Absolutely. From Rathdangan you are in an excellent position for this — particularly because you can get into the Wicklow uplands very quickly and then work south, west or east without having to use the main roads.
I’d make the three days quite different from one another:
- Day 1 – High Wicklow: mountains, loughs, Military Road and Glendalough.
- Day 2 – South Wicklow & Blackstairs: much quieter roads, valleys, forests and some excellent little historical sites.
- Day 3 – Wicklow coast and mountains: a taste of the sea, but mainly back into the hills and valleys.
I’ve allowed roughly 9–11 hours away from Rathdangan, but deliberately made the riding itself considerably less than that so you have plenty of time for photographs, coffee and exploring.
Day 1 — The High Wicklow Loop
Rathdangan → Blessington → Wicklow Gap → Glendalough → Sally Gap → Blessington → Rathdangan
Approx. 210 km / 7–8 hours riding & stops, 9–10½ hours overall
This would be my best day of the three if you want spectacular motorcycling.
09:00 — Rathdangan
Head west initially rather than going straight for the obvious roads:
Rathdangan → Kiltegan → Baltinglass → Hollywood → Ballymore Eustace
Stop for coffee around Baltinglass — Hug a Mug Café is a convenient option.
Then take the quieter roads towards Blessington Reservoir.
10:30 — Blessington Lakes
Rather than simply following the main road, I’d work around the western and northern sides of the reservoir.
This gets you onto the sort of roads I think you’ll enjoy: little traffic, open farmland, hills and water.
11:30 — Wicklow Gap
Take the R756 over Wicklow Gap towards Glendalough.
The Gap rises to about 475 m and gives you a superb mountain crossing, with open bog, rocky hills and long views.
Photo stop: the summit and the descent towards Glendalough.
12:30 — Glendalough
Don’t rush this one.
Spend 45–60 minutes around the monastic settlement and lakes. Glendalough Cathedral
The combination of the medieval ruins, valley and two lakes makes it one of the rare places where I’d actually recommend getting off the bike for a while.
For lunch/coffee, Wicklow Heather Restaurant | Glendalough is the comfortable option.
14:00 — Glenmacnass
Then take the lovely road up through the valley:
Glendalough → Glenmacnass → Sally Gap
Stop at Glenmacnass Waterfall.
15:00 — Sally Gap & Lough Tay
This is the spectacular part.
The Old Military Road and R759 cross some of the highest and most isolated country in Wicklow. The road was built between 1801 and 1809 following the 1798 rebellion.
Take the little road towards Lough Tay for the viewpoint.
Then:
Lough Tay → Sally Gap → Old Military Road → Laragh
The mountain section deserves time rather than speed — allow roughly 2–3 hours if you’re stopping frequently.
17:00 — Laragh → Rathdrum
Come south through Annamoe and Rathdrum rather than taking the obvious fast route.
Coffee if required at Pitstop Coffee in Rathdrum.
Then take the smaller roads home to:
Rathdrum → Aughrim → Tinahely → Rathdangan
18:30–19:00 — Rathdangan
Why I like this day: about as good a mixture of Irish mountain riding, lakes, history and quiet roads as you can get without going a huge distance.
Day 2 — South Wicklow, Blackstairs & the Derry Valley
Rathdangan → Tinahely → Shillelagh → Clonegal → Mount Leinster → Borris → Graiguenamanagh → Castledermot → Rathdangan
Approx. 230–250 km / 9–10½ hours including stops
This is the quiet-road day.
You’ll encounter considerably fewer tourists than around Glendalough and Sally Gap.
The countryside south of Tinahely is particularly good for what you’re after: rolling hills, forests, valleys and small roads. The Wicklow Way itself describes the area as a mixture of quiet roads, forest, moorland and hills.
09:00 — Rathdangan → Tinahely
Take the back roads via Hacketstown / Kiltegan / Tinahely rather than making a beeline down the R747.
Coffee and perhaps an early bite at Dlish coffee & Cooking in Tinahely.
10:30 — Tinahely → Shillelagh
Take the small roads through the Derry valley.
Shillelagh is worth a brief stop. The surrounding countryside is exactly the sort of rural Wicklow landscape that tends to disappear if you stick to the main roads.
11:30 — Clonegal
Continue south towards Clonegal, at the foot of the Blackstairs.
This is where the landscape begins to change noticeably.
12:15 — Mount Leinster / Nine Stones
Head towards the Blackstairs Mountains and climb towards The Nine Stones.
This is one of the places I’d particularly recommend for the motorcycle: open mountain country, long views and very little urban development.
Have your packed coffee/lunch here if the weather is good.
13:30 — Borris
Descend towards Borris.
Stop for lunch and wander around the village.
Then take the beautiful road along the River Barrow towards Graiguenamanagh.
15:00 — Graiguenamanagh
This is a good historical stop.
The town grew around Duiske Abbey, one of Ireland’s important medieval Cistercian foundations.
Spend 30–45 minutes here.
16:00 — The back way home
Rather than returning the way you came:
Graiguenamanagh → Castledermot → Baltinglass → Rathdangan
Use the smaller roads wherever practical.
If you still have energy, make a detour to Castleruddery Stone Circle, just outside Baltinglass. Castleruddery Stone Circle
It is a particularly nice little stop because it takes very little time but gives the day some genuine prehistoric history.
18:00–19:00 — Rathdangan
This is probably the least touristy of the three days.
Day 3 — Coast, Avoca & the Valleys
Rathdangan → Aughrim → Woodenbridge → Avoca → Wicklow coast → Rathdrum → Glenmalure → Aghavannagh → Rathdangan
Approx. 220 km / 9–10½ hours including stops
This gives you your requested hour or two at the coast, but doesn’t turn the day into a coastal tour.
09:00 — Rathdangan → Aughrim
Take the little roads south-east towards Aughrim.
The roads around Aughrim are particularly pleasant: wooded valleys, hills and very little traffic. Wicklow Tourism specifically highlights the Aughrim/Tinahely/Shillelagh area for its rolling hills and valleys.
10:00 — Woodenbridge
Ride through Avoca Valley to Woodenbridge.
Coffee stop.
Then take the road towards the coast.
11:00 — Wicklow coast
Head north along the quieter coastal roads for perhaps 45–60 minutes.
I’d aim for:
Arklow → Brittas Bay → Wicklow
rather than trying to cover the entire Wicklow coastline.
There are some excellent sea views, but the point is to have a change of scenery rather than spend the whole day beside the sea.
Wicklow Tourism’s current coastal guide specifically highlights the Bray–Arklow section for its cliffs, beaches and winding roads.
12:30 — Wicklow / coast lunch
Have lunch near Wicklow and then turn inland.
14:00 — Rathdrum
Ride inland through the small roads towards Rathdrum.
If you want a historical diversion, Rathgall Hillfort is another excellent possibility on a different section of the trip.
15:00 — Glenmalure
Now comes the bit I’d particularly recommend:
Rathdrum → Laragh → Glenmalure
Don’t hurry through Glenmalure.
The valley is one of the most atmospheric places in Wicklow, with steep mountains enclosing a long, relatively empty valley.
The Great Military Road actually continues through Glenmalure towards Aghavannagh; the complete historic road runs 58 km across the mountains.
16:00 — Glenmalure → Aghavannagh
Take the Military Road south through the valley.
This is proper motorcycle country.
Then:
Aghavannagh → Tinahely → Rathdangan
17:30–18:30 — Rathdangan
A satisfying final run back to base.
My ranking for you
Day
| Scenery
| Roads
| History
| Traffic
| My rating
|
1 High Wicklow
| 
|
|
|
| 10/10
|
2 South Wicklow/Blackstairs
| ½
|
|
|
| 9½/10
|
3 Coast/Avoca/Glenmalure
|
| ½
|
|
| 9½/10
|
One important suggestion
I’d not put too many named attractions into the sat-nav. For this sort of trip, the enjoyment is in the connecting roads.
I’d use Google Maps/Calimoto/Kurviger with the route points above, and deliberately select avoid motorways + avoid major roads, then use the named places as waypoints.
And I’d keep Sally Gap and the higher Military Road flexible according to the weather. The exposed mountain roads can be glorious in sunshine but quite unrewarding in cloud or heavy rain.
If you tell me what month you’re planning to do the three days, I can refine these into turn-by-turn motorcycle routes with GPX-ready waypoint sequences, including specific coffee/lunch stops at roughly 10:30, 12:30 and 15:30 each day.
