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Lee Road/Carrigrohane Road |
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Written by John Quigley
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Monday, 05 November 2007 |
Lee Road/Carrigrohane Road “The Straight Road”
Map:
Where: Western suburbs. There are a number of parking spots/car parks, mainly towards the city end of the Straight Road.
Description:
This popular circuit is just a little shy of 6.2 miles and is a Sli na Slainte route. Start from the car park, approx. ½ mile west of Victoria Cross and head east, towards Cork. Go left at AIB bank on Western Road, over Wellington Bridge, and left again onto Lee Road. The route rises for about 300m, just after the turn onto Lee Road, and the falls quickly, followed by about a mile of level ground. At the Grotto, the road rises steadily for about 2/3rd mile. Towards the end of the rise, as the road enters the trees, the rise becomes sharper. This is followed by approx. ½ miles of level ground. Then the road begins to fall sharply for about 400m and at a turn, it falls even more sharply for about 120 metres. The rest of the course is pretty much flat from here. The road then twists and turns for about ½ mile. Head over the humpback bridge (NB Be very careful here! – there is a skew bend both before and after the bridge and drivers may not see or expect runners) and at the next junction take a sharp left and on past “The Angler’s Rest” and over the bridge. Take a left at the next junction, the western end of the Straight Road, and head back towards Cork. It is approx. 2 miles from here back to the car park. The popular UCC 10k, held on the first Sunday in April, is run over much of this route.
When:
On public roads, the route is open at all times however approx. 2/3rds of the course is unlit, so running it during darkness or twilight is STRONGLY discouraged.
Health & Safety:
Though largely in a rural setting, traffic along the Lee Road is relatively heavy. Where there are no footpaths, you are advised to run facing oncoming traffic. LISTEN for traffic – for personal safety, you are advised NOT to wear headphones on this route!
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