Grand Canal

GeneralLeeBike

Hey guys. I've just finished building a mountain bike and was thinking of cycling the grand canal when i get back to Dublin.
The plan would be to get an early train to Ballinasloe or even Galway,then cycle the grand canal route back to Dublin by that evening.
Does anyone know if thats possible (i know the whole route is over 100km but I've been cycling for 13 years so it should be easy), or is there some places where Ill have to turn off and go on a road?

connie_c

Please report back when you have done it. Ive always fancied this. Around sallins and out towards prospereous there is a lot of grass to cycle over. Not enough traffic on the paths to keep the grass down.

dazed+confused

I bought a great book recently called "Walking in Ireland" by Christopher Somerville. He says the canal is open from "Irish Sea to Atlantic Ocean".

He also gives this link: http://www.grandcanalhike.org/

Which says: "At times a local gravel or paved road built on the towpath becomes the way. But at no times is the walker left stranded without a comfortable path."

So assume you'd be fine cyclig it as long as your bike isn't too road focused.

michael196

the ESB recently paved the grand canal path on one side ( RHS as u head into Dublin) from where it intersects with the nangor road / fonthill area in Dublin, so ur last 15/ 20 K will be effortless. that is around the clondalkin area, starting at the western edges of clondalkin near adamstown.

from the clondalkin area into the black horse in inchicore (?) u have a good surface, with railed intersections with roads. this is also lit up 24/7 with new amenity seating along the way.

every several hundred yards / meters there are security cameras monitoring the walk, manned 24/ 7 and if u have hassle on the route, each lighting pole is numbered . there is an emergency number u can call. and the cameras locate u by giving them the pole number .

the paving stops at the black horse but u can follow the canal by road right down accross the south city, to the grand canal theatre where it enters the grand canal 'basin' just before joining the liffy. loads of cafe/ restaurants there to stop and celebrate ur arrival at the real end of the canal.

needless to say i cycled along the route earlier this year and i enjoyed the spin. watch out for glass along the route.

Unregistered.

michael196 wrote: »

the ESB recently paved the grand canal path on one side ( RHS as u head into Dublin) from where it intersects with the nangor road / fonthill area in Dublin, so ur last 15/ 20 K will be effortless. that is around the clondalkin area, starting at the western edges of clondalkin near adamstown.

Cycled this not to long ago. The route is in fact only 8-9 Km

michael196

could i say it felt like 15 !! :D but add in the road part to the grand canal theatre...

Unregistered.

michael196 wrote: »

could i say it felt like 15 !! :D but add in the road part to the grand canal theatre...

I wish the would extend the lovely new cycle path, which starts in Portobello, up through dolphin's barn to Suir Road (where there is a decent path all the way up to Black Horse - where the new path up to Adamstown begins). It's a short stretch but there is no sign of them doing anything.

kenmc

dazed+confused wrote: »

I bought a great book recently called "Walking in Ireland" by Christopher Somerville. He says the canal is open from "Irish Sea to Atlantic Ocean".

Only problem is that once you come to Shannon Harbour, you're faced with the Shannon, and the ballinasloe canal continues the far side of the river . You have to head north to Shannon Bridge to get back to the Ballinasloe line.

galwaycyclist

kenmc wrote: »

Only problem is that once you come to Shannon Harbour, you're faced with the Shannon, and the ballinasloe canal continues the far side of the river . You have to head north to Shannon Bridge to get back to the Ballinasloe line.

Yea I walked the section from Shannon Harbour to Kilbeggan some years back. I am not sure if there is even a path all the way on the Galway side. You could still get the train to Ballinasloe and cycle the road to Shannon Harbour via Shannon bridge.

Doctor Bob

Unregistered. wrote: »

I wish the would extend the lovely new cycle path, which starts in Portobello, up through dolphin's barn to Suir Road (where there is a decent path all the way up to Black Horse - where the new path up to Adamstown begins). It's a short stretch but there is no sign of them doing anything.

It's an obvious missing link, but the solution isn't obvious- the nature of development in such close proximity to the canal bank means there are some significant barriers that may be difficult to overcome.

The DCC Cycling Officer, Ciarán Fallon, posted about this a while back. See this thread (post #10). I'm not sure what progress has been made since then.

Unregistered.

Doctor Bob wrote: »

It's an obvious missing link, but the solution isn't obvious- the nature of development in such close proximity to the canal bank means there are some significant barriers that may be difficult to overcome.

The DCC Cycling Officer, Ciarán Fallon, posted about this a while back. See this thread (post #10). I'm not sure what progress has been made since then.

November 2009! That was a while back!

GeneralLeeBike

Hi guys I just got back home from cycling the canal...well part of it anyway. It started with a 6am start to make it into Heuston station for the 7:30 train to Ballinasloe.
The train service was brilliant,if a bit pricey (€32 for an adult and bike) ,and the bike storage was secure and easy to put the bikes in and take them out.
My uncle lives in Ballinasloe so he gave me and my friend a lift to Shannon Harbour (if we had been cycling it wouldve taken the best part of an hour).
When we got to Shannon Harbour we went down to the very start of the canal,then turned around and headed to dublin.
For the first couple of km it was relatively easy,cycling on tarmac and gravel tracks.
Then the gravel and tar stopped and we started cycling on grass that was driven on. Unfortunately my friends bike wasn't brilliant at coping off road,and it soon began to slow us down,and we arrived in Tullamore at 3:15. We locked the bikes along the canal,and then set off to find somewhere to eat. We ended up in a small Italian bistro,and stayed there till well past 5. By that stage we knew we couldn't make it to Dublin by nightfall so we decided to instead cycle on the road to Tyrrellstown where my dad would collect us and drop us to Naas,so we could hopefully cycle most of the canal.
But by the time the bikes were on the car,and we were on the road it was past 8pm. We knew we couldn't make it to Naas,and then cycle home before nightfall,so we reluctantly threw in the towel.

Hopefully I can try and cycle the canal again,and hopefully make it this time

Good luck to anyone trying to cycle the canal,and don't be deterred by my failed efforts.

RidleyRider

When you were in Shannon harbour did you cycle from the newer part of the harbour past the bridge and onto a gravel part? Or head over the little bridge? Would be nice to do on the boat:D

kincsem

Planet X did something like this a few months ago. It rained heavily and the canal path was not usable in places. Do a search on the cycling forum to find his thread.

GeneralLeeBike

Steve Marquis wrote: »

When you were in Shannon harbour did you cycle from the newer part of the harbour past the bridge and onto a gravel part? Or head over the little bridge? Would be nice to do on the boat:D

We cycled mostly on the right side of the canal,only switching over if there was a better path on the other side.

keenan110

I cycled the whole grand canal form Dublin to Shannon Harbour. I put up a short review of the trip on this thread.:)

RacoonQueen

Unregistered. wrote: »

Cycled this not to long ago. The route is in fact only 8-9 Km

Was going to ask about this actually. How many road crossings are there? I know there's one in Clondalkin just at the village so to speak, is there any further up towards Adamstown? Or is it an uninterrupted cycle other than that and the gate half way up the path between Inchicore and Kylemore?

LightningBolt

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Was going to ask about this actually. How many road crossings are there? I know there's one in Clondalkin just at the village so to speak, is there any further up towards Adamstown? Or is it an uninterrupted cycle other than that and the gate half way up the path between Inchicore and Kylemore?

There's two gates in between the ninth lock road crossing in Clondalkin and Adamstown, bit of a pain. You cycle under the bridge on the Adamstown road but beyond that I'm not too sure as I've yet to cycle that way!