Canal Path from Hazelhatch to Dublin

mikerd4

Toying with taking the bike to work and instead of taking the road bike I am toying with taking the MTB and use the canal path.
Can anyone tell me what the path is like from Hazelhatch in towards Dublin? Is there a proper track or will I be destroyed using it (I know its surfaced nicely around Lucan)

robertxxx

There is no path at all 50mtrs after clonsilla train staion due to people extending their back gardens.

vektarman

robertxxx wrote: »

There is no path at all 50mtrs after clonsilla train staion due to people extending their back gardens.

Really, that's a surprise to me as I've being cycling along the Royal canal from Broombridge to Maynooth for the last 12 months and never saw that. Anyway the OP is referring to the Grand Canal and it's okay to cycle from Hazelhatch to Dublin, paved from Lucan as stated and grassy with a worn path from Hazelhatch to Lucan.

njburke

Hazelhatch to Sallins is a mixture of closed paved road and grassy towpath. The section from ardclough bridge to baronrath bridge is public road but with very low traffic levels.

mikerd4

Cheers guys

Sean02

Mixing up your canals Robert. The section you refer to is in my opinion one of the nicest on the Royal. I only came across one spot where a farmer decided to fence off to the water edge, that was down past Kilcock. I´m sure by now the OPW have sorted him/her out by now. Cycling to work using either canal route is a wonderfull way to comute. The challenge during wet and snow is exillerating. Expect punctures allow 15 mins each trip, hopefully you wont need.
For the 100th time I warn new users on Royal to be very carefull at the deep cutting between Porterstown bridge and Coolmine.

trad

The OPW have nothing to do with canals. We gave away most of our inland waterways to an outfit in Enniskillen under the Good Friday Agreement.

njburke

That would be Waterways Ireland.

ANXIOUS

Is it possible to cycle the entire length of either canal?

Sean02

Your probaly half right Trad ,but no matter they seem to be doing a reasanable job, not withstanding that one of their officials in Ashtown was unaware that the Royal was only 100 mtrs from her desk. OPW in the past regarded the towpaths a the sole domain of angling and walking, this attidude needs to change but as you say its a long way from Enniskilleen to Broombridge.

big mce

I cycled today from Blanchardstown (12th Lock) to Abbeyshrule using the Royal. Really excellent spin. Surfaces varied from tarmac to knee high grass. Used 6 tubes! Recommend everyone to try it at least once. I rode it on my Cyclocross bike.

Route here:
http://www.strava.com/rides/royal-canal-spin-13670108 (including a detour to Tri and Run in Mullingar for more tubes.)


Photo's here:
http://pix.ie/bigmce/album/446405

njburke

ANXIOUS wrote: »

Is it possible to cycle the entire length of either canal?

mmh !
I'll see how far west I can get from sallins on the new MTB . I regularly go out towards Robertson on the hybrid, I have cycled Landenstown to sallins on the hybrid as a shortcut back. So Hatch to Landenstown is cyclable at least.

Sean02

Well done John I aggree what a great trip and challenge and some great pics.
Properly developed can you imaging the 1000´s of cyclotourists both canals would generate. Bye the way is the farmers fence to the water edge I mentioned in previous reply still there. 7 punctures your were you using kevlar tyres.? and what was your opinion regarding deep cutting section at Coolmine.
regards
sean

Sean02

Just do it NJ. The best spots are still to come particuarly alongside Bog of Allen and Tullamore. Easily doable from Salins in a day. Best bike for Grand is Hybrid ,in my opinion. Royal is a different story, you need high fitnees to for attempting it in one day. Enjoy

big mce

Sean02 wrote: »

Well done John I aggree what a great trip and challenge and some great pics.
Properly developed can you imaging the 1000´s of cyclotourists both canals would generate. Bye the way is the farmers fence to the water edge I mentioned in previous reply still there. 7 punctures your were you using kevlar tyres.? and what was your opinion regarding deep cutting section at Coolmine.
regards
sean

Thanks Sean.

That was the one thing that surprised me, I never met another cyclist (except around the cycle lane in Mullingar. ) The route would make a fantastic green-way towards the West. It really is a hidden gem. There should be hundreds of people using this.

Didn't come across the farmers fencing. It was all completely open. Waterways Ireland must have sorted that?

I would agree about Coolmine, very dodgy around there, one slip and your in, after that it's a lot easier. Not great getting close to Mullingar and after Ballynacargy it's very tough going, but bear in mind the wet summer we are having. A couple of dry weeks would make a huge difference. I was using these tyres on my cyclocross bike (ideal bike for it in my opinion)

http://www.bicycleeverything.com/products/Continental-Cyclocross-Mud-Tubular-Bike-Tire.html

Thinking I'll get something with kevlar the next time. But it's very diificult to avoid punctures as there are so many Briars.

Ant

Well done, big_mce. That was an impressive time to do the full distance (I noticed my off-road speed is often close to half my on-road speed). So far, I've only made it as far as Hill of the Downs but I'd love to go all the way to the Shannon some day. It's a lovely way to travel as it's so quiet and you get to see plenty of wild-life along the way.

Edit: I found the section around Broombridge to be dodgier than the Deep Sinking (which was built at huge cost in time, labour and money on the insistence of the Duke of Leinster that the canal pass his gaf at Carton House). Also, for anyone interested in cycling along the canals in Ireland, I'd recommend reading Towpath Tours by John Dunne for interesting information on the routes.

Capt'n Midnight

ANXIOUS wrote: »

Is it possible to cycle the entire length of either canal?

http://www.china.org.cn/china/photos/2009-06/01/content_17866889.htm

Sean02

Interesting piece Ant about deep sinking. But a little unfair regarding dangers on Broombridge. Having cycle commuted to and from Leixlip for 22 years I never felt any worries apart from the rogue swan that believed she owned the area. However I have come accross 2 cyclist and a pedrestrian in the canal luckly all survived the long drop but were unable to get out without fire brigade assistance and the fact that I had a mobile. Anyway on a brighter note as Ant says there is a lot of interesting and history along route. Broombridge probaly the most interesting; Broom Bridge, also known as Brougham Bridge, is a bridge along Broombridge Road which crosses the Royal Canal in Cabra, Dublin, Ireland. Broom Bridge is named after William Brougham, one of the directors of the Royal Canal company. It is somewhat famous for being the location where Sir William Rowan Hamilton first wrote down the fundamental formula for quaternions on October 16, 1843, which is to this day commemorated by a stone plaque on the northwest corner of the underside of the bridge.
The text on the plaque reads:
Here as he walked by
on the 16th of October 1843
Sir William Rowan Hamilton
in a flash of genius discovered
the fundamental formula for
quaternion multiplication
i² = j² = k² = ijk = −1
& cut it on a stone of this bridge.
Given the historical importance of the bridge with respect to mathematics, mathematicians from all over the world have been known to take part in the annual commemorative walk from Dunsink Observatory to the site. Attendees have included Nobel Prize winners Murray Gell-Mann, Steven Weinberg and Frank Wilczek, and mathematicians Sir Andrew Wiles and Ingrid Daubechies.[1]

Further along the deep cutting were they dynamited thier way though to avoid a diversion, At Porterstown OPW now have a plaque to honour the 17 barge passengers who drowned there in november 1845.

lookitsme

there is no cycle lanes from the hazelhatch to the 12th lock bridge in lucan but a decent mountain bike would see you ok, its reasonably smooth and once you get to the bridge you have the choice of either side of the canal to cycle to clondalkin one side being a proper cycle way the other side off road but smooth in good weather. one good thing about cycling from town to the hazelhatch is you can stop for a pint in that pub with all the canal barges outside it at the end of your journey, it tastes nicer once you have worked for it.


ps if you get into mountain biking there is an old mountain bike track between hazelhatch and lucan its just by the middle bridge, might be a bit over grown now but still fun i imagine