the lough to the Mourne Mountains to your left and across towards the Cooley Mountains to your right.
The Carlingford Lough Ferry from Greenore leaves on the half hour. Sailing times depend on the day and month so make sure you ask us or go to https://carlingfordferry.com/timetable/. There is even a bike rack on the Ferry !
After a lovely ferry crossing, you will arrive at Greencastle. Take the time to visit the amazing Royal Greencastle Castle just by Greencastle Pier. Ride along the Greencastle Pier Road and at the T junction turn left towards Lisnacree on the Benagh Road. It’s signposted Warrenpoint and Newry. At Lisnacree you turn left on to the A2 to Warrenpoint…The road pretty much follows the contours of the Lough and it will take about 30 minutes to ride to Rostrevor and Kilbroney Park. Plenty of good reasons to stop off here including a cafe at the Mountain Bike trailhead…As an advisory note, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CREDIT/DEBIT CARD or STERLING CASH…(I made that mistake last time and so there was no pit stop for 46km until I got to Omeath!)
Cycle a little further and you approach Warrenpoint, I stopped at the Ross Monument to just take in the scenery..The Ross Monument was erected on the shoreline of Carlingford Lough in 1826 to the design of William Vitruvius Morrison, this massive granite obelisk commemorates Major General Robert Ross who had been killed in September 1814 while advancing on Baltimore during the American War.
Once in Newry you can explore as you wish and there is much history to see, places to eat, etc. Now you are two thirds of the way round Le Tour Du Lough and very definitely on the last leg of your journey ! Quite possibly you are on your last legs too!
The Newry to Victoria Lock Greenway section is delightful. It starts looking a bit ‘industrial’ but after a few hundred meters you are riding along a lovely country path between the Newry River on one side and the Newry Canal on the other. It’s really fab!
Since Summer 2025, the Carlingford Lough Greenway has been connected from Victoria Lock all the way to Carlingford Marina (with the exception of a 300 metre section just outside of Omeath to the Ryland River).
When you reach On Yer Bike you will have had a great day out and like our other guests that have achieved ‘Le Tour Du Lough’, you will be feeling elated for sure.
Time to ‘Get Off Yer Bike’ and go and enjoy a wonderful evening in Carlingford with its great pubs, cafes and restaurants. Maybe you will be lucky enough to see a sunset like this one!