Ireland, Leinster
The Wicklow Mountains start twenty minutes from the city and the Sally Gap is a classic short run.
First instinct from Dublin: head south into Wicklow.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
14 mi
Best rated nearby
9.3 / 10
Shortest full loop
2 hr 12 min
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 5 March 2026
Under 60 km from the centre
Close enough for an evening run or a Sunday morning before the traffic wakes up.
Roughly 2 hr 42 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
16 mi away · County Wicklow
Empty moorland tarmac over the Sally Gap, minutes from Dublin but utterly wild.
45 km · 28 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
14 mi away · Wicklow Mountains, Ireland
A lonely blanket bog crossing through the wildest heart of the Wicklow Mountains.
20 km · 12.4 mi · Atlas rating 8.7 / 10
60 to 150 km from the centre
Far enough to feel like a proper trip, close enough to be home for dinner.
Roughly 5 hr 5 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
150 to 400 km from the centre
Leave early, take the long way back and make a day of it.
Roughly 9 hr 46 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
144 mi away · Lake District, England
England's steepest road gradient, a brutal one in three climb over Roman ruins.
5 km · 3.1 mi · Atlas rating 9.5 / 10
142 mi away · Brecon Beacons, Wales
A ribbon of hairpins climbing a bare Welsh moorland made famous by Top Gear.
19 km · 11.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
235 mi away · Glen Coe, Scottish Highlands
A sweeping run through Rannoch Moor beneath the brooding Buachaille Etive Mor.
30 km · 18.6 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
148 mi away · Lake District, England
A steep slate quarry pass squeezed between towering fells above Buttermere.
6.5 km · 4 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
183 mi away · Dingle Peninsula
Ireland's highest pass, a shelf road with lakes hanging above the Atlantic.
12 km · 7.5 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
185 mi away · Beara Peninsula
Tight hairpins over the Caha Mountains linking Cork and Kerry above two bays.
12 km · 7.5 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
Plan it
Nearby cities